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I installed the GT3 side skirts today. While all of my driving was on-road yesterday, you might think I was driving on dirt roads. They were wet with lots of gravel having washed across from heavy rains and hail. The front tires throw that back down the side of the car badly. My original side skirts are already showing lots of wear and pitting. So while I also like the look of the GT3 ones, I hope they will take most of the abuse on the underside which mostly can't be seen. This is the back part ahead of the rear wheel. And another pic shows all the dirt collected on top of the side skirt. Finally a few pics of the GT3 ones installed.
I also looked closely at the front spoiler. For those with stock ones, this is actually a pretty small part that looks really easy to replace should you get too many scrapes on it.
And while I had it up on the lift, I took a few more underside pics around the engine. I remember others asking for them a while back.
@Macboy Some initial first day thoughts with ~200 miles...mostly comparing to my F80 M3 since it is the other modern performance car I have, has a manual trans, rear drive, 3.0L 6-cyl twin turbo motor, etc. I drove a little highway, mostly twisty mountain roads, and even some daily duty errand running.
Things I love:
* Shifter is awesome. Short throw and mechanical feel is a delight. I always liked the M3 shifter but carrera T 7-speed might have changed my perspective. It feels short and direct much like an old Miata.
* Steering feel is excellent with very sharp turn in and instant change of direction. The M3 is sluggish by comparison.
* I like the engine sound a lot. The bark on auto-blip downshifts is great. Auto-blip is overridden if I try to heel-toe and it doesn't feel like I can actually get the motor to respond as fast as the auto-blip can. Power and sound below 4000 rpm is very good.
* Brakes are excellent as expected from Porsche. I bet I can make these work just fine at a track day but we will have to see!
* It took me a little while to get to what I think is a good seat position. I needed to drop the back of the seat to make it more like a bucket. I have the 18-ways so there should be no issue here.
* I used the cupholder with a small water bottle and shifting is do-able. I wouldn't want a big cup with a straw there.
* The PCM system is responsive and I like the big screen. I did have one instance where I stopped to take a photo and it didn't reconnect to my profile - threw me into guest mode. Weird...will continue to look for that. I still have to get familiar with the PCM functions and carplay. I customized the left side shortcuts as others have. I think I have carplay, A/C, and one other thing. I got rid of music and nav for sure.
* The build quality is a few steps up from my M3. It rides better. Everything feels more refined. That's what I expected with Porsche and 2x the cost.
* The clear side marker install was nice and easy.
* GT3 side skirts are going on today. But I'm not sure I can get this car on my 2-post lift. It is just a hair too low for my lift to clear with the pads I use. I might have to make some thinner jacking pads although I don't anticipate I'll have this car on the lift too much. I don't plan to put winter tires on.
Other observations:
* On my car there is definitely lag. I don't know how people can claim these cars have none because I feel it. Maybe a bit more than on my M3. Manageable for sure as I have an old audi that has massive lag (which is actually lots of fun). Maybe it is the altitude in play or things will loosen up over time?
* Visibility forward is great, rearward is not so great with the big hips, etc. The back window just seems small. Older 911s have much better rear vis. Even with the surround view, maneuvering/reversing in tight parking lots isn't easy. My guess is this will get easier over time.
* The buffeting with both windows open has to be fixed. Hello AWE tuning.
* The radio has no bass. My wife is usually pretty good at tuning things but the controls (treble and bass EQ, fader) are limiting. It gets plenty LOUD and with songs that have no bass can sound good. But when a song needs the whole dynamic range, this won't do. I'm looking at a similar path to @ECNJ .
* From someone who has driven lots of older 911s, all I can say is it feels like a 911, but is very very refined (which I love).
