Discussion
Folks,
Until now, I thought that the 996 C4 differs only from it's C2 variant in everyday usage in wet conditions.
However a silver-tongued salesman assures me that this is not the case and Porsche only make the C4 to pander to people's misconception about 'extra grip'.
Can u shed light on any facet of how the two compare?
Cheers, 911Fan.
Hi, the grip levels, traction & handling are so good on the standard Carrera 2 (in all conditions, you can floor it in the wet in 2nd gear !!) which leads me to the conclusion that 4 wheel drive simply adds weight & reduces boot space on the standard car. Add in the lowered suspension & upgraded brakes (plus big boy looks!!) of the C4S & this makes more a case for itself on a point to point/feedback basis. With the Turbo you definately need 4WD as the extra grunt needs the extra traction. So if you are going for the "basic" Carrera (if there is such an animal at Porker prices!!)then it would be 2wd every time for me, saves money & weight whilst increasing the boot size.
Go through the searches as this has been discussed many times before..A good friend who does more mileage than me always goes with the C4 variant.Ocasionally we try out each others cars in the countryside near where he lives.
I am a fan of 2wd 911 myself,but enjoy driving his for comparison.The 4wd has computer to to switch % of drive between front & rear as required,,the PSM can also join or spoil the part by cutting the e-gas (throttle)and braking diagonal wheels.
You notice this when driving when you brake coming into a bend,the C4 is totally stable,,you boot it coming out and again stable...you go round the bend as if you are not quite sure what happened,,,that may sound like an exaggeration but I am talking reasonable speed.
The same corner in a C2 is more communicative,,you brake the front goes down you steer the corner and boot it the,back drops front goes up....the C2 gives you a lot more feeling..The steering feel always feels pretty much the same on the 4 whatever the situation,the steering on the 2 is affected by road factors not ironed out by the gizmos.
As for the weight it is supposed to be 50kg or so,,not too much in the big picture,considering 996 is lighter than comparable 993 model anyhow.
My car feels faster than my friends and he agrees..In the dry he cannot keep up,this is reversed in the wet.Whether it is a confidence thing?? but the 4wd is astonishing in the wet.
I would reccomend psm on a C2 also it is very well behaved,doesn't spoil your fun and could save you a fortune preventing a big off..not that you would do that on a public road anyhow.
I am a fan of 2wd 911 myself,but enjoy driving his for comparison.The 4wd has computer to to switch % of drive between front & rear as required,,the PSM can also join or spoil the part by cutting the e-gas (throttle)and braking diagonal wheels.
You notice this when driving when you brake coming into a bend,the C4 is totally stable,,you boot it coming out and again stable...you go round the bend as if you are not quite sure what happened,,,that may sound like an exaggeration but I am talking reasonable speed.
The same corner in a C2 is more communicative,,you brake the front goes down you steer the corner and boot it the,back drops front goes up....the C2 gives you a lot more feeling..The steering feel always feels pretty much the same on the 4 whatever the situation,the steering on the 2 is affected by road factors not ironed out by the gizmos.
As for the weight it is supposed to be 50kg or so,,not too much in the big picture,considering 996 is lighter than comparable 993 model anyhow.
My car feels faster than my friends and he agrees..In the dry he cannot keep up,this is reversed in the wet.Whether it is a confidence thing?? but the 4wd is astonishing in the wet.
I would reccomend psm on a C2 also it is very well behaved,doesn't spoil your fun and could save you a fortune preventing a big off..not that you would do that on a public road anyhow.
PSM (Porsche stability management) can be specified on a 2wd car (although it is standard on the C4) this is able to brake each individual wheel (& vary engine output) in order to stop the car spinning out of control. It is slightly more effective in 4wd because it can use the transmission to place drive from front to rear as required.I think it is well worth having as it only cuts in under extreme conditions so the system doesn't affect driver enjoyment, after all we can all make mistakes !!
good question..
there was an article in Performance car now evo about a year or 2 back and they tested a 996 c2 and 996 c4.
'Grip' as far as I understand it is no more or less then either car. ie cornering, tyres only have a set limit for grip, wheter driven or not, the more drive the less grip %
I think the c2 did things a whisker quicker due to the weight.. Pulling away, 4wd can put down more power then 2wd, but actual grip when moving should not be any difference. It may feel different ie when they start to slide at the front and/or rear and behave slightly differently when coming out of a slide.
The boot is a lot smaller in the c4, it is heavier, and it costs more. I dont think there is anything in it performance or handling wise, although not driven a c4 for more then a day compared with my targa for 1 year.
Have a look for the performace car mag as it was good. I think they also came to the view it does not make a lot of difference. (hang on they may only have been testing the PSM!!) too long ago.
my c2 targa has the PSM and its fab.
there was an article in Performance car now evo about a year or 2 back and they tested a 996 c2 and 996 c4.
'Grip' as far as I understand it is no more or less then either car. ie cornering, tyres only have a set limit for grip, wheter driven or not, the more drive the less grip %
I think the c2 did things a whisker quicker due to the weight.. Pulling away, 4wd can put down more power then 2wd, but actual grip when moving should not be any difference. It may feel different ie when they start to slide at the front and/or rear and behave slightly differently when coming out of a slide.
The boot is a lot smaller in the c4, it is heavier, and it costs more. I dont think there is anything in it performance or handling wise, although not driven a c4 for more then a day compared with my targa for 1 year.
Have a look for the performace car mag as it was good. I think they also came to the view it does not make a lot of difference. (hang on they may only have been testing the PSM!!) too long ago.
my c2 targa has the PSM and its fab.
superlightr said:
'Grip' as far as I understand it is no more or less then either car. ie cornering, tyres only have a set limit for grip, wheter driven or not, the more drive the less grip %
Maybe the 996 is different to the 993, but according to several magazine articles that have made direct lap time comparisons (I have a couple in front of me) the 993 C4 is always quicker in the wet than the 993 C2. It isn't a huge difference (1 to 2 seconds a lap) which indicates that grip in the C2 is exceptionally good, but not invincible. I could also point out that the Top Gear direct comparison found that the C4 was 0.5 seconds per lap quicker than the C2 in the dry too, extra weight or no extra weight.
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