pfbz

I've driven quite a few 3RS i owned a GT4 RS for a while... Honestly I was disappointed. I know that sounds crazy, but it just didn't do it for me. The disappointment was mostly the engine, which is the same as in your 1.2 3RS. Just not enough power at altitude. IMHO, it's easier to tweak the handling and "viscerality" (yes,I know that isn't a real word) of a Turbo than compensate for the power loss and torque deficit of the NA engine.

My "perfect 911" would likely be a 991.2 GT2 RS, but damn they are dear.....

John D II

That makes sense at high altitude. Being in the Northeast, altitude is not an issue and the RS rocks for me. When we drive, my modified 991.2 s turbo has all it can do to keep up with the RS from a stop. If my son is driving the GT3 and he takes off, I literally have to floor the turbo or he will be gone, so the power difference is not that dramatic on the road and I have all the bolt-ons with a custom tune on the turbo. I do notice the less torque coming out of corners, but overall the light weight, nimbleness and high revving engine more than make up for it for me. I guess everyone is different, but I reach for the GT3 every time we do a drive and have relegated the turbo to office runs and a few misc. drives. It's a great car, but I am preferring the GT3 for fun.

Yes, the GT2 RS would be great and I have thought a little about swapping the turbo for one, but I'm actually quite happy with GT3 RS and Turbo S mix right now.

Bernard IV

Altitude is a killer for me as well. Isn't the rule of thumb about 3% power loss for every 1000 feet of elevation? 15% power loss at 5,000 feet if you are in Colorado.

pfbz

And my usual mountain twisties routes always takes me above 8,000' (~25% power loss) and often over passes higher than 10,000' (~30% power loss). The power and more importantly torque difference between a Turbo 911 and a NA 911 at those altitudes is profound...

theprf

I fly piston-engine airplanes - the power loss is 25% at 7,500 feet just due to density. Temperature can increase losses as well.

Bernard IV

I was considering an early Audi R8 v10 and doing a manual conversion on it but it looks like up here I'd be sitting at just under 400 wheel HP with it. I'll stick with my 996 Turbo.

pfbz

A car buddy of mine had a really nice R8 V10 manual... Fun car to drive, rifle bolt shifter, great looking, but from a performance perspective... yes, totally smoked by a 996 Turbo.

John D II

That's a huge power loss - sounds like you need a GT2 RS and then you can compete in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb event :-)

Bernard IV

The V10's really the kings once you start boosting them but that's well out of my budget for sure lol.

powdrhound

The 991.2GT3 RS is an amazing machine and available for relatively reasonable money all things considered. Interestingly, if you talk a vast majority of guys that own and have owned both the 991.1/2 GT3s and the previous gen Mezger 997GT3s, they will tell you they prefer the 997. I've driven several 991GT3 and RSs including a manual 991GT3 touring and GT4RS. They are all simply mind blowing cars with their technology and performance but I must tell you there is something really magical about the last of the Mezger N/A cars. They are smaller, little more nimble, and with the 3 pedals that reward you for that perfect heel and toe downshift they are simply more involving then the 991 era cars. Yes the 997 is not as fast, only revs to 8500, doesn't have PDK, but there is something there that the larger, faster, more automated 991GT3s that just don't have. It's hard to put a finger on it.

I have a lightweight 7.2GT3 with the RS drivetrain, carbon kevlar buckets, side muffler delete and a LiOn battery which makes it 150lbs lighter than a stock GT3. This is a car I only drive on the street, never on track. Even at the 5200' Denver elevation, It is deceptively very fast, faster than it needs to be for a street car and makes absolutely glorious noises. I would go as far as to say I wouldn't want more power for a street car as crazy as that seems coming from someone that owns a 900hp / 2750lbs 996 track car. I must say that the Mezger 7GT3 or RS is the most satisfying and enjoyable street Porsche I've ever driven. It's an absolute joy with that perfect mix of old and new that simply checks all the boxes.

Bernard IV

I hear the 997 GT3 mentioned as being a favored drivers car quite frequently. I've tried to make my 996 Turbo more like that but I really wish I'd put some GT3 heads on my car when I did my motor.

powdrhound

The only way to do GT3 heads is with a standalone ECU like Motec. You can't do it with a stock ECU unfortunately.

Bernard IV

Oh really, I'm not ready to go that far with it. They did recently get rid of emissions testing around here though.

T10Chris

Yeah, everything to do with how the car reads cam position is different. Variocam function is also different- it is PWM controlled vs on/off, which I don't think would matter much outside of leaving power on the table and maybe some drivability hiccups, but the cam position stuff would be tough to work around without a standalone and probably not work well no matter how you approached it.

John D II

Hi John,

That's great to hear, enjoy your 997 RS, I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that :-) As you mentioned, they are all fantastic cars, you can't go wrong with any of these RS's!
I am absolutely loving the 1.2 RS and that PDK-S transmission, it's a welcome change for me and like you said, it certainly is deceptively fast for a street car, it's all or more than I need, too. It's the 1st car in a very long time that I am not even thinking needs power mods. A little lightening with exhaust and battery and you're good to go. However, I plan to do the OEM mag wheels, as well - huge easy picking weight loss, but I don't really need it, I just think they belong on a car of this nature. These RS's are a blast to drive!