* My original plan was to keep my M3 but I'm debating what I would give up by selling it and what I'd have to do with the 911 to fill those gaps. For my purposes there is a lot of overlap between the two. As it now stands, the 911 is objectively better but the M3 is more playful (struggling still to find the right word but playful is where I landed for now). The M3 exhaust is louder (both systems are valved although BMW is wide open when on). It eggs me on to do stupid/fun things and it can punch the tail out in 1st or 2nd gear at any time with ease. The M3 is more of a muscly brute force instrument whereas the 911 is precise. They are probably similarly matched speed wise. Possibly once I finish break in miles and get more comfortable with the 911 this will change. But I can understand how/why some might want more control over the valved exhaust and/or change it out entirely, or throw a tune on it.
More to come as the days/weeks progress. I love this car! ...and the mandatory pic. Garage cleanup is in order since the 992 took over the spot from my wife's E450 benz.
Thanks for the comparison because I'm moving on from an F80. Can you share your cabin noise experience at highway speeds? The F80 (even with the deactivated fake sound) has some drone and it's loud in a not good way (for me). Appreciate any input
Thanks for the pictures. I forgot you have the rear seats. I was wondering how the look would be in mine.
Originally Posted by arrivederci
One thing that might make this 992 feel special is the alcantara/race-tex add ons. Headliner, visors, and wheel/shifter. The most noticeable is the wheel and shifter - little bits of race-tex on the shift ****.
Don’t forget the rear view mirror cap in race-Tex Thanks for your long review. Gotta love other people writing about the car you love.
Originally Posted by arrivederci
I also looked closely at the front spoiler. For those with stock ones, this is actually a pretty small part that looks really easy to replace should you get too many scrapes on it.
Haha it’s well known in 911-land that Porsche purposely makes it like that. Easy replaceable and cheap. Only $199. So you don’t have to worry much about scraping the front.
Another weird thing I noticed. When your windows are open and you open the door, the window goes up slightly, the goes back down when the door is shut. Any ideas?
It should be doing the exact opposite - the window should dip when you open the door and raise up when shut. It's to make sure that the window is seated well in the gasket and is normal behavior on many cars that don't have an upper door frame.
It should be doing the exact opposite - the window should dip when you open the door and raise up when shut. It's to make sure that the window is seated well in the gasket and is normal behavior on many cars that don't have an upper door frame.
What I described was what happens when the windows are already fully open. Yes they open slightly when I open the door and the windows are already closed.
Thanks for the comparison because I'm moving on from an F80. Can you share your cabin noise experience at highway speeds? The F80 (even with the deactivated fake sound) has some drone and it's loud in a not good way (for me). Appreciate any input
For now I'd say the 992 is quieter, particularly the exhaust and tires. But I never thought I had droning noise on the F80. Most of the hwy noise on the F80, IMO, is tire noise.
Thanks for the pictures. I forgot you have the rear seats. I was wondering how the look would be in mine
Of course. Yeah that’s why I ordered my T with the rear seat knowing I’d be adding a sub box back there. Just kidding. I mentioned this, but if I want to remove everything in the future, it can be done without a single trace. My installer made a custom harness, used zip ties to mount processor, and Velcro for sub box.
If it being exposed is a concern (most fellas PMing me did not care even if no back seat if it could be removed without a trace later) u may want to look into slimmer boxes to hide under passenger seat. I originally thought my T had it’s factory amp under there, but my installer told me nothing there and the cheap factory amp is built-into the head unit. The only issue may be that there isn’t enough space there even for a very slim sub? I didn’t investigate this option since I wanted my T bass thumping on demand from the start. U could ask that Musicar audio guy on that other Audio thread u showed me. Also, slim ones won’t have the same punch but a high quality one like those made by Focal likely better than stock?! U should ask him also. Lastly, u may consider alternatively just adding an amp and replacing the factory 8 speakers and get to a much better place. I discussed that with my audio guy initially and were talking around $2500 installed. I dropped the idea quickly for myself since we both knew bass would be lacking for my taste. By comparison, the 911 Burmester system is 855 total watts including a 300 watt sub. My sub is 400 watts with bass effects since I added a processor. I’ve heard the Burmester in person and my bass is different. I’d be dissatisfied with its bass. I need more. This is why I kept mentioning everyone should just go talk to a specialist and customize it to your specs. As far as I can see, u should be able to get what u want for less than about $2,500 installed. As a music lover, this is a must.
