007_e350

top gear did a comparision between S & 4S ... 4s was faster by half a minute in a closed course curvy track ... Also, the body on 4S is wider than on the S I read on this forum Ib elieve by 6 mm or something, dont quote me on this

Nugget

No. It was a comparison between a C2 and a C4 (neither car was an S). The C4 was faster by half a second (not half a minute) on a rough rally surface where traction was significantly impaired as compared to a proper tarmac or asphalt road. The surface was the biggest factor giving the 4WD car the advantage, not the curviness. And despite the 0.5 second difference, they all agreed (Stig, James, Richard) that the C2 was the car to buy.

The 4 and 4S cars are 44mm (1.7") wider in the rear than the 2 and 2S cars. I've owned both narrow and wide body cars and I can't tell any handling difference from the slight increase in rear width. I think it's just a subtle cosmetic difference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaUFy5c9JMM

I track my GT3 in the rain and have never wished for more drive wheels. Just put appropriate tires on either car and you'll be just fine.

ralt12

C2S for all-around fun, but get a Subaru WRX STI for a winter car. It's a riot.

cbzzoom

Seriously.

I've seen what most C2 drivers do at a DE when it starts to drizzle
(and not just the ones on slicks)

I also got the good fortune of doing the PCA DS on a really wet rainy day, so I've seen exactly how the cars compare in slaloms and skidpads and stopping and oval in the wet. It's absolutely no contest and to say otherwise tells me you simply don't have experience with both cars.

It's pretty simple IMO; if you're on a wet freeway spiral on-ramp and you get on the power too soon and the tail slides out , does this make you go "oh yeah, fun times" or "oh crap I've soiled myself". That tells you which car to buy.

Betternotbigger

Priceless

"Oh yeah, baby" (mostly....)

Nugget

That's it exactly. The thread can end here as far as I'm concerned.

Atlas_Croc

Back in late 2009 I tried a new C2s as a possible replacement for my existing ride a 2006 Cayman S. After a pretty thorough road test over many different terrains I pretty much decided that a C2s was not for me, i.e. I loved the power but handling and steering were too far away from the perfect balance and precision I was used to with the Cayman,...one of THE best handling cars Porsche makes.

Fast forward a bit to early 2010 when I had the chance to notice a couple of C4s on the road,....wow! what a look, wide body, red reflector strip and all. So while at my dealer I noticed a beautiful Ruby Red 997.2 C4s in the pre-owned lot and on a whim took it out for a pretty long spin.

The difference to me was seen in the first few miles. When you come from such a car as the Cayman that does just about everything perfect that is what I used as a reference, and the C4S was much closer to it. True, there is not that much of a difference on paper between a C2s and C4s, but the feel to me was much greater. The 4s felt more secure and balanced in all situations, wet, dry, whatever,.....and I did have a chance to drive in both. Steering not as lively?,....I'll call it less twitchy with better confidence. Can't hang the tail out?,.....I can do without that while 4 wheels claw out of a tight corner. Extra weight?,.....yeah a bit, but nothing I felt between the two, in fact the 4s felt faster to me for some reason, from what I have read it might be geared a bit differently but I can't confirm. And did I mention that wide body!....one of the main reasons I chose it also, just looks soooo mean.

There was no denying, the look and the feel of the C4s was what sold me on the 997.2 platform,....and that is what is in my garage right now, a new 2011 Black C4s.

I really don't think there is a right or wrong answer here, just a winning one whichever version is chosen. Each individual will either like or dislike the qualities of one or the other.

cpbmd

I would love to see pics of your '11 C4s. Informative post btw.

brt3

Sorry if this goes too far off-topic, especially towards the end...

Whether PC vs. Mac, Coke vs. Pepsi, or C2 vs. C4, one man's meat is another man's poison. If we were true purists we'd order our cars without A/C or many of the gadgets we love, just to save weight and enhance performance.

Cars and computers are just tools. Sometimes you want a trowel, at others a jack-hammer. Some people love the curves of the widebody, some like the pure essence of the C2. Who's correct? The one who writes the check, that's who.

In my case I would LOVE to order my 2011 911 GTS with the six-speed. I have a bit of racing experience and find that this is a much more rewarding way to drive (for me). However, I've had four knee surgeries to date, have little cartilage left in my knees, and want to keep the GTS a good long time. SO, despite the extra weight, complexity, and slightly lower degree of driver involvement, it's PDK for me. Sellout or practical decision? Doesn't really matter...

I've been going through the same thing with the S-PASM vs. PASM decision. It's very hard to find two cars in stock where you can compare this back-to-back. In asking my salesman about this he described how he loves driving his GT3 every day on public roads, and that the stiffness is simply not an issue. Though I knew the answer already (even though all of our interaction has been by phone) I asked him his age. 26, he replied, as I stifled a laugh -- a laugh at myself more than him. At 28 I bought a Caterham Super Seven, built it out, and ran it in the One Lap of America. To make this worse I am 6'7", and had to rip out the seat and sit atop a very thin pad placed directly on the metal bulkheads. 5,000 miles and six days later, I realized I'd lost most of the feeling from my lower back down to the halfway point between my knees and hips. My chiropractor loved me that year...

I have no doubt that a C2S handles very well in the wet. However, based on the roads in Northern California -- and the degree to which other drivers do amazingly inept and stupid things -- I would buy a C4S if I were driving in wet conditions as often as our peers in Seattle and Vancouver. There's a small margin, at times, between being lucky and becoming a statistic. The AWD would give me an extra degree of confidence in those conditions. Although I have racing experience along with a ton of instruction from professionals, I always feel far safer on the track than I do on public roads...

Whatever you buy -- drive the hell out of it and ENJOY!

Optical TDI

Ah, but the big rear of the 4 is nice! I drive my 996 in Cleveland, OH with snows in the snow with no issues. But not the deep stuff of course. The main advantage in my opinion is the wide body. Having said that my next p-car will by a 997 C2, hopefully an S. One more year until the CPO expires, then it's time to start shopping!

jumper5836

The C4 is much easier to drive hard make a lot of mistakes and the driver will never know it.
The C2 is much less forgiving and takes a more skill full driver to drive it to the level of what a amateur C4 driver could do without all the code brown stuff.
95% here that say RWD is better likely can’t drive it like it suppose to be driven anyways so take it for what it’s worth.
If you’re looking for a ride that you can pretty much act like a idiot and drive it hard and have the AWD save your *** then it may be for you.
If you’re a cautious driver and don’t take any chances or an expert driver that drift corners like in top gear and prefer to say to your friends you have the better RWD Porsche then the C2 would be better for you.
Assess yourself , your driving ability and how you will be driving it around like.

alexb76

+1. Perfectly summed up the whole thread!

Moderato

Not that I don't believe you but realistically, how can a Carrera with worn out summer tires pass a bunch of "stuck SUVs?"

brt3

I think a lot of SUV drivers tend to over-estimate both the vehicle's capabilities and their skills. Perhaps they also tend to under-estimate the laws of physics...

Moderato

True, especially if they're "sport" SUVs with tires designed more for speed and handling than traction.