Just spent 14 days with 2x GT4RS owners (and 4x 992 GT3 owners amongst others) running all the tracks in the South Island of New Zealand along with 4600 fast road km. Its an annual boys trip. There were 12 of us private hired each track including exclusive use of the Rodin Cars track....
We swapped cars on road and track. I was curious as I have deposit down for a 4RS which I was thinking to replace my 992 GT3 with until the 992.2 GT3 arrives next year.
The 4RS flared downshifts are great. Many others do this except for Porsche with the PDK. Even my Giulia QV flares wonderfully in Race mode. Porsche should add this drama to all their PDK GT models IMO!
The noise through the airbox is fun too.
Given the average travel distance of almost 500km a day and all roads in NZ being coarse chip seal - it can get old fast - but I did enjoy the noise on shorter spirited back road drives. We run with RTs in the car (and radar, and a Iridium sat tracking unit etc) as we cover ground fast as Watt Webb will attest. One 4RS owner used noise cancelling headphones. The other did not but he couldn't hear us most of the time on the radios especially during overtaking manevours.
Part of the noise in both cabins is of course road noise. Tire noise in the Cayman however is we agreed a little more intrusive than in the 911. Its having those shocks mounted only 35cm from your head and the pulsating/pressure they cause through the cabin they share with the driver - bouncing it seems of the glass hatch above. This has always been an issue on our coarse seal roads - I found my GT4 to have more road noise than any of my 911s even though they had often wider tires...nothing new here....
One interesting observation we made that I haven't seen "motor writers" refer too was this....
The thing you most immediately notice jumping between the two cars is "when you get onto it" having just jumped into the GT3 from the 4RS is how the drivetrain seems to be more taunt. For example cruise in 4th at 100 then drop down to 2nd and hit the gas and the GT3 you feel some driveline shunt in your back and the rear driveshafts immediately hook into the pavement through the tires. This was most often noticeable on the track when you are dropping a gear or two into a slow corner and nailing it on exit. With the 4RS that shunt and immediacy wasn't the same (or infact as perceivable).
In the end the engineers amongst us determined this was maybe a function of the mid engine configuration in the Cayman and therefore the driveline dynamics are different...a tad less immediate and raw.
Other things to notice on our Kiwi roads at least is that the 4RS bounces around a little more than the GT3 over bigger compressions at speed. It touches the pavement more often under spirited driving conditions- but that turned out to be just the plastic diffuser fins as we determined when we had all the cars on the lift for wheel rotations. In the 4RS they sit very low. They were starting to get chewed out a bit. Our roads aren't as smooth as Europe. When the 4RS drivers in front asked if the GT3 guys had felt the pavement after a big compression we never did.
I thought the rear mirror visibility was bad with the 992 GT3. I think it may be worse with the 4RS - you cant see a car till its right behind you - at least if you are over 182cm it seemed...
The 4RS is more fun on shorter technical road courses but the GT3 was quicker at every track by around 1s per 1 minute track with same or similar driver back to back.
Swapping in and out of the cars as passengers it was possible to really understand what's happening here. The GT3 is planted under high speed braking and its lack of understeer and considerable mechanical grip advantage allows it to be directed into a corner quicker using trail braking, and hold the line tighter under more maintenance throttle than the 4RS. The 4RS squirms around more under braking, it tends towards understeer on corner entry and it cant hold the tightening radius with as much throttle on the large long fast sweepers at the end of the straights.
In most other parts of the track the cars were an equal match. In a straight line there's nothing in it. On some corners where a double apex is the only real viable/quick method in the GT3 the Cayman can take a tightening radius line and stay on the gas quite well sometimes picking up a tenth or two until corner exit when the GT3 digs in. In particularly technical sections of the track where there were high load transitions from left to right corners the GT3 held the advantage and pulled 2-3 tenths as it was stable under weight transfer and could maintain a higher average corner speed...
This is no surprise. The GT3 has a wider track, larger tire contact patches and a more sophisticated rear multi link suspension. With the new double wishbone front suspension the turn in is more immediate and the car more neutral than understeer. Id forgotten about the new axle in the GT3 until I drove the 4RS and then it reminded me of my 991.2 GT3! Then there is the 4WS in the GT3 which Ive never particularly noticed in play, but obviously has dynamic merits.
Lastly throw in better aero and the high speed stable cornering package is complete.
