UncleJosh, Neil, and RonCT (as well as others)

Great thanks for all the great advice as well as from others.

The 2S sounds like it will do just fine for me. I don't drive 17 into Santa Cruz much, and most definitely I never will encounter snow.

The 09 power upgrade sounds great but not sure I want to wait another year to order a car.

I am really in no hurry, and with 400 HP in my 360 which I rarely call upon to its maximum, I am sure the 2S with some upgrades may be just fine for me.

I can change out the wheels and tires to my preferred widths as I am again doing with my 360. I like the new P40 monocast series from HRE, and I like wide tires. So, I can certainly emulate the 4S width w/o difficulty.

I don't want extra weight or driveline complexities.

It's the Porsche options list that's driving me nuts. Man there is too much from which to choose!

Many thanks again to all.

 

The C4 is a better looking car IMO than the C2 but the looks are a personal preference. I've had 3 911's and currently have a C4S which is my favorite but not necessarily because it's a C4. They are both great cars and you can't go wrong with either.

Here are a few suggestions on options to consider:

Appearance:

Do something to make the interior a little different: gauges in exterior color, seatbelts in exterior color, some carbon fiber or trim in exterior color to make the car a little different than everyone else's. Wheel spacers - fill out the tire wells and make the car look much better.

Performance:

Sounds like you can have what you want so consider the X51 package. Everyone who has it is glad he does. Yes, it's expensive, but it moves your car performance wise to another level. You get everyday driving performance that is similar to GT3 (faster 0-60). Sure if you run on the track or regularly exceed 100mph the GT3 outperforms but otherwise the X51 offers a lot.

Drive a car with PCCB and compare it to turbo brakes. I've got the PCCB's and love them, they are amazing.

Sports adapative seats. I drove 700 miles one day in my car and got out not the least bit tired. On the autocross track they make a big difference. Extremely comfortable and worth getting.

S package. Unless you're on a budget this is a no brainer.

One of the upgraded wheel packages. Just different - and better looking.

Sports shifter - just feels better.

Have fun building your car!

Tony

 

I forgot! Full leather! It really takes the interior of the car to a different level.

 

That's a pretty good first post Tony, keep up the good work!

 

I am new here but this is what I am thinking about. When I order, I will try to do the most go with less show, for the money. Lighter the better. I come from the BMW world where features, motors, leather and systems continue to add weight.

I agree: With so many options, you really have to decide what you want to maximize.

That was until I saw the Silver metallic / Carrera red leather combo. Pretty cool looking car.

C2S. White / sand beige leather. (Or Silver/ Carrera Red or Terrracotta full leather.)
Sport Seats. No power. No adaptive.
X51 Power pack.
Gauges, seat back and center console to match outside.
Sport Chrono.
Sport Shifter.
Radio upgrade. No CDP.
No nav. NUVI for me.

I would do a GT3 with manual windows and add a rear seat for car pool if I could afford it.

What are the lightest factory wheels? I love my Fikses. Are factory wheels as good? What is the appeal of 19's? Don't you guys have potholes and railroad tracks where you live? Thanks to a pothole on I40, I just replaced a rear ( rear!!!) tire and wheel on a Honda Odyssey for $500 including alignment. Lord knows what that would cost on a C2S!

I have a Volvo now and am done with all wheel drive. I love the C4S look but I don't see how it mixes with performance tires. My Volvo shreds the fronts and will not stay aligned. I won't go there again.

Hope I did not slow up the class. Just trying to learn.

ps: wasn't there a period around 2003 or 2004 when all the C4S models came with full leather? Is that the case today? If so, the value of the C4S is a bargain with the full leather thrown in. If my recollection is faulty, I am open to correction. Thanks.

 

In retrospect, I would have ordered full leather, sports seats (heated) or the new folding sports bucket seats (look very cool), full leather rear center console, red deviated stitching, red seat belts, black pcm.

I custom ordered my Carrera S 2 years ago and all I got was Porsche crest in the headrests, heated seats, Sports Chrono plus, and a few other options (nothing like the flashy stuff above).

Enjoy!

 

Tony,

Thank you for your input.

The $ is not an issue. It's a matter of what's best to order and which will make the most sense for me.

As to your good suggestions my answers as follows:

Appearance:

I am definitely opting for the black dash, black steering wheel, black door uppers, etc.

Also plan on some contrast seat stitching and a few additional options with this concept.

Wheels would be aftermarket, wider tires, and spacers if the wheels' offset is inadequate.

Performance:

I don't know yet if the X51 engine option is of value. I need to drive an S and and S with the option to be sure. Remember, I already own a rocket ship.

