Do I have a fast 996??

I purchased my first Porsche almost 2 years ago, she is a 2002 4S that had 98k miles when I got her, 105k now. I picked her up in Virginia and drove her strait home to South Florida, took me a bit over 11 hours, that was the first time I actually drove any Porsches, and after such a long drive I was actually disappointed I had gotten home. The car has all the maintenance records since new, and one of the items this shows is the engine was replaced under warranty by Porsche in 2005, at 50k miles, the engine serial number confirm this, M96/03AT665. Also, I verified when replacing the clutch, it does have the large not easily replaceable IMS bearing. The PO had installed coil overs, replaced the water pump and had also removed the FWD, something I didn�t mind (he did give me all the parts he removed). I have done many of the recommended items, spin filter, low temp thermostat, motor mount, etc. Since I do DE�s with the car, I also installed an LN 2Q sump pan. Recently I also replaced the crank pulley with an underdrive unit. I have been told by many people this car is very fast, some insist the engine in the car is not a stock 996. Instructors at DE event, that drive Porsches, local Porsche experts that have many different types of cars, all insist this is a very fast 996 and is not normal for it to be this fast in stock form. A few weeks ago, I was driving with a couple of friends, one has a 997 turbo, well at 50mph up I was able to keep up with him, eventually he did pull away. Same happened with another one, he has a 2015 Cayman GTS, this one has plenum and a tune, he didn�t pull away. With the Cayman I can keep up from a standing start as well. What gives, again I am not complaining, I just find it peculiar that so many different people feel this car is faster that what it should be, I have nothing to compare it to. Could it be that the 05 engine is a 3.8? BTW, not sure if it makes a difference but I can rev this motor to 7100rpm's and there is where I shift. What do you guys think?

Despite my opinion, remember, yours is what's important... There is variability from motor to motor, but it's not going to be anything like 25hp between stock engines. For the record, my Carrera pulls harder than previous ones I've had with the updated Porsche replacement motors, so that's not a given. There is no way your car would be comparable to a 997 turbo at any speed. Enjoy your car and be happy that it satisfies you!

A repeated theme with the 996 is its the last of the nimble 911's. What u and others may be feeling is just how good this generation is? Or maybe u r just a good drive .

Maybe you just have slow friends. You’re doing your comparisons on a closed course, right?

I have to agree with Ahmet, there is no way your car is keeping pace with a 997 TT given an apples to apples run (i.e., both cars in the same gears using 100% throttle and shifting at or near redline). I'd be willing to bet that your friend in the Turbo was either in too high of a gear or not fully on the throttle. There certainly can be some variation from engine to engine and perhaps you got a VERY strong example...I wish I could say the same. Although, it helps if you don't have faster cars to drive.

0-50 MPH is mostly torque, not hp. For a car to pull away during that speed range, the difference has to be pretty significant. After 50 MPH is where HP comes into play. 0-50 MPH race also favors the better driver. A car with much more tq isn't going to pull away if the driver in the lower tq car is a better driver. Here's a good example. 3.5L V6 vs 5.0L V8. Notice right at the end of 2nd gear, that's where the difference is. You Tube

I have the slowest (but lightest 996s, the 1999 c2. It doesn't feel much slower than a R8 v10, but obviously it is much slower. Maybe Jack Raby installed a 400hp engine without you knowing, but these cars feel faster then they are for sure. Look up some laptimes for sp996, they turn some pretty fast laps given given the car is 20 years old and low on power (and heavy). I am sure your car is fantastic! What suspension setup for you have?

Yeah, I don't doubt the 997TT turbo guy was on the wrong gear, I find that many of these "Street" warrior guys are afraid to downshift to a low enough gear to really put the power down. Didn't really think of that until you mentioned. Regardless many people feel this 996 is a very fast one, these are people that have been around Porsches a lot. I am just wondering if there has been any reported discrepancies on engine output and if the fact that this is a 2005 engine may have something to do with it. The car has K-Sports coilovers, ride height and alignment are setup to gt3 standard, using Sumitomo tires it handles very well on the track.

Nah, even the current replacement blocks r the same as the last engines used in the 997's with all the same factory issues. Po may have put a tune on it but there is not much to gain on these cars.

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Horsepower and Torque are the same thing, horsepower is just a measurement of work being done by torque over time. Gearing, traction, and power to weight are what dictate how quickly a car accelerates.

I'd think your 7100 rpm shift point has the most to do with it - most people are scared of both the kind of acceleration you get at those rev's as well as blowing up their engine (a missed gear at those kind of rev's is what kills motors...). I'd say the guy with the turbo is just scared of it...Caman GTS? Who knows... Generally speaking though, "fast" is the way you drive (especially on the street). My hunch is that if you take it to the track, there will be some very fast 996's...

