HelpMeHelpU

If you can get a GT4 RS at MSRP, do it. You can always buy another GT4.

Ideally, if you can swing it, keep the GT4 and decide after you've lived with both cars for a few months.

Ksdaoski

Some softy keeps removing my posts on this topic, without sending me a message about it. Why's that?

Ksdaoski

I'll go a bit further and may offend a couple people. I found GT4s to be too lethargic. Coupled with the gearing, I found I was never actually shifting that often. You can pretty much sit in second with the occasional flick into third, during back road drives. So you actually didn't get a fantastic manual experience. And because of that gearing you never seem to really be in the sweet spot of the engine if there is a sweet spot in that engine. So when I was originally shopping GT4s it was a hard pass and I went with a 991.2 manual that I found a lot more engaging. The GT4 RS engine coupled with the extreme short gearing makes for a lively experience. A memorable experience. Whether on track or doing a quick run to the Home Depot, it's been hands down such a better experience than the anemic GT4.

So yeah, 100% give up the manual GT4 for a PDK GT4rs

VVG

Of course not. But it becomes a very different conversation when you already own a GT4. It is really about whether the upgrade is worth the extra $100k, or not, given the crazy ADM situation. If you already own a GT4, is it good enough that the $100k is better spent elsewhere, be it an additional car or something else entirely. Imagine that for the cost of a GT4 RS, you can own a GT4 and build a second dedicated track toy that you can thrash and not care about track damage, etc. Again, when you are at this overall level of automotive excellence, the cost/benefit gets seriously higher. It is not cost, but value, that is the issue. This obviously doesn't apply if $100k is absolute chump change to you, but that isn't the case for even most reasonably affluent individuals.

Now, people are claiming that the RS is indeed a significantly better driving experience. Maybe it is worth the extra $100k??

Ksdaoski

Yeah I guess you can use your argument 100% in reverse, if someone has a Gt4rs. Is it worth having the GT4rs, or better to sell it and buy a gt4, pocketing $100k. Again, I've yet to see anyone do that. Sell gt4rs and get a gt3 or sell and get a GT3rs, yes. Sell gt4rs and get a gt4, have yet to meet that person.

From a value standpoint, all Porsches are kind of dumb. A Camara ZL1 1LE will destroy a Gt4. A mustang 500 can destroy a GT3rs. A ZIP can hang with a 992 Gt3rs. Track car, whole different ball of wax but requires truck and trailer and space to store all 3 of them.

​​​​​​in general, they do hold their money. So can try and not lose a ton of money, if ya don't like it.

RDCR

I could pull any GT4 on track with my .1 GT3 and it had a full Ventus aero package on it. The GT3 not just feels but is faster.

The GT4 RS is faster than my old GT3, to the tune of 8 mph going into turn 2 at Laguna. It's tough to beat having the GT3 motor / PDK-S combo in any Porsche GT car.

josephr25

I would immediately if that extra 100K isn't doing anything else for you.

sin911

Well, there is 0 debate the GT4 RS is indeed faster and is more of a 'fun' car if driving like a hooligan. But I completely understand the OP about the love for the manual transmission. Executing a good heel and toe as you're approaching a corner, feeling the weight shifting while pressing the clutch in or out, the dance between the pedals; it's a ton of fun! Some of the people that have posted on this thread that already own a GT4 RS, I've ran canyon drives with them and while their cars are faster coming out of the corners and pull away on the straights, by next corner I tend to catch up to them. So on the streets you really don't get the full potential for the cars. Given I do love the GT3 engine and wish nothing more than to have it coupled with a 6 speed whether in 911 or 718 platform, I've just never been that into the GT4 RS / Spyder RS due to the lack of a 6 speed manual. At that price point, unless you really want to spec your own car, you can find the combination of a GT3 engine and 6 speed in a 991.2 GT3 for the same price or even lower depending on the build/ADM.