What does it mean on the track. Simply that to keep a 992 GT3 in sight a 4RS driver of similar ability is working harder and taking more risk (skill level or course is a factor here). Ultimately lap times are one metric, and the GT3 is definately quicker, but more importantly to a seasoned track driver is consistence and here, although experience is also in play, the GT3 could more consistently achieve a cluster of multiple lap times per session within 3-4ths of the personal best time. Its a function of driving less on the limit and having slightly more stable package. You are working harder in the Cayman and that's when more mistakes and variance takes place, for us amateurs at least!
The GT3 feels the more "taunt" package on the track - a bit more immediate to weight transfer, throttle, steering and brake inputs. Very subtle but its there. It was probably more noticeable to me because I've spent many1000s of laps in 911s over the last decade, and only used a GT4 on the track a short time (relatively speaking), so for me it seems the 911 always has a few options up its sleeve when you are stepping over the limit - and weight transfer - albeit a dynamic disadvantage on paper in a 911 actually provides advantages in many situations if you know how...the Cayman Im always aware from experience has little left on the table to help you when it goes wrong! Ive had expensive moments in both GT4 and GT3 over the years to underline these points! Both need respect on the limit.
Interestingly on the track both cars seem loud inside to a similar degree but just in a different way. With the GT3 it is mostly linear engine and exhaust noise and in the 4RS its peaky Induction and downshift flare noise. Of course you are 65% of the time WOT on the track all the way to 9000 rpm.
From the sidelines we all agreed the GT3 was the best sounding car on the track (mostly 992s and 718s). By a long shot. The 4RS has a remarkably quiet voice even when WOT. Of course an aircooled 993 with a sports exhaust would have blow everything away in the cool sound stakes IMO!
So that's pretty much it from my exhaustive time sitting in, driving, driving behind and in front of on road and track as passenger and driver of the two for 14 days and almost 5000km.
My conclusion. As a track guy who does an annual mega trip to far away tracks and needs a trusty steed that's super quick and stable on the track and not too tiring on the open road the GT3 wins for me personally. the 992 RS is out as I need 2 weeks luggage space! But I think the 4RS is a super cool road package.
But what I really realised is this...
If you own either of these cars and cannot own both at the same time then just stick with whichever of the two you already have. They are both fantastic cars. They are on paper so similar but in reality different enough that quite frankly in a perfect world you'd have both - the 992 GT3 for track work and long track based road trips like we do every year and a 4RS for back road blasts with mates and ocassional sortes to local tracks!
This wouldn't be the case between a GT3 and GT3 RS. In this instance Id say you would only own one.
There really is no right answer. Peel away all the media hyperbole and plaguerism and once you get over the sound of the "buzz saw in a box" next to your ear in the RS - and just focus on the chassis and dynamics - I think you will most likely come to a similar conclusion as I have. Especially if you are able to spend extended time in both platforms pushing hard on road and tracks you are familiar with...
P.S. One thing Im fairly certain of. For those who think that the Cayman chassis can take gobs more power than the 4RS - and therefore be more dynamically capable than the latest GT3 or GT3 RS - then I think you may need to reconsider!
IMO and experience after this comparison I came to realise that the limitations of the Cayman are no longer its power unit but in fact its chassis/mechanical grip. We have seen such huge advances in damper technology, tire compounds and suspension architecture with Porsche over the last 9 years that its clear power isnt the only answer to quicker lap times with their NA powered cars. I can say that hand on heart of you threw another 80bhp and 100nm into the 4RS you'd have a car that only a seasoned track pro could get a consistent measurable improvement from. And it probably wouldnt me measurably quicker than the current 992 GT3 on a typical European circuit. That wouldn't be the case in the GT3/RS 911 platform - the GT2RS is the same chassis (more or less) with more power and proves the point. Caymans limitation is rear and front suspension (packaging limited), relatively modest tire patch (again packaging limited wheel widths) and aero....its an old platform now and with 500bhp its limitations become more apparent....
So thats what I came up with. My decision. If I cant afford to own both 4RS and GT3 then Ill just wait to replace the 992.1 GT3 with the 992.2 GT3 (and perhaps that will be the end of the line for the NA platform as we know it).
So I need to start saving and work harder to make more money and space to own both LOL!
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2022 Toyota GR Yaris, 2021 992 GT3, 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia QV, 2009 Lotus Elise SC
