Thought many would enjoy reading this. I have a 05 997 with Evo air box 6sp and a co worker has the last year of the 996 auto convert (actually think it is an 05 as well, but a 996).... (yes I know difference between 996-997)

I have RUF 19 wheels (yes heavy) and techart coil overs and some other mods etc but nothing besides evoms air box in the engine bay.... we did 3 or so runs at highway speeds possibly 55-105 ish+ and I was SHOCKED..... I maybe had 2 car lengths max.....tried again a few times and same results.... It was very close and I was quite impressed with the 996. I know the cars are close in HP but always hear how tip, cabrio are a bit slower etc given weight etc... the 996 is stock and no slouch even with a drop top and auto. The runs were tight and he even had his top down. Anyway, thought it was pretty cool that a bone stock 996 cabrio auto was so close in speed to a newer 997 coupe 6sp.... 996 is a great P car and always had respected the car but now a bit more....

this done on safe rivate road, no traffic, no lane swapping, etc, and shut right down at XX speed...

 

i had a 996 tip cab. let's just say i've never felt short of power even in stock form. many often wonder if I had a SC in the back.

cabs have slightly less stiffness and yet offers wonderful open road feel. it's quite possibly the best convertible out there.

the biggest weakness with 911 is the heavy rear, not power. if not driven correctly, it could quickly turn into a spin. i'd recommend porsche invest in some weight savings program in the rear in future 911's. it'd be nice to get a 45/55 weight distribution at least.

 

Thanks for sharing your story. I have one from last Friday...

A friend of mine has a 2000 convertible Roush Stage II Mustang (5 spd) with 4.11 rear-end and 100 wet shot of nitrous on tap. Rolling at 50mph on an interstate we both went for it. I believe I was chose 2nd gear at 50mph. Much to my surprise, we were neck-to-neck, and once I hit 80mph, I was pulling strong, and well, he ran out of RPMs (probably due to 4.11 rear-end). On a different day (last fall) even 0-60mph runs, he was only 1/2 car length ahead. Just goes to show what a few small P-Car mods can yield. Oh... and I decided to shut it down at 120mph. Once off the interstate, he yells over to me "you @#@# idiot! they would have locked you up and impounded the car... scraping that new bumper to shreds!". Of course, if any law inforcement personnel are reading this... it's just a story I made up.

 

I have one also...
I was at the track in a 02 996 Carrera 2 6 speed (320 hp, my car is bone stock), my buddy is in an 09 997 Carrera 2S Auto PDK whatever haha (with catalytic Delete, so 385 hp stock + no cat). Anyways, I'm behind him and everytime he gets out of a corner, I get on the gas at about the same time as him as I have quite a bit more experience than him, he would basically leave me in the dust. I would reel him back in the corners and when the straight comes up again it happens all over again. Those new direct injection cars got some serious power. If I were to run him in a straight line, he would kill me pretty bad

 

What's the chance that the advantage was more due to the transmission than horsepower?

 

I believe none, because the PDK is not a regular automatic with 25% drivetrain loss. The PDK runs on clutches which preselect the next gear, exactly like an manual but in a manual you have to shift and both are approximately at 15% drivetrain loss. I don't believe a PDK car is any faster than it's equivalent model in a manual.

 

Finally some respect.