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MT 981 S to a MT 991 T. Zero regrets. I disagree on the soundtrack discussion above. But I also dropped the bread box and went with Sharkwerks Cat Back straight pipes. Great noise coming out of the back... I also don't mind the induction noise and I certainly love the usable torque and better gearing. The only thing I regret not having is the 6MT. The 7MT just doesn't compare for me.
If you get a performance spec T with RAS, that coupled with the PTV standard and the solid engine mounts (bonus, no more drama with the PADM) I doubt you'll miss your mid engine at all. I certainly didn't.
It is all in the options and configs. Go drive a bunch of cars: I found many 991 configs boring.
I love both cars. The T is more of an event. It is a more special car.
I went from a 981 CS manual (configured like a GTS) to a 991.2 T that is a performance oriented build with two exceptions. I wanted a sunroof and back seats.
There are things I miss about the CS. No doubt the sound is different. With that said I really like the near air cooled growl in the T.
The gearing in the CS was terrible. Very long. 6th gear was too short. 5th was a useless gear. The 7 speed in the T is actually very good.
Going over bumps there always was a hollow drumming sound in the front in the CS. This does not exist in the T.
Driving wise, the T is an absolute monster when setup correctly. It was fast stock. With a tune it is pretty insane. Much more of a “I will hurt you if you don’t respect me” feeling which I actually prefer. I have driven a bunch of GT3’s. The torque in the T is addictive.
The CS had sharper throttle response but you really had to crank the 3.4 to get the power going and the gearing was always working against the car. Handling wise, the CS was almost too good. It was a scalpel which sounds fun but sometimes I wanted more character. It was almost clinical at times. And IF things did get out of shape at the limit, the forgiveness margin is small.
I would still probably have my CS had it not been totaled by someone crossing into my lane. There are still times I think a Cayman would be fun to have,
There should be M car in every house. Yas Marina M3 was a great car. I had it since Nov. 2014 until I sold it in June of '00. It was a blast to drive. With ESS tune, it was even more fun.
In June '20, I found a CPO '19 Miami Blue 991.2T with 3.2k about 30min away from my house. It was not as fast as M3 but handling was on a different scale. It was a hard decision. I took stock 991.2T to Street of Willow and ran 2 seconds faster than my tuned M3. Since then, I have installed E85 COBB, DSC, and Cup2 tires.
You will miss 981S exhaust note but other than that, 991.2 will serve you well.
Good luck on your search.
The garage was complete. SoCal to Telluride trip in X6, awesome roadtrip vehicle. F80 went bye-bye and replaced with 991T 991T felt natural at Street of Willow
Last edited by Clubspec330i; 01-27-2022 at 05:25 PM.
They are two different cars providing two different driving experiences with pros and cons for each. You need to determine which experience you desire most. Drive both back to back. Own the one that brings you the most smiles. Best wishes with your decision.
I moved from a 981 Boxster GTS to a 991.2 Targa, primarily for two reasons. First, at 6-foot-5 the Boxster was uncomfortable for anything beyond an hour drive. Second, I’ve always loved the Targas.
From a pure drivers perspective, I like driving the Boxster better due to the smaller size making it more nimble feeling and the engine note. They weren’t at the top of my priority list because I also have a 987.2 Cayman S for a track car.
As it relates to engine note and the 991 (either .1 or .2) you’ll find it a much quieter experience simply to how much further away the exhaust and engine are, plus the Boxster is more “open” (even than a 911 cab). Due to that, even the .1 was enough of a fall off from a sound standpoint that I just accepted I’d be losing sound, so ended up with a .2 which brings about some nicer luxurious and since it’s my DD, that was important to me.
991.2 is a much better and fun daily car. The 981S is great and my wife still has one but it's kind of boring to daily drive. Have to ring out the car to have fun with it. That is few and far between at least how I drive it. The sound yes the 981 is better but once again you really only hear it when you wind it out. The biggest bonus is you can bring your little one with you it's a win win. As far as strollers go the yoyo 2 easily fits in the frunk. For weekends I can see picking the 981 but for daily duty the 991.2 is better.
