3.4 vs 3.6 Liter 996

Hi all, New member as of today. I owned a 2001 996 until lease was up. Situation changed, now looking for a used Cab. 6 speed of course Question: How much performance difference between 3.4 liter and 3.6 liter. And any other noticable differences. Thanks in advance

The 3.6l has 25 horses. Also, more torque, but can't remember how much.

Let me rephrase my question I know about the increases in power and torque, but what does a butt-dyno say. Anyone driven these two back to back, what are percieved differences like feel of power, smoothness, sound. Thanks again

i had a 3.4L before, now an 03 3.6L... much happier with the 3.6L - not much quicker >30mph, but under, it is noticeably quicker. Also - i know it is stupid - but the glove box is so nice to have. The sound of the 3.6L to 3.4L is near identical IMHO.

I have a 3.4, and I'm consigning it right now, while the dealer is looking for a clean 3.6 for me. I noticed that the 3.6 996 and 997 have almost identical power curves, I guess for obvious reasons. They both felt noticably more powerful than the 3.4, and I would agree mostly down low. The tranny and suspension felt a bit improved in the 997 vs the 996, but they're close.

That is hard to say, 3.4 has 25 fewer ponies true but also weights less. Those extra 25HP make up for the weight but in reality I do not think you could tell the difference other than the minor exterior and interior design changes. IMHO

I have driven the Mk I and Mk II 996's back to back several times. In my experience, on a full throttle 0-100 mph acceleration run you will not feel a huge difference between the cars. The Mk II just feels slightly more powerful in this situation. However, you will notice a big difference puttering around town in the mid to low end of the powerband when you want a quick squirt of power or loafing along on the highway and then adding power to make a pass (without a gear change). In situations like this the added torque, and the fact that the extra torque builds much earlier in the power band, is very apparent. The best way to experience the difference is to get over to your dealership and drive a few cars back to back. Good luck.

Not to split hairs, but horsepower doesn't make up for weight. Torque does.

The real difference between the 2 is the mid-range torque. the 3.6l give you a nice push in the back at 2500 to 3000 rpms that does not exist with the 3.4l. Keep in mind the the 3.6l not only produces more torque, it does so at lower rpms with a lower peak (4250 versus 4600). Once this kicks in, it noticeably revs faster everywere above that. Just test drive a Cayman and a new Carrera back to back and you will notice the same thing.

I can confirm that my 3.4 is pretty weak below 3.5k RPM. However, I test drove a 997 Carrera and was not impressed either with the low to mid end push. The car just felt heavier.

Although probably not on point, I thought I'd add that in my opinion there is a much bigger difference between the 3.4 liter tiptronic and the 3.6 tiptronic, due to the increased number of shift maps on the later car (I think it went from somewhere around 5 or 6 maps to over 200).

Drive 2 of them back to back...I did and I bought a 3.4L...The 3.4L is PLENTY fast and look at the numbers, they are almost identical as far as 0-60 times. I think finding a good car is more important than whether its a 3.4 or 3.6. Also if you want to chip or add headers and exhaust, the 3.4L responds better to those mods...apparently there is more room for improvement there. Maybe the differences are not in the motor size, but in the intake, exhaust, and ECU....maybe Porsche improved it in the 3.6L.

The difference is 20 hp not 25 ( 300 vs. 320 { MY99 was 296 - base 997 is 325 } ) Torque difference is 15 lb-ft ( 258 vs. 273 ). Performance difference ( Porsche's numbers which are conservative, but to compare apples to apples ) is .2 seconds 0-62 mph ( 5.2 vs. 5.0 ) and top speed is 174 mph ( 3.4l ) vs. 177 mph ( 3.6l ). Weight difference is 55 lbs on a C2 ( 2,910 lbs vs. 2,965 lbs )

Not much noticeable difference between the two.

The 3.6L cabs (2002+) have a glass rear windshield. 3.4L cabs have the plastic. IIRC the suspension on the 3.6L was supposed to be slightly stiffer, but I don't remember it was something I noticed. And also the face lift of course.

by no means am I an expert, but when I was shopping, I noticed the '02 models were much louder. The dealer attributed this to changes in suspension in '03. I felt that the '03 and '04 felt and sounded the same, but the '02 was noticably louder. I drove 2 '02s, 3 '03s, and 2 '04s. I settled on an '03 with 19" wheels, and even with the lower profile tires, it is still quieter than the '02s. I can't say I drove any of them hard enough to determine if there was a difference in handling.

i would go with the 02 and above.... buy the newest you can afford....

Here is a partial list of some of the updates... - 20 extra hp (24 more than the '99) - more torque at a lower rpm (thanks to VarioCam Plus) - Better aerodynamics (20% less front lift and 40% less rear lift) - 20% stiffer chassis - improved interior - improved oiling (revised pan and baffles for better high g performance) - improved engine cooling (the newer cars run cooler as a result) - better fuel economy (1 mpg, but with $2.50 gas every bit helps) - improved suspension (reinforced strut towers, revised springs, shocks, bushings, and sway bars). - revised exhaust (better sound) - only a 55 lb weight gain over the '99-'01 cars

Uhhhh, yeah, and let's not forget that the 3.6 engine doesn't seem to have any weak spots. That alone is worth it.

Aww, you guys are making me feel like I've got the poor, slow, took-the-short-bus-to-school car.

Really? 04 Anniversary Edition engine Kaput!

Yikes! But that's the first I've seen, although I don't typically hang out in the 996/997 forum.

There is a noticable difference. It would be best to test drive both back to back. It's up to you whether it's worth the $$$. To me it was.

i say it depends on the price.... does anyone have the break down on what you can do to a 99-01 to make it into the 02+ specs.... ie suspension, rigid chassis etc....... if you can get yourself a 99 for around $32K and an 02 for around $42..... that's a $10K difference....... what can one do with $10K........

The 3.6 engine does not run cooler than the 3.4. They simply changed the gauge to read cooler.

don't know about that one..... in the documentation porsche puts out they state that the car is 80% new over the 3.4... so in essense your buying a newly developed car equivalent to all the pros and cons of owning a "first year" car... from observation failure rates are no better than the 3.4 cars... not knocking the 3.6 cars at all... they are in many ways superior (by a small margin) but buying a 2002 so you won't have the pitfalls of a 99 MY... I'd think about that one again...

Well, that's the first I've heard, but then again, I know more about the air-cooled ones than these. I ran a 996 engine poll in the 996 forum, but it seems that the 997 is still too new for that. Can you point me in the direction of some of these 997 engine failures? Most of what I read pertains to the early 996 and early Boxster engines (Boxster Engine Failure Survey in the Boxster forum).

wasn't referring to 997 cars...

Just want to thank everyone who has shared thier input. This has really helped out me, a second type newbee, in my decision making process. Where I am at is preference for '02 or later, unless I find a '00 or '01 equiped satisfactorily for a rediculously low price. I should have bought my '01 when the lease was over, then at least I would have known everything about the history of the car. But I didnt so time to start the hunt.

I was under the impression that the late 3.6 996 engines are basically the same as the 3.6s on the 997. No?

they are

The entire longblock assemblies between the 996 3.6l and the 997 3.6l are identical. The only differences are the accessory routing, a different airbox and exhaust routing. The muffler cans are the same between the 996 and 997.