Again, I don't track cars so I am not sure if that package would be of value.

I don't think I can justify the expense of the PCCB's. I know they are good, but it's the very high reshoeing expense that would not endear me to them.

Sports adapative seats are a must. I ordered the 530i with them, and they are great. I agree that they are "Extremely comfortable and worth getting".

Definitely the S package.

Sports shifter - fully agree here

So a bit more thinking and reviewing the options sheets. There are 40 pages!

regards and thanks

 

If I were in the same position I would go C4S. Since you are keeping the Ferrari and are looking for a good cruiser to replace the SL500, I think the C4S cab will offer a better all around experience. In my opinion the wider rear fenders are noticeable, and you can put some serious wheels on there to take advantage of those wide hips.

As for the power kit, since this is your cruiser I would just skip that option and spend that money elsewhere on the car. Get some unique color/interior options instead. The car will be plenty powerful in stock treatment and will be a blast to drive. I would also go with the ceramic brake option. Not only will you have improved braking, but you will have virtually no brake dust and some insane looking brakes! Unless you put a ton of track miles on the car you shouldn't have to worry about brake maintenance at all.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Great advice and it gives me much more about which to think.

Brake dust on the 360 drives me nuts. 90% of the time the car is clean and the wheels are dirty. I am going to different pads to cure this.

The PCCB's are costly to purchase and to replace. Not sure that would excite me. Belts and services on the 360 are one cost with which to deal. I would not like to look forward to another. However, I will look at that possibility.

When do you get yours back? Quite an ordeal but thankfully under warranty. It's a beutiful color as well.

Thanks for the thoughts.

I am updating my spread sheet with all possibilities to see where I end up. Those totals will have an effect of some of my choices, and I am looking to purchase more real estate. So, I want to be carful with some disbursements.

 

If you choose not to get the X51 option. I recommend you should at least get the Sport Exhaust option by itself. I know PSE is not even close to 360 exhaust but it is more fun when driving with 2 tones of the exhaust noise at the push of a button.

 

Gcalo,

Thankfully the new engine has already arrived and I am hoping to have the car back by the end of the week.

As for the cost of maintaining the PCCBs, with casual driving you should be able to gets a ton of miles out of those brakes before you need to change the pads. The rotors are the most expensive part to replace, and those should probably last the life of the car.

Good luck with picking the options!

 

Don't get sucked into the media induced buying frenzy. The car bone stock is amazing and you feel "value" every day you use it. Adding all sorts of options for no real gain just makes many feel "silly" once they realize they spent $10k (or more) for nothing more than a C2S. Wider hips to get more rubber under the car? Come on -- you can put whatever tires you want on a C2 or C4 -- no difference. Want really wide rears, then get yourself some aftermarket wheels built for you. But, be aware that you cannot upset the balance of the car much else suffer PSM and ABS issues (honestly, nobody needs more than 235/305 - ever - take it from a track guy). PCCBs are a waste in my opinion -- steel brakes are absolutely solid and in the track world, those that have bought on to the idea that PCCB is "better" have since taken PCCB off their cars and put OEM steel or larger Brembos on. Dust bothering you, swap out the pads. Things like Sport Chrono - gimmick. Doesn't add even a tiny bit of performance, it's all for show (if you like the wart on the dash).

I could have ordered whatever I wanted on my C2S and after analyzing the options list realized only the following would be of any use to me: Sport Seats (didn't go power - I set it and leave it because nobody else drives this car), heated seats (cold track and street days here in CT), fire extinguisher (mandatory for PCA events), carpet mats. That's it. $85k sticker purchased for $77k (I ordered it).

I considered the power kit, but after reading many magazine articles and talking to a few people that have it, the bottom line was the nominal bump wasn't even perceived. One person thought that maybe there was a tiny bit more pull at the higher end of the range, if any at all. Instead, I customized my car with AWE headers, cats, mufflers, and REVO software. Now it's an animal and based on telemetry and driving with guys I know at the track, I'm equivalent to 997 GT3 performance. And the sound is intoxicating.

The best "ego stroke" I get is when I'm at the track, dealer, downtown, friends, etc. and people notice and comment positively on the "proper Porsche" -- meaning I didn't load it up with "stuff", it sounds great, and performance is beyond any other C2S or C4S around.

Do what you like, but just understand that some of what Porsche calls "performance" is not (ie: PSE -- it's heavier than stock meaning slightly less performance - but it's louder and has motors to turn it on and off).

