Let the flaming begin: I am a complete newbie to the "european" industry. I know muscle cars and vettes. But I have become very interested in 996/997s, and am mainly looking at Vince's insane Green 997 conversion. I would love some general thoughts from you experienced, non-biased () members. Honestly, I have never even ridden in a 911. I am wondering what I would enjoy more. I love modded Z06 vettes. If I go that route, it will be 550 RWHP Z06, not stock. Believe me, I understand these cars are in different leagues. What I don't want is to buy a P-car and have a Z or something else "basic" pulling next to me and beating me. But i want some general ideas on what is more "fun".

I know this is all subjective, but any comparisons would help. For me, power is #1 priority.(I'm used to 550-600 RWHP vehicles) #2: I would like to get involved in occasional track events, just for fun, to learn driving techniques, etc. #3: driveability/enjoyability. I have a young family and am not independently wealthy. I just have a sickness for cars. I just sold my '64 Chevelle, which I loved, but I was too paranoid to use/enjoy it due to the $$$ invested in the build.

Also, Vince's car is a 996 converted to 997. What are the general differences in the 996 & 997 (chassis, etc). Understanding that the turbos are completely upgraded. THanks

 

If you just want fast the Z06 is a good cheap choice. But do yourself a favor, dont drive a Porsche, if you do you will want one.

A 996TT is a relative bargain in the used car market currently and the mod list is endless - something to consider.

I dont know if the 997TT is more 'fun' than the Vette, or any other car. My Evo was 'fun', perhaps more so than the Porsche, that will all come down to personal preference.

 

It's hard to answer your questions but I wil try . If you point towards a car like the green 996 conversion it's a highly customized car . Some cars on the forum are basically built from the ground up .

In my opinion it's best to reply more generally citing a stock car because that is what's more common to the car shopper and one can always modify with time.

That said .. if this is your first 911 you may decide to start with a basic car . A 997S is moderately priced . A used 997S can cost in the 50's and still have CPO warranty and offer plenty of Porsche fun for a great value . Many here have started with a normally aspirated car which is seamless in acceleration, great for the street or track .

Of course there's nothing wrong with a first Porsche being a Turbo and with used pricing the car is very reasonable . It is a different car though and with mods can add up fast . Plus parking a Turbo at the movies, mall, or supermarket can pose some worry because the car does attract attention and with that can come some worry.

The key is to drive both and determine what fits in with your driving needs . Consider the dynamics of your region too as well as whether the car is a daily driver or weekend toy

As for the Corvette and competing vehicles . many here have more than one car but speaking for myself none of my other cars compare to my Porsche .
They never have .

 

I'll take a shot at an answer. As noted, it really depends on your bias and preferences. The Z06 and the Porsche (any model) are really quite far apart in design. The Porsche is really all about steering feel. You can point the car within a hair of any spot in a turn, and feel every texture in the road. Magical. Perhaps less so than a Lotus Elise/Exige but second best. That said, it is a complicated beast to maximize cornering because of the unconventional weight bias and power on/off characteristics. The tt with AWD mitigates this somewhat but nothing can completely compensate for the rear engine.
The Corvette is exactly not that. Relatively numb steering feel. The car does stick well, but cannot be directed as exactly nor can you sense (at all) the texture of the road surface. So much less engaging on the steering front. But because of weight distribution, CG and tire patches it sticks amazingly well. And does so in a greater dynamic range of throttle settings. Easier to drive fast initially but less fulfilling (personal taste only).
On the performance front, the Corvette wins hands down. Yes, you can mod a tt to extremely high levels (700-800 hp). But you can do that and more in the Corvette. And it's actually lighter (Chevy engineers don't get enough respect). The RWD (versus AWD for the TT) makes it tougher to get all that power to the ground in some modes, but it is brutally fast.
So (again, IMHO) the Porsche is a driving car. The Corvette is a power car.
I should say that I'm not a Porsche bigot, or a Corvette anti-bigot. I came close to buying a Z06 before going with my 997S. But to me, steering feel is everything. My next car will be either a GT3 or an Exige.

 

Excellent explanations. I have owned a Z06. I just don't have any time in a 911. You all have done a great job of explaining. This is pretty much as I expected. I just need to find one (Im in a small town, I havent seen one around) and get in it to drive.
Thanks!

 

You will get hooked like we all!!

 

I am glad you are posting here to ask about Porsche and other preferences, this forum has been a great source of information for me so far.
Being a Vette guy, owned 7, currently own an 08 C6 mildly modded... i can say that Porsche and Corvettes are not two cars i would really compare as they are completly set up differently.

1- Corvette, powerfull, great, cheap for what you get, handling is not so good especially if you are going to mod and add more HP and torq... worse thing you can do is add more torq to a car that has traction issues to begin with. I swaped out the 1920's style suspension off the C6 and put on coilovers (Pfdat racing)i can do a lot better and it imporoved the car overall's handling by 40% but it still is night a day behind the efficiency and handling of the 997TT...