Hi there.
I currently own a lovely 981 Cayman S which I pretty much converted to a GTS. It also has an amazing SOUL exhaust and I love the sound.
I also own a 2017 BMW M3. Both cars are manual.
I want to consolidate from 2 cars to 1 and need one which will handle daily, track, weekend, baby duty.
I am leaning towards a 991.2 C4S or T. Must haves would be sport exhaust and 18 way (or 4 way) seats.
Has anyone gone from a similar setup to the one I plan on getting? Any regrets? My biggest concern is missing the NA motor. And yes I could do the .1 but I don’t like that body style after seeing the .2.
Thanks!
I went from a 981 Cayman S -> 991.1 Carrera S -> 981 GT4 and finally ended up in a 991.2 Carrera T (rear wheel steer, interior package, no sunroof)
Overall I'm very satisfied with the T and wouldn't trade it back for any of those prior cars. It's just a delightful overall package that's really fun to rip on backroads but is also great for the more mundane drives.
You'll have to drive a .2 to judge the sound for yourself but IMO it's not bad, it's definitely better than an F80.
this really resonates with me, especially since I also own the same Yas marina f80 M3, and when I’m alone I always pick the 981.
Both my kids are now of forward-facing age and the distances we cover aren’t that vast (we have the Tesla for it) so I think it’s finally time to upgrade.
….but T or S….that’s the question.
given the setup just sell m3 for 991.2 you are good to go!
2015 981 GTS to a 2018 911.2 GTS. No real regrets. Exhaust sound of the 991.2 is different, NOT worse. Add an aftermarket header and sport exhaust and it's glorious.
About a year ago, I sold my 2015 cayman GTS, and the exhaust note with Sport Exhaust was enchanting. Remember, 991.2 cars have Turbos and they tend to muffle the cound a bit...they trade off is monster torque in contrast to Cayman S peak torque and naturally aspirated sound effects, enhanced in the cabin by a "Symposer" that pipes induction noise into the cabin.
Baby duty? Baby cars seats generally face rearward....that kid, fo as long as it can sit in that rear facing seat will be looking at a wall of leather and be hard for hiis parental units to see. You could put a cameras on the baby. If I were a parent with a young child, I'd buy a Macan GTS, Macan S or a Cayenne S.
I don't miss the N/A motor, recaling that it put out a mere 340 HP. The 991.2 Base is good for 370 HP, and monster torque, the Carera S, 430 HP,also with monster torque, \and my little car, a 2017 Carrera GTS piuts out 450 HP and monster torque as well. It is also my recollection that my former Cayman GTS with PDK in the Sport + mode, took me to 6,000 RPM, minimumm. Sport + on a 2017 GTS allows the driver controlling the shift points and resulting RPMs.
Sport+ Auto mode in a 981/991 S/GTS will become (more) usable on the street if you have the dealer perform the emissions recall that's currently in effect for the 3.4L engines. It will no longer insist on shifting at 6K+ RPM regardless of throttle position, which was a dumb and weird thing for Porsche to do regardless of emissions compliance.
Big fan of your channel! Personally think you would really enjoy the 991.2. It is capable on the track and I think you will find the sound enjoyable enough with soul headers, cats, and pse. Stock exhaust is definitely underwhelming.
I think you joined our ny/nj 991 whatsapp group at one point. Come out to one of the drives and we have an array of 991.1 and 991.2 stock and with soul/ other aftermarket exhaust so you can get some in-person comparisons. My base 991.2 will have soul headers/cats/pse before the spring along with a tune. You're welcome to take mine for a test drive.
Notes on car seats. I am also using this as a weekend family car. Have two kids in the back age 6/3. Currently using:
Maxi cosi rodifix. Fits great. Recommend.
Wayb pico. Super compact so fits great. Head rest doesn't have side bumpers so my younger kids head flops all over the place. Currently use an amazon velcro head holding contraption for his rare naps in this car.
Buddy has a mifold highback booster which he likes. I might eventually get this and shift my younger to the rodifix.
Oh and think of all the great content you can make!
01-26-2022, 11:38 PM
