targa4S

Im deciding between a C4S or Targa 4S, what do you recommend?
I plan to use the car in the street and eventually some track days.

500

Does your avatar give us an indication which way you're leaning?

I say C4S

robbonds

if the c4s is a convertible - dooo it

otherwise targa s - all targas are 4 wheel drive now

seattle_sun

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I remember that the 996 targa was quite a bit slower than the non-targas. Something to do with the heavier weight (in the wrong place) and the decrease in stiffness.

mdrums

C4S Cab! I bought a C2S Cab and would not change.

dstrimbu

May I suggest a C4S Coupe? It'll be a bit stiffer on the track. Of course, I'm biased. <g>

If you're in Mexico - C4S Cab. You have a lot more sun than we do here in the US midwest.

The Targa is going to have a higher center of gravity with the weight in the roof; and my buddy's 993 Targa has an annoying squeak from the roof that he chooses to ignore... it's there, though.

Just my opinion. I am very partial to AWD, though.

-don

Haku

I agree that the C4S will be stiffer.
Plus I've got one and I'm not in any way biased!

ronmart

I've got 3 track days under my belt and I have no regrets with my C4s Cabriolet. If there is a problem, I haven't seen it yet and of all of the Porsche's (all coupes except mine) on the track the only one that has caught up to me and passed me was a GT2 that got black flagged for illegal passing (frequently).

TD in DC

Neither the C4S cabriolet nor the Targa are meant for the track (although both can be used on the track). The Targa is plenty stiff enough for any possible use you can imagine. It should also be significantly stiffer than the cab. I "think" it is as stiff as the coupe. The Targa is heavier than the Coupe. I "think" it is lighter than the Cab. The fact that the weight is up high will be completely unnoticeable until you start driving at 9/10s to 10/10s, which you probably will never do in a Targa or Cab in the first place. It is NOT like it is topheavy by any means.

The design of the Targa roof changed after the 993. The 997 design is the same as the 996 design. My top has been flawless, and I live in an area with bad roads. I didn't want a Targa before I bought one, but now I cannot imagine life without one. I personally am glad that my Targa is a C2 rather than a C4, but to each his or her own.

ronmart

If you define "meant for the track" to mean it doesn't have sufficent rollover support / protection for a serious crash then I'd agree with you completely. If you are arguing the classic "chassis stiffness" argument, then I'd have to disagree as the 997 was the first chassis (according to Porsche 911 Perfection by Design) that was designed as a cabriolet first so that the torsional rigidity would be there without the top, rather than the old method of developing the coupe and cutting the top off followed by stiffening up after the fact. This different methodology made all of the 997 form factors capabible of sustaining the stress of track use without body flex, but naturally the coupe benefited the most as its additional stiffness gave it one of the stiffiest bodies in the business.

For the 997 you can only get the Targa's in 4 & 4S flavors. There are no 2wd Targa's for the 997. See http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutpors...&id=2007-07-17 for more info.

TD in DC

No, I don't mean anything like that.

If you are selecting a track weapon, you would be stupid to get either a cabriolet or a Targa. You want a coupe. Period.

Most people who buy a Cabriolet or a Targa buy them because they want the openness. Some use them on the track, which I said in my post is absolutely fine. I further explained that unless you are driving either at 9/10s or 10/10s, which very, very few people on this board will ever do, you will not notice any problems with extra weight or rigidity vis-a-vis the coupe. In other words, I was making the point that if you want a cab or a targa GET ONE. If you are so concerned about the potential impact of a little extra weight or a little less rigidity, you are looking at the wrong models in the first place, you want a GT3 or, at a minimum, a coupe.

Of course I know that the 997 Targa only comes in AWD. I was bemoaning the fact that they are no longer making a C2 Targa, and thanking my stars that I happen to have one (which obviously is a 996).

I hope this helps.

JohnnyBahamas

After putting a couple thousand miles in this 4S coupe I'm starting to wonder about AWD... because the car seems to really, really stay planted to the road... I'm having a hard time making the tires chirp anymore. It really is like it is on rails.

Hey, any of you 4/4S drivers experience a difference between the way these AWD 911's feel under PASM Sport damper settings and the way 2WD 911's feel under the same stiffer setting? For me, the 4S in full sport damper settings is much more tolerable on the street.

99firehawk

if your buying a car for the street get the targa or a cab, youd be foolish just to get a coupe for a few tack days a year when every other day is on the street. you will have just as much fun in a open roof car on the track and youll never miss the 1/10 of a seond your giving up in stifness and weight

TD in DC

That's exactly what I'm preachin'

Bullet

You're wrong.

This is a common misconception. In the 996 series, the Cab was heavier than the Targa, and therefore slower (the slowest in fact). It is true that the Targa and Cab were a tiny bit slower than the coupe - but the difference was minimal - imperceptible to me, and I had a 996 Targa.

The Targa was stiffer than the Cab, so it really was a great compromise between Coupe and Cab.

The Targa has had a reputation as being less of a sportscar - but what everyone forgets is that the Cab is "the least sporty", if that logic is applied.

Performance differences between Targa and Coupe will not be perceptible except to the best drivers who track regularly.

The 997 Targa is an all weather every day super car that can be enjoyed on the track as well, but if you want a "track weapon", I agree with the other poster that you're after a coupe at least, or GT3. If not, go out in a Targa and see how fantastic the all glass roof is rain, shine, night, day, hot, cold, summer or winter. And see what a fantastic sportscar it really is.

-B