996 Newbie - Traction Question

Hi guys, recently purchased a 996 C2 from Hartech (Silver "R" plate on their website) I was just wondering if it is "vital" that a C2 has traction control as the one I have purchased hasn't, will I have to take it easier than normal?? I'm used to FWD or 4WD VW's/Audi's (as you can tell by my username!) rather than RWD, I'm not one to "thrash" around all the time but occaionally want to open the taps a little and feel confidence in the car underneath me. Cheers Stu

The best accessory you can get is a days advanced driving instruction - its the best £300 i've spent on any car. If you want the security of traction control then Racelogic sell a retrofit system that has options for adjusting the intervention - http://www.racelogic.co.uk/?show=Traction_Control Despite all of that the 996 is surprisingly tractable - the light front end takes some getting used to, but provided you are sensible with throttle application and balance the car through corners you can really make the most of the traction afforded by that heavy rear end.

Stu Like you, I have an early 996C2 without tc. Like you I was a bit concerned as my previous Porsches had tc or PSM. But I've never found it to be a real problem. You soon get to understand how far you can push it, but it is very sticky especially on dry roads. I'm running on 285 x 18 Rossos at the rear, so I suppose that helps to some extent. Have fun Jon

Cheers Jon, gives me a bit more confidence! How do you find your car in the wet?

I just look in the garage and there it is! It's fine. You need to treat exits from greasy roundabouts with respect, though. But even if the back misbehaves, it is very easy to correct in these circumstances. Regards Jon

TC is only for wimps ... ;-) No probs at all with my C2 in the wet or dry without TC. Think you'd have to be very heavy footed and unsympathetic to get into big difficulty - its well planted at the back (unlike the MKII RS2000 I had 20 years ago!). Its a brilliant car that I've taken to 260km/h in Germany, across Norwegian mountains and Alpine passes last year. And, if you play Golf, you can fit a set of clubs across the folded back seats and a Powercaddy 3 wheel trolley fits in the boot of a C2 pefectly.

Hi Stu, And first of all welcome aboard..... I also have an early 996 C2 without tc and my previous two cars were an Audi A6 2.8quattro and then a 964 C4 so moving to a rear-wheel only drive car I was naturally more cautious. However, after 4+ years of daily driving (rain/snow) and a few track days (dry/wet) I have found the car to be nothing less than excellent for what it is but agree with the previous comments about being more cautious under poorer conditions. Of course, you need to be more careful under poor conditions, especially when you are 'learning' to drive a car that in reality is a completely different setup to one you have previously got used to - the characteristics will be VERY different on the limit, but most people wouldnt drive like that on a public road. Driver instruction and track-days will let you explore what the car can do legally and in safety. Brands Hatch have a Novice Only track day coming up in June so it might be worth considering that. All the best and enjoy your new car! Rob