This is a cross-post from the 993 forum, but I thought this group would enjoy it as well.





My neighbor kindly allowed me to drive his beautiful silver 997.1 C4S today and I decided to share the experience with my fellow Rennlisters.

Many of you have probably considered buying a 997 vs a 993 or are just curious about how the newer car feels compared to the 993 you already own. I personally was very curious since I had considered a 997 when I bought my 993 but never had a chance to drive one. I asked my neighbor for a ride-along and he graciously offered to let me drive instead. What a guy!

The goals for the drive were:

1. Have fun and stay safe
2. Compare the engine and acceleration characteristics vs my 993
3. Compare the handling and cornering characteristics vs my 993
4. Compare overall ride, comfort and NVH vs my 993

After a restful morning, my neighbor showed up at my house, handed me the keys, sat himself in the passenger seat, and looked at me with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. This was going to be fun!

I started out driving very slowly, to get a feel for the clutch and steering, and to make sure my driving position was good. After a couple of miles I had synchronized my driving style to the control inputs and I was feeling pretty good. First impressions:

• Ergonomically the car felt much more modern than mine
• Clutch uptake was nice and easy to modulate
• Shifter felt very positive though a little looser and less 'mechanical' than my 993
• Overall the ride was much smoother with less noise and far less vibration
• The engine felt more isolated from the driving experience, less mechnical noise and I couldn't feel the engine rumbling through the cockpit like the 993 nor was I quite as aware of the big lump of weight sitting behind me
• The car tracked straight and true with less drama than my 993

Soon we flowed through the first set of curves, a low speed S-turn that rapidly transitions left then right. Its a beautiful second gear section of road that I've driven countless times in my car. In my car this is a little bit brutal, the road has a couple of sharp mid-corner bumps which I feel strongly in the steering and have to manage with throttle to compensate for weight transfer and varying traction as each end of the car hits each lump. Its neck snapping fun that usually finishes with full throttle and my rear end sliding just a bit on the exit. In the 997 I felt none of the lumps. We carved straight through and when I applied throttle the front end washed out a bit so I had to back off to keep my line. "Wow" I thought, that was a big difference. I carved through a couple more higher speed downhill bends and noticed how secure the rear end felt. On these corners, in my 993 I can apply power but have to be careful since they are both downhill and slightly off camber. In the 997 I could carry similar speed but it was much more relaxing.

At about this point I remember the Sport button and turned it on. I immediately felt a difference in the ride quality, not as lumpy as my car but I could feel the road again, every ripple and bump was being transferred to my butt, if not my hands. I also noticed the throttle map change, the engine felt more awake and more responsive. Turn in became more immediate and front end grip improved.

The engine itself felt great. Much smoother and quieter than my car, the predominant sound was the exhaust note. In my car I can hear (and feel) all the mechanical components at work along with intake at higher RPMs and the exhaust roaring at full throttle. In the 997 I could hear the engine spinning up and a great exhaust note, but the sound was much more civilized, more restrained and less ear-ringingly loud.

Acceleration feel is a little different as well. The engine responded more quickly and had a lot more torque down low. My car is asleep at 2k, sleepy at 3k and roaring to life at 4k. The 997 is sleepy at 2k, roaring to life at 3k and on-cam at 4k. The difference meant I had more gear flexibility, carrying 3rd into corners I normally carry 2nd and acceleration felt stronger everywhere. The way the power comes on is very cool but, to me, a little less exciting. I think the smoothness and the flatter torque curve takes away some adrenaline but also makes the engine more tractable and easier to use. I think the added noise and vibration in the 993 makes it 'feel' faster even when it objectively is not.

Next we hit a couple of canyon roads that I've spent countless hours driving in my car, so I had a lot of corners and straightaways to use for comparison. The car was a blast throughout the entire drive, sharp and focused, tractable, comfortable and far less tiring than my 993. I found myself working the gears less, winding it out less, braking earlier and softer - partly because of the difference in how the car felt and partly because it wasn't my car and I didn't want to drive it too hard.

Overall I felt like the cornering forces were lower but the handling was more predictable. The back end was solid and no-drama pretty much no matter what I did. The front end tended to wash out sooner and more often which felt safe and confidence inspiring but not as agile as my car. A typical corner would go like this:

• Off acceleration and steady on the brakes before corner entry
• Stay off throttle and turn in, good grip and solid entry
• Lay into the throttle until I could feel the front start to lose traction
• Modulate throttle to keep the front end where I wanted it

I felt like I was driving the front end of the car with the throttle instead of the rear, which was interesting. In my car I enter similarly but usually with some throttle on. Then I work the rear traction with throttle modulation and generally can exit under full throttle - all depending on the nature of the corner (camber, radius, etc).

As a result, the 997 felt safer and more relaxing to drive fast with less ultimate grip. In the same corners, my car feels more agile, more likely to get my heart pounding and with higher overall grip. This is completely subjective of course and the data might show otherwise. There are a few reasons I think my car feels 'grippier':

• I'm running RE71r tires, which do have more outright grip than the p-zeros on the 997
• I'm running with more camber than stock
• My suspension is stiffer and the 993 is less civilized anyway, so the added bumps and bounces may be tricking me into feeling there's more grip

We finished with a couple of miles of Interstate and I ran at about 85mph both with Sport mode off and on. With it off, the Interstate smoothed out and it was very comfortable - like a very sporty Audi for cruising. With the Sport mode on, it felt lumpy and alive and exciting, even just cruising in a straight line. Being able to switch moods with a button was very cool. On the same stretch of road my 993 bounces more, makes a lot more road, engine and wind noise and I can feel every little imperfection of the road through my steering. There is so much input that it can feel a little overwhelming and it takes a while to settle into it and let the car run vs. trying to react to each thing.

