Mod 996 vs 997?

Hello all, Since I have seen so many comments about the 997 chassis being so great (which I personally, do not doubt), I ponder how good would it compare to a mod 996... So, let's make it official... has somebody driven both a 996 with modified susp (say, PSS9/SBs, etc) and a 997? Would that person mind to shed some light here? Is the 997 that good? I, humbly, wonder...

I have driven a 997 and can tell you that the improvements are minimal. Yes it turns in a bit sharper and the chasis feels a little stiffer than a 996, but its not like it handles 1G and goes through the slallom 10 MPH faster. A modified 996 will handle better, but then again a 997 with the same mods would be just a little better again. If you are changing thinking that the handling is better than your wasting your money. Make the change for more power, newer looks, and better interior not for a slight advantage in handling.

I have RoW M030 and have driven a 997S. In sport mode the two feel very similar. The 997S has a really nice torque band and the acceleration is very linear. It loses some the great tactile feeling in the steering that the 996 has though.

stock to stock, i feel 997s is superior than 996 in almost every way (int. layout, design etc are personal taste of course). 997 suspension is supple yet firmer than stock 996c2. however, a modded c2 like my with moton club sport can easily outhandle a stock 997s. however, my car is not pleasant to drive on the streets. i am not sure what you are comparing. but if you want to compare stock 997s to stock 996c2, the 997 is the better car IMHO.

Let's compare the 996 with ROW 030 to a 997 S and a regular 997... I believe the underlying question people are wondering about is do you sell your 996 for 997 performance which is a big diff in $$$ or do you upgrade your suspension on 996 to make it handle as good as a 997 or 997 S?

There are too many other issues involved in whether to swap for a 997S to answer the question. But having just been in a new 04 Targa purchased earlier this year, I can say I never liked the stock suspension, I felt a strong "need" to change it, and I had X74 on order from Gert (but traded the Targa before it shipped). The 997S, especially in sport mode, for my purposes has a nice, firm enough, suspension - I don't feel a need to change it. There are other improvements. I put PSE on the Targa because I didn't like stock; the 997S has a nice exhaust note and I don't feel a need to change it. I put a short shifter on too, but the 997S is improved. With your PSS9, which I haven't driven, I would think the handling improvements would be marginal, not enough alone to justify a change.

c70pete, thanks for the clarification, but i think jcnesq is right. there are too many variables. you can easily modify a 996 to handle like or better than a 997S. however, you can then put money in 997S to modify it better than a modded 996. also they don't feel the same. 997 is stiffer and has less rattles. the design of the interior is personal taste ( i like 996 interior ), but i feel 997's have better material.

Mooty, I guess what I'm tryin to say is for those who don't want to spend the $$$ buying a 997s first then upgrading... (big $$$$ diff from used 996 to new 997S!!) having a 996 and upgrading suspension is much less expensive than shelling out the $$$ for a brand new car... and I speak of performance alone... styling of the vehicles is personal...

pete, yes, you can mod 996 to handle better and firmer than stock 997 and 997s. but 997s with pasm is more versatile since you can choose normal/sport mode unlike a modded 996. while many coil overs have adjustability, they aren't like 997s where you just push a button.