lfe

Hi all,
New member as of today. I owned a 2001 996 until lease was up. Situation changed, now looking for a used Cab. 6 speed of course
Question: How much performance difference between 3.4 liter and 3.6 liter. And any other noticable differences.
Thanks in advance

nycebo

The 3.6l has 25 horses. Also, more torque, but can't remember how much.

lfe

Let me rephrase my question

I know about the increases in power and torque, but what does a butt-dyno say. Anyone driven these two back to back, what are percieved differences like feel of power, smoothness, sound.

Thanks again

rcg412

i had a 3.4L before, now an 03 3.6L... much happier with the 3.6L - not much quicker >30mph, but under, it is noticeably quicker. Also - i know it is stupid - but the glove box is so nice to have.

The sound of the 3.6L to 3.4L is near identical IMHO.

zman53

I have a 3.4, and I'm consigning it right now, while the dealer is looking for a clean 3.6 for me.
I noticed that the 3.6 996 and 997 have almost identical power curves, I guess for obvious reasons. They both felt noticably more powerful than the 3.4, and I would agree mostly down low.
The tranny and suspension felt a bit improved in the 997 vs the 996, but they're close.

rountreed

That is hard to say, 3.4 has 25 fewer ponies true but also weights less. Those extra 25HP make up for the weight but in reality I do not think you could tell the difference other than the minor exterior and interior design changes. IMHO

Ray S

I have driven the Mk I and Mk II 996's back to back several times. In my experience, on a full throttle 0-100 mph acceleration run you will not feel a huge difference between the cars. The Mk II just feels slightly more powerful in this situation.

However, you will notice a big difference puttering around town in the mid to low end of the powerband when you want a quick squirt of power or loafing along on the highway and then adding power to make a pass (without a gear change). In situations like this the added torque, and the fact that the extra torque builds much earlier in the power band, is very apparent.

The best way to experience the difference is to get over to your dealership and drive a few cars back to back.

Good luck.

BruceP

Not to split hairs, but horsepower doesn't make up for weight. Torque does.

10 GT3

The real difference between the 2 is the mid-range torque. the 3.6l give you a nice push in the back at 2500 to 3000 rpms that does not exist with the 3.4l. Keep in mind the the 3.6l not only produces more torque, it does so at lower rpms with a lower peak (4250 versus 4600). Once this kicks in, it noticeably revs faster everywere above that. Just test drive a Cayman and a new Carrera back to back and you will notice the same thing.

hwk72

I can confirm that my 3.4 is pretty weak below 3.5k RPM. However, I test drove a 997 Carrera and was not impressed either with the low to mid end push. The car just felt heavier.

ScottArizona

Although probably not on point, I thought I'd add that in my opinion there is a much bigger difference between the 3.4 liter tiptronic and the 3.6 tiptronic, due to the increased number of shift maps on the later car (I think it went from somewhere around 5 or 6 maps to over 200).

newport996

Drive 2 of them back to back...I did and I bought a 3.4L...The 3.4L is PLENTY fast and look at the numbers, they are almost identical as far as 0-60 times. I think finding a good car is more important than whether its a 3.4 or 3.6. Also if you want to chip or add headers and exhaust, the 3.4L responds better to those mods...apparently there is more room for improvement there. Maybe the differences are not in the motor size, but in the intake, exhaust, and ECU....maybe Porsche improved it in the 3.6L.

Rob in WA

The difference is 20 hp not 25 ( 300 vs. 320 { MY99 was 296 - base 997 is 325 } )

Torque difference is 15 lb-ft ( 258 vs. 273 ).

Performance difference ( Porsche's numbers which are conservative, but to compare apples to apples ) is .2 seconds 0-62 mph ( 5.2 vs. 5.0 ) and top speed is 174 mph ( 3.4l ) vs. 177 mph ( 3.6l ).

Weight difference is 55 lbs on a C2 ( 2,910 lbs vs. 2,965 lbs )

Mike Murphy

Not much noticeable difference between the two.

smackboy1

The 3.6L cabs (2002+) have a glass rear windshield. 3.4L cabs have the plastic. IIRC the suspension on the 3.6L was supposed to be slightly stiffer, but I don't remember it was something I noticed. And also the face lift of course.