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So with the world locked inside it's given me a lot of open roads to really go out and enjoy the RS4.0.
Each time I drive it I fall more in love with it. It's without question my favorite 911 by a mile. Frankly it may be my favorite all around car in my stable.
Sure the CGT is way more special but less usable.
You can drive the 4.0 anywhere and most people just think it's another old 911. Those who know...know...of course.
But this thing is just a dream...I snapped a pic in the garage last night...I'll post in a second.
hats off to ya raclaims. Love hearing the driving recaps. love having some open roads by me too these days. Only real way to escape the craziness
there's always downsides to these crazy times, and my 25 yr old son is going through his own struggles (2 yrs at a engineering firm up in NYC, and had to be let go due to all the projects in the Metro NY area being shut down,.. and now with unemployment, and the threat of the virus so high up there,... he traveled down to stay with us (about 2.5 weeks ago) .... so the UPSIDE is that he's getting a LOT more seat time in our 997.2 Aqua Blue GT3. His shifting is getting a LOT better. So we look at the bright side.
@raclaims, how much do you think the 4.0 RS is better over a 3.8RS ? Curious to hear if you can help quantify it. Is it a motor / tranny thing or? Epic car by the way
Coop...I've driven a 997.1 RS and loved it but very different car. I haven't driven the 997.2 3.8RS but everyone I know who has one loves it.
The 997.1 is incredibly fun but a bit more work...the .2 is more refined. The .1 to me is a weekend only car...the 4.0 I could daily drive and still get nuts in it...driving this thing in the rain with all the nannies turned off is one hell of a ride!
It is interesting that the longer I have the 4.0, the more I realize it’s the most “useable” of the 997 gt’s I’ve owned (ride; not looks). The torque and helper spring suspension vs 3.8 make it a more “street-able” car. The 3.6 is for sure more raw and you gotta wind it up hard to get to it’s fun zone (which is cool on its own because it feels like you REALLY wring it out and probably has the best crescendo). I agree with the 3.6 being a great weekend back-road car. It’s more raw and less planted. I like them all for different reasons, but again, it was lost on me for some time that the 4.0 makes the best “dd” from a ride quality; maybe with exception of road noise from lack of insulation (I don’t notice a ton of tire noise, but plenty of pings if anything hits the wheel wells/under-carriage). But the 3.6 and 3.8 are a little more punishing on suspension on street; you don’t notice it on track imo. I would take any of them and have owned all of them at different times. In reality, almost each new gt gets more refined, broader range-of-use and a little less raw/visceral. It’s more pronounced jumping generations (especially 997 to 991). However, the same can be said for 3.6-3.8-4.0 w/in the 997rs lineup as well. the more miles I get, the more layers of subtlety I notice/appreciate about it. I’d say it’s the last car I ever let go (but I change my mind on that from time to time).
Coop...I've driven a 997.1 RS and loved it but very different car. I haven't driven the 997.2 3.8RS but everyone I know who has one loves it.
The 997.1 is incredibly fun but a bit more work...the .2 is more refined. The .1 to me is a weekend only car...the 4.0 I could daily drive and still get nuts in it...driving this thing in the rain with all the nannies turned off is one hell of a ride!
JRTaylor/Raclaims: What you guys mention in regard to the 4.0 riding better than a 3.8 is so true. It's such the weak point in terms of road comfort (not track comfort) in a 3.8. Every high end suspension tuner (Seely and Cervelli) echo the same thing. Stock struts and 2010/11PASM are now pretty old tech truth be told. I am considering a way to duplicate to a degree with a few changes to a 3.8 that 4.0 ride comfort. I'm certain with a very high quality set of passive struts like a JRZ rs pro 3 way setup with custom spring rates and Porsche motorsport parts like LCA's and some monoball stuff you could probably get right there in terms of suspension. The one thing us 3.8 guys can never duplicate is that stump pulling motor, rarity and the cohesive package the factory delivered. Us 3.8 guys then no longer have a stock car have to flip stuff back and forth, which is never ideal. We are all very jelly! Keep ripping that bad boy!
I'm sure after mkt suspension for 3.8 can close the gap and exceed oem 4.0 suspension. And I'm guessing it's easy to swap back to oem if/when you sell. Again, I love certain characteristics they each posses. And it's actually taken me a lot of miles and away time to find some of the subtle differences in the 4.0 to appreciate it above/beyond its 3.6/3.8 brothers.
I've had thoughts of taking a frog or pumpkin (for the look), doing the sw 4.1 and fixing suspension fo have best of all worlds. Then I take a deep breath and just hop in the 4.0 as-is.
I'm sure after mkt suspension for 3.8 can close the gap and exceed oem 4.0 suspension. And I'm guessing it's easy to swap back to oem if/when you sell. Again, I love certain characteristics they each posses. And it's actually taken me a lot of miles and seat time to find some of the subtle differences in the 4.0 to appreciate it above/beyond its 3.6/3.8 brothers.
I've had thoughts of taking a frog or pumpkin (for the look), doing the sw 4.1 and fixing suspension fo have best of all worlds. Then I take a deep breath and just hop in the 4.0 as-is.
04-07-2020, 12:02 PM
I love my RS4.0 more and more...
