77'3.6vram

Thanks Karl. Your numbers or mine the 96'-98' VRAM cars get to 60MPH three or four tenths of a second faster than 94'-95' non-VRAM cars. Karl in your chart you have a 993 C4 Tip. The car does not exist.

Edward

Not much to add here: virtues for both series' but your tastes/pocketbook (and most notably the condition of said car) should dictate the best choice to take home.

But as for 0-60 numbers, these posted specs fluctuate wildly from mag to mag, and of course that test day's conditions. My old mags quote 0-60mph times for a 1995 C2:

- R&T: 5.2 seconds
- C&D: 4.7 seconds (what in blazes were the conditions on that day, wow!)
- C&D again but with a cab: 5.0 seconds (another cab test rolled in at 6.0 sec)
- MotorTrend: 5.2 seconds
- and for fun, Autocar in England with a C4 Cab: 5.0 seconds

These are "as tested" numbers so I am not quoting any "mfg claimed" numbers. And of course, just numbers for discussion as we all know there are innumerable variables. Food for thought gents; or should I say, banter over a beer. And perhaps to remind us not to to be so quick to dismiss one another's thoughts/posts

Edward

goofballdeluxe

"Four tenths of a second is nothing to sneeze at. In fact it's a Major Difference."

That's what SHE said!

FlatSix911

The only meaningful difference between the 1995 and 96-98 cars is the $4-5K rebuild that will be needed eventually for the top end to fix the clogged SAI ports

goofballdeluxe

Umm, a top end rebuild is only ONLY needed for worn valve-guides, which affects ALL 993s, not clogged SAI ports.

The only advantage a 1995 has over later years is, a clogged SAI port won't throw a CEL light. The fix is porting out the clogged hole, either via guitar cable fix or harsh chemicals, NOT a top end rebuild.

Also, an engine rebuild is usually way more than $4-$5K.

FlatSix911

Therefore, in the great State of California, the CEL on later cars will end up costing you more

goofballdeluxe

Only if they get clogged. Not all do.

If you need to pay to have the CEL ports cleared on a '96 and up car, yes. Many can do it at home. The cost is about $500-$1000 to have a mechanic do it. The SAI ports need to be cleared about every 75K miles or so.

Or to put it another way, a 1996 and up car may/may not cost you an extra $500-$1000 to clear the SAI ports over the life of the car. For that extra $500-$1000, you get 12 extra horsepower and more mid-range torque.

For many $500-$1000 for 12 extra horses and more torque might seem like a great deal!

Ed Hughes

Seems like the similarity in that chart shows the times to be very subjective, as there are variances in both versions, and not much difference between the two versions. Not surprising, given different cars, drivers, weather, surfaces, tires, etc.

The drivability is probably the biggest diff, when you're not on full throttle.

77'3.6vram

[QUOTE=77'3.6vram;9755399]Quote from Excellence December 1995 page 57

"Compared to the previous manifold,the big gain comes between 2500 and 5000 RPM, with an 18% torque gain at the midpoint. This saves you 3 seconds in the 62-125 MPH overtaking effort in 5th gear."

The facts are the facts guys.Like it or not. VRAM's are the last and best air-cooled engines Porsche ever built.

Edward

Man Ted,

You are the lord of the chart, weilder of the info, keymaster to the...
nevermind.

Great info ...and in a much better format than the pittance I provided! Thanks!

BTW, all this really is just academic pissing contesting. When we are talking about cars this old, with lots of mileage, and this pricey to address issues and wear, the real differentiator is condition condition condtition. And we all know it. While I may personally prefer the 95 (which I did many years ago after weighing this very choice), one would be a fool to turn down a all-around superb example of a 993just because it was the "wrong year."

Edward

CalvinC4S

I personally prefer the updates in the post 96 cars. In my opinion they far out weigh the secondary air injection function test. That’s right, they all have SAI.

Clogged SAI ports are a symptom of poor valve guide tolerance (worn out or poorly installed), so I never understood the 95 rules camp.

FlatSix911

Edward, thanks.

This is the truth about our cars ... after 15-20 years of continued use, any tenth of a second difference is now meaningless.
Go with the car the makes you happy!

wjk_glynn

Thanks for catching that. I just checked and it was a C2 Tip.

I'll update the table sometime this weekend.

Karl.

Ed Hughes

Depend on what one wants or wants to mess around with. Sure, one can reset the error codes, etc. But, some prefer not to have to mess with it. Then, one can look at lack of immobilizer, etc, and '95's (or early versions of) do have merit.

ninjabones

+1 there's not much on my '95 that's still stock, except from the air filter to the headers (which has remained bone stock). Four seasons and more than fifty races without a hiccup from the engine (lack of vram didn't stop me from 3 standing pca and nasa track records). I still haven't found a 993 with a stock vram engine that has pulled on me. I've driven or instructed in at least a dozen different 993'S. I doubt that even patrick long would be able to feel the difference.