lig

C2S is just fine in Seattle. Other than getting the car dirty I rather enjoy it in the rain.

With the way that the idiots in this town drive when it snows honestly I wouldn't risk my p-car when it snows even if I had Blizzaks.

cbzzoom

Nah, you guys always go way overboard with the whole "4wd doesn't help" rigmarole.

Your post is off the mark. 4WD helps immensely even in the dry! The C4S lap times on *dry* pavement are about the same as C2S lap times, despite being heavier. That's because the 4wd helps get power to the pavement. Add even the slightest bit of wet and a C4S will leave a C2 in the dust (or rather the mud, since it's wet and all). Furthermore, a C2 is much harder to drive well, so in the hands of just about anyone on this forum a C4 will be faster.

Absolutely a C2 is perfectly safe in the rain, you're not going to crash unless you do something really dumb, but a C4 is much faster and easier to drive.

Anybody who belittles the benefit of the C4 in the rain has simply not driven both cars in the wet.

In reality the difference in feel and performance between the two cars is very small. The choice should come down to what kind of experience you want behind the wheel.

MLindgren

OP, are you planning on driving like a nutcase in the rain or tracking often in the rain? If so it sounds like the C4S is the right car for you. If you are driving responsibly for wet conditions then I think a C2 would suit you just fine. I still visit the area every couple years to see family and frankly you people drive incredibly slow. I can't see where a C4 is necessary unless you are driving up the sand covered roads through Snoqualmie Pass.

chago996

Have read before that entry speed in corners is the same for 2 or 4wd, but exit speed is higher on 4wd because you can get on power earlier on 4wd as front wheels pull u out, especially in wet or snow. Ask Mr. Rohl and his Audis

backerman

Great info everyone. These are all great cars really. What great problems to have on deciding which to pick. The hunt is half the fun for me. Thanks again.

Edgy01

Ever do engine braking with an AWD car? It's less control that doing it with a 2WS. I stand by my statement.

alexb76

Yes, for various reasons: it's lighter, the front wheels engage less frequently, less torque is transferred to fronts than 997.2 AWD. As I said, the new AWD is technically better, but that comes at cost of less RWD feel.

Fooshe

Not only that, God forbid you get one wheel off on exit and come back on track with the hammer down ....buddy, hold on to your britches!

DD GT3 RD

When I had my 997c2s cab...I lauched it in the rain at around 3500rpm, thinking it would spin...not at all, just some wheel hop. Tried it rolling as well, just took off. Shows you the grip the rear engine gives you.

Jim 'n' SC

How fast are your C4 guys driving these cars in the rain? The notion that you need an 4wd drive car to drvie in the rain is laughable! The only reason to consider 4wd would be if you lived in a place that gets snow all winter and the C4 would be your only mode of transportation.

56truluck

With comparable tires, the 4 or 4s will give you better traction in slippery road conditions. However, the unique configuration of a 911 makes the difference between the all wheel drive and rear wheel drive versions less significant even in these condtions. I drive a c2 992-2 as a daily driver with winter tires from November to April in the NYC area. Other than ground clearance issues, I have yet to encounter road conditions that my c2 can't handle. That's not to say that the all wheel drive system won't help in those conditions. In my experience it does-it makes a good thing even better. In your situation I doubt that you would ever have a problem with the c2 or c2s. If I lived in an area with much more snow I would probably go for the 4 but even then, I believe the traction advantages together with the right tires makes any 911 a great four season car. In dry conditions, they are both great and in my opinion very similar cars. In the end, the c2 made more sense for me economically. I was also alittle biased by my previous experience with BMWs. In that case I much preferred a rear wheel drive car with sports suspension [and winter tires, of course] to the x drive version-both of which were great cars.

utkinpol

if you do plan on driving in winter and you do have steep uphill to climb that gets all icy and snowy in the winter - get 4wd version, if all you drive is flat and usually well maintained so you will not go over a lot of fresh powder and ice - get c2.

c2 has plenty of traction, again, you will need c4 car only if you will need to climb uphills covered with ice on regular basis.

thinklabinc

I won't say I purchased my '07 C4S for the wider rear....because the thread will go from a traction debate to a wider body (very slightly) is not noticable debate... :-)

RF5BPilot

The short answer: you won't go wrong with either 2wd or awd.

The long answer:
Some years ago, R&T compared 2wd, 2wd w/traction control, 4wd & all wheel drive. They found that 2wd w/traction is essentially comparable to AWD. Only when they tried to start the car on a steep incline with one side of the car w/traction and the other side on ice -- did the AWD do better. A locking 4WD did well, but mainly excelled in deep mud/snow--a result which was partly confounded with increased ride height.

Because the Porsche engine is over the driving wheels, there are very few times a 2wd Porsche will not do as well as an AWD. That said, an AWD car will tend to seem to drive like it's on dry pavement when a 2wd might show some understeer if you're not paying attention.

I've started putting on winter wheels & tires in Nov. You can often find 17" wheels fairly inexpensively and the winter tires are less expensive for them as well. Damon at TireRack noted he thought the smaller contact patch of a 17" tire probably gives you better traction than a larger tire that spreads out the pressure. As others have said, I am much more concerned about being run into than being stuck.

A few years ago before I got the winter wheels & tires, we had a sudden snow storm that started on Friday night in the Seattle/Puget Sound area. Thunder and lightning--followed by an inch or two of snow in an hour or so. Traffic was a mess. No sand on the roads. My wife called and asked me to pick her up from a semi-rural area near Kent, WA. The Porsche only had a set of older, Michelin PS2's. Using its native traction, keeping to back roads and letting the ABS/traction control help when I got to intersections that had become iced over from fools spinning their tires -- I had no problems at all (even on less-than-perfect summer tires), passing a number of stuck SUV's.

I prefer the lightness, simplicity and better fuel mileage of a 2wd 911. (I also respect the many other drivers who prefer the awd cars.) I think that a 2wd 911 with winter tires is virtually unstoppable...its main weakness is ride height--which won't be improved with awd.

alexb76

This is hilarious... as you can see, all C2 owners prefer RWD, and all C4 owner prefer AWD!

There are are a couple of posts for AWD that I can't say what they own... so at the end of the day it comes to your own test drive and how you find which works best for you.

PS. I am not gonna even start debating AWD superiority in the slippery conditions... it's such a black and white that only people who wanna be RIGHT no matter what can claim it's not the case! Saying "X" is just fine does NOT mean "Y" is not better yet?!