Porsche 996 Carrera 4S.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

Highlights

The subtle difference

The 911 Carrera 4S looks very similar to the 911 Turbo,as the front end has the same dark-finish air intake openings as the top model.A slight difference is visible at the spoiler lip,which is slightly raised in the center,thereby documenting the new,carefully controlled aerodynamic balance.

The rear section of the body is 60 mm wider than on the Carrera models;and in the wheel housings the standard 18-inch alloy wheels in Turbo styling provide ample traction.Another subtle difference between this model and the Turbo becomes obvious at the rear:A Carrera spoiler is used instead of the extending divided wing,and includes a red light strip providing a visual link between the two rear lights.These detail modifications give the Carrera 4S a distinctly different,striking rear-end appearance.

Four-wheel traction

This model has a 235 kW (320 bhp)3.6-litre flat-six power unit and standard four-wheel drive.With this technology and the viscous multiple-plate clutch,the front wheels deliver a constant minimum of 5 per cent of the tractive force to the road,rising to as much as 40 per cent if more is needed.The Porsche Stability Management (PSM)electronic dynamic driving control system,which,in conjunction with four-wheel drive,makes this a particularly safe car,is also standard equipment.

Top Porsche quality for suspension and brakes

The suspension of the 911 Carrera 4S has been lowered by 10 millimetres and is based on the 911 Turbo;including the brake system,the engine mounts and a front-axle pivot bearing optimised for good brake ventilation.This layout provides a unique combination of sport-style road behaviour,supreme handling and extremely high road safety.The wider rear track and the 295/30 ZR 18 rear tyres also increase the dynamic driving potential.

The brake system adopted from the 911 Turbo is another top-level active safety feature. Compared with the Carrera models,the front and rear wheels are decelerated by larger, uprated four-piston fixed callipers and the cross-drilled,inner vented brake discs are larger in size.These measures ensure extreme braking power in even the toughest conditions such as motor racing.

Like the 911 Turbo,the Carrera 4S is available as an option with Porsche Ceramic Compo- site Brakes or PCCB for short,reducing weight by approximately 50 per cent versus con- ventional brakes with grey-cast-iron discs.Further advantages in public traffic are a long running life and absolute resistance to any corrosion.

Top-quality standard equipment

In addition to features that also appear on the Carrera models,the Carrera 4S has a metallic paintwork,an abundance of leather in the interior,an audio sound package and electrically adjustable seats with a memory function for the driver 's side.The seat memory can be ac- tivated via buttons on the door sill or with the remote-control ignition key.

Porsche 911 Carrera 4S

Carrera in Turbo-Look

The Carrera 4S leaves no doubt as to what inspired its design:the 911 Turbo.The rear fen- ders of the Carrera 4S increase its width by 60 millimetres compared with the 911 Carrera, creating ample space for the standard 18-inch alloy wheels in Turbo design with 295/30 ZR 18 tyres.The Turbo model 's typical air intakes in the broad fenders,however,are lacking. These large side openings are not needed,as the engine compartment has no charge-air intercoolers demanding an abundant supply of fresh air.This,along with other aerodynamic measures,results in the improved aerodynamic drag coefficient of C d =0.30.

The engine cover on the 911 Carrera 4S has been matched to the wider rear end and,un- like the other 911 models,is made of glass-fibre reinforced plastic.This material is fre- quently used in Porsche 's motorsport activities and gives the designers and development engineers more freedom at the design stage.At the lower edge of the rear flap is a red light strip providing a visual link between the two rear lights.Another distinguishing Carrera 4S feature is the rear spoiler,adopted from the 911 Carrera,which extends automatically at 120 km/h for safe road behaviour at high speeds.Like the rear cover,the front end with its three characteristic dark-trimmed air intake openings has been taken over from the 911 Turbo,but modified slightly:Raising the spoiler lip in the centre adjusts front axle lift so that optimum aerodynamic balance between axle lift forces is obtained.

Top speed:280 km/h

Compared with the Carrera 4,weight has gone up slightly,resulting mainly from the wider rear end and more powerful brake system.However,this has only a minor effect on the thrust available from the 370 Nm,235 kW (320 bhp)3.6-litre flat-six engine,which acce- lerates the car from a standstill to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds and gives it a top speed of 280 km/h.Despite this vast power output and the high,flat torque curve,fuel consumption according to the EU standard test method is 11.4 litres per 100 kilometres,an improve- ment of more than 7 per cent compared with the previous 993-series model with its 210 kW (285 bhp)engine at the rear.

This significant reduction in fuel consumption from the six-cylinder engine is mainly due to VarioCam Plus,which Porsche developed initially for the 911 Turbo,but which is now,with suitable settings,also used on naturally-aspirated engines in other 911 models.This system, which adds a valve lift changeover device on the inlet side to the VarioCam variable inlet camshaft system,consists of movable cup tappets actuated by an electrohydraulic 3/2-way valve.Different cam profiles are provided on the inlet camshaft and brought into action with the corresponding valve lift values by repositioning the tappets.One might therefore say that VarioCam Plus makes two engines out of one:the first has low valve lift and is ideal for city traffic and part-loads.The second engine,with greater valve lift,supplies three times as much torque within fractions of a second and is designed for top performance.

The 3.6-liter flat-six engine has four oxygen sensors in the exhaust system - one control and one diagnostic sensor for each cylinder bank.Together with secondary air injection, modern catalytic converter technology using metal monoliths enables the 911 Carrera 4S to comply easily with exhaust emission limits worldwide.

Safe,reliable traction

The Carrera 4S has four-wheel drive as a standard in both the six-speed manual-gearbox and Tiptronic S versions.With four-wheel drive including a multiple-plate viscous coupling clutch in the driveline,the front wheels apply a constant minimum of 5 per cent of the total traction force to the road,but up to 40 per cent if more is needed.Rather than ultimate traction,the emphasis is on supreme behaviour and safety.In conjunction with four-wheel drive,the Porsche Stability Management (PSM)electronic dynamic driving control system makes driving particularly safe and is also standard equipment.

Same brake system as on the Turbo - and as an option with PCCB

With its Turbo brake system,the 911 Carrera 4S has the same excellent braking performance as the 911 GT2 and 911 Turbo.Unlike the Carrera models,larger uprated four-piston fixed callipers are responsible for deceleration of the front and rear wheels.The cross-drilled, innervented brake discs are of course larger than before:diameter at the front is 330 milli- metres and width is 34 millimetres.The rear brake discs have the same diameter and are 28 millimetres wide.This system guarantees extreme braking power even in the toughest conditions such as motor racing.

As an option the Carrera 4S is available with PCCB Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes approximately 50 per cent lighter than conventional brakes with grey-cast-iron brake discs and reducing unsprung masses accordingly.Further advantages of PCCB brakes are their long running life in public transport and their absolute resistance to corrosion.

Standard equipment far superior to Carrera models

As far as equipment is concerned,Porsche leaves the exclusive position of the Carrera in no doubt,placing it very close to the 911 Turbo and therefore giving it a considerably wider re of standard equipment than the other Carrera models.In addition to four-wheel drive and Porsche Stability Management,these include special 18-inch wheels in Turbo design and 295/30 ZR 18 rear tyres,a brake system increased in size,red brake callipers,metallic paintwork,an audio system with sound package,electrically adjustable seats with a position memory function and all leather upholstery and trim.