Now other things? I’ve redlined the T 1st thru 3rd and it’s quick. But it’s all relative. Currently as well as in past having faster cars, I could probably use more. But, may be good that I keep it as is to stay out of trouble, ha. And my main satisfaction in the T is surrounding 1) MT 2) MT 3) MT 4) small go cart feel car 5) IMO - the most beautiful production sports car period. Regarding the exhaust, heard too many 911s in my neighborhood with super loud systems. Ha, I see another 911 almost every drive. I’m 50/50 on it presently. Lowering it. I’ve always lowered my sports cars. Ha, back in the day when I was broke….we’d just heat the coils to drop it. Love the look but the T is so comfortable to drive right now…never scraped….making decision difficult. Ha, maybe I’ll be the first to bag it so I can change height on demand. LoL.
I drove the car for 30 minutes from the dealer to the detail shop so my observations are limited, but here are a few anyway:
Context...
I've mostly owned aircooled 911s. I currently have a Macan Turbo for daily duty and a 7.2 GT3 for track duty. This car is for canyon drives and road trips only. I spec'd it as a tribute to a black on black 993 C4S that I owned and reluctantly sold in 2008. It was stunning and prefect for my taste. It had a beautiful but understated interior with full leather, sport seats, aluminum package, silver dials and a few other things. In the spectrum of 911s, it was more on the side of elegant and classy vs sporty. The night after I submitted my final spec for the T, I woke up in the middle of my sleep and came up with an idea to spec the T as a tribute to the 73RS. I got very excited about going with something brighter and sportier with a white exterior, buckets, and custom color wheels and stripping. I called my SA in the morning but it was too late. I ended up getting a VIN that has 993 in it, so evidently the 993 tribute car was meant to be. My SA may be offering me a second T allocation in 2-3 weeks from a customer who may walk away from his and I'll decide what to do at that point. However, after seeing the interior of my car, it's going to be tough to part with it.
On the car...
On the outside, the car is what I was expecting. Nothing more, nothing less. With a few upcoming tweaks, it'll be far more exciting and unique. However, the interior is better than what I was expecting. It truly is spectacular. I love the SporTex inserts. I love the Silver GT stitching. The contrast seems more prominent and prevalent than in my Macan's black + silver stitching interior. I had regretted getting the white dials. No longer. They look stunning and are more subtle than they appear in pictures. I love the 4-way seats. I need more seat time in them but I may just had excellent luck with the stop sale preventing me from getting buckets. The fit and finish is better than I had expected. Many comment that it's a downgrade from the 991. My Macan is from that same generation and I find the opposite to be the case. After final submission I read somewhere the roof liner was cheap looking and regretted not getting Race Tex. Not true and glad I skipped it. I love that the cabin very much feels like any 911 from at least the last 30 years. Sure, everything is bigger, more modern, etc., but it's the same vibe. It feels like home. I'm also very happy that I passed on the SD tail lights. I feel some colors need it but not black. I love the red tail lights. I'm also glad I chose the Carrera S wheels expecting to go aftermarket. I love the wheels I chose and will make my car unique. I truly love my stripper build with a nice interior. I have no regrets beyond wondering what it might have been like to build that 73RS tribute.
On the drive...
