orangeblood18

This may have been asked and answered already but I am new to the Porsche family. What are the pro's and con's of the Carrera S and 4S? I know this is the 2wd and 4wd versions. I understand four wheels that are stuck and driving to the pavement are better than two with traction and all but is really a big deal? I ran across a 2017 Carrera S that has a price tag of $88k with 4k miles. I was holding out for a 4S but not sure I can pass this one up. Also, can the 420hp S or 4S be tuned for extra horsepower? Thoughts and recommendations? Thank you.

uniqueMR

Do you even need the 4wd?
Depending on where you live and if driving in winter.
Even in winter grab winter tires.

orangeblood18

Don't drive in icy weather. Just curious about how much better the 4wd is over the 2wd.

kaylie

i debated this for a while then went with the S to save 7grand. southern california climate, no need for 4wd. when we go to the mountains, we will take the sienna and throw chains on it. at the end of the day, i think it comes down to climate.

slc4s

992 probably the wrong place for this question. In the generation you are looking at the 4s gets the wide body so actually looks different. In the 991 gen that alone would put me in a 4S. 992 (the current body) all cars get the wide hips so argument comes down to traction/weight/steering feel and nothing aesthetically.

orangeblood18

Sorry, you are correct.....

phefner

Have driven both and the S to me always felt like it had a lighter feel to the steering. I have a 4S, daily 365d/yr, and unless your going to encounter days like this, the S with snows will be great.

iliveoncaffiene

Replying to the "can they be tuned" portion: yes. The 991.2 S/4S tunes are going to be released shortly by APR. They've already released numbers for the GTS and it's a pretty huge gain with 93oct, and an enormous gain with E85

KCviper

Love the look of the wide hips on the 992. So, yes I would be looking at a 4S in the 991.x gen. For the 992 gen, it really depends upon driving conditions. I'm in Texas and really have no use for an AWD 95% of the time. GL...

findtom

Great question. I think most of us, at some point have thought about 4 v 2 wheel drive. As others have said, in previous generations it was also the wider body shell that made a 4S almost a must have. On the 992, all are wide hipped so it really is just down to 2 or 4 wheel drive. What made me really want a C4S was my Porsche Experience Centre drive at the end of last year. It was on a slightly damp track in a C4S with all the option I have now, (rear wheel steering, 10mm sports suspension, ceramics, etc). I came out of the very first corner and clumsily added a bit too much power, the car moved, I added more power and the 4 wheel drive dug in. It was epic and magnificent and from that point on I 100% needed a C4S!

I read all the time that journalists, (who drive a lot of cars to be fair), note that the steering is purer on the C2S, (I suspect they are correct). But with my very modest skills the 4 wheel drive experience in a 992 is utterly competing.. As I said, fire a C4S out of a corner just a little too early and then you'll either love it or hate it.

Enjoy,

Tom

997usa

I have had several 2WD and AWD 911's; Up to the 991, the car felt a LOT more planted (better weight on the front wheels) in AWD version (besides the broader hips); I recently drove the 2WD S, and it felt great; So unless you need it for weather, I think the 2WD is just fine.

ryandarr1979

The AWD isn’t a weather/climate based system. It’s tuned/programmed for the track. Don’t think you “need it” for weather. A decent set of snow tires will be fine in a Carrera S. The 4S gets you slightly better off the line performance, and allows you to get back on throttle earlier coming out of corners on a track because you can grab throttle and the car just grabs pavement with little to no power oversteer. I’m of the school of thought that AWD premium in a 911 isn’t worth it. I had 2 4S 991s and enjoy RWD a lot more, and it’s cheaper.

smiles11

If that was the case, the 4S would have been chosen to produce the official time on the Nordschleife

gcurnew

Depends on where you live, and if you want a 911 to be a true DD, regardless of snow and ice conditions. Here in western Canada, the last RWD 911 GTS I had with full snow tire setup was good for about 350 days a year (with 20 of those days being a challenge for RWD); AWD means you can use it EVERY day.

thedream

RWD is more fun IMO.