 

ron, you're living in a pipe dream. to say you get your ego stroked because people recognize your car is a stripped out car and is a more proper porsche than a car with sunroof, full leather, cf is absolute absurdity and rather pathetic if you ask me.

if you want a stripped out car, get a lotus or ariel atom and be done with the porky 911 chassis. if you get a 911 which is more a gt car than a raw sports car, go with the niceties. it's a comfortable daily driver car and all the luxuries add to the experience.

i'd get the c4s because it absolutely looks better than the narrowbody. if you're serious about having "fun", save your coins and get the proper gt1 engined gt3.

 

Ron,

Compliments to you on your vehicle's color choice, we have similar taste.

I think that one of the greatest features about the PCCBs, aside from their tendency to have reduced fade compared to conventional setups, is the amount of unsprung weight they take off the car. I could be wrong but I recall the number being around 36/37lbs of unsprung weight reduction by using PCCBs. That is almost half the weight of the conventional steel rotor setup. This reduction would translate into better acceleration, braking, and suspension response. For those that wouldn't track their car the benefits would be for the most part aesthetic as they are larger and offer no brake dust. In some instances switching to a no-dust pad on a conventional setup would result in a decrease in braking performance, especially in high heat situations.

The choice to switch from PCCBs to steel rotors I believe was a more common practice on the generation I PCCBs that were developing microcracks in the rotors. Later versions appear to have much better quality control. For those that increase the size of their stock steel brake setup by going to larger rotors & calipers, they are increasing their unsprung weight at the same time. So with PCCBs you get larger rotors, bigger calipers, and less weight than a stock setup. Porsche also uses PCCBs on their 997 cup cars.

For the record, I don’t have PCCB, but wish I did.

 

When you order a 911 from scratch today you have to think down the road a bit. Recall that they build a custom wiring harness for each car. To retrofit some things later is rather expensive. Checking here and on Rennlist and Rennteam for what others have learned is very useful before you pull the plug.

Not selecting the PCCBs is penny wise, but pound foolish. They are terrfic brakes and I can't tell you the number of people out there with 997s who come up to me and tell me that they wished they had ordered the PCCBs when they could have. There has been such a demand for them that for awhile Porsche had to delete them from the turbo option list. They are now available again. People in the know are buying the PCCBs as they save a lot of unsprung weight and are about as low maintenance as you can get with a brake. You're ordering a high tech vehicle but you're putting iron rotors on it when siliconized carbon fiber is available? These are a $22K option if you were talking about a Ferrari 430,--they are a bargain with the Porsche line.

If you're over 50 like I am I just don't have the time and the energy to clean wheels all the time. With PCCBs you don't have to ever again. Modern compounds in regular brakes create so much dust that it is a mess in minutes. Your iron rotors will rust as soon as you wash them. The ceramic ones never do, and have stainless steel hats. (GT3's are aluminum). You will probably be able to run over 200,000 miles without a rotor change. How many would you replace (and labor) with iron ones? I equate the production of brake dust with wear, and I am barely getting any brake dust. The iron ones make a mess,--as they grind away.

Buy them simply for the feel. They reduce unsprung weight so effectively that the car handles so much better. Brake pedal feel is incredible. If you're already a Ferrari driver the PCCB issue is a no-brainer. You can certainly afford them.

And get yourself a neat color. Please don't ORDER another regular looking 911. There are 10s of thousands of silver and black Porsches out there. Get something unique. It's not expensive. Not really.

Dan

Mine:

997 Carrera S Cabriolet 6-speed

997 S Cabriolet 6-speed
98 Non-Metallic Paint to Sample (3AS Blue Turquoise)
06 Natural Leather Brown
CDZ Gear Lever Trim Leather
CUC Painted Model Desig Rear Lid
CUV Storage Cmpt Lid W/Model Logo
CZD Interior Light Cover Leather
M6H Brown Floor Mats
P01L Adaptive Sports Sts Lthr Int
V9 Black Top
XCZ Sport Shifter
XLF Sport Exhaust System
XMP Lthr Sun Visors Lighted Mirror
XMZ Rear Center Console - Leather
XRR 19" Carrera Sport wheel
XSB Sport Seat Backs in Leather
XTV Door Finishers Lthr
267 Self Dimming Mirrors
342 Heated Front Seats
451 Makassar Str Whl Multifctn
446 Wheel Caps w/Colored Crest
450 Ceramic Composite Brakes-PCCB
482 TPMS
498 Delete Model Designation
509 Fire Extinguisher
550 Hard Top
640 Sport Chrono Package Plus
672 Extended Nav Module
680 Bose High End Sound Package
692 Remote CD Changer
801 Makassar Package
TD5 Tourist Delivery