SHooks

After buying my 991.1 base I sold my 997.1 GT3 and my 993C2S. I wanted to get down to one weekend car, after driving the 991 a few weeks I did add Fabspeed headers and a Cobb tune and Techart springs. The changes really changed the car in a great way. If you have a PDK a Cobb tuner will make the car much more fun to drive.

Gripster

The car is plenty enough for the street, but you do have to chase the power with these NA motors. Modern turbo charged engines are quite spectacular in this regard - I mean I recently drove a BMW 340i and the torque made my 911S feel slow. I think the key to thrills in the backroads is to manually shift the PDK to keep it in the RPM sweet spot - and use the lever not the paddles. You can keep it on the boil and keep your right foot pinned to the floor - I get goosebumps every time this way. And on the street - I can keep up with the Turbo S's and GT3's all day long.

With all that said I think you may be experiencing a bit of 'S' envy. Hear me out... I had a 997 Base Carrera and it was amazing. In my case, the knowledge that the S existed used to bug me all the time - and mostly on the forums. The feeling was resolved by grabbing the keys and going for a drive. I made the mistake of selling that car with a view to getting an S, and due to life circumstances I ended up Porsche-less for several years. Despite what some will say - the base and S just aren't that different when driven correctly. These cars are amazing.

And yes. A DE day will give you insights into the capability of the car like nothing else. It basically ruins street driving forever.

Levy

i don't track my 991.1S so here's a serious question for you and all those recommending tracking the base to appreciate it more instead of getting an S

would you not enjoy an S even more on the track? would you not have faster laps? not talking about mods here. apples too apples and fairly stock with tires/brakes being the only real exception on either car...... and with the same driving skills. from the few test drives i took before buying an S, the S was quicker/faster and a touch more planted in hard turns. it wasn't a night/day difference on the streets but was still pretty obvious to me at least.

was lucky enough to drive a base/S within minutes of each other so i could really compare the two without any memory lose in-between. the S felt better to me (acceleration/handling) period. don't understand how a base could be "better" on the track but am open to learning how/why. again...mine is a daily driver with zero track use so i really don't know any better then spirited street driving

Yc911Kid

3.4 is enough for cayman/boxster yet I found 3.8 motor suits 991.1 much better

PatrickBateman

Nobody said the base was better on the track. Where did you get your air quote from?

JRBucks

If you want to liven the car up some and make it more engaging, get an aftermarket exhaust. Then find some nice twisty roads and keep the revs up. If you have access to a road course then even better. Chasing 1/10ths will get addicting. Especially as you learn to explore your cars limits. A 3.4 is a very capable car in the right hands. Having said that, it'll never be a Huracan or AMG GT. If that is what you want, than no, it's not enough.

737gdog

Very different cars in terms of power delivery, torque etc.. Also, my T is a manual and my ‘14 base was pdk. Overall, enjoy the T much more than my 2014 due to the transmission and the low end torque. Having said that, driving hard in the mountains was every bit as enjoyable in my ‘14 base as it is in the T. Loved revving the NA engine out and how it felt/sounded at the limit. I was just really bored with it during normal daily driving. The lack of torque and pdk just didn’t do it for me about 80% of the time I drove.

Levy

maybe i misunderstood what Zylinderkopfdichtung said??....

"Put a bit of work into learning how to drive fast and you’ll be faster than most S and GTS drivers on the track"

trying to wrap my head around all the comments about tracking being the answer for the OP here?. for those of us who don't track and have no real desire to start tracking, wouldn't getting an S or another higher performing model (GTS/GT/TTS) be the simplest/best way to increase the enjoyment/grin factor for street use?. the OP's has had his car for a few years and doesn't track it. seems like he would have by now if that was of any real interest to him?. he seems to just want a faster car for street use and grins (like me), nothing wrong with that imho but am sure some of you will frown apon it.

don't get me wrong. tracking would be cool/fun and i have alot of respect for all you guys who take it seriously and become better/good drivers..... hats off to all of you. but i barely have time to go out for joy rides once in a while. have several other hobbies/interests that i'd much rather sink my discretional time/money into (watch collection, golfing, travel, guns & shooting, just to name a few).

i purchased my 911 for some fun/enjoyment on daily drives/commutes (weather permitting) and the occasional spirted drive for recreation. 30-40 years ago, i would probably feel differently. now a days, i'm just looking to have some fun driving a nice sports car. kinda see the OP as being alot like me here, but again....could be wrong?

PatrickBateman

I am the op . What Zylinder was saying was that with some seat time and instruction, a “driver mod” can lead to faster lap times than someone in a faster car without the same skill. Drivers being equal, of course the faster car will win. If you watch track videos, you can find base 911s beating gt3s because of that.

I do have interest in tracking and becoming a better driver. Would I love to have some more punch on the street too? Yes, but from what everyone is saying and coupled with the data (0-60) between base and s cars, I don’t think an s would be materially different.

The idea of reaching my cars potential excites me, and I’d be happier knowing I am a more skilled, capable and therefore safer driver. That way, if and when I upgrade to my dream GT3, I’ll be able to extract more from it

I too love watches, and if I sold my collection I could fund a gt3. If it weren’t for the appreciation and low cost of ownership (no maintenance, storage, exorbitant insurance costs) I would have more fun out of a gt3 than wearing my watches. It’s just a current financial decision. They’re also more liquid than a car is

Levy

thanks for clearing that up. i get where you're coming from now and stand corrected. i'm not as smart as i pretend to be =)

btw....i spend 2-3 thousand annually servicing my watch collection and another $1500 for insurance. prolly not too far off from tracking expenses? maybe my priorities aren't right?? lol

PatrickBateman

Just a misunderstanding, happens to all of us!

Most of my watches are new under warranty (AP RO, Subs, GMT, OP, DJ) and haven’t gone to service yet. They’ll need to go every 5-10 years depending on the model.

I say you try tracking your S. At least a DE day! I have wanted to but until now it wasn’t a huge priority.

PatrickBateman

This was incredibly helpful. I just need to shift the use case. I daily a torquey G wagon and only need to drive the 911 when I want to (or I need the fuel economy, LOL) so I can easily make that shift.

Thanks for getting me excited again. That is high praise coming from a T owner.

Levy

have never ruled tracking out. good golfing buddy will be buying a 911 soon and he has some serious track aspirations. maybe he'll get me to join him and give it a try?. spend most of my rec weekends on hunting/fishing trips and rec days playing golf. if i try tracking and enjoy it, that could all change someday. you never know.

snake eyes

Got to pay to play....
Upgrade to a 991.2 T or S to get speed.... (also special sauce)
Must have a GT car, consider a 718 GT4??
Or Buy a Corvette C8??

Tracking might just make your car feel slower.

RSBro

If you aren't tracking it, you're not getting enough out of it. I regularly pass GT3s, Turbos, Turbo S, GT4s on track bc I do as many track weekends as possible and put in the seat time. The 3.4L is a great platform and I DD mine, and I definitely enjoy driving my "slow car fast" than "fast car slow".
If you just want a 'fast' point and squirt car that requires no driving skill, then yeah there are other options, but that's not really what these are made for, or should I say, made to excel at doing, even though they are quite quick.