carson2

I don't know why anyone would buy a C4 in a warm climate - it is a compromised design. A better question would be 'can I live with a C2 in a cold climate (say Portland or Seattle, not talking Antartica)?' With the engine over the driven RWD, the 911 C2 is actually pretty good in light snow/etc with the right rubber. They were developed as a DD car in Germany after all - not exactly a tropical climate. Get the non-compromised front-wheels-steer/ back-wheels-drive one!

pelucidor

My understanding is that in dry conditions like yours the 4S is fractionally quicker from a dead stop (e.g. by 0.1 secs in the 0-60mph measure due to initial traction) and the 2S is as fast or quicker everywhere else (less weight). Porsche's 7min 25sec time at the Nurburgring was set with a C2S (with all the go-faster options) instead of the 4S as the 2S was the quicker car there. Most of the "good" reviewers say the C2S is the better driving car and the one to get (Henry Catchpole et al).However I will guess that not many people could detect such small differences for normal road driving.

Personally I dithered over 4S vs S for weeks and drove multiple versions of each in the 991.2 model back in Nov/Dec and couldn't tell any difference at moderate speeds and dry roads (and as we know if you cannot tell any difference then get the cheaper option).

I'm in rural PA where we only get about 5 days of serious snow per year - and on those days I will stay home or use the Alfa Stelvio or my wife's Tesla - so that was not an issue. But I did think about wet weather situations which are quite common - until I saw several videos of 992 reviewers doing silly things to try and catch out the WET mode on a S model on flooded tracks - incredibly impressive. I think a 992 S with WET mode should be sufficient to handle rainy days for daily driving (or just drive more carefully even without WET mode).

aggie57

Have to say I’m amazed this is even a question. Rain needing AWD? Crazy.. Tires on the other hand, far too many people expect 1/2 worn rubber to displace water like a new set. I say buy a RWD car, enjoy the purest driving experience and keep those boots in good nick.

But, hey it’s your money.

pelucidor

Agree 100% - I intend to do 15k miles per year in my C2S across PA/NJ/NY and places further north. I hope to avoid heavy snow days but I will still put Michelin Alpins on it for the winter months due to cold temps (summer tires are hockey pucks below freezing). If I was in a place that always stayed above 40F I would just stay on summer tires all year round, and as you say, always go with the non-compromised option.

SDK Autos

4S it's hands down the best all conditions, all roads, daily driving machine in the world

TMA

I live in a place with similar climate. Warm/muggy/humid most of the time, then torrential rains a few times a year. The 2S handles nicer and feels less mechanical than the 4S. I've owned both in 991 guise and I can tell you the AWD definitely takes something away. Some people swear by it though - so make sure you test drive both. Before I placed my 992 2S order, I did 2 long test drives of both and for me the 2S was way better in handling, road connection and responsiveness. To me, the 4S feels like 2 cars bolted together with the front doing its own thing and back wanting to be set free - for some reason I don't think they've cracked the AWD mechanics like Audi have. Its subtle but it annoyed me enough to agree to wait an additional 2 months just so i can get a 2S. Plus as an added bonus for the few thousand dollar difference you can spec other goodies like SPASM, Alcantara, Burmester, etc. etc.

Peadsw

Side skirts make a big difference, especially on bright colors. Have a cab with side skirts and it is probably the best option I did.

992Sam

because to my mind... traction in a car is never a bad thing have... unless my goal is to slide around on a racetrack for fun, the rest of the time, having traction is a plus on all fronts... even the acceleration of the AWD is a good bit faster than the 2WD.

tvlaan

Since most of this discussion is about the “S” variants (which are nearly the same apart from the awd) - I wonder what the thinking is on the C2 vs C4? The advantage to the C4 being that it enables you to get PTV+ as well - which isn’t available on the C2.

Would the combination of AWD and PTV+ make the C4 more attractive than the base C2 in your minds?

carson2

Strange point because the rear engine/rear drive is the best possible traction. Adding drive to the fronts makes a tiny bit more traction from a dead stop, but the 911 is not lacking for acceleration, and the RWD is faster-accelerating in all situations but from a dead stop. Driving in rain/snow, AWD has no real-world benefit; braking and steering (lateral traction) does not benefit from front wheel drive. It's weird how people think AWD helps improve safety when driving in rain/snow when what's important is lateral traction and stopping. AWD may help acceleration in snow/ice but that's all. Just get winter rubber.

992Sam

as someone with an engineering degree and making a living moving airplanes from A to B, I must disagree with your understanding of physics and traction.

detansinn

As a fellow engineer, we are in total agreement.

iliveoncaffiene

So in the middle of a turn - after clearing the apex - when your front wheels are pointing where you want to go and your rear wheels aren't: you're saying having FWD has no benefit?
I'll agree that outside of acceleration FWD makes no benefit (as it's literally a "drive" so therefore when not being driven there's no real benefit), but there are so many other applications of acceleration outside of a dead stop. Straight line acceleration (even not from a stop) is still going to be faster with AWD - the only downside to AWD is going to be your top-end where drivetrain resistance (another phrase for this?) comes into play.
In general, any situation you're applying the gas and your rear wheels lose "any" sort of traction is where AWD can come into play, as the front wheels can compensate for the rear's lack of traction.

In general, I do agree with the AWD and winter arguments (winter tires do make the biggest difference) - but you also turn in the winter too, and a rear-heavy car during a turn would love to have some front wheel drive traction to keep it going where you pointed it.

abiazis

I have had both and have lived in Florida......AWD and don't even think any more about it......the rain in Florida with the oil on the roads creating slippery surfaces is not something to fool with at speeds people drive there.......also when it rains there the puddles and flooding are ominous........it rains hard there....tropical......

carson2

Oops. I have an engineering degree too. And understand static and dynamic fiction.