It's hard not to be repetitive but the first intuition was that it felt like a more refined version of past 911 generations. I agree that the brakes are capable. I love that you can barely hear the turbo in the cabin and that it mostly sounds like an NA Carrera. As my car was being delivered to me, they were parking a 964 Turbo and a 993 Turbo in the showroom next to my car. It was awesome to hear those cars next to mine and be able to hear the connection of the note among the different generations. The shifter is excellent. It's not as direct as my GT3, but I wouldn't want it to be. It's perfect for a street Carrera. Same thing goes for the steering. Any more direct and it would be darty and inadequate for street or daily use. I went through some very large speed bumps with complete ease. Glad I skipped FAL, though we'll see if I feel the same after I lower the car. I have no complaints about visibility, though I was so focused on enjoying the drive, maybe I didn't notice that it's not great. Power seems adequate and perfect for the car below 4k. Suspension felt compliant for a sports car and didn't really crash on bad roads the way GT cars can be prone to do. I'll end things here and write a more granular review once I have more seat time.
One last cool little tidbit... because my car is ROW, it came with factory clear indicators and the coveted Bose, though i fit makes you feel any better, I got GoodYear tires.
Of course. Yeah that’s why I ordered my T with the rear seat knowing I’d be adding a sub box back there. Just kidding. I mentioned this, but if I want to remove everything in the future, it can be done without a single trace. My installer made a custom harness, used zip ties to mount processor, and Velcro for sub box.
If it being exposed is a concern (most fellas PMing me did not care even if no back seat if it could be removed without a trace later) u may want to look into slimmer boxes to hide under passenger seat. I originally thought my T had it’s factory amp under there, but my installer told me nothing there and the cheap factory amp is built-into the head unit. The only issue may be that there isn’t enough space there even for a very slim sub? I didn’t investigate this option since I wanted my T bass thumping on demand from the start. U could ask that Musicar audio guy on that other Audio thread u showed me. Also, slim ones won’t have the same punch but a high quality one like those made by Focal likely better than stock?! U should ask him also. Lastly, u may consider alternatively just adding an amp and replacing the factory 8 speakers and get to a much better place. I discussed that with my audio guy initially and were talking around $2500 installed. I dropped the idea quickly for myself since we both knew bass would be lacking for my taste. By comparison, the 911 Burmester system is 855 total watts including a 300 watt sub. My sub is 400 watts with bass effects since I added a processor. I’ve heard the Burmester in person and my bass is different. I’d be dissatisfied with its bass. I need more. This is why I kept mentioning everyone should just go talk to a specialist and customize it to your specs. As far as I can see, u should be able to get what u want for less than about $2,500 installed. As a music lover, this is a must.
Now other things? I’ve redlined the T 1st thru 3rd and it’s quick. But it’s all relative. Currently as well as in past having faster cars, I could probably use more. But, may be good that I keep it as is to stay out of trouble, ha. And my main satisfaction in the T is surrounding 1) MT 2) MT 3) MT 4) small go cart feel car 5) IMO - the most beautiful production sports car period. Regarding the exhaust, heard too many 911s in my neighborhood with super loud systems. Ha, I see another 911 almost every drive. I’m 50/50 on it presently. Lowering it. I’ve always lowered my sports cars. Ha, back in the day when I was broke….we’d just heat the coils to drop it. Love the look but the T is so comfortable to drive right now…never scraped….making decision difficult. Ha, maybe I’ll be the first to bag it so I can change height on demand. LoL.
Yeah, I was one of those that may try to fit a sub under the seat. It could be tight and depend on how much up/down you want your passenger seat to have. I'll take some measurements.
For those interested, I have installed this in two cars. Kenwood KSC-SW11. With this, you might be able to get away without a sound processor as it can take speaker level inputs. I've only used it with line level and RCA inputs in the past so I can't say how well it will adjust. But it does have a little remote that allows you to dial up or down the bass. Set it once, tuck it under the seat as well. This would be pretty simple to try if you can have someone cleanly build a simple harness that taps into one of your speaker wires. Then run power (switched and always on). Use velcro etc to keep it from moving around under the seat.