Overall I left the experience appreciating the 997 for the truly great sports car that it is while also loving my 993 for its own character and quirks. Both cars feel like true 911s to me with their own soul and both cars are a true joy to drive. For a long road trip, I'd pick the 997. For a canyon run, I'd pick my 993. For a date night with the wife? They are both special and would work equally well.

Side by side, the evolution and lineage are obvious. Both beautiful cars with similar shapes but one is a grown up version of the other. The 993 looks small, compact and dense. The 997 looks bigger in every dimension, more flowing and modern.

If I were to buy a 997 I think I'd go for the C2 which I bet would more closely approximate the handling balance of my 993. I'd definitely go for the S and I'd go for Sport Chrono with Sport PASM.

My final thought is that the pricing on these cars blows me away. The 997 is 10 years younger and nearly 100k fewer miles than my car and the purchase price was almost the same. Is the 993 overpriced or is the 997 underpriced?

Have you driven a 997 and 993 back to back? If so, what did you think? Were your impressions similar to mine?

 

Thank you for sharing. I can only imagine how awesome that drive was. Good job.

 

Good review. I think if his car had numeric shifter and cables, and semi solid mounts you would get back the vibrations and sound you wanted.

 

Great review..

You need to let him drive your car and tell us his impressions

I agree with the shifter and engine mounts. Totally changes the 997 for the better.

 

Great write up. Two years ago, I sold my 964 C4 (with 993 V-Ram engine) to my brother and bought an 06 997S, so I've had plenty of time to compare.

It seem to me the 997 does everything better and faster. I like having real A/C, heated seats, Cocoa leather, adjustable suspension, and clearly faster acceleration.

Last time I visited, I had a chance to drive the old 964. From the sound of the door closing to the smell of the leather, plastic, and something unnameable to the need to carry speed into a corner, it was a blast.

I still can't say either is a better car. I am fortunate to have owned both and would be happy with either.

Larry in Georgia

06 997S
03 Audi S8
67 Chevy C 10
09 A4 Avant (wifey)
64 Fordson Supa Dexta tractor

 

A couple of simple mods make the 997 quite a bit more mechanical. Semi-solid engine mounts which let you feel the engine a lot more and a GT3 rear sway bar which removes the tendency of the front end to wash out and makes the car a ton of fun to steer with the throttle. Total of about $500 in mods. Everything else in the 997 is simply perfect for the street.

 

Yeah, I wasn't comparing stock to stock, so it wasn't totally fair in that regard. My 993 has RS engine mounts, RS shifter, RS suspension + PSS10, Motorsound, and 235/265 RE71r tires. The 993 would have no chance of keeping up performance-wise if it was totally stock, though it would still have air-cooled charm . With all my modifications it is slightly better in corners than the stock 997 but still down on power.

As I was driving, I was imagining that with some mods the 997 could be made more raw and closer in character to my car if that's what the owner wanted.

That's one of the things I love about these cars, they are so malleable to tune and meet the desires of each owner.

 

That's my thinking as well. I had so much fun in the 997 and could be happy driving a 997 forever. Then I got in my car and I love everything about it and will be happy driving my 993 forever.

Its a no-lose proposition!

 

Yes next step is to hit the same road in my car and get his impressions. I think he wants to ride along vs. drive as he is a little less comfortable with his driving ability.

 

Wonderful review. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

 

Great post, enjoyed the informative read as I have always lusted for an air cooled 993. Thanks.

 

I sold my 993 and bought a 997.1 C4S. After a year interlude with an Aston Martin, I'm back in an '07 C4S.
I agree with most of what you said. However, if you change to the most aggressive alignment on the stock setup with the 997, the turn in/wash out problem almost goes away.
My best lap ever at Sebring in my VERY modified 993 is 8 seconds slower than my bone stock 997.
For a daily driver, 997 wins every category by a country mile except cool factor.

 

I can imagine how an aggressive alignment, stickier tires and perhaps changing the stagger could all make a big difference. I've seen how suspension improvements have transformed my 993 and I know the 997 could be made much more potent with a few mods.

I think the 997 has a lot going for it and I'm really happy I got to experience driving one. Earlier this week I got a chance to drive my car on the same roads and was able to mentally compare the experience.

The biggest difference I noticed was that my 993 felt more playful and urged me to push it harder. The result was a bigger grin and lot more fun. Not sure if it was the added noise, the stickier tires, the additional agility, the smaller size or some other factor but I got a real thrill from the drive that I didn't feel in the 997. After 50 miles I was ready to turn around do it all over again!

The biggest thing I missed compared to the 997, was the added engine power and better gearing. If I get the revs right, the 993 will slingshot out of corners and the engine feels fantastic. If I get it wrong, the engine can feel asleep and needs some time to wake up. The 997 engine was much more flexible and always ready to go.

 

I've enjoyed this dialogue, and appreciate the objectivity of your comparison. Thanks,

 

Thank you.

It looks like you've had a wide range of 911s. What are your impressions of the driving experiences?