To All C4S Owners

Hi. This is my first post here and wanted to ask some questions. I have decided to upgrade from a boxster to a C4S. I wanted to ask if the C4S is too low that you end up scraping the front end and rear end whenever you pass a steep incline or a bad hump? Does the C4S drive and feel very different from a regular carrera? Thanks in advance for all your help!

A membership would be a great present for yourself !

Hi, I have an '05 C4S, tiptronic. About a year ago, I read the following commentary in TTAC, which I think it it also applies to a C4S drive: "Other observations: AWD 911s, specially those prior to the current 997 series, feel relatively ponderous to haul around at slow to normal road speeds. This is specially true of the 993/996 Turbo models, which feel sharp and are really exciting at high speed, but feel almost a bit like a light truck otherwise." I had driven a regular 99 Cab for about three years and it felt much lighter than the C4S. Best of Luck.

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That sounds a bit harsh, but what is TTAC? Clearly a C2 is lighter, but I've enjoyed a couple brief drives in 996 TT, wouldn't call it ponderous but of course it's got gobs of power/torque.

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Thanks! That really helps a lot!

You do realize that a C4S is a lighter car than the TT.

Any thoughts on it being too low?

I moved from a 00 Boxster to a 03 C4S in June 2007. I did like the boxster so much in fact I had both cars at the same time for about a year just in case I decided I liked it better. I did eventually sell the Boxster however. The C4S just feels so much more appointed. It is solid and smooth. As neither car was / is a daily driver I do find myself driving the C4S more than I did the Boxster. I have no regrets and plan on keeping my C4S for the foreseeable future.

My car came (at 40k miles) with a new front airdam. I've already grounded it a few times and I'll just budget for replacement every year or two. But the roads around here are pretty bad, and there are many areas, especially at junctions or where the road is strongly crowned, where one road comes into another at a steep angle.

It really depends on where you drive it. I'm very careful and take inclines at angles. If anything, the overhang in the rear is a minor issue with my driveway. It is very steep and I drag the exhaust tips just a little as I enter/exit. Matt

But I laugh when people say the AWD is "ponderous". Face it--Porsche AWD is barely AWD at all and you can not feel it to any great degree, especially compared to a real AWD car like a Subaru or Audi.

Thanks for all the replies so far! Your answers have really helped me a whole lot! You guys are great!

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+1. There has only been one time I've ever felt the front wheels pull. Thats when on a sandy side road, let out out the clutch at above 3000 rpm. Rear wheels instantly lost traction from the sand and the front kicked in and started pulling. Weirdest feeling ever. Thought my clutch went and the car only had half the power. Rear came alive after I switched gears from 1st to 2nd.

996 C4S is 10mm Lower than Regular 996 C2's and yes it Drives very Diffrent than a 997 GT2 :P IMO you can Never be to Low

I replaced the front spoiler on my C4S last year because the prior owner had ground it down going in and out of his driveway. I have yet to hit the new one on anything, and I drive the car every day. It's not too low if you're careful. I've never found the C4S to feel heavy or cumbersome. I suppose it depends on what you compare it to... but my other choice is a Cayenne. The C4S feels light as a feather compared to that! I did drive a C2 before I bought the C4S, and the difference in feel for normal street driving was minimal. On the track, I suspect it is more noticable.

I like looking at the leather dash instead of the base carrera's plastic.

I have an '02 C4S and added Bilstien PSS10 suspension so it is even lower than stock. I do occasionally scrape the front end, but not too often. You should realize that the trim piece on the bottom of the front bumper is considered a wear item and is designed to be replaced from time to time.

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This is very helpful indeed! Thanks!

Just point and shoot and the car goes exactly where you want it!! Awesome in the rain, great security and looks great.........put 80,000 miles on mine as a daily driver....brakes lasted 80k plus and still there when I traded in..... and I did track the car....always maintained it and service cost was relatively inexpensive....21.5 miles per gallon city/highway.......... Only disappointments were amount of repairs over 6 years and low miles per year: 2 catalytic converters - failed - left and right sides water pump - leaked 2 oxygen sensors 2 horns - filled with water - bad design to cause this 3 RMS leaks - upgraded ones also 2 IMS leaks - related to RMS leaks cup holders dislodged from dash oil fill pipe replaced with 997 upgrade - leaked ignition coils all replaced - cracked clutch throwout bearing failed - replaced I will buy a newer 911 another day with their advancements in engine design..have a 993 that I kept and also like very much.......

