First let me start off by stating that I am a bored waiter on a 997S ordered in Sept. and supposedly arriving in March. What I am curious to know, having never owned a Porsche previously, is why would anyone in a relatively dry climate should/would purchase a 4wd system on an automobile with powerful software stabilizing the tail end. Does the 997 need the extra stability of 4wd that the 996 and prior models might have benefited from? Doesn't the added weight, size (loss of storage space) and expense to maintain outweigh the cosmesis and added stability.

Sorry if this subject has been discussed previously because I would imagine it is similar to picking chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Common question with strong opinions for a variety of reasons. I choose the RWD because of Southern California conditions and the guidance of a friend who is very involved with Porsche.

One final thought if RWD is so stable why build the turbo on a 4wd plaform?

Thanks

 

Because traction is everything. Sure it is fun to throw your tail out on the track, but it isn't so fun to throw it out on a twisty mountain road with trees or cliffs at the edge of the road.

To me traction isn't something you can have enough of, so I opted for the C4s despite my intentions to avoid driving my 997 in the rain.

 

I find the 997 to be more stable than the 996. When I was shopping for a 996 I was torn between the added stability of the C4S and the lighter more nimble feel of the C2. To me, the wider track on the 997 C2 feels like it has the stability of the 996 C4S but the 997 C4 still adds a bit more stability when the car is pushed hard. I personally preferred the feel of the 997 C4 to the 997 C2 but I prefer mid-engine cars while others like the more traditional 911 feel. I thought the cars were close enough that in most driving situations I could be happy in either if I were in the market for a Carrera.

Alan

 

To me the biggest advantage of a C4S would be the feeling of stability that it will provide when you drive in the rain. Since you state that you are in a relatively dry climate, I'm not certain that the extra traction on a C4S would offset its extra weight and price .

 

well said I have always had C4's over C2's and the traction on dry roads is incredible ....... all this talk about snow and rain the car has more traction on dry roads also and now has a better looking rear ...... an option well worth the extra money .

 

I think it's like this. You got a small group od dedicated guys who have dry roads but appreciate the extra traction, okay fine. Most dry-road guys don't care and let the extra 120 lbs bother them.

Then you have people who live in rain or snow seasonally (even like to ski), and wonder about the C2/S handling under these conditions; they will buy the car instantly when the sales guy offers them a C4/S.

 

To hell with stability. The reason for driving a sports car is mastering instability. I had a 996 C4S and found it dull and boring - it just gripped and understeered - no edge to it at all.

If you want you sports car to feel as safe as a mini-van then buy the C4/S. If you want a sports car to offer thrills and a sense of risk, then buy the C2/S.

Unless you drive in 3" or more snow regularly you also don't need awd - just a good set of winter tires.

 

I would agree that, for places like Southern California, AWD is unnecessary. But for places like the Northeast, and especially if you want to drive the car every day, rain or snow, a C4S is great. My 993 C4S with speed-rated snow tires is a wonderful winter car and let's me have fun all year round, even commuting (when a hole opens up.) Maybe a RWD car would also be OK but ... Sure, the (unmodified) C4S isn't in the same class as a real track car, but so what? It's still a genuine sports car and provides another alternative. BTW, turbos went to AWD to manage all that torque, not for bad weather.

 

I've never even driven a c4s. We don't get much snow in central florida, besides... isn't the c4s going to use more fuel, and eat front tires?

 

I went with the 4S over the 2S for one simple reason, I love the way the wider stance makes it look. Now I actually went into my dealer to order a 2S Cabriolet and then drove the C4S because it just came in and I just loved the rear end. Now I drove the 2S and it was a fantastic car, but I just like the extra grip the 4S gave me. I drive an Audi S4 as my daily driver and I have owned several Audis and I like the all wheel drive so it really wasn’t that much of a stretch to go for the 4S it just felt right. I don’t think you loose any of the fun factor when driving the 4S you can still get it to over steer a bit and not get into to much trouble.

 

Actually the C4s wears the tires MUCH more evenly than C2 based cars from everyone I've talked to with a C4. Since the 911 is rear biased, it goes through rear tires fairly quickly due to all the work required by them. However, C4 owners have claimed that the power redistribution has helped to give the rear tires a longer life.

More fuel, slightly, but not much. From owners I've talked to you are talking about about an extra $1 or $2 per tank worth of gas over a C2 owner. You can deviate more than that with your driving habits.

 

The C4S wears the tires at nearly the same rate as a C2, 95% of the drive is RWD most of the time. My rears wear twice as fast as the fronts. As far as a C4S driving like a minivan, I'd be happy to take you out for a few laps in mine at the glen, I'll even buy you a new pair of shorts when we get done. I assure you, with the X73 it's a whole different ball game. I'd recommend it to anybody with a 996C4S who tracks their car. If the -20mm sport suspension sans pasm ever becomes available in this country on a 997C4S, that will be awsome indeed.

 

1. Read the new "Excellence" magazine. They ask the same question, "Why purchase a 4S after driving the 2S Club Coupe?"

2. Look for the higher performance GT2 (Turbo with rear wheel only drive) to be coming out after the GT3 on the new 997 platforms.

Hope this helps

 

o ne thing no has mentioned is steering feel...i have driven a lot of 4wd sports cars, including the 996 turbo, the gallardo, murcielago, audi s4, and most recently , the 997 c4s coupe,...4wd cars seem to have a less lively and direct steering feel...the new 997 c4s is a big improvement in this regard and it still didnt feel as light or direct as the c2s when driven back to back...i know the difference is now very subtle....the c4s does look better with the big butt, but this is also harder to tell unless the cars are side by side...then you have the 7k price difference and the 150lbs weight penality....so for dry weather i would go c2s, but i would love either car equally...also keep in mind that if 4wd is so great for sports cars, how come the carrera gt,ferrari f430,ford gt,mclarin,ferrari enzo, etc.are all rear wheel drive?????

 

I think the best thing to do is to drive them both and buy what you like the best. I drove both and decided the C2S was what I wanted. You may disagree but you won't know for sure until you drive both.