911 Vs caymen

[krishcanag]

So why do people love 911? It was by far like driving a car with a small trailer behind it. I imagine you can very easily push the rear out and maybe this the draw on a track. In the real world the point of no return is less clear while in the caymen you can control and recover.

I haven't driven a 992/911 but surely that can't be the case?!
i have a c.20 year old 996 and it certainly feels nowhere close to a rear end pendulum when cornering. Thats with no TC or electronic aids. The modern cars have rear wheel steering and the engine pushed firther and further upfront, can't bveleive it.

People telling you a watercooled 911 is always on the edge of killing you must be living in a romantic fantasy of old time porsches (ok might be the case of a 996 GT2, i have no idea).

i've spun a few times on track but you would have to be insane to be on the limit on the road.

Well all I can say is that was what I found and I told the salesmen it's like I said and simple said yes it's different to your car, the balance is not the same.

One thing I want to do is drive a 991.2 GT3 and see if it is also rear heavy. Which it must be

 

[krishcanag]

As for pushing to the limit, I do that on country roads I know very well and almost like I know each bend, sometimes I driv one way turn around and go give it at the limit back.

I have also driven the TTRS, R8 3rd edition and I found both with plenty of grip but no feel, Porsche is always telling you, the 718 tells me when I coming to the limit the 911 might do but I didn't have to courage to push closer to it

 

[tom_nieto]

To be fair, comparing anything to a GT4 handling wise is going to be difficult.
I agree the 911 feels very tail heavy after it and also the way the car pitches from hard acceleration to braking can also be strange.
The benefits to me of a 911 are
(its a 4 seater)
traction off line is better than nearly any other car
corner exist when the car squats down and grips is a fantastic sensation

The hard exit from a corner is marvellous in a 911. The grip in the dry is astonishing. Can only comment on the 997 of course, but it's a very capable and I think well balanced machine. A massive part of the packaging is to allow a larger cabin and 4 seats. The capability and handling is something that front engined 2+2 cars don't always get right and few are on a par with the 911's talents.

 

[991.2GTS]

Is the 911 just because it's the original so people blindly praise it even thou it is the worst design.

You clearly aren't a student of design.

In terms of industrial design, the 911 is iconic. It's an exercise in iteration. It's timeless form and function are nearly 60 years in the making. And nothing a 911 does, or is, has happened by accident.

Will people be talking about the Cayman or Boxster in another 60 years? I doubt it. But people will still be talking about the 911.

 

[Will Statt]

As for pushing to the limit, I do that on country roads I know very well and almost like I know each bend, sometimes I driv one way turn around and go give it at the limit back.

I have also driven the TTRS, R8 3rd edition and I found both with plenty of grip but no feel, Porsche is always telling you, the 718 tells me when I coming to the limit the 911 might do but I didn't have to courage to push closer to it

.... glad I don't live near you!!

 

[DRZ911]

So I have a 718 4 pot GTS, So far I have also driven 981 GT4 and the new Carrera S 992 991.

The fastest is easy.
The best handling the other 2 pretty equal.

Best sounding ea
So why do people love 911? It was by far like driving a car with a small trailer behind it. I imagine you can very easily push the rear out and maybe this the draw on a track. In the real world the point of no return is less clear while in the caymen you can control and recover.

I suspect like a lotus or other mid engines cars.

Is the 911 just because it's the original so people blindly praise it even thou it is the worst design.

Technically, centrifugal force is greater in any car towards the rear with the engine in the back it's worse, the balance is all wrong.

Krish

Krish, quite a provocative post, and has provoked a number of interesting and insightful replies.

Historically, Porsche has consciously tried to keep the 2 concepts separate in terms of the engineering configuration, the price differentials and the client bases. However, the performance overlap has become greater because of the 4 litre engine in the mid-engined cars and has somewhat blurred the boundaries further between the 911 and the Boxster/Cayman models. The choice will always be yours to go mid-engine or rear engine.
Out of interest, you should try a 4-wheel drive version of a 911 to see if your opinions change a little.

 

[krishcanag]

Is the 911 just because it's the original so people blindly praise it even thou it is the worst design.

You clearly aren't a student of design.

In terms of industrial design, the 911 is iconic. It's an exercise in iteration. It's timeless form and function are nearly 60 years in the making. And nothing a 911 does, or is, has happened by accident.

Will people be talking about the Cayman or Boxster in another 60 years? I doubt it. But people will still be talking about the 911.

You have said exactly what the problem is.
If you ask any engineer and I am one given centrifugal forces where would he put the balance towards, or ask a aircraft designer the same question but will give you the same answer somewhere close to the middle on the rotational axis.

That been said, the 911 is unique, for the very reasons above. I think this is th charm, and of course the iconic flat 6, it's the one painful thing I have for owning a 2.5 4 pot but I have put a cargraphic exhaust with 200 cell cat and boy it improves it no longer a tractor.

 

[Magic919]

Imagine how successful the 911 would have been if they hadn't made such an obvious error.

 

[pzero]

Imagine how successful the 911 would have been if they hadn't made such an obvious error.

I think this is my quote of the day. :worship: :thumbs: