p48ker

Ok
20 yr 911 owner , 82,87,90 (c4)81coupe 87 targa
decided on an 02 / 03 I have completely confused myself an cant decide between a c2 or c4 or manual or tiptronic
i would really like to hear owners views on plus / minus I live in detroit and plan using car all year (I think) I have owned targa nd coupe but so far not fixed on coupe targa or convertable
please post your views and preferences
thanks in advance Mike

okbarnett

The C4S is alot different that a C2. You get WAY lot more stuff for the money. Youre getting about $20K more options right off the bat. If you can use the 4wheel drive, then thats the only way to go. If you appreciate the wide body and all the other body differences then theres no question. If you enjoy shifting everywhere you go , then you ought to buy a manual. But if you enjoy a nice peaceful drive and like to relax occasionally, then buy a tip.

russo

I think the comparison is C2 vs C4, not the C4S. The actual dollar difference is about 3-5K given that all options are more or less equal.

Dennis C

It's hard to give advice on coupe vs. targa vs. cab. They are very different cars. I think that's the first place to start. If you decide on a targa, there's no "4" available in the 996. I think you can get by in Michigan winters in a targa or C2, at least in light snow if you put proper dedicated snow tires on the vehicle. A C4 or C4S will probably be better in this application, but make no mistake, they need dedicated snow tires too.

If you plan to track the car, then a coupe is probably the best way to go due to the structural rigidity.

If you go for a coupe in the 2002 or 2003 model year, and you decide you want AWD, then you're talking about a C4S. There is no C4 coupe in the 2002 and 2003 years, only a C4S. Personally, I like this choice the best, but that's just my opinion.

If you are not planning to track the car, a C4 cab with a hard top for the winter might be your best overall option. I think a tip or a manual are both good choices, it just depends on your personal preference.

My recommendation: buy a C4S with a manual transmission. I love mine.

smackboy1

Yes, you seem quite undecided. The first thing I would do is try to write down a prioritized list of what features are important to you. AWD? Tip/manual? Cab/coupe/Targa?

Here is some food for thought:

For snow, ice and poor weather, dedicated winter tires (not all seasons) make the biggest difference. C4 or C4S is slightly better than C2 in slippery conditions, but it's RWD biased viscous coupling means it's not exactly an SUV. For snow/ice, PSM makes a big difference, especially if you're not that confident dealing w/ understeer and oversteer. If you are thinking about C4S keep in mind that at this time nobody makes a winter tire in the same size as the stock summer rubber (widebody Turbo size wheels). You're going to have to change to a different wheel/tire size which is going to change the look of the car (or use spacers to get the track width looking right).

The cabs are great, but slightly heavier. The C4 cab is heavier still. This might be important if you want track performance, otherwise it's about the same weight penalty as having your fat drinking buddy riding shotgun. The roof is well made and can handle rain and winters no problem. Cabs were made in C2 and C4 and C4S configurations. I've never really had to use my hardtop. Targas are nice, but hard to find because so few were made. Targas are only RWD.

Dennis C

There is no problem finding the front tires in a dedicated winter tire at 225 40R18. The Pirelli Winter 240 SnowSport is an N-Spec winter tire that is actually reasonably priced (relatively speaking). It's the rears that cause the problem. The Pirelli N-Spec option is a 265 35R18, which is smaller than the OEM summer tires at 295 30R18.

Do the smaller tires fit on the 18x10 OEM rims, or do new rims need to be installed too?

smackboy1

The narrow body C2 and C4 cab have 18X10 rear wheels. The C4S like the TT has 18X11 wheels in the rear which is too wide for 265/35R18 tires. For 265 winter rubber you would have to get 18X10 rear wheels which fits and works fine, but just looks a little off in the widebody wheel well (unless you use spacers). Going to a 17" wheel might offer more options, but I don't know.

It's possible that somebody out there is making a wider winter tire which would fit a 11" wide wheel. I haven't looked recently.

Dennis C

18X11... right... my mistake. I don't know if 17s would fit over the brakes.

I'd like to put snows on my C4S OEM rims this winter, so I'll have to look.

ervtx

Here, let me help you with those decisions

'02!
C4!
Manual!
Convertible!

See it here:

2002 C4 Cabriolet 5-speed

yasuro

i have an 01 C4 and if i had to do it all over again, i might lean more towards a C2, mostly due to the lighter weight and slightly better performance. ideally it would be a C2 with LSD.

Chaos

C2 is a lot more "thrilling " to drive in my opinion. If you need four wheel drive I would just get four sows.

Barn996

Lots of stop and go traffic(bumper to bumper)= tiptronic. Winter driving in the snow or very cold temps=4 snows(C2) or C4 with snows.GL

Darren

Right a lot more weight!!!!

wwest

The C4(S) is virtually useless with respect to R/awd. The VC will not "stiffen" up unless there is a period, an extended period, of rear wheelspin/slip vs the front. TC will NEVER allow that to happen. The only use I can think of is to run the car in a tight, TIGHT, turn for about 10 loops. The difference in Front vs rear rotation rate in a tight turn will result in the VC being stiffened up for the next 30 seconds or so.

The new, newest, 911 models have the ECU controlled dual electromagnetic clutch pack used in the Ford Escape F/awd, a pretty significant improvement, that....!!

medtech

What is the weight difference? 100lbs?