Macca

Cayman is good B/C NZ back road Car. Just right size low understeer quick turn in nice balance power and chassis. 981 GTS and 987 R& Spyder best of the bunch probably. gT4 will make good ack road carver too I guess...

John McM

That's my experience to date. I'd add the 987 S model to the possibilities as the GTS is still big $.

Macca

agree in gen 2 variation provides good NZ back road car option too...

Macca

Love those shocks Walt. That is the other option Paul. You've seen how much you can improve the 993 using modern and new suspension tech. I imagine you can do at least as well with the 996 GT3 using Ohlins/Bilstein/extech etc if you really want to make the car handle all ends of the spectrum successfully. I think our roads pose a big part of the challenge. European B roads better than our A roads...

I'm really struggling with this iPad sometimes...you can't replace a laptop with one...

kiwi 911

No money for new suspension at the moment, just need to get the best of what I have............

John McM

27,000 + posts in this thread so hard to search for the exact post but I'm sure we have been here before....

Macca

Its like De Ja vu all over again!

John McM

Horses for courses. I drove to the Tron today in the mobile sofa. It worked brilliantly, for what is a mundane commute. The GT3 sounds like it is focused for a great track drive. The R is somewhere in between. Trying to make the GT3 civilised for B roads may compromise it. Sounds like a 2 car strategy.

996tnz

Paul's comments on the 993, February last year:

And for a bit more 'deja vu all over again', I despaired of searching this thread until I realised a while back that I could search by 'Post' rather than 'Thread' and just include the word 'Zealand' in the search terms.

Macca

991 GT3 aside, I dont think GT3s have been designed to be civilised for B roads. You can improve them a little for B roads but otherwise you just learn to drive them a bit differently that's all. My 993 is more 996 GT3 than my GT3 is on back roads. Its (993) definitely compromised, and certainly requires more concentration to pedal fast (which can get tiring on longer drives) but it is capable and never feels like its getting left behind although there are places you have to back off a bit. It doesn't have the safety nets the newer cars do if the conditions are less than ideal. That said the GT3s have generally been acceptable highway/motorway cars. The 6.2 GT3 was reputedly less compliant than the original 996 GT3. Thats what Ive read but Ive never driven one. The 997.1 GT3 came in for some criticism too. They introduced PSAM for the 7.2 IIRC. Paul is just settling into a car with a stiffer chassis and firmer dampers (all good things on the track).

IMO the compromise on the road for Paul's car will ultimately be the Trofeo R. Stiffer sidewalls mean playing with pressures or else transmitting more harshness on rough roads through the suspension/chassis. For targa Ive been advised to back front and rear roll bars off on the 993 to full soft. Ive heeded this advise since 2012 and it also helps make the chassis more pliant and soaks up the poor surfaces better allowing a bit more body roll. Once you learn to drive around the chassis a bit on B/C roads its fine. You just need to be cautious on damp cold surfaces with those tyres. The R comps mixed with the stiff chassis, throttle response and all that mumbo out back mean you need to ease into it. On the GT3 I have TPM which I translate from pressure to temp mentally. From experience I know not to push on hard till I have 2-3 psi more in the fronts and rears than static. Ideally 4 psi. Which is why you will notice on any of our Northland runs - especially first up in the morning) like to SHW1 etc I start off slow then build up a bit not laying it on till 6-8 km through the run. Nice tight corners are good for speeding up the heat soak into the tyres. The Boxster and Cayman R can "get on it" almost from the get go. Road tyres get heat in them pretty quick and the chassis on those cars arent as stiff nor the HP as high to overwhelm them. If you think back to April, youll note I never led from the morning get go, taking over rabbit duties usually a little later on when everything on the car has warmed up. As I say you learn to understand the constraints. The 991 GT3 is far more compliant than the older GT3s on poor NZ roads but the chassis is stiffer, the power greater and throttle as sensitive - the fact remains that the weakest link is always getting the power to the road efficiently.

996tnz

Macca's probably right in suggesting that some accommodation in your driving style and softer-walled tyres might be all that's needed.

I'm also one for having his cake and eating it but have accepted that the 996T is the other way around: in the words of the car magazines when it came out
"the fastest point to point car in the world", and great for B roads but under sprung for track. I've been tempted by 600/1000 rate racing coilovers at times but didn't want to trade her roadability for the extra second or two at track.

Those Ohlins get closest to providing the best of both though and may eventually find their way onto the yellow terror.

Macca

I agree Walt. And there is also a component of an individuals tolerance here too. Further more I believe age has a hand in this too. The older we get the simpler we want life with less compromises. Useage is the third component and obviously is as unique and the owner.

I find my 993 an acceptable weekend car and I do DD my GT3, without issue, when in NZ.
I Appreciate however many would find my GT3 too stiff/low/noisy for DD and the 993 too compromised for a weekend warrior. If I lived full time in NZ I may feel the same way. For me it helps that I come from driving a lard assed 4x4 auto ute on badly rutted roads most of the year round so by comparison the GT3 is a magic carpet!

Macca

The longer Im at this game the more I subscribe to this basic wisdom (learnt the hard way and lotsa $$$).

If you want a Porsche that does more (is harder, softer, faster, rawer, better for track, better for touring -change at will) then you should sell your current Porsche and buy the model that best addresses your needs. Making your current Porsche fit into a niche it was not originally conceived to is expensive, time consuming and often frustrating. Porsche have always made a slightly harder core Porsche of the same variant. IMO keep your Porsche in fine fettle, improve areas of weakness and on older cars replace components with others of better/new design by all means but over time Ive come to believe that its bets to keep your car close to stock and just enjoy it and if you want more then dont slide the slippery slope but rather sell it on and buy the next production Porsche in your budget that addresses the weaknesses you perceive of your current ride or addresses some areas you would like you car to be more or less than it is. If a C2 is too soft try a GTS or a GT3. If a GT3RS is too hard try a GT3 or a GTS etc. Porsche over the last 40 years have pretty much produced a car that addresses as stock almost every need. You jkust need to cherry pick the back catalogue at a price range you are comfortable. Taking a 993 for example to GT3 levels is going to be far more expensive than selling it and buying an older GT3. The GT3 will retain value whereas the modified 993 will not be worth much (if any) more than a stock example. From the 993 generation onwards Porsche gave us tonnes of choice - sometimes 20+ variants of the 911. Theres something for everyone at every budget here...

cbnz

After 3 and a half years of ownership my 993C2 manual has been sold (never advertised) by word of mouth. Thanks again Macca for your help in the initial stages of the purchase.
Due to having a child and a wife with bad knees, I am looking for a 997 PDK, colour not important but must not be black. Interesting reading Pauls comments above, one of the reasons I am not after a GT3.
So, if you know of one, I would appreciate the contact.
Cheers, Craig.

Macca

Hi Craig. Congrats on the sale. Im sure the 993 look after you well residuals wise. The new owner will love the car I am sure!

A 997 is a great choice. Some good buying to be had there with PDK option and a lot of value for the $$$. Good move on avoiding black. You might want to add Midnight Blue Metallic to that list too (PITA to keep clean!).

Best of luck with teh new purchase and keep us all up to date on here :-)