Steve - if that was the intended context, then can better appreciate the point on PASM....

althougth the 360CS...has an equivalent adjustable suspension (RACE or SPORT being the options)..and I don't see that inhibiting its attraction to erstwhile track folk...

I'd be d@mn happy to see one in my drive :-D

 

TD in DC: Thanks.

I do miss the Targa top (although it was very annoying with the rear visibility problems), but no regrets trading. I drove a Boxster S for close to 3 years with the top down 98% of the time, but I decided I didn't want a cab when I moved up.

The 997S "normal" suspension is already a major improvement over 996 stock, maybe already close to M030, and the "sport" setting stiffens it up substantially. Didn't try M030 on the Targa and based on research was ready to go X74, thinking M030 wouldn't make me happy, but I did have M030 on the Boxster S. 997S is IMHO perfect as it is for spirited streed use, and probably suitable for occasional, light, just for fun track use.

 

Jim,

Shortly after I moved from my '02 Boxster S, which handled like a dream, to my '02 Targa with a stock suspension, I nearly wretched the first time I tried to take familiar curves. The entire car felt floaty and loose. The worst feeling was on a high speed sweeping left-hander with a slight bump near the apex. The first time I took that curve, the car seemed to go airborne after the bump and I could feel the rear start to swing out, but not the nice, tight controlled swing that you prefer to see. At that point, I questioned my decision and the "famed" handling of the 911, particularly since I had been told that the suspensions on the 996 were such an improvement over the 993, which was worlds better than all of the others. I decided to go with PSS9s and GT3 adjustable swaybars. My love affair with my Targa started the day I got the car back from installation of the suspension. It is a completely different car.

Now, if I hear that the PASM is all that and more, then I might be convinced to trade.

Also, just out of curiousity, how tall are you? The rear visibility issue with Targas really doesn't bother me, but I can imagine it would if you were below a certain height.

Finally, although it is of little consequence to me since it doesn't particularly bug me, how do the PCCBs compare to the regular brakes in terms of brake dust? Do they have different pads, or are the pads the same regardless of the rotor material? If the pads are different, how do they compare in terms of dust?

Thanks,

TD in DC

 

TD: I had the same experience going from Boxster S to Targa. And though the recollections have faded, I would guess I liked the feel of my 993 Targa better than the 996 in suspension terms (don't know which one actually handled better, but I don't remember the 993 feeling so loose).

I haven't driven PSS9 and don't know where your settings are, so hard to compare - you need a long test drive in a 997S!

I'm just a hair under 6', but because of my particular build I may sit lower that some. The Targa rear visibility was sort of a combination of darker double glass and that gizmo on the glass that partially blocked vision when the top was open.

Too soon to tell on the PCCB's - I only have 150 miles on the new baby so far. I'm sure the pads must be different, but can't comment on dust yet.

 

TD, I'm not Jim, but I've owned a 997 S for almost a week now and can hopefully provide some useful feedback.

My experience with street P-Cars includes:

- A 2001 Boxster (2.7) with stock suspension and H&R lowering springs.
- A 1996 993 C4S with stock suspension and H&R Cup suspension later
- A 1988 928 S4 with stock suspension and H&R springs and droplinks later

All of the cars have had good tires, with most having had upgraded wheels and tires at some point. I also own two racecars, one 993 based and one a 996 Cup, even though those really can't be compared to the street cars.

In any case, the 997 S has impressed me so far with its ability to handle any sort of road conditions, curves, etc., and I'm not easily impressed. If I didn't know it was a rear-engined car, I wouldn't guess that it was as there is no real sensation of it. Now I think that Porsche "fixed" most of the rear-engined problem with the 993, and the 996 and 997 simply improve upon that.

While it's not something I would ordinarily say in conversation, the 997 thus far has handled "with aplomb". Another word that comes to mind is "sublime", and like all Porsches I've driven I feel great while doing so. I've driven some other nice cars and some very capable cars, but I just don't think that most manufacturers "get it" like Porsche does.

I lived in DC/NOVA a few years ago, and from what I recall the roads there aren't much worse than what we have here in Colorado. I drove the 997 a few hundred miles over the weekend through several construction zones, including lots of roads that were "scraped" down to a nasty grooved surface. It handled those quite nicely, and so far none of the potholes or other obstacles have been a problem.

On a different note, the comments about PASM being a "luxury" option are truly a laugh. In the "normal" mode the 997 is quite sporty, to the point where it would easily outperform almost anything else on the road. The "sport" mode turns things up a notch and feels great, but I don't turn it on unless I'm going to do some spirited driving on a curvy road. I can't imagine leaving it on most of the time unless I were commuting via the Nürburgring or some sort of wacked-out masochist! This feature is not the same as going from "wallowy" to "slightly less wallowy" like too many so-called sports sedans do when the sport button is pushed.

 

Skip,

I have listened to your advice many times (from PPBB), and I have been reading with great interest your reports on the 997S. I have a feeling that the 997S would serve my needs just about perfectly, and PASM (followed closely by the chrono package and adaptive sport seats) is probably what will bring me on over. I keep trying to focus on how happy I am with my Targa, which is loaded and customized exactly to my liking. I cut my teeth on the Boxster S, so I knew what I wanted when I found the Targa. I am extremely interested in hearing more practical experience with the PCCBs (after about 20K miles), but I bet I will not wait that long. I, like many enthusiasts, will undoubtedly go in to the dealer on some beautiful Saturday, take a test drive, and plonk down a deposit on a 997S ordered to my specifications. I don't think there is a cure for the P-Car sickness I have. Oh well, someday I will stop fighting it (or at least telling myself that I am).

Enjoy your wheels

TD in DC

TD in DC

 

Jim,

I suspect that the taller one is, the less the Targa top is bothersome when open (at least the position of the rear brake light -- nothing to do about the double tint). I am a little over 6' 1", so I see over the brake light, but my wife, who is 5' 8" does not see over it as well.

I am jealous and afraid to take a long test drive because I will probably follow your lead. Every time I start thinking 997S I just keep saying "targa, targa, targa" over and over to myself. Time will tell how successful this strategy will be over the long run.

Enjoy your wheels,

TD in DC