Fast is relative. I feel like my 996 is fast on the streets. Then i go to an event at Sebring and quickly realize how fast it is not. Once i got moved to Solo my hand was getting tired pointing GT cars by. So far my best time at Sebring is a 2:38. By far it is not fast. but fast enough for my first weekend event in a Fat Cabriolet C4S

I have a friend who still tells me about how fast his 1990 Toyota Celica non-turbo was. Lots of stories about cars he "blew away". It's fun to see how serious he gets when he tells the stories.

I have a friend that always talks about his 69 Camaro and how fast it was. I am sure it was fast but time has gone forward. 996 was fast once. I don't compare to modern stats. That would be sort of silly IMO. They are not going to make a slower one right?

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I chicken out at 5K

One way to know for sure - Dyno it.

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The sp996 record is 2:21 at Sebring ( http://www.rennpoints.com/classrecor...ion=0&detail=0 ) That is 2800 lbs with driver, "stock" engine, fancy suspension.

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Or a stopwatch...

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Well..... Thanks for making me feel really damn slow now! LOL

Oh, well for now I will blame it on the driver, that is me. I am not afraid of reving it to the max available range, nor fast shifting. It is noticeable the difference in pull north of the 6k rpms, I have always taken good care of my cars, but also drive them to their limit. While on the track this car drives very well, it pulls nice and it can carry relatively good speed thru the turns. I had a Sebring event planed and then Road Atlanta, but for now all of that is on hold.

I'm no expert, but what I found online doesn't provide any revelations -- the engine number M96/03AT665 translates to... M96/03 = 3.6L motor AT = denotes factory replacement engine 6 = 6 Cylinders 6 = Natural Aspirating Motor 5 = date of manufacture = 2005

Buy OBDLink MX+ and then you can get details of your speed and rpm overlaid on the map of your course, as shown below: At bottom i made a left at red light and took it past 7k rpm Speed hit 103

Do you race? If not, then it really doesn't matter. FWIW, driver has a lot to do w/how fast a car will go (within its limits, of course). I've been at various road course demos where everyone drives the same make/model car and I'm always in the middle of the pack. I'm a relatively "slow" driver even when I'm in a really fast car because I've got a speed limiter in my head. I just don't go all out because doing so tests my limited skills as a driver and scares the sh*t out of me when I do. That"s no FUN to me. In the twisties, my MR2 can keep/catch up other cars w/2-3x's the HP because they have to brake hard at each apex, while I can just roll thru the same turns w/o braking. However, they'll just blast away in the straights. So, my guess is that the guy in the Turbo probably just wasn't really getting on it, which allowed you to keep pace. I only drive on the street and I don't race on the street. So, whether my car is faster than any other car is NOT important to me. ​​​​​​ That's why I think those Tesla v. Porsche speed comparisons are irrelevant. It's nice that a Tesla can go fast but I'd never lease/buy a Tesla for that reason because what I'm looking for in sports car is the overall driving experience and I'd take my MR2, 911 and 335i over a Tesla (3 or S, which I have driven) in this regard any day, in even if it is "slower." What's important to me is simply whether the car I'm driving is FUN to drive and all of my sports cars meet that test.

Car and Driver used to publish acceleration tests in top gear, as well as rolling start 5-60mph tests. I would try those, as they aren�t really as much driver dependent. Compare to stock and see what you get.

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You may just be bolder and/or better than your buddies. It's amazing the difference in performance you can see from the same car when two different guys are in it. And a good driver (or just one willing to use the loud pedal) in a car with 2/3 the HP can routinely humiliate a meeker shoe in a hotter car.

Yep you�re 996 is faster than everyone else�s and so are you. Congrats.

Just enjoy your car. You can’t beat the feeling. over the weekend I was out for a drive and came across a mcclaren. I know it was toying with me as we zipped down a major road at 110 mph. We hit a corner he down shifted and it was the last I saw it....but I felt really fast for 5 miles.. on on the way home a little hot hatch was revving at me an an intersection. It jumped at the light..without much effort or revving very high, I did to it what the McAllen did to me... just enjoy the ride.

I agree with the thought that the 997 TT was in the wrong gear. Having owned a 2002 996 C4S and a 2008 997 TT, I can tell you that there is no comparison in terms of acceleration. I can also tell you that the 997 TT has significant turbo lag, and that would come into play in the wrong gear.

Thinking about the Mcclaren mention above? Anyone drive one? Is it something you would want to take across country with the spouse? We have a dealership down the street from us. I just don't dig the modern supercars. They all seem to work way to hard to look like the Bat Mobile (Christian Bale version).

3,000 mile road trip in a Mcclaren https://www.thedrive.com/news/33009/...n-a-mclaren-f1

I test drove a new McLaren 570S Spider last summer. It was fast and exotic, but it was cramped and uncomfortable. I can't imagine a long road trip in one.

Thanks for posting. Seen enough, I would choke out the passenger after about 50 miles. Passenger sits behind you. First, how do you talk. Second, I would feel like a child sitting in the back. Stupid road mobile in my opinion. For someone with too much money. I'd buy 1,000 996's first.