Been driving the c2 base with PSE and PASM for about 7 months. I can't comment on the 991 CS but I have driven the 997CS. The 991 is definitely a much better platform for handling and with added comfort.

I had a chance to chase a 991CS. On B roads, the base had no problem keeping up with the CS. When we hit straights, the CS can pull away easily but we are talking about speed of 260 kmh and above, which is not very common that we drive at such speed. So I'm pretty satisfied with the 991 C2. I think you might be giving up a little bit of torque for more comfort when you switch from 997.2CS to a base 991. There are people who can't tolerate that and will regret after buying.

Edit- I realized you are considering switching from 997 3.6 to 991 Base. If this is the case, I don't think you will be disappointed. Go for it!

Thanks for your input! Yes, I'm coming from a base 997.2.

Could you comment on your experience with your 3.4 car and PSE? I'm trying to gather info regarding this but the info out there is limited. Most reviews are 3.8 with PSE and it sounds awesome. Thanks again!

The 3.4 with PSE sounds unbelievable! It's hard to believe that an exhaust from the factory produces this kind of sound With a 7spd, Sport Chrono is also a must IMO (perfect rev matching down shifts). The nice thing about PSE is that you can turn it off when you want to (like when I leave for work early and everybody in the house is still sleeping, or when you actually want to hear the engine). Besides being loud (once warmed up) PSE has a fantastic loud burble and pop (and the occasional backfire ) on a delayed upshift. Revving to just 4k in 1st or 2nd gear and then letting off the gas produces extremely loud pops and backfires that my friend (an E30 M3 owner) called obnoxious! I took that as a compliment

Thank you so much. That sounds excellent! Do you happen to have any video clips of your car with PSE on and off (or even just PSE on !) ? I've been looking on YouTube but its mostly PSE with the 3.8. I'm really excited now !

I'm definitely going to do sport chrono- I tried it on a 3.4 L with manual on Saturday and the rev matching downshifts are awesome!

PSE is a must in my opinion, it's one of the thing that helps to transform the car from a comfortable daily driver to a fierce sportscar. Sound is essential to achieve that, and the PSE has loads, turns the car into a firebreathing snarling monster ;-)
Even now that I'm only breaking in and can't do high revs, executing a downshift from 3rd to 2nd at +/-2600 rpm results in a bark that scares animals, makes pedestrian look up and step away.
Please don't base your opinion on the youtube vids. They don't represent the sound like you would experience it in real life !
Go testdrive PSE!

And while you are at it, indeed, do testdrive the PDK, it's brilliant.

And get the PASM.

If you could only have 3 options, those would be !

M5Ivan said it .... PSE is a must not for the power gain but for the sheer beauty of the sound. With PSE, the base sounds better than the S without PSE.

Every time I slow down, there's always a throttling sound that is really addictive. Of course you can go for aftermarket version and those might sound even more loud but I'm trying to keep the car factory stock. Best of luck in your decision.

a bit off topic....

if you want value, stop leasing. it's a huge waste of money and you don't even own the car at the end.

buy a car that you can afford. if you are looking to write off the expense for your business, finance it.

i love how everyone in america wastes money on leases. makes no sense to me. 2-3 months of payment is easily the 2 year depreciation cost on a CPO car. the money you spend for the remaining of the lease is going down the drain.

Leasing vs buying (financing) is quite a polarizing issue it seems. The significant difference to me comes down to the interest rate differential between what PFS offers on a lease (which is not good) and what I can get on my own. Yes, I usually lease because I can expense a decent portion (business use portion ofcourse) through my corporation (self employed).

The car will depreciate either way and with a lease you can always buy the car out anytime (the only thing you lose is the higher interest rate you've paid on the lease). I have been pondering this from a tax point of view as leasing is a bit more attractive but I will check with my accountant. Thanks for the reminder. We can start a separate thread but I'm sure this topic has been been talked about extensively in older posts.

Now lets get back to the topic at hand!!

@bbcars, white991 and M5Ivan:

Thanks for the info! I'm excited already!! Looking like it may be the 3.4L 991 so far for me. I'm definitely doing something with the exhaust and now I'm leaning towards adding the PSE. I just don't want it to be quieter than my current setup but it sounds that the the PSE has a really nice tone and character to the sound with all the pops, crackles and burbles. I'm just hoping the volume will be decent too.

The current setup on my 997.2 has the centre muffler bypass and the side mufflers modified (both done at the dealer level - Pfaff exhaust) and the sound is decent, not overly loud but much better than stock which was very quite on the 997.2.

I suppose if I want "more" over the PSE, something like a Sharkwerks side muffler delete is something I can add and the cost is not too bad for that one.

Does anyone know if PSE in the 3.4 is the same muffler setup as PSE on the 3.8? Will the sound be much different between PSE 3.4 and 3.8? My dealer has a 3.8 with PSE I can drive.

Does PSE have different centre muffler vs stock only or different centre AND side mufflers?

Also, I really like the growl on startup in my current car. Does anyone know if you engage PSE before startup by turning the ignition halfway to turn on the electronics and pressing the PSE button do you get the extra growl on startup? The 8 year old inside me always get a little excited when I startup my car and I hear that brief growl of the exhaust!! I think it is a little too quite on the stock 3.4 !! Is it different on startup with the PSE ?

3.4 base muffler is different from S muffler.

You are wrong. I lease two vehicles through my cooperation. These cars are in the name of the company, and can be written off entirely via a lease, including insurance and gas. If you finance it you have to deal with depreciations. A company lease is more straight forward. A pass through entity (like an LLC) is a little different, since you will be the personal guarantee for said leases, but will still give you great tax benefits.

In the end saying leasing is a waste of money is just plain silly. Most cars are depreciating assets, and one way or the other you'll loose the same amount of money on them over that specific time period.

I also don't judge anybody who leases their cars privately.

Since PSE defaults to "off" when you turn off the car, you can turn it back on before you start the car. I just hit the Sport + button before I start up which turns on PSE and makes the idle about 150rpms higher which also makes the start-up louder

It may be my imagination but the pse sounds significantly louder after the engine fully warms up. Anyone else experience this?

Perfect !

My dad swears he can hear me drive from his house all the way home, and that's a few miles away.


I think there is no mechanical difference in PSE for the 3.4 or for the 3.8
Soundwise the 3.4 sounds a bit higher pitched, raspier, more like a racecar.
3.8 is throatier, beefier.


My neighbours know when I fire up the 991 (with pse activated) and leave the house, even if they themselves are not outside.