eclou

In all the Porsche specs, the Pan S is slower 0-60 than the 4S despite the fact that the S should have an advantage based on reduced weight and reduced driveline parasitic losses. Porsche lists the S as 3962lbs and 0-60 in 5.2s. The 4S is listed as 4101lbs and 0-60 in 4.8s.


The Feb issue of GTPorsche does a test of the S vs 4s and the S does 0-60 in 5.2s and the 4s does it in 4.4s. The S does eventually catch the 4S at about 150mph. Now here is the telling data - the in-gear acceleration of the 2 cars shows the S matching or beating the 4S in every single gear, every single speed range. Consider that the S in the test has Sport Chrono and the 4S does not. This suggests to me that Porsche has deliberately programmed the S to accelerate less than its potential either thru throttle restriction or PDK shifting delay.

falb

The 0-60 times are skewed to the 4S because of traction. The all wheel drive gets the car to launch much harder but the S version is catching up the rest of the way. If you did a 60-120 comparison I am sure the S would win, due to less drag from the all wheel system, and the 60-120 is a better indicator of wheel horsepower. I believe the S is faster in most real world situations except a dead stop.

Rojda

There is another variable. Edmunds Inside Line got better 0-60s with the 4S when they turned the PSM off and without the sport chrono/launch control engaged.

"Even in default Drive without any of the performance buttons selected, the Panamera 4S leaves with its nose pointed skyward like a drag racer. Holy guacamole! Selecting Launch Control produced too much tire spin (first rears, then fronts) in 1st gear (all the way through 1st gear) and it only found traction in 2nd. Best run was PSM off without launch control. Lightning shifts, amazingly free-revving V8. What a machine!"

So perhaps the use of the sport chrono/launch control is causing the S to have more tire spin?

eclou

I would tend to believe that EXCEPT on the acceleration charts the difference from 0-10mph is only .5sec and it widens closer to 100mph, and doesn't start to close until nearly 130mph. In each in-gear run the S is faster, so I postulate that something else is going on.

Targa Tim

I would love to believe this theory too, but it does not apply to 911, as the Carrera S is quoted by Porsche to be always faster than Carrera 4S.

falb

Perhaps we need independent testing.

Where is the source data?

A spec sheet like this one from the Turbo would certainly help.

eclou

I scanned it here

falb

I see what you mean. Seems odd....

If the gearing is different, that would explain the in gear times but still wouldnt answer the acceleration times. Not the results I would have expected.

eclou

I am guessing that Porsche has done some software limiting of the S. I am guessing that an aftermarket program of the ECU would wake up the S model tremedously

Rojda

I doubt it. With the sports chrono on the S there is likely an extra shift during the 0-60 which is hurting the time. Combine that with wheel slippage and you get the 0.8 second difference. You can't directly compare the through gear numbers to the specific gear numbers because you don't know what gears were used during the through gear runs. Porsche is not crazy enough to detune the S!

eclou

The 4S increases the gap to 1.3s to 120mph. This is not from wheel spin or an extra shift. Remember that PDK shift times are ~ .1 sec.

Rojda

I guess you would have to know what gears they were each using during the 60-120mph range. Perhaps the 4S is in a more powerful portion of its torque curve for those gears? However, I would suspect that the sports chrono would keep the S out of 7th.

Trader220

What would be Porsches motivation to hold the S back? You have to ask what they would gain by doing that and why.

eclou

the same reason the Cayman and Boxster have been held back - product tiering/marketing. If the S was capable of a 4.0-4.2s 0-60 (which I suspect) then fewer folks would spring for the turbo.

Trader220

How are the cayman and boxster held back? There is a whole lot more going on with a pana turbo than just what times it puts down with a professional driver.