hesperus

Hope not a repost.

Check out this rather long report on the 996 RS vs 997.1 and 997.2 RS'

his conclusions seem somewhat at odds to what "accepted wisdom" is on these cars.

ok, so we know the 996 is the rawest and the purest. but i always thought that the .2 997 was generally recognized to be better than the .1

oh, and i can't understand why he-- and many other UK journalists and owners it seems-- have opined that the .1 is a better road car than the .2, because the .2 is too hard?

did the suspension settings on the .1 GT3 vs the .1 GT3RS change much? because my .1 GT3 feels MUCH harder and less composed over bumpy surfaces than any .2 GT3 or .2 RS i have drive/ridden.

Bob Rouleau

996 GT3 was the hardest. The 997.1 RS was the most versatile - quieter and softer with PASM in normal mode but no faster than the 996 GT3 on track due to excess weight. The 997.2 RS went back to its roots, noisy and fast. Still a little softer than the 996 due to PASM. In sport mode it is hard core. I owned and tracked all three although my 996 GT3 was not an RS. The other two were the RS.

Spyerx

from .1 to .2 the spring rates, valving, calibration of pasm are at least the core differences. PET shows this. My personal opinion is the .1 stock is too soft. I fixed that with Ohlins and custom spring rates LOL

hesperus

thanks. this is what i'm trying to wrap my head around.

i've driven two completely stock 997.1 GT3's, and both of them were noticeably stiffer, harsher and less comfortable (i realize that's a relative term where GT3's are concerned, but still...) than completely stock .2 GT3, .2 RS and 4.0 RS cars that i've driven.

this is based on normal speed street driving over broken concrete. the .1 cars felt harsh and much "bouncier", whereas the .2 cars had much better damping and body control.

i'm not in the US., but in Asia, so these are all ROW cars. would Porsche have dialled the cars a bit differently for over here?

WSH

Agree completely
I had .1 GT3 and now .2RS...and the 3.8RS is SO MUCH better handling car...very planted. I never got use to the rear bump steer in the 07 GT3

It appears from the video that a lot of the "results" were due to tires and a very wet track; IMO not a fair way to compare cars.

Bill

997gt3north

one observation - 'his' car was the 997.mk1 - and the tires were MPSS

if you have not tried these tires, they basically transform the car - the 'softer' sidewall of these tires acts like another spring, and makes daily driving, far more enjoyable

i think there is a reason that besides being a good hybrid (rain / dry / street / track) tire that so many people speak highly of this tire around here - and that, in my opinion, is because it makes the car a better street car

if you put these tires on the mk2 the same would also be true

996FLT6

Other than what was mentioned about the 6gt3 "pure and raw" what was mentioned later : ). Anyway haven't driven a 7.2 but a 7.1 on street and track- very comfortable car for the street. My 6 was god awful on the street other than track. mike

Larry Cable

Its a great video, but I think its fatally flawed as a track comparision; the conditions are such that given the different rubber (R888, MPSS, MPSC+) and setup across the 3 cars you really cannot do an "apples to apples" comparison.

I've had a 996.1, 996.2, 997.1 and 997.2 GT3 (never an RS sadly) I have to say that I agree in general with his remarks about the feedback that the 996 car(s) give vs 997s ... remember its a totally analog car, passive suspension, no TC or SC, only ABS, in my mind its a surgeon's scalpel,
a very sharp tool in an experts hands, a dangerous weapon in a layman's, and therein lies the
challenge.

When I first drove a 996.1 CS back in 2001 there really was nothing else like it, with 360bhp, turbo brakes (the 4 pot fronts sucked on track, which was cured in the .2) but it was lighting fast and
very supple, there was very little that could compete with it on track or on the road for that matter.

The 6.2 only improved on it, with more power, better brakes, and a revised suspension to improve the handling... the RS being another refinement on top of that...

the 6's I think teach you to be a better driver, they provide more feedback, and they require more skill in order to drive fast.

I agree with his summary of 7.1 vs 7.2, the more supple suspension in the .1 definitely gives more feel but the car does suffer from initial understeer (which the GT2 rear sway helps cure), I would
also note that PASM sport is essentially useless on road or track!

The 7.2 platform I think is an improvement over the .1 with improved track its turn in is better with less understeer and the PASM setup is much better, although normal is now stiffer, I think sport is potentially more usable.

What do I want for Christmas, I want a 996.2 RS parked in Nurburg thank you Santa!

996FLT6

Don't u mean 996.2 rs Larry? Wished US imported that car : (. Mike

Larry Cable

Yes typo... You know you can import one under the significant model rules...

cfjan

I think his comment on the 996 GT3RS being "wide body" was incorrect. The 996 GT3/RS was built upon the narrow body shell. For the 996 generation, the Carrera 4 did not get the widebody. Also, the 997.1RS does not have stability control, right?

GT3.2

My 996 gt3 was a track weapon. It was and probably was the best track car I will ever have.
Nothing else compares

brake dust

Nice video. Interesting comment about GT3s having race built engines. Guess that has ended with the 991. He didn't like the PASM buttons - but that's what makes the 997 series versatile enough for both the circuit and public road driving.

997gt3north

I believe he sort of has his facts correct - but was recording a video and likely mixed them up.

I'm nearly certain, as I know it is true for the 997mk1 and mk2, and thus the 996 .1 and .2s, is that the frame is a hybrid of the wider, stiffer front section (found in 4wdr cars that are traditionally 'wide-body') and the rear section which is either narrow body for GT3s or wide for GT3RS (991 generation not included) - so the wide-body reference is sort of correct but how he used it - incorrect.

The 997mk1s had TC not SC - and I like 'his' explanation about corner entry versus corner exit which is mostly true but not entirely true.

Larry Cable

What he meant was that all the GT3s have used the C4(S) chassis which has additional structural reinforcement (to deal with the 4WD transmission) making
that chassis significantly more rigid