For 2017, the plain 'ol 991 will have 370hp. A bit faster than the the previous S versions of earlier years ( when they were 350 ho).
I'm considering going from '08 4S (350 hp) to a 2017 -- 4 cabrio. Apart from 20 inch wheels which could be had as an option, and red calipers, and 50 more hp, is the added expense of an "S" worth it??

 

It would all depend on which options come standard on the 4 vs 4s, and what's important to you. If you are only thinking in terms of power, I suspect 50 hp could be achieved with a tune and exhaust.

 

With the older versions I would say yes, with the new model, the base engine is the same so you should be able to get those ponies back..at a cost so it would come down to options.

 

Sorry, you are not going to get 50HP out of a tune and an exhaust on a modern Porsche. That DME unit is so locked down that no tuner can get in them any more, those days are gone. I have a Full Tubi exhaust on my car and it makes great noises, but I don't think there is any power gains from it at all. Weighs a little less, that's about it.

To the OP, you can never have too much power .... "S" models come with the extra kick in the engine, Big Red brakes and PASM as standard, plus the 20" wheels. Usually (but not always) easier to resell.

 

Are you happy with the power you have now ?

I had a 997.1 (non S) and currently have a 991S ... I only went with the S for one reason ... at the time the 991 manual just came out and the first allocation I could get with the manual transmission was the S ... I wanted the base but I could not get an allocation for one and didn't want to wait any longer ...

I found my 997.1 was VERY fast for the street, actually too fast to get up to illegal speeds ... so my answer to you is if you are happy with your current car ... you are going to LOVE the 991 non S.

The big picture is the 991 is a VERY fast car ... heck all versions (Base, S, GTS, etc.) are in the 4 second or less range for 0-60 ... on the streets that is insane ...

 

Just get the S. If you don't, you'll be sorry later.

 

Why?? ( kind of like your thinking tho...)

 

Why would anyone be sorry buying a 911 that isn't an S ?? Not getting this at all ...

 

Because if you get the C4, you will always be thinking about the C4S. I know I would. But that is just me. More power, more power!

 

The hi hp set-ups are using stand-alones??

 

All the car makers - especially Porsche - have locked down their DME units and the codes are no longer crackable. Ask the tuners - they will tell you they are 'working on it'. They do not want people tampering with their vehicles as the manufacturers want to SELL YOU that horsepower for more money. There are several instances of this in the Porsche brand alone.

The Porsche Spyder (Boxster) has the same 3.8 L engine as a 991S. They cut the horsepower in the Spyder so that it is less than the 991S for marketing reasons and they do it with a programming tweak to the DME. The 991 series is more profitable than the Boxster/Cayman so they will never have the same engine power by intent. Why would they want to build two engines? Easier and more cost efficient to just build one engine and dumb one down via software.

Move onto the Macan. The "S" model (350 HP) and the Turbo model (400 HP) have the exact same V-6 Twin Turbo engine in them. All they do is change the software programming to get the higher performance.

991.2 the same way. Same engine, manage the HP with the software. Smart. Make more money for Porsche with a few code tweaks as they can charge a lot more to the end user.

However, for this Marketing plan to work, you can't have your black box crackable, otherwise Joe Tuner could do it for $ 500 - and in fact they used to do that 20 years ago. No more - to get legitimate horsepower upgrades to a modern car (vs exaggerated claims) is a daunting task. Some figure out how to do it obviously - and they may be replacing the engine computer unit itself to get there, that I am not sure of. But a modern car engine DME has as much firewall barrier as an iPhone, and its sure not easy to get into.

 

When I had a 997.1 base coupe I honestly never thought of the S I was just happy having a 911 plus these cars are so fast for the roads that you hit illegal speeds in a matter of seconds. Keep in mind the base 991.1 is still doing 0-60 in the mid 4 second range and the 991.2 is in the low 4 second range ... These are some seriously fast machines.

 

So you can't get 50hp with a tune on a turbo car? Completely disagree. BTW, as others have said, all DME's are locked initially.

 

If you are on a Porsche blog, you probably need the S.

 

Ha!
In for a penny, in for a pound!