Question for 996 owners
 

I am not an owner yet but I anticipate buying a used one within the year. I have a couple of questions about the 996 concerning it's handling. I was telling a friend who owns a E36 M3 about my plans, and he told me about his friend who owned a 996, and about some of his comments. He said that the 996 is hard to drive in the rain, and that the tail exhibits a lot of oversteer and each corner is exciting. I think his friend's car was a 1999 C2. andI think he's tracked the car. My question is, how valid are his comments? I thought the 996 offered excellent traction in the rain because of it's engine placement, and that a lot of the oversteer had been taken out of the car.

Thanks for any insight. :)

The 996 is as good in the rain as the tires. I can make a Ford Focus kick @$$ in the rain with Hoosier race rain radials. As for oversteer, the car actually understeers quite bad with a stock alignment. The car can be brought closer to neutral with a agressive alignment. If someone mucks around with aftermarket springs, sways, etc. and does nto know what they are doing, any car will drive poorly. With a little care in setup, a stock 996 will be neutral towards understeer, very safe and manageable.

My friend told a friend who has a friend with a friend...and that's how misinformation is passed about. The 996 is a very well behaved car that has had oversteer engineered out of its behavior.

996 is not neutral IMO due to the rear weight bias. A 50-50 weighted car is neutral but rear can snap without much warning. A front or rear biased car will progressively loose traction and provide feedback. Your average FWD Camry always squeal before you loose traction right? On the 996, tires don't squeal much but will drift in a progressive manner. I like this better as it gives warning and feedback. For most beginners, this is preferred. The car is fairly flat in corners so it give you a confident feel.

Any high performance car is more difficult to drive in rain due to wider tires, too much power. However, 996 never feels light in rain like a Miata or Civic. You should not push the car when raining in any performance car IMO unless you are practicing drifting in an autocross.

I agree with all of the above posts. The oversteer problems have been long worked out. I also agree that if anything it is an understeer issue. I recently went from a Boxster to the 996. At first I felt that the Boxster handled better...it probably does; however, like DJ said mid-engines give little warning when the backend breaks loose and are very hard to recover. The 996 on the other hand is very predictable. Now that I have autocrossed it twice I have a better feeling for it and I prefer it. I really feel that I know what the car wants to do and that allows me to push it harder than I might with the Boxster. If I get in to trouble I also feel more confident that I can recover in the 996. My 996 is stock. Like others have said, tires and any suspension mods will drasticly change the handeling. Good luck with your purchase and you are in the right spot to get some good feed back. There are a lot of guys on this board who really know what they are talking about...I am aspiring to be one of them but still a greenhorn. :roflmao:

996 UNDERSTEERS, not oversteer.
it's very easy to drive wet or dry as long as you got decent tires.
now if you make a turn at 60mph, realizing you got in too hot, and decide to release pressure on you right foot, yes, it will spin around much faster than any M3. just remember, slow in fast out, do not lift. 996 can be driven in the rain with no prob.

Jsaindc,

We need to meet for a beer with }{, eli, noah, matthew and the others so that you can stick up for me about the whole mid-engined thing. They think I am full of $hit when I say that a mid-engined car handles better, and that its limit is higher, but that when you exceed it the car lets go in a big way that is harder to recover than a rear or front-engined car. They don't believe me, but since both of us have owned Boxster Ss and 996s, I see you understand EXACTLY my point.

TD

Thanks for the replies. I didn't believe what he said, and I didn't mean to provide any misinformation by posting the question. After reading the replies, I am pretty sure I was right on spot with my replies to my friend.

I hope to buy a 996 within the next year after my MINI Cooper S gets closer to the end of it's warranty period. I really like the go kart feel of it and that's one reason I am going to pursue a 996 instead of a E46 M3.

Well, back to lurking. Thanks again!

I say buy one then you can come up with your own opinion. I drive my car in rain sleet and snow, no issues what so ever.

It's great to see you've become a member. We hope to see you in a 996 soon. Welcome.

We should get them to an autocross...maybe we could get someone to let them take a Boxster out on a fun run so they could see for themselves. They would be amazed at what the 996 and Boxster could do. Eventhough the Boxster may handle better, I am in love with the 996 and my times have improved drasticly. of course I have an extra 100 HP but I also have some extra weight. Are you going to the meet in Rockville on Sunday?

Meanboy, you should get out and drive a 996. Unless you have a friend that has one you might not be able to push it, but a few test drives will give you a good idea. Next time it rains go to a P-car dealership and take a used one out for a spin. Another thing, not all 996s drive the same. Some pull much harder than others. Take your time and make sure you get exactly what you want. It is a lot cheaper to buy what you want up front than to turn something into what you want, just my $0.02.

TD in DC, here's an experiment you can use to show why a mid engine car is a handful when traction is lost: Sit on your office chair that spins freely. Stick your legs out front straight and stick your arms out to the side. Have someone start you spinning, and once spinning pull your legs and arms in close to your body. Your spin rate will speed up considerably. That is the difference between a mid engine car and a car with weight stuck out at the front or rear. The mid engine car spins faster.

BMW makes a big deal about their commitment to 50/50 weight distribution. It's nothing but marketing BS. Their F1 cars and their LeMans cars are mid engine cars with a rear weight bias over 60%. So much for 50/50 weight distribution.

Funny, that is nearly exactly the example I used, except I used a tire swing on a chain. It is all about polar moment . . .

Nope, I am off to Mid Ohio with the '44. Time to relearn the track without the assistance of all those concrete patches. Should be fun. Madness . . . here I come!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the tips. I will go and do that. I've driven a couple of older 911's but nothing current. I have a friend that has a 1985 Carrera and I drove it cross country with him 10 years ago. I was amazed at the brakes.

And thanks again to everyone for his/her thoughtful replies.