niche

I have no clue if my radios work in my cars...

FullThrottle64

You're not making much sense with the bolded statement, since the GT3 has a 23.7 gal tank as an available option. In fact, it has a LONGER range than the other 911 versions, not shorter.

In truth, this thread has me wondering if I need to plan to get a GT3 in a few years. It might be a simple aftermarket stereo away from being a near-perfect car.

I think that a number of the responders didn't really understand my OP. What I'm looking for in a street car is something as close as possible to a pure race car that has enough creature comforts to be usable for daily driving. For me, the 911 is pretty darned near perfect, with only a couple of issue. This means not having to stop at the gas station every couple of days, and having a stereo that's at least decent. It misses the mark on both counts, but it absolutely hits the target on handling, fit/finish, ergonomics, looks, reliability, driving feel/experience, etc. It seems to me that my two minor complaints would be really, really easy for Porsche to fix; every other auto manufacturer can put in a decent-sounding stereo - and most for a lot less $$$, and Porsche already puts larger tanks in the GTx cars, so it wouldn't take much to make that an option on all the 911s, right? I just don't understand why they get all the difficult stuff right and miss the easy ones.....

dasams

Porsche offered the 90 liter (23.7 gal) tank in the GTS in place of the standard 67 liter (17.7) tank. However, I think this was ROW only. I also wish I had the larger tank in my C2S. No complaints about the Bose because a nicer system would be pretty much a waste due to road noise.

targaC4S

If you think the Bose system is bad you should hear the Sony "upgrade" in my '13 F150. It was so horrendous that I had to upgrade all the speakers. Something I havent done since high school!

Coincident

Not to belabor the tank size issue, however, a tank that can contain 23 gallons of liquid will be physically larger than one whose maximum capacity is 16 gallons. Larger size equals greater weight.

mb97tts

I haven't heard the Bose yet but I can say that it could not be worse than the factoty unit in the Ferrari CS I had. Man that didn't qualify for a stereo.... Took some long trips, not 14 hours straight but since it wasn't a DD I didn't mind.............

Nothing can beat the sound of my Dyn Audio's at home so I won't try................

FullThrottle64

Not by enough to matter - I'd bet it's less than the difference between the PDK and manual transmissions. Probably less than the difference between the weight of the manual seats and the 18-way power seats, too. I get your point, but I think it's really picking at the margins.

NineEreven

I get your point at the GT thing, but I think your forgetting its a 911...

jfoxny

You do realize that you're talking about a company that put a sticker on the hood of the 996 GT3 RS instead of the standard enamel badge to save weight, right? Kidding aside, I too wish the range and stereo were better as I use it as my DD, but, I'm not complaining. In fact, I keep toying with the idea of getting a 997 GT3, an even more expensive yet more stripped down car, as a DD. However the lack of underbody coating holds me back (also done for weight saving!) in the Northeast.

BTW - Not sure how you 997.1 guys are getting such high MPG as I've never seen more than 19. Though I tend to shift at 4-5000.

FullThrottle64

I get ~18.5 commuting, and ~22-23 on cruise control doing long runs on the highway. I have no idea how anyone could get the 27-29 that some have reported; I assume that they have access to pure gas (no ethanol) and drive below 70MPH (which would get you rammed off the road in my neighborhood).

NineEreven

IDK if its me but I get complete crap mileage in my 996.

USMC_DS1

+1... I tend to agree. In the 80's I worked for the audio storefront of RSL, Rogersound Labs, while going to college in SoCal. Learnt/learned a few things about higher end audio systems... it's much more achievable and affordable to build out a quality audio system provided the environment (listening room) is acoustically "sound". Plus the interior of a car is perhaps one of the worst listening rooms to begin with... odd shape, road noise, engine noise, etc. But you'd be amazed at how much people are willing to spend on a car audio systems... including yours truly when I was a young man.

Over the years I've experienced a variety of so called car audio systems: Mark Levinson - wife's Lexus, Harman Kardon - BMW, Bose - Porsche, etc... I've come to believe that most of these car audio systems are marketing efforts designed to extract more $$ out of the buyer's. Buyer thinks/perceives that since it's a $100K car therefore the brand name audio system should be good... but what you really get is the image/brand of a potentially higher end audio system and not so much a high quality audio/listening environments/experience. That's where the home audio system far out shines. BTW, I believe Porsche and others try but they are conflicted by other priorities such as performance, handling, etc... or more likely margin $$. And I'm actually OK with this especially if Porsche is focused on performance and handling... well that's why I bought the car in the 1st place. But like the OP I wish there was a way to upgrade the audio system without losing some of the PCM functionality. So to improve my audio experience I decided to upgraded my audio experience with a more aggressive exhaust system instead.

http://www.fvd.de/us/en/Porsche-0/99...90mm_Tips.html

When I'm looking for more base(exhaust note) I lower the windows a bit. For more treble(engine mechanical notes) I crack the sunroof. For full surround sound we like all the windows lowered and sunroof fully retracted. Best car audio system I've ever installed... nothing puts more grin factor into the driving equation as a few hi rev'd runs along with the burble/gurgle from the exhaust when decelerating.

FWIW, we drove from Tucson to Austin last year in 14+ hours covering 900+ miles in a yellow Penske rental moving truck. Two country stations to choose from along the way and the truck was electronically limited to 70 mph... BTW, I-10's speed limit through much of TX is upwards of 80 mph. Pandora over the smart phone speaker kept us awake and the truck sucked gas like... well... a rental moving truck. 3+ fill-ups along the road. Every mile along the way I kept thinking how nice it would have been to drive the 911 instead... with those comfortable sport adaptive seats, the Bose audio system, and the awesome acoustics from that FVD Brombacher exhaust system.

myw

thats exactly how i drive as well. at best i was able to get 310 miles on a single tank.... and i had to drive like miss daisy to achieve that.

Perk10

I get totally crappy consumption leading me to have to refuel all the time and I rarely ever listen to my music any louder than "background" music. I hope this thread doesn't make me start to actually notice things that have never bothered me before.. lol

Lvt19672

My range is about 200 miles to a tank that's because my right foot is always slammed to the floor, simply amazing