If this isn't enough (and it may not be), I'd go the @ECNJ route and add a small amp like a Kicker key200.4 (google it). I've used them in cars with only 4 speakers. The difference on those cars is I installed everything as I had the cars apart and I had line level outputs from my head units. This amp will also take speaker level inputs - which might eliminate the need for a sound processor. But that reaches the limit of my understanding - not sure how split 4 channels across 8 speakers. Run the 8" woofers on two channels, and then run the 4 x 4" mids and 2 x tweeters on the other two? These Kicker key amps are tiny and would also easily fit under the seats. It is all the wiring and patching into the factory wiring that keeps me from doing it myself.
I love my car. 50 miles in and hitting the road tomorrow for a trip down to Indy. Observations from the S to this; the S felt like piloting a rocketship, it was all buttons and pdk, and effortless to go fast. It was quiet as well. Now I'm shifting, and without all of the comfort options and cameras and sensors, the car definitely feels raw. It may all be computer-aided but they've done a good job of providing the illusion of this being a very analog machine. I'm much more excited to drive it than I am the S. I do miss the visual flex of the PCCB but the stock braking performance is great. I don't miss the extra oomph, now I have to work to go fast, and that is really enjoyable. The 2023 dash is great, the updated 3-pod view is really nice, and a welcome change from the 21 I had prior. And I'm not sure if it's because the car is new, but I swear something has changed with the 18-ways. They feel great, and both stiffer and narrower, I love them. In fact I love the interior in general, the sport-tex and no frills all black everything combined with the sunroof is great.
One slight niggle; I can't shake my reaction to the shift ****, it feels like it needs more weight, alas. Otherwise, love the transmission. I can't wait to drive out to Calif. for Rennsport Reunion this fall.
Biggest miss: the base audio--it's like it exists solely to convert whatever audio source you choose into an AM radio.
Biggest regret: not deleting the rear seats
This may be my forever 911. Now for some minor mods and many miles.
Another weird thing I noticed. When your windows are open and you open the door, the window goes up slightly, the goes back down when the door is shut. Any ideas?
Ha, thanks for the teamwork on the audio. Seems only few of us in the states chatting here today. I usually dont travel during holidays. Travel too much on regular days. I texted my Engineer bro ur question. Answer….
Ha, and he goes to every cars & coffee in LA. Sent me pics of a beautiful 912 today!
I love my car. 50 miles in and hitting the road tomorrow for a trip down to Indy. Observations from the S to this; the S felt like piloting a rocketship, it was all buttons and pdk, and effortless to go fast. It was quiet as well. Now I'm shifting, and without all of the comfort options and cameras and sensors, the car definitely feels raw. It may all be computer-aided but they've done a good job of providing the illusion of this being a very analog machine. I'm much more excited to drive it than I am the S. I do miss the visual flex of the PCCB but the stock braking performance is great. I don't miss the extra oomph, now I have to work to go fast, and that is really enjoyable. The 2023 dash is great, the updated 3-pod view is really nice, and a welcome change from the 21 I had prior. And I'm not sure if it's because the car is new, but I swear something has changed with the 18-ways. They feel great, and both stiffer and narrower, I love them. In fact I love the interior in general, the sport-tex and no frills all black everything combined with the sunroof is great.
This may be my forever 911. Now for some minor mods and many miles.
What's the difference in the gauges? And the seat may be stiffer if you optioned ventilated seats
Love this color, the car and everything about it! Both pictures taken at the same time in the same spot. The color is so different based on how the light hits it.
Love this color, the car and everything about it! Both pictures taken at the same time in the same spot. The color is so different based on how the light hits it.
Looks awesome! Representin Porsha in motor city. U don’t happen to work in either Dearborn, Auburn Hills, or Farmington Hills/Detroit?
Edit: Ha, never mind Motor city comment and question. I forgot about LSU Tiger. I should have asked u about where to get the best gumbo instead, ha.
07-01-2023 | 03:35 PM
GT3 side skirts
Thanks for your long review. Gotta love other people writing about the car you love.
I mentioned this, but if I want to remove everything in the future, it can be done without a single trace. My installer made a custom harness, used zip ties to mount processor, and Velcro for sub box.