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No, it doesn't scrape. But obviously, depends on what you call a "steep incline".

Driveways can be modified with a jack hammer and concrete

Standard ride height on mine. it only scrapes on steeper inclines...pretty obvious to tell if it's going to happen or not. Just reduce your speed and enter the drive at an angle.

I scraped my front valence just once on the driveway (since that's the only place I drove it anyway!!). Had it replaced the first week I owned the car, and then backed into the driveway up the grade and never scraped it again. You can try backing it up, or driving in on an angle to avoid the lower valence from being damaged. Fortunately, it's a relatively inexpensive part to replace.

With the stock C4S I did not hit anything. Dropping the front about 1.5," (PSS10s) however, made it a little more difficult to avoid. Just take driveways at a bit of an angle . . . On the bright side,the C4S front spoiler (the black part) is not very expensive. I've changed mine a couple times.

Thanks for all the replies! It is so much appreciated! I have learned so much, especially on the topic of scraping the front. Since I haven't heard much about it, is it safe to assume then that the back part of the C4S doesn't get scraped at all? It seems kinda low too.

Hehehe any part can scrape in the right conditions for it. I drove a less than 4" clearance car in high school so I have no sympathy hehehe. Live with it orrrrr rock with it, roll with it.... try to catch me riding dirty, try to catch me riding dirty I hope you've heard my songs

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Well, you typically hear two scrapes on a steep drive. First is the black trim in the front, and the second are the tailpipes in the back. PS: Here is a tip for the black front spoiler. (Assuming you have the stock, black thermoform plastic, not a painted one). After my last little touch of road rash I used a soldering gun with a broad, flat tip to do a pretty nice job of meltin/flattening the rash. Sounds crazy, but looked way better when I was done.

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Same here. I have a '02 C4S and I will do the same budgeting excercise every year.

It's real simple. Observe road and drive accordingly. I'd drive a 917 on the road if I had one. I understand your unspent frustration since you aven't bought the car you want yet so go out and but it and quit trying to talk yourself out of it.

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Will do!

I've had min scraping issues in my stock ride height 4S. When I had the Tubi put on, I had them put the exhaust tips more flush with the rear bodywork = less scraping.

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I have driven all the 996 except for the GT's and all of the Boxsters and Caymans. First the Boxster is a roadster so its a completely different car to an AWD coupe. When you turn the wheel at speed you'll realize this instantly, obviously because of pendulus rear wheel drive vs mid engine cornering. But even within the 996's I find the C2 and C4S to be very different. The C4S feels much more like a GT than a sports coupe. The 996 Turbo even more GT like. Most noticable is the understeer on quick turns. In the C4S You just feel like you are in a much bigger, heavier car even though it really isn't THAT huge a difference. I plan to add the C4S as my winter car and give the Boxster S winter breaks. Although I'm kind on the fence for the 996 Turbo, i would much rather have the dry sump GT1 block if I'm going to go AWD. Too bad all the ones I see with low miles are tips.

It's rare to bottom out in the rear, your front end will have bottomed out before then and you can angle you car so it doesn't happen in the rear as well. That said, if you ever customize your front end make sure you do NOT have a fiberglass lower lip!!! Make sure it's (unpainted) polyurethane or ABS etc. they are very forgiving. The Boxter is fun and quick (nibble) that you can be a kid in by spinning it out, doing donuts etc. whereas the C4S is more of a"grownup" car, it's fast and if you add a power chip goes like a rocket with the grip that seems to defy physics! Enjoy your new ride! Sid.

I have lower ROW springs. never did any bottoming out but often scrape the front spoiler. I chewed it up pretty good on one side and bought new one. When I did some repainting on the front end for rock chips I decided i would take the old spoiler out and see if I could refinish it a little. I sanded off the really bad scrapes with 180 and filled slightly with bumper repair material. i rounded off the edge to blend it all in. After repainting both old and new, you cant hardly tell any difference in either, and I put the old one back on the car.