Coming from the dark side - Newbie owner
04-17-2013, 01:41 PM
#16
Drifting
I know a ton about C4 and C5 corvettes but almost nothing about a 997. It's going to interesting learning the ins and outs of this car. Definitely have to get busy on ordering the standard list of bolt on mods plus the wheels have got to be powdercoated black.
Make a good garage mate to my DD mercedes
Make a good garage mate to my DD mercedes
My GL450 is an '11 that goes back end of this year.
04-18-2013, 10:19 AM
#17
Drifting
I'll take a stab at the 911 versus Corvette comparison since I've had four of each and have spent a fair amount of time on the track with some of them.
Corvettes: C4 (coupe & convertible), C5 Z06, C6 coupe
911: 964, 993, 996 cab, 997.2
In raw numbers, 0-60, roadholding, etc. the Corvette wins. In performance/dollar, the Corvette wins. For highway fuel economy, the Corvette wins.
For component quality, fit & finish, reliability, the Porsche wins. For the nebulous qualities of steering feedback, brake feel, chassis communication, the Porsche wins, hands down. The Corvette may be able to take a turn faster, but you don't know why and it's more difficult to tell what the car is doing and how close to the edge you are. The electrically assisted steering is not exactly numb, but it doesn't tell you much.
As for the earlier comments about the 997 having too much understeer and the Corvette potentially having too much oversteer... well, no, that's really not accurate. Both cars are engineered with understeer, and yes you can put the Corvette into wildly uncontrollable oversteer with over application of the throttle, but they both have relatively benign handling if you act like a responsible adult, leave the traction control and stability control systems on, and don't blast the throttle in the middle of a turn. Act like an idiot in either car and it will turn around and bite you. The Corvette will likely bit harder and earlier with less warning.
And the noise... the noise in the C6 was unacceptable to me. I actually took out all of the carpet and put in two layers of sound insulation in my car. It quieted it down substantially, but it was still too loud. And by that I mean road noise and tire noise, not exhaust. My 997.2 has a bit of tire noise, but it's a tread noise (Pirelli P Zero) and it's not terribly intrusive.
The seats on the 911 are better too. The Corvette has more technology (except for the nav and stereo, which are archaic) but some of it is not very reliable.
Corvettes: C4 (coupe & convertible), C5 Z06, C6 coupe
911: 964, 993, 996 cab, 997.2
In raw numbers, 0-60, roadholding, etc. the Corvette wins. In performance/dollar, the Corvette wins. For highway fuel economy, the Corvette wins.
For component quality, fit & finish, reliability, the Porsche wins. For the nebulous qualities of steering feedback, brake feel, chassis communication, the Porsche wins, hands down. The Corvette may be able to take a turn faster, but you don't know why and it's more difficult to tell what the car is doing and how close to the edge you are. The electrically assisted steering is not exactly numb, but it doesn't tell you much.
As for the earlier comments about the 997 having too much understeer and the Corvette potentially having too much oversteer... well, no, that's really not accurate. Both cars are engineered with understeer, and yes you can put the Corvette into wildly uncontrollable oversteer with over application of the throttle, but they both have relatively benign handling if you act like a responsible adult, leave the traction control and stability control systems on, and don't blast the throttle in the middle of a turn. Act like an idiot in either car and it will turn around and bite you. The Corvette will likely bit harder and earlier with less warning.
And the noise... the noise in the C6 was unacceptable to me. I actually took out all of the carpet and put in two layers of sound insulation in my car. It quieted it down substantially, but it was still too loud. And by that I mean road noise and tire noise, not exhaust. My 997.2 has a bit of tire noise, but it's a tread noise (Pirelli P Zero) and it's not terribly intrusive.
The seats on the 911 are better too. The Corvette has more technology (except for the nav and stereo, which are archaic) but some of it is not very reliable.
04-18-2013, 10:47 AM
#18
I too came from a C5 (2003 anniversary edition). I loved the car for the nature of the "American Muscle"; but as a daily driver, I found it pretty noisy and with lots of rattles. Gas mileage in the vette was great, and I found the handling and braking were excellent. Steering feel was a bit fuzzy, and it is impossible to see the front end of those cars. The hood is REALLY huge. My vette was a convertible and rearward visibility was totally non-existent.
The Porsche is smaller all around, better visibility and better "feel" when driving. The gearbox is a fantastically better feeling between shifts (Manual 6spd) compared to the C5. This is maybe the #1 reason that I changed.
yes the 911 costs more for everything, but if you are considering it, really give them both a long look. You get more power for the $ with the vette. But as a daily driver, I've found the 911 much easier to live with.
My 2 cents
The Porsche is smaller all around, better visibility and better "feel" when driving. The gearbox is a fantastically better feeling between shifts (Manual 6spd) compared to the C5. This is maybe the #1 reason that I changed.
yes the 911 costs more for everything, but if you are considering it, really give them both a long look. You get more power for the $ with the vette. But as a daily driver, I've found the 911 much easier to live with.
My 2 cents
Can't wait to see what you do with it and look forward to your input on rennlist. Enjoy and keep us posted.
04-19-2013, 03:11 AM
#21
Rennlist Member
There have been a few of us to pick up C4's lately...congrats and enjoy it!
04-19-2013, 10:05 AM
#22
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Welcome. How has the CLS been ?
04-19-2013, 05:26 PM
#23
Instructor
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The CLS has been a great car and I have alwyas liked the look of it but the problem is I never drove it a whole lot . I bought it brand new in Jan. 2006 and it has less than 19,000 miles on it.
For a quiet comfortable ride its hard to beat the Mercedes. The issue now is when I switch between driving the CLS and the 997 it makes the ride of the 997 feel real rough.
Ill probably end up selling the CLS soon but I not going to be happy with what the price is going to be. I paid $115k for it in 2006 and I am probably going to get $35k. Somebody is going to get a lot of car fo rthe money. My own fault for not driving it more.
For a quiet comfortable ride its hard to beat the Mercedes. The issue now is when I switch between driving the CLS and the 997 it makes the ride of the 997 feel real rough.
Ill probably end up selling the CLS soon but I not going to be happy with what the price is going to be. I paid $115k for it in 2006 and I am probably going to get $35k. Somebody is going to get a lot of car fo rthe money. My own fault for not driving it more.