996 4S For autocrossing

I went auto crossing yesterday with my son and our Miata. I know the 4S could do it but how would the all wheel drive hold up? It's not a competitive question but rather whether the AX would be really bad for an AWD. Thanks, David

They do excellent in AX but prefer the track.

I am really not the best for answering your question as i am not into racing. However i would think i would hold up just fine. Porsche designed these cars to be pushed to the limits so i find it hard to believe it could handle it. It is a very simple system with no electronics and from what i understand is not an actual all wheel drive - more of an assist. It only comes into play during rear wheel spinning conditions and only applies minimal assistance. Over on the turbo forum it looks like most of the guys who really race these cars remove the awd and it is extremely simple to do so.

I have an NA miata and a 4S. I think the nimbleness and lightness of the miata is what makes it fun/competitive on the autocross. The 4s would do fine but you will really feel the weight of the car tossing it back and forth. I know a few guys that have taken their AWD cars autocrossing so I''m sure it'd still be ok if you're just having fun.

The AWD will hold up fine. It's actually a pretty simple system. Personally, I would stick with the Miata for AXing though.

The C4 is only around 100 lbs heavier than a C2.. FWIW its a different ride.. The Miata is way cheaper to run ..

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True but the c4s is 300lb or so over the C2.

350lb actually, like having a big fat guy in the passenger seat of a C2. Looks sweet though!

Thanks Guys. I guess I'll give it a go. David

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I've autocrossed with a 996 C2 a few times and it was a blast, especially when autocrossing on a larger course where you can stretch the 996's legs a bit. I would imagine that the 996 C4S would be similar fun and the AWD system should hold up fine as long as you are not being abusive to the car. In fact, the C4S may do better than the C2 as one of my complaints about autocrossing the C2 is that it tends to understeer very badly in tight turns and the C4S's specs (i.e., AWD system, more weight over the front wheels, etc.) should eliminate some of the understeer. I would imagine that the extra horsepower of the 4CS (compared to the Miata) would make it a more exhilarating car to AX even if it's not a lot faster on tight AX courses. Give it a try, the car will be fine...let us know how it performed.

You can feel my C4 engage the front when you gas it in a turn. Its not abrupt its a smooth increase in turn in.. If you leave the PSC turned on I haven't figured out how to get a full slide out of it yet.. Turn the PSC off and its only a little more fun. We we'll all be waiting for some go-pro action..

Do it! No reason not to! AWD won't be a problem, but it won't help you really unless it's raining. And autox is not going to rally introduce any specific risk to damaging the AWD system vs any kind of hard driving. I autox my 03 C2 probably 18 times a year and absolutely love it. You're always going to get beat by a well driven STR prepped miata, but there are usually plenty of M3 in FS you can benchmark against. It's a 911 on a tight course, so it will understeer if you drive it like the miata. You can mitigate that with tire pressures and using the brakes to keep the weight on the nose and get it rotating. It's a much trickier car to extract performance from vs a Miata (I used to have a Miata), but it feels so much better when you get it all right. Keep the traction control off and have fun! Where are you located?

Massachusetts. It would be at Fort Devon in Ayer, MA. I'll try it, what the heck. I just need to see when the next one is. I must say, I was really impressed with the PCA guys helping and directing my 17 year old. Made the day very stress free.