4 wheel drive; a plus or irrelevant?

[Guest]

I originally put this on the C4S v GT3 thread, but it may be better on its own, as a separate topic.

Do you think 4 wheel drive is a benefit on a 996?

The GT3 and GT2 are 2 wheel drive, the Turbo and C4S are 4 wheel drive.
Since on the C4S (I' m not sure about the Turbo) 95% of the power goes to the rear wheels, what difference does it make? Under poor conditions (i.e. snow) it may help, but then you aren' t likey to driving it with " max attack" . Serious sideways action may be the order of the day on an Evo VIII or an Imprezza, but I just can' t envisage doing this in my C4S.

I have noticed that there are times when it runs wide when I apply more power, and times when it tightens it' s line. I have not yet fully worked out what to expect.
I' m used to rear wheel drive, so perhaps I just need more time (only 2K miles in it so far, but increasing at 300+ per week []).

Or am I missing the point, and foot to floor in the wet it really helps. Perhaps my Kahuna' s are not yet big enough.

I' d be interested to hear others views.

Rgds, Stuart.

 

[Kevin Cooke]

Stuart,

My C4S is the first fast 4 wheel drive car I' ve owned.

At my first track day last month for the 1st few runs it just didn' t seem to feel as well balanced as my old Boxster S, but after a few runs I felt as I was getting the hang of it.

It feels more ' technical' to drive quickly than the Boxster and overall on a track i' m sure 4 wheel drive adds zip, however having got caught once by mud mid corner on a 400 mile thrash from Cardiff through north Wales and back to London this winter it certainly felt 150% more capable than a Boxster in similar circumstances.

I' ll also soon be able to do back-back comparison with another 4 wheel drive car as I' ve ordered a WRX Scooby for the wife.

Regards

 

[Melv]

Ah, the old C2/C4 debate.......having owned a 964 C4 for about 6 years as a daily user, then for high days and track days only, the all round sure footedness, even in the most inclement weather, would put a C4 high on my list if I wanted a 911 road car again.

It didn' t fare badly on track, either, wet or dry.....

Understeer was a problem, but a bit more grunt in the back and a play around with the front toe and camber settings soon sorted that out.

And slow in, fast out still applies, 4WD or not....

Melv