BiteEm, you might be surprised. A common trap for the Honda crowd was to put big intakes, headers and exhausts on their cars. Imagine their surprise when they found they'd LOST power, along with a fair bit of torque. Technically, you should be able to stay ahead of him if his car is the same year, but it could be a driver issue, another technical issue, or just a case of him having a 'fast' example or you having a 'slow' one.

You also can't diss the K&N intakes. When they can actually improve airflow over stock, they do a pretty good job at taking advantage of as much as they can get.

 

Do you think going from RWD to AWD is being counter productive?

Does turning off the PSM basically make the C4 RWD?

 

No it doesnt turn into rwd. i have psm on my c2 and my cousin has psm on his c4 which is standard. all that the psm does is automatic braking when there is a loss of traction.

 

So do you think his intake is making this diffrence... also since new he has driven this car hard. and well assuming that mine was not would this make a diffrence on how the ecu adjusts itself? i have not had the car for long only a few weeks.

 

Bite'Em, exactly. But while ECU's DO adjust themselves, it shouldn't be that pronounced. WOT is WOT, no matter how it's 'learned'. If they're the same engine, the only difference should be that he's pulling around extra weight. You should have him right to top speed from a rolling start. That's why I'd say even if you put your intakes back to stock, he might have a stronger engine than normal, and you may have a weaker one. It happens. I don't recall you mentioning mileage, so perhaps your compression is lower for some reason?

MSM, not at all, but it depends on what you're looking for. AWD makes for a quicker car off the line at full power (it's getting harder and harder to safely 'speed' anywhere anymore). However, most Porsche owners aren't looking for real or streetlight dragraces. RWD makes for a faster car, but only if you're a good driver, and only in dry conditions.

So if I was looking at an 'enthusiasts' car, I'd pick a C2S or a GT2. IF I had enough money that the occasional crash (or risk of one) wouldn't faze me too much. Otherwise, a C4, C4S, or TT is great for your confidence and your insurance rating. Not that you CAN'T cross up the car, you just have to try VERY hard to do it... Now, PSM is like a band-aid AWD system. It would make an AWD car near crash-proof, and even a ham-fisted driver could drive it fast. On a RWD car, it adds a margin of safety, especially considering the 911's tendancy to spin, as well as making it easier to handle in wet or Winter conditions.

For example, I was driving a friend home one Winter night in my Talon Turbo AWD (quick car, but NOTHING like a Porsche). As we approached a series of tight S-bends at ~45mph we dropped through a fog layer. "Oh s**t," thought I, "the temperature just dipped below freezing. Black ice." Sure enough, a light tap on the brakes had NO response. So, with a quick downshift to 3rd and generous playing with the throttle, we drifted the corners at that speed, with the car SNAPPING right back in-line after departing the last corner onto a straight (where I decelerated as quickly as I could to a sane speed). I don't consider myself to be a bad driver, but to pull that off relatively effortlessly AND recover at the end without any overcorrections? Much harder in a RWD car, and nigh-impossible with FWD unless you hail from Finland.

 

I owned a C4, now own a Turbo, and have driven a C2 quite a bit (both 996 and 997). I've never found the AWD on the C4 to intrude on the driving experience versus the C2. It puts 95% of the power to the rear wheels unless the front wheels need it, and switching off the PSM makes it drive even more like a RWD car. The AWD makes it a perfectly viable year-round car. My C4 was my daily driver during 3 Boston winters and was amazing.

Since you're in SC and unlikely to see much snow with it, if you're a good driver and don't want the security AWD/PSM gives you, save the money and get the C2.

 

I have the stock intake w/ headers... the faster one has the K&N Intake w/ stock exhaust manifolds. I'm trying to figure out if the K&N actualy makes that much of a diffrence??? I know the headers only gain about 6-8hp but ive seen they 3rd party dyno for the K&N intake and they showed a gain of 18rwhp.. even though K&N showed 23rwhp. I didnt know that you could ever gain that much from an intake.

 

You can, and more, if the factory-designed airbox system is very restrictive. You'll get this sometimes with automatic cars, because it shifts the torque curve down a little so you get a bit more where most cars see their usual daily use at. I'd doubt the Porsche's intake is poorly designed. And is this a K&N filter we're talking about, or their FIPK system? Big difference between them.

It still shouldn't be a 2-car difference, though...

 

he has the K&N FIPK system.... i just have the silicone intake tube....lol

 

I recently moved from San Diego to the Bay Area where I've seen more rain in the two years I've lived here than the other 25 years I've been alive! Needless to say I've had my fair share of "accidental" drifts through intersections and local mountain roads. (in a turbo'd miata )

I love the feel of control and the slight sense of danger with RWD, and would hate to lose that feeling going into my first P-car. My aspirations are for a Turbo, and if that doesn't pan out, at least a C4S.

I hope I'm not giving up the thrill of driving by going AWD!

 

Just think about the costs of sliding your Miata sideways into a guardrail accidentally, compared to doing the same with Carrera. *Laugh* On most levels, it's a totally different ballgame. You lose the 'tossability' of the Miata, but you gain in straight-line speed.

 

Ive driven both RWD and AWD 996..... the biggest difference is steering feel. The C4 has tons of steering feedback.... you know what the front is doing. The C2 is opposite... the steering has less feedback, but you can feel the rear slide at speed. To the limit, they drive very similar, with a lighter steering with the c2. The c4 was dsigned with stability in mind rather than the awd.... it is one of the few AWD that drives like the RWD because of the viscous coupling.... the C4 will pull you out of corners quicker, but in the right hands.... the c2 is faster..... Im not one of those talented ones.