ipse dixit

Wet traction has as much (if not more) to do with tires, than the number of wheels driving the car.

bkrantz

Just to make up a number, 80% of AWD benefits for road vehicles comes during acceleration, either from a stop or from a rolling speed. So if safety requires going faster, then AWD can help.

For braking, turning, transitional handling, etc. AWD adds little or nothing. Basic chassis design, weight balance, dynamics, etc. matter MUCH more.

And any enhancement from AWD comes with trade-offs: dulling traditional rear-wheel drive dynamics (and fun).

Al.Fresco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqgzNtj0pIU

malahhaor

My C4 was the first AWD car i've ever owned. I had 7 RWD cars before my Carrera and no problems in winter with proper snow tires.
I want an AWD carrera because of 2 things; Wider hips and better traction to get out of deep snow in occasional Chicago snow which did occur on couple occasions and i can honestly say AWD helped because the car is so low it was literally belly down on snow.
But as others have stated, it only helps in a straight line and in a cornerdepending on the turn. Still need proper tires for braking and proper cornering

But that's just my situation. It was my DD rain or shine snow or rain i had to go.

PCA1983

I live in Orlando in Winter and Chicago in Summer, and am here to tell u my 991.1 C2S is safe in the rain. The electronic systems well save you, unless you are beyond crazy. Having said that, these summer tires do really sick in the rain, but need some warmup to really stick, so I can't tell you what they would be like st 40-45 F. But these cars are amazing at making amateurs look good.
And the C2S is less expensive, lighter weight, less complexity, and lower maintenance than the C4S.
That is my driver's and engineer's opinion, and I'm sticking to it...

ace37

AWD will improve bad weather acceleration.

Assuming you're primarily concerned about safety (or stopping) in bad conditions, good tires make far more difference than AWD.

Typically in heavy rain hydroplaning resistance is more important for safety than ultimate wet traction limits, and remaining tread depth plays a big role there.

For snow, assuming proper tires, the big issues to me are avoiding salt exposure and having adequate ground clearance.

Personally I would make tire selection decisions based on expected road conditions (track / snow / rain / freeway commutes) and decide on 2wd/4wd based on driving dynamics and such.

boatracer

I have a 991.2 C4S. Obviously fine in the rain and use as a DD in Michigan winter with snow tires. It's a beast in bad weather and haven't had any clearance issues (yet). Either car will be fine in rain, but be careful with summer tires at temps below 40/45 as they're outside their intended performance zone and could have grip issues.

randr

C2S is lighter than the C4 and has better feel. Unless you have rear axle steering (as an option on the S and standard on GT3/RS/TTS) the mid-engined 981 (in GTS guise with PTV) and 718S (with PTV) handles better than the 991.1 base and S and 991.2 base.

jason952

Interesting handle,

You should do the 2 vs 4 course at Porsche experience center, it's awesome to see the differences in that environment.

LionelB

Been riding my C2 for only 2 weeks but it handles great in the rain and we had a lot of it in CA lately.

Deanda

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=08t5Yw38Uos

EVO testing c2 v C4 on a track in less than optimal weather ....

AF330i

I'm from Long Island NY and drive my 911 in the rain in the spring/summer /fall with summer tires and during the winter months with winter tires though I don't drive it in actual snow storms or when snow is on the ground covering the road (like a day after a snow storm).

The 911 with both summer tires and winter is fine in the rain ... I don't think of it as a concern at all.

At one time I did consider the AWD model as my next 911 because I was getting frustrated in the winter months with the lack of grip from a stand still but that was when I only had summer tires, now that I have winter tires it is no longer a concern.

If I were to get a new 911 it would most likely be RWD again.

budrichard

I once drove my 981 Boxster in a deluge with aquaplaning at 30 mph!
Lightly driven Dunlop Sport Maxx tires.
Any car can aquaplane given the right conditions.
My daily driver in now a 991.2 C4S, not because of aquaplaning but because I would not drive a two wheel Porsche on snow and ice regularly.-Richard

kayjh

I've been able to spend some time test driving a C2, C2S, C4S. I spend my time in the C2 driving in a more spirited fashion. I found that you can definitely feel the back end of the C2 wanting to step out a bit when under hard acceleration from a stop and travelling in a straight line. I found the same with the C2S in some tighter corners under harder acceleration. With the C4S, no how matter how much you press the gas pedal, the car just moves forward with very little fuss and no attempt to step out (buy "step out" I mean, let the back end get a bit loose and try and move sideways). I'm sure many find the ability to break the rear end loose a bit, a fun drive. While I didn't try, I have no doubt that the car would exhibit more of this in the rain or on otherwise slipper surfaces (fall leaves on the road, frost, etc.)

I chose the C4 because I liked the planned feel of the car. I also found a bit more weight to the steering. Granted I didn't push the C4S into a turn at speed to the point where it exhibited understeer (didn't want to scare the salesman), but in all of my driving I found the car fun to drive and very well mannered.

I wanted the option to drive my car in the winter. Where I live we have snow covered streets 5 months of the year. Actually they are always ploughed but covered here and there with some ice patches, etc. While I'm told by the SA that some people drive C2s with snow tires here all winter, I've never seen one on the road in winter and while I'm sure the car will get around fine in all but the worst weather, how much fun could it be with the rear wheels constantly spinning?

So I guess it depends how one likes to drive. If you are an aggressive summer driver or like hauling out of a curve or tighter turn under maximum power, the C4/C4S will give you a more planted feel. If you lan to drive the car on frosty roads, some snow cover etc., the C4/C4S will deliver more fun and traction.

I guess they make different models for different needs. The car magazines noted that for the first time with the 991.2, the awd variant was quicker in a straight line and around a course. Maybe that won't make a difference to the majority of us but it shows at least that the awd cars don't suffer in handling or performance as compared to the red models.

That's my take on it anyway.

Joenyc

I got the 991.2 C4S Cabrio and it's in my Fla home. Why did I get a C4S for fla ? Well I like the look of the 4S and traction . Just the way you can whip into a turn and hugs ( also equipped with rear steering) the road also you feel its power as it whips out of the turn. AWD is more than just snow or hauling but traction as well. I think the TT is AWD too.