C.J. Ichiban

I'm speccing a GTS Targa for our store right now and really love the ability to use the roll hoop and roof color wise to make something unique. I really like this generation Targa vs the previous massive glass guillotine style ones...

Archimedes

Interest here as well. How is the wind buffeting in the Targa? I hear it's brutal at highway speeds and that would be a deal killer for me. Is it really bad? Do the winglets on the mirror housing help on this model like they did on my C2S?

Also, I've heard that the car shimmies/flexes a lot more than the coupe over bumps. Noticeable?

I think the new Targa looks awesome, but three things have held me back from getting too excited: buffeting, shimmies and the weight/handling. Though the latter is less of an issue after watching one rail around a track displaying all the performance once could ever need in a street car.

Jenner

1) I feel is a personal issue both in how you are built and what your tolerance is. You need to experience it yourself.

I'm only 5'8 and 60% leg so I sit low. Wife is only 5'3 so "long hair" is less of an issue due to our heads not being exposed at or above the top of the windshield. We drove home from PEC Atlanta to CT and had the top down as much as possible on the highway cruising @ 80mph. Didn't bother us, we could have a conversation but had to speak louder than with the top up (obviously) and she didn't wear a hat or pony tail. You must have the windows up at highway speeds above 60mph.

I don't have seat time in the 991 cab so I can't speak directly to it, but the wind buffeting (for us) is way less than my 997 Turbo cab with wind screen in place. The Targa is warmer (or cooler) as well as less air curls around or over your your head and more heat (or AC) from the vents is trapped inside the cabin. There is also a 2 stage airfoil on top of the windscreen that you can adjust but in the more aggressive setting you will get more wind noise.

I put the AWE foilers on @ PEC delivery (and I also selected the optional sport mirrors for this reason as it is claimed to help channel the airflow down the side of the car as well) but since I put them on from day on, I can't say how much they helped. I have to assume based on how well they worked on my GT4 @ track speeds that they do the same thing in that if you want to run with the windows down they keep the air from running behind your seat and into the rear glass and buffeting your head.

2) It does not flex or shimmy. This is what I said on page one. People on Rennlist always assume or say the Targa is "soft." It's not and I think most of these people haven't even driven one before.

MAYBE if you went right from your GT3 or GT4 instantly into the Targa the most hypersensitive person could tell but I think you would actually be feeling the softer suspension vs the GT cars than chassis flex. For the street purposes(as you commented already) it's a non issue just like performance.

3) I feel this is the same as number 2. Drive a C4S and a Targa 4S back to back and you won't notice the weight of the Targa top. Sure drive a GT4 or a lightweight spec'd C2 and maybe you'd notice again if you went RIGHT from one drivers seat to the other, but 5 minutes down the road I don't think you'd remember...

IMHO all the perks of the Targa roof/bar/rear glass, unique looks (some love it or hate it that's fine) far outweigh any minor differences in weight or 0-60 or any wind noise/buffeting. For internet and magazine racing it's not the fastest Carrera in the 1/4 mile or around a track, but for street use it is sublime! I'd offer a test drive of mine, but you are on the wrong coast!

Archimedes

Thanks. The shimmy thing is something I read in one of the reviews.

I'm 6'2", but never noticed any flow over the top of the windshield in my Spyder. Did have to drive with the passenger window up over 60mph or I'd get that booming wind noise.

3Series

Ha, exactly. From some of the comments I've read over the years about the Targa, you'd think the Targa was on par with a Toyota Yaris on the track.

Jenner

Perhaps it depends on the reviewer or the individual or what one expects to "see/feel" from a Targa.

Robb Holland for Jalopnik
"I fully expected that removing the roofs would expose the warts in the new 991.2 platform. I was to be fully disappointed then that the Cabriolet (the first car I drove) was within a hair of being as solid as the Coupe, with almost no perceptible body flex. The Targa? It might as well have been a Coupe for all I could tell, with as much chassis stiffness as you could want in a sports car."

As for your height this is why I don't want to make a blanket statement about wind and buffeting. Your 6'2" might be lots of leg and you sit way back but low where another gentleman might be all torso and neck and sit closer to the wheel and stick out into the airflow more.

Find a Rennlister or dealer to help you decide with a test drive. But don't pass on it for your 3 reasons without determining first hand. Trust me. If you find yourself in the CT/NYC area contact me.

TorqueChap

I'm 6'1. A bit of wind buffeting at 70mph but I can still easily have a conversation. Zero flex.

911sccab

Jenner describes the car's characteristics very well.

We love ours.

Keadog

I can hardly wait after reading this.

sechsgang

The only thing that hampers a 991 targa (and for some won't matter) is while you may not be able to feel a lot of flex, you can feel the extra weight in places. I do find it to be a little lethargic in non GTS/Powerkit form. The new 991.2 however, with the torque from the new turbos is honestly ideal for the car IMHO. Either way you won't go wrong the targa is completely iconic.

sechsgang

This is still something that's there to a degree, but its mainly only present when you hit a road deformity in the middle of a curve (like a pavement ripple). Otherwise you won't feel just about anything if the road surface is smooth. Some of this has to do with suspension tuning as well though.

mdkrp

I have had my MT Targa GTS as a DD for past 16 months now and it's still my favorite car of all the coupes/cabs I have ever owned.
No wind buffeting and I am 5-11. Chassis is stiff enough but I think one has to expect a few creaks here and there in a non-coupe car.
I view the car as a true GT but could be used on the track on occasion.
If you do get the Targa (and I highly recommend it), I suggest the SmartTop module. It's an easy self installed module which allows you to operate the Targa top from the remote fob.
Another suggestion is to get the Sunglass holsters from T-Design9. I had him make me one for both driver and passenger sides as I have multiple glasses I use.

spur911

Are you getting and drone with your T/gts , i have a issue with it, just changing my tips on my turbo really bothered me, and tried several different types, same drone issue, had to back to my stock tips to stop the drone !!!!!

THANK'S ALL YOU MEMBERS FOR ALL YOUR IMPUTE,,, LOOKING AT BOTH THE T/GTS AND T/4S !!!!! DECISIONS DECISIONS DECISIONS )

drgek

You may not be able to feel much chassis flexion but you can certainly hear it from the creaking of the targa top where it meets the targa bar.

The targa is , IMHO, the best looking variant of the 911 at present and I truly enjoy driving my car. But if creaks and rattles are going to drive you crazy (and it's taken 11 months for me to rid myself of that demon) then the targa may not be for you. After hours spent padding contact points with felt and velcro, and four trips to the dealer for top adjustments followed by generous lubrication with silicone of the contact point between the top and the targa bar, I've finally gotten to the point where 98% of the issues have been corrected.

DerekS

I'm pretty sure the velcro was to fix that plastic trim bar, what else did you need to pad? And what kind of silicone lube did you use for the seals?

The rubbery creak of the top is my final unsolved noise issue. I'm not sure if its the Targa roof or the glass lid.