benfmd

I know the 997 Turbo is not out yet. My question relates to why do some prefer the rear wheel drive 911 to a 4 wheel drive car? Does the rear wheel drive offer more fun/control than AWD?

For the people who prefer rear drive, would they prefer the 997 S to the new more powerful 997 Turbo?


Thanks.

docjackson1

i personaly prefer the awd, as i live in the northeast and i put snows on my 997c4s and drive it as a daily driver in the winter. as someone who has had many porsches, but who is not really a skilled driver, i can tell you that the rwd car is preferred by many drivers because of the lighter overall feel and the ability of the car on a track to have a more sporty characteristic (rear wheel slides with psm off, etc). as someone who has had a 996tt, i would personally (and am on the list for) prefer a 997tt over a 997s-the power is addictive, and since i am not a pro driver, the electronics and awd saves my behind when i make a mistake.

djantlive

if u live in poor weather, awd is nice. otherwise, rwd will be lighter and more fun if u want to accel turning turns. 997tt is def better than 997 s. the only reason to buy 997s is if you want longer engine life wo hassle of idling turbo after a hard run.

tstafford

Currently have a 997S, used to have 996C4S. I really didn't like the C4S - it seemed heavy, overengineered and disconnected. I wouldn't make any of those comments about the 997S. Maybe the 997 C4 feels better, but I didn't even drive it before buying the C2. If I felt the power of the 997S was insufficient I would tend toward a GT3 rather than a TT Probably not as much of a daily however.

H20NOO

Unless you plan to drive the car in rain or snow, I can't think of a single reason to choose the extra weight, expense reduced fuel economy and less nimble dynamics of all-wheel drive.

Ok, maybe one reason... The C4S is the only widebody car in the current lineup. And that widebody is spectacular!

MC

frayed

It's been pretty much said above. RWD is far more entertaining, and with the electronic nannies in 997's, no reason to go with AWD unless you drive in the white stuff.

texas911

I hate the terminal understeer AWD has.

rzundel

I just took delivery of the C4s and love the 4 wheel drive! It feels like the car is on rails. Incredible driving experience. I owned a 993 C2 that didn't come close to the driving fun of the C4s. My buddy has a Ferrari 360 Modena Spider and I feel my car has better byte around corners. It all comes down to personal preference.

2ndof2

Handling and price aside the 997S is a better looking car IMO....I'd rather get a new GT3 before a turbo any ol' day of the week (and still have money left over for new tires and clutches to boot!)

Edgy01

Unless you're really going to use the AWD a lot why carry the added weight around and the reduced CD ultimately eating up your useful range.

Go drive identical cars of the AWD vice 2WD persuation and decide for yourself.

I think the AWD is a better choice for people new to the 911 car, while some of us 'oldtimers' with 911s can appreciate what is going on with such a rear biased car and with some electronic assistance and massive rear tires, negate much of the rear bias today on the 2WD cars.

I went with a cabriolet and couldn't tolerate even MORE storage space loss that the AWDs suffer from.

I honestly would love to know how many of our northern tier 997 4 drivers really take them out daily in the snow and ice. It's not so much how WE drive them, it is the OTEHR guy that I'm worried more about. (And BTW, the rear engine, rear drive only 911 performs beautifully on snow).

Dan

Le Chef

I owned a 996 C4S and HATED the feeling of pig-like understeer it gave me. Going from an Audi S4 it initially felt very secure but I began to realise what I was missing. My 997S Coupe and Cab were deliberately chosen to be rwd, despite living in a hostile winter climate in Chicago, because I prefer the handling.

When the weather is bad I'm more concerned about the other guy. As to extracting maximum performance out of the car in bad weather, I think we all typically slow down to fit the conditions, traffic patterns,, and our own skill levels, so the argument about greater performance from awd is often a mute point.

1AS

More power is always more fun. The awd is not a negative unless you track a lot in nice weather. Where do you live, and are you a 4 seasons driver? If so, you will want the awd. In any case, you'll want the turbo power and the sports chrono overboost. The real question is, " is the money an issue?" If not, go turbo. AS

docjackson1

dan-i live in the northeast and i do and have taken various porsche awd cars out in the snow-i put snows on them and they do well in ice/snow.

yemenmocha

To the original poster, please ask this on the turbo board and see what you get. I'm going to differ from pretty much everyone above. Here goes...

If you want to spend close to $100,000 with tax for a car (997S) that isn't going to perform much better than many cars in the $50k range then I'll bet you'll be disappointed. Spend another $20 plus tax and you're getting the performance that rivals many exotics at twice the price. The previous turbo was lauded as one of the world's best sports cars. No doubt the 997tt will be the same.

My heart was set on the 997S. But then I drove one. Then I drove my M3 home. Yes, it's a better car than my M3. But it's not $45,000 better. There was no way I was going to pay that much for that performance. Either go a step up and pay more, or try the many options that are $30-45k less.

steve775

My 997 S doesn't see snow, so I really can't justify the C4S unless there is a overwhelming reason
like more hp and torque.