2- 997TT, i am not familiar much with the 996's, is just an insane car, power, handling & style... when i first bought mine, all stock, i took a Z06 off the line, 60 punch, corners on 2222 in Austin (most people know this road...) i can say without a doubt that at the stage my car is at now it can still take on a modded Z or a modded ZR1 without a doubt in every test. 997TT have endless mods, their engines are built very strong and can take on 800+ HP on stock motor... i know you cannot do that to a Z as i follow up on them online where people are losing rods, blowing out motors because of superchargers, tuning... pistons are going out... the C6 LS3 on the other hand is actually more stout than the LS7 motor and you can do quite a bit more with it, hince the ZR1's LS9...

I would urge you to test drive a 997TT or a 996TT and keep looking on the forum here and look at all the mods and what others done to their cars and you will be able to have more questions and for sure better answers to lead you in the right direction.

 

Some good feedback here.. but KA, c'mon... are you saying your stock 997tt took a (C6) Z06 from 60mph? That's not a common achievement unless the driver of the Z was in 3rd gear @ 60mph.

Additionally, there is not a widespread issue with rods/pistons, etc.on the LS7. The rocker arms had some issues, but that's about it. Yes, some guys push their luck with superchargers past low boost, but if done correctly (or if left stock), the engine is pretty stout. Too much internet-hype from Forum to Forum - the facts get distorted.

BTW, I'd like to see your dyno graph if you (think you) can take a TT LS7 Z06

 

you blew my response out of proportion... Did you miss the part where I own a C6? did you pay attention to the part where I said people who modded their Z's messed up their motors? the LS7 is not as stout of an engine as the LS3 no one can really argue this. If you want to talk mods forget my dyno sheet, why not look at the guys with 800hp? can we keep apples to apples? the power generated from a 3.6L is still more than i have seen done on street legal Vettes... i will email you my dyno sheet as soon as Vivid Racing emails it to me, they did all my set up. Also, can we play with vettes on a road corse and not just strait lines? I will not take anything about my car or the C's personally, I love them both

 

What did I blow out of proportion

You said you took a Z06 from 60mph with a stock 997TT:

and I said that wasn't common. It isn't, so I asked you about it.

I agreed with you that some guys have had issues who pushed their luck on the stock block/pistons. I saw you had a C6.. I have a Z06, so I'm very familiar with the LS7 and its weak points - both modded and stock.

I didn't know your power output, but you wrote that you could outrun modded Z06's and ZR1's. That's when I asked about your dyno sheet. FYI, there are many, many, many 800+ HP Z's roaming about.. Doesn't take more than a modest TT setup. Plenty of 1000 (B)HP TT Z's as well - built, but very street legal.

The Z - properly setup handles very well. A stock Z will hang with a stock TT. Your comment about 1920's suspension technology in the Vette is an oversimplification. Transverse leaf spring is not equal to parallel leaf springs As a many Vette owner, you probably knew that.

Finally, I'm not hating on 997TT's at all.. I was actually looking for TT owner feedback on their experience vs the Z.

Cheers

 

Have you used Coilovers?
Check out Pfdatracing.com they seem to disagree with you. have you heard of LG motorsport? they use their own custom built coils and they work well. what does the C6R have on it? leafs?
Look, i am not interested in a **** match with you on this forum nor i am interested in compare my TT with any vette, forget my comments, check out youtube.com and see some races between the two cars, i have nothing to add to this thread besides what i already said on here.

Anyway guy, before you buy, test drive the car and make a decision based on your liking and what you are looking for. Good luck!

 

Now there is something I would never consider doing. I know you are not saying you would do that yourself, but just thinking about leaving my Porsche out of my eyesight (meaning- line of sight) would be unheard of. Grocery/mall shopping is for utilitarian vehicles/belly button clone cars.

On the other hand, pride is an amazing thing, so having a loaded car no matter which it was and coming back to it being gone from a car park would leave a huge hole no matter which marque it was!

 

If you want to avoid someone questioning the voracity of your posts, you should reduce the hyperbole. Most of your claims were exagerated and I called them to your attention. You did nothing to respond to them, except continue to over-shoot or mis-direct, eg 'check out Youtube'? Read my post carefully, that's what I suggested you do. LOL.

I'll encourage you to read about the '1920's' suspension technology that you referenced here.

No pissing match attempted or engaged in from my perspective. I was looking for some accurate feedback. I'll continue to attempt to find that.

Have a nice day.

 

Thank you.

I appreciate your thoughts on these two quite different, but great cars.

 

Thanks for all the thoughts. Let's keep it civil here. But it is the eternal battle, and will never stop or be settled. It really comes down to individual cars once you go modded. I will keep researching and see what I decide. Thanks for all the input! It all helps. I just wish the vette's interiors were much nicer. But I guess thats why you can find used Z's for only $45k now