Having owned my 991 C2S cab for about five months now, I couldn't help but wonder if I should contemplate purchasing the new 991 turbo when it comes out. I sure would love the enormous torque of the turbo but would I miss the characteristics or traits of my NA motor?
I have never owned a turbo vehicle let alone a 911 turbo, nor have I test driven or have been a passenger in one. Yet, I thought it would be interesting if members here who have had some experience with both of these vehicle types post their personal experiences, pros and cons.

 

I had a 2008 C4S for a couple of months before I decided it was more cost effective to to have a turbo rather than trying to get the NA up to speed. Remember though, I live at 7200 ft where the air is thin and NA's aren't in their environment.

Now the turbo has been modded to 750+ hp and it's a hoot...stupid fast is how one pro driver/instructor put it. It is a real handful at the track though where I am always modulating the throttle until I'm heading in a straight line. Light up the tires in second and third gear corners; no problem, except that's not a particularly fast way to get around the track. It's just harder to drive smoothly with all that power (but what a problem to have!). I'm reasonably certain that I would be quicker in a GT3, which had I known then what I know now, would have been my best choice.

All that said, were your choice my choice and were it to be a DD with minimal mods and only occasional track use, I'd pick the Turbo every time - but I'd think hard about the GT3....

 

I have owned lots of turbo cars in the past, not a 911 though. I now pretty much stay away from them if possible. I don't really like the power delivery characteristics,...yes they can and do scream when on boost, but they just don't seem "right" off boost and no matter what there is always some turbo lag. I may be in the minority here, but I always know just what I have in a NA car and know exactly what to expect from it, sometimes in a turbo I don't get that feeling. For me it would be a GT3 instead of a turbo.

 

Well said. I am staying away from turbo as much as I can... Don't know I'd ever buy a turbo for exactly the same reasons youve described. It's just that the power delivery is not at your finger tips when it's needed, that split of a second miss is just a huge turnoff...couldn't live with it...I've lived with it for almost six years now...no thanks...no turbo!

 

To the OP...couple things I wouldn't do if I were you when the opportunity comes:

1. Test drive the 991 turbo
2. Park next to it at the dealer

Kidding aside...certainly turbo models offer unique driving characteristics, no quesion. That said, there is certainly much more to a turbo vs. its NA counterpart, both asthetically and mechanically.

I can't imagine Porsche wouldn't continue that trend in the latest version that will arrive soon.

 

You are exactly right. I have had both, and the Turbo is an amazingly fast car and the hit of the turbos are addictive. That being said, I hate the sound compared to an NA car and I also love the higher revs. Turbos redline (997) at 6400 so for me the thrill of the car pulling and screaming into high revs is absent. My solution was the GT3 as it has close to the all out power of the Turbo, better suspension than the S or the Turbo and the exhaust note with a bypass just screams as its pulls to redline.

Only issues to consider is if it's a daily driver, your ride will be softer in a turbo than a GT3, but I could easily daily drive my RS, only issue is pulling into some parking lots as it is lower than my Turbo.

Based on your comments below, I think you are a future GT3 owner. And the cost is a little less than a Turbo unless you go for an RS, which I highly recommend .

 

I am no a Turbo guy, BUT if I were I would be a PDK turbo guy as the PDk in sport plus mode keeps you in the turbo spool the entire time when driving aggressively or in anger. Have driven a Turbo S with PDK on track in sport mode and that combination makes all the lag issues goes away. For me though, the attraction of a manual NA car on the track is still what the experience is all about, regardless of my lousy lap times. It's about the fun factor and the NA cars with manual do that better IMO.

 

This is all great guys. Thanks for the feedback.
I wouldn't be tracking the car more than once, maybe twice a year.
It also wouldn't be a daily driver, just a weekend toy.
I love my c2s, no doubt. I would also love a bit more bottom end torque though to be honest.

 

turbos win every time especially on the street. Get a GT3 for the track...if you want to check out the *** end of a GT2!

The real dominance of turbos come when you get sick of getting pased by weak sedans wth big motors and wantto "chip" your NA P-car to keep up with a turbo audi wagon with a chip. You'll spend $15k for maybe 30HP, which will allow you to (barely) stay a cars length with a jeep srt8 (to 100mph).

meanwhile, over on the turbo side of thngs you're going from 500, to 700 or 900hp....

Theres a reason the turbos costs more than the NA cars.

I really cant belive ppl still ask this question. Go and drive one then report back...

 

Since you're not going to track it much, I'd definitely go with the Turbo. I've owned many turbo and NA cars (both Porsches and otherwise) and there's really no substitute for that kick in the pants you get from the turbo. That being said, I do miss the smooth, linear power delivery of my old NA 911. Since I live at altitude now, I'm with Steamboat's comments that basically there's no choice any more and the Turbo is the only way to go.

You haven't mentioned how into modding you are, but that's another thing to seriously consider. There's not much you can do to an NA Porsche to add power while you can easily add a good amount of power with a sub-$1500 chip in a Turbo.