OldGuy

Yes a simple unplugging of the exhaust plug solves your one gripe of the car. Its something most have us have done already.

TTRob

Yeah, but he thinks the car in sport mode is already too loud.. I don't think he'll like it with the plug pulled. I tried it. I like the natural sound (no on/off), but the low rpm resonance/volume is irritating, IMO.

OldGuy

It sounds great unplugged ALOT like my buddies 360 Fcar with a Capristo exhaust -very similar.
A little blip of the throttle and you get a nice note.

allegretto

cannot agree, my 3 had the "sport"on all the time too. i hated the drone and noise

throttle response delta is subtle and hardly worth mention in "sport" too

Geek, after reading your impressions i think that the $50K or so on the flip would not appear "worth it" after the novelty wears off. in fact, you just might find yourself pining for the "good old days" of the RS

either way, enjoy yourself. if you must have it, go get it

PogueMoHone

I think you should compare 996 RS to 997 RS, any less is irrelevant.

340Elise

So if I read your write-up correctly, all you need to do is not press the sport button; always leave it off. You could even remove it and pretend it was never there; problem solved. Was there anything you liked with the sport button? It also raises the limits of the TC, you might want that. But if the throttle feels more artifical, and it just complicates things and makes the exhaust boomy, then leave it off. JMA.

Stephen

SpeedGeek

I definitely wouldn't want the pipes loud all the time - I didn't like the constant droning inside the car with Sport on. I much preferred the quiet exhaust below 5k rpm with Sport off. But I don't think the car provides max performance with Sport off. Certainly I found the TC overprotective with Sport off on one of my favorite "sideways" corners. Guess I could drive with Sport off and TC off, but it's still a compromise.

There's really no solution if you want max performance with reasonably quiet pipes. I have the same problem driving my brother's F430 - waaaay too loud. And the Lambo Gallardo is worse still. The earlier Gallardo could be optioned with either quiet or loud pipes. Why did they do away with that? Because it's fashionable today to have ridiculously loud pipes, and nobody was buying the quiet ones. But to pass noise tests in various markets, these stupid valves are required so that the car is quiet at low rpm. It's all marketing BS to sell more cars to the gold chain set. And I understand why Ferrari, Lambo and Aston would do it, but why Porsche? And why on the GT3 model range, which has thus far been aimed squarely at genuine enthusiasts? And particularly as there are two GT3 models, why not make at least the RS a focused enthusiast car and just leave all the BS off of it?

Sorry. Just needed to release some steam.

Anyway, except for the above, I really love the new cars. As to when I eventually cave and trade my trusty 996 for one... I remain open-minded. These are nice problems to have.

Yargk

I completely agree. There should be one exhaust, not two. It adds needless complexity. What boggles my mind is all the aftermarket companies offering exhausts that retain the flapper setup. Why not just make a simple exhaust that is reasonably loud, simple, light, and retains factory hp?

Nordschleife

I like having valves in the exhaust system. They allow me to sneak through the village late at night so I don't get ribbed by every shopkeeper the next day about what I may have been up to the previous night. Similarly, when I'm in town, I don't want to wake up the entire street when I have an early start,m or annoy clients when I drive to visit them. But I also love the noise of a beautifully built exhaust system that makes a noise like God in his vinegar strokes. As do all the kids, young and old, its the roar of the greasepaint, the smell of the crowd......

The icing on the cake happens when I switch ECU programs, drop out the cats and get FOTB - I have noticed that this asinine behaviour is particularly appreciated by Eastern Europeans and registered petrolheads. Even the factory engineeers have asked me to do that again. Its completely irresponsible and very satisfying.

R+C

TTRob

I understand your frustration, sometimes one disliked feature can indeed spoil the experience. That said, I don't think a GT3 in sport mode is too loud. Most here like it, many want more volume, tone and character. Wanting to hear motor music is not something reserved for the gold chain set.

Whether it's cars, boats, bikes, tools, manufacturing equipment, etc.. the sounds mechanized machines make is attractive to many. The sound doesn't have to be at volume 10, but many want it louder than 4. Plus, it's not just volume that people want, but the added tones and other sounds often brought out.

Personally, I wouldn't mind a little more volume than sport mode, and some added tone changes over the rev range, but not straight pipe loud.

Maybe someone will come out with a tolerable, non valved exhaust. Then, you could run sport mode without the volume penalty.

frayed

Not sure where the throttle response comments are coming from. The sport mode in the gt3 does not screw with throttle mapping like in the carreras; I considered the accelerated throttle tip-in in my 997S to be annoying and purely a gimmick, but was thankfully absent in the 997 GT3.

The 997 GT3 to me represents a huge step up in so many areas, that issues of 'purity' largely disappear once behind the wheel. At least to me. Not only better performing, but more accessible performance and notably better build quality.

For a track car, a 996 GT3 is hard to beat when balancing price/performance. For a car that gets street driven, as in a dual purpose car, the 997 GT3 is a huge step up. Purists cry about the new car's loss of purity, but these cars are indeed *street* cars.

allegretto

yeah, I couldn't tell the diff in the throttle mapping either though some swear it does.

pcar964

Sad but true