Wishing for Lightweight and Noise Insulated Glass and normal door handles.

 

These are the door handles that will be on all Porsche cars eventually. So, forget about hat.
Lightweight noise insulated glass has been added to the 2021 option list.

 

When will that show up on the configurator?

 

My impression of a test drive last fall in a 992 C4S with PSE is that it wasn't as loud in the car as the 991.2 with PSE I had previously owned in 2017. Admittedly, my test drive was short and with Sport Chrono set in normal mode the PDK wants to shift to the highest gear as soon possible, dropping the RPM to something like 1,400 at 35 mph, so it might just be the system has the drone, but you don't hear it as often. I'll have to revisit that when I test drive again. I think I did read that Porsche had retuned the exhaust to get rid of the drone (which would be a good thing).

I love the sounds the boxer engine makes. I recall many years ago taking a Boxster (6 cylinder) out for a test drive and loved listening to the whirring and whining of the power plant. It reminded my of the sound a sport bike makes as it accelerates at slow speeds, whining and clicking (transmission?). Anyway, with my 2017 991.2, that sound was masked by an annoying drone. With the PSE I had two choices; I could turn PSE off and quiet the car down on the exterior, but the increased back pressure created a drone in the interior, or: I could turn the PSE on and reduce the drone (a bit) and have a much louder car on the outside.

I know there is a lot of talk on the forums about making the cars as loud as possible. I guess I'm one of this people who just don't "get it". Give me the whine and mechanical sounds from the engine compartment over a loud exhaust any day. I don't feel I need to announce that I am coming (with a loud exhaust), the beautiful shape of the car tells people I've arrived and when I leave a stop light and I've left everyone behind, they don't need to hear a bunch of noise to know that a powerful sports car (Porsche) has left the room.

Anyway, that's they way I see it. But, if I want a car without PSE, I'll have to do a factory order as my dealer brings cars in with glass roofs and PSE - every one of them (unless its a cab).

 

I'm largely with you on this. I want to hear the mechanical sounds from the engine (and transmission), more than I want to hear a loud exhaust. In that sense, I want the exhaust note to be as, shall we say, "neutral" as possible. Just transmitting the sounds of the power plant without being "look at me" loud. With that, I don't mind a sound symposer like what the 992 currently has to allow engine sound into the cabin, but I will be sorely-disappointed if Porsche chooses to pipe in noise through the speakers (a la BMW M cars).

If the North American 992.2 S cars all have GPFs, fine, so be it. That will just be the way of things. As long as they don't sound like dry vacs or leaf blowers, and till sound something like the current lineup.

 

What dealer (so I can avoid them lol)? I don't understand why the old-school conventional "wisdom" persists that a car without a sunroof is harder to sell, so all lot cars get 'em. At least PSE can be turned off...a sunroof is always overhead, reminding the driver that there's xx pounds of additional weight in the WORST place on the car messing with CoG. Some folks (I'm in that camp) see a sunroof as the worst possible thing one can option on a 911...and we are the folks that would buy a used one without said sunroof over one that has it.

 

plus it ruins your roof stripes : )

 

It brings in natural light and really opens up the cabin making it seem bigger and less claustrophobic. Over the past two generations the sunroof really evolved into a full panoramic glass roof. I really like what it does to the interior. It makes it a more pleasant place to spend the hours. I like it. Resale didn't even come to mind.

 

Do you plan to track your 992? I see the above argument, along with torsional rigidity often, and I can never understand them unless one plans to track the car or attempts to push it to its limits more often than not. Like the sunroof or not, all good, we all have our preferences. But I find it hard to believe that anyone is driving the car hard enough on the street to realize the weight (or rigidity) benefits from the standard roof.

 

Unless you've got Cup 2s on the car and pushing the limits on the track, you'd never notice it and even then, maybe, just maybe, if you're experienced in both cars, you might notice the difference. These cars weigh around 3500lbs+ with some gas in the tank.

 

Just FYI re: tracking your 911.

The 997.1 GT3 (in the US) came with a sunroof as a standard feature. Standard like a steering wheel is standard.

 

The reason I am ordering a 992 is because I can't find non-sunroof cars. And, yes, I can tell the difference under spirited driving, not cruising down the highway. I also track my cars (NASA) and the least weight the bette they handle, it REALLY shows up on the track. Dark interiors don't scare me.... But if you're buying the car for resale, apparently you need a sunroof. I have a panorama roof in my Mercedes AMG (bought it used and they all have it) and hate it. I never open it and it squeaks as you go in and out of the driveway. Recommended maintenance is to re-torque the sunroof bolts every year. To each their own but for anyone that wants this to be the best drivers car it can be, I would definitely save the money on the sunroof. And yes, US cars have a sunroof craze so perhaps Porsche decided they need to make them standard on all their models back in the day. That does not mean it's better than a car without it, just the opposite. Dedicated track cars don't have sunroofs.

BTW, I highly recommend that anyone getting one of these cars take a HPDE course at your local NASA track. You won't believe how much you will learn and be a much better driver for it. This is worth more than the cost of the Porsche. Be safe.

 

If these things are your priority, get a 911 GT3 and you will get a car that prioritizes those things.
If you want an amazing sports car, that can play grand tourer, and, when called upon, do a fine impression of a supercar, get a 911 Carrera.

Porsche gives you these choices for a reason.

 

yes I agree with this. If I was planning on a dedicated track car on a budget and couldn't afford a GT3 I prob would not even consider a 911, probably a 6 cyl cayman or a stripped 991.2 T with no options.

 

It's not an either/or proposition. If I wanted a dedicated track car, I have one, an E30 M3. I don't have to pay $200K for a GT3 to have fun. That doesn't mean you cannot also have fun in a 911 on the track and then drive it home, enjoying the drive. I get it, most 911 buyers will never see a track or understand the joy of driving very fast on a dedicated circuit. To each their own. For me, it's not a status symbol or garage queen, it's a car that can do both DD and Track and do them well. I don't expect everyone to understand or agree, all I can say is if you don't get your car on the track, you are missing out IMO.