If you're tracking frequently (or more than 2-3 times a year), are serious about it and do look at the lap timer, then the GT4 RS will be the car for you (out of the two) with the PDK transmission. You can also throw some money on your GT4, shorten the gears, get ST rotors, buy light weight wheels, get a lithium battery, etc. and make the car feel lighter and more fun as well. It's all about what you're looking to do and what type of an experience you want out of your car.

sunnyr

You are not alone. I had a 981 GT4. Loved everything about it - the size, the handling, except the drivetrain. The engine + long ratios just didn't have the oomph. My 997.2 GT3 felt so much more punchy. Sold the GT4 and got a 991.2 RS. The engine was awesome, but the car was too big to enjoy on back roads. I tried a 718 GT4, but didn't feel much better than the 981 GT4. Except it felt even less raw/special. Hoping the GT4 RS will be the right marriage of the GT4 size/handling and the GT3 RS engine.

But at the same time, I am a sucker for manual and wish the 4RS/SRS was available with manual, but with proper ratios. Fortunately, I have the 7.2 GT3 for my manual fix.

Ksdaoski

This is my other car. Before I had the GT4rs. I had an s2000 for 20 years, arguably the smoothest transmission on Gods green earth. I love manuals.

The PDK in the GT4rs is amazing. It blips so fast. Shifts up and down so fast. The engine noises associated with it is sublime. It rolls forward or back on a hill if you remove your foot from the brake. I actually had it stall while on the false grid at Road America when I gently blipped the throttle, waiting to go on....

I still have the Targa and the FPDK. So can still shift gears. But everything that the 4rs brings, including the PDK, makes you not care that it's not a manual.


And yeah. Manual Gt4 🥱🐌

Mike981S

So your GT4RS license plate reads LVPDK?

I will keep my 981 GT4 for my manual transmission fix next to my GT4RS since it is the only manual left in my garage.

GrantG

The 991.1 makes more power (55hp according to Porsche) at higher rpm, has more torque, and has lower gearing. Of course it’ll feel faster…

MOGI

But you saw that dyno graph from Dundan right? They put down about the same HP at the wheel. Which is why it’s a little more nuanced than a simple high hp/torque = faster

this is the link to the post where the graphs are found - https://rennlist.com/forums/718-gts-...ispreloading=1

additionally, if you compare lap times for the 718 GT4 to the 991.1 GT3, they are similar with some tracks that show the GT4 to be faster.

Which makes me wonder just how much faster a .1 GT3 is vs a 718 GT4 - certainly I think the engine note of the GT3 is more exhilarating and perhaps that may be causing me to think it’s going much faster than it is? Just to be clear, I’m not posting this to somehow justify that a GT4 is faster, just that what the numbers show and how one feels may be different

TheBucketOfTruth

I felt a little bad for you until the end when it's revealed you still have the 997.2 GT3. I think that with a 4RS is a great dual garage of old vs new, analog vs. digital. I have a Mezger in my 996 Turbo and there is a special sauce the new car doesn't have. I think if you do gearing, tune, exhaust, etc. it might open it up a bit, but it still won't be as interactive as the old car. And when you look at the bill for some carbon rotors, re-gear, etc. etc. and see the price it's tempting to just enjoy the car with the warranty for what it is and what it's not instead of dumping a bunch into it. That said, the new cars have raw pace that is on another level entirely. So you have to look for that "sweet spot" that is the topic at every other cars & coffee. Sounds like you're in a good position to enjoy two different great experiences here. Will be curious if the 4RS scratches an itch or if you find yourself wanting to grab the keys to the old car more often.

I had thought I'd posted a reply to this thread earlier, but somehow it didn't go through. I think a 4RS at MSRP is a no brainer since you will almost never be upside down on it. With what OP wrote we can't really tell you how important it is to you if a car has a manual. And we don't know if this is also a financial decision or just a "which is better" scenario. For the price delta and for it not having a stick shift the 4RS just does not tempt me. The only thing it really has over the regular GT4 for my use is that motor and tighter gearing. Just a quick comment from someone who has driven both. But yes the GT4 does ache for a little more mustard.

GrantG

Chassis dynos on different days and different gear ratios cannot be reliably compared. And don’t forget the rpm and gearing difference. The laptimes also are not comparable, since the GT4 had a newer/faster generation of tire compounds.