engines .... 996rs vs. 97GT3 vs. RS3.8
Discussion
the 6rs & early 7gt3 (both 3.6L) have very similar engines, the 7 gained power over the 6rs (410 v 400) with a larger intake, better exhaust design & later software.. on track there is not a lot between them.. on the road the 7 is quicker due to other subjects.. the 7.2 3.8 (I've only driven an rs) is a genuine leap forward both on road & track.. want one!
Have not tried the 996, but have both a 3.6RS and 3.8RS in the garage. The 3.6 engine was identical in both the GT3 and the GT3RS apart form a single mass flywheel as I recall and performance was basically the same on both models.
The 3.8 was more differenciated in the RS compared to the normal GT3 with a bit more power.
Difficult to isolate the engine alone as the aerodynamics are pretty different at very high speeds. The 3.8 certainly feels more torquey, but more importantly the whole package feels a lot more planted.
I know some people who have the 996RS and who have tried the 997s , and who feel that the 996RS is a better track car.
The 3.8 was more differenciated in the RS compared to the normal GT3 with a bit more power.
Difficult to isolate the engine alone as the aerodynamics are pretty different at very high speeds. The 3.8 certainly feels more torquey, but more importantly the whole package feels a lot more planted.
I know some people who have the 996RS and who have tried the 997s , and who feel that the 996RS is a better track car.
Have had both 997 versions. I don't think there's a great deal in it but 3.8 has more grunt certainly the biggest noticeable difference was the gearing on the 3.8RS and the throttle response due to the LWFW it will out drag a 3.6 but if you come out of a corner with the engine a little bogged down, slowing for another car or something, then 3.6 on cam will stay with it, theres not so much extra torque that you can just floor it and get back where you were in an istant like with perhaps a turbo. Power band is farther up the rev range in the 3.8RS so it's quite different in character. The question was about the engines but the cars themselves have a bigger gap.Turn in is the most noticeable but well set up 3.6 with a cup diff turned in well and got out of corners pretty good. I actually think the RS is lacking the good diff I had on my gen 1.
I have quite a lot of experience racing against 997 Cups with 3.8 upgrades. The 3.8 has noticeably more torque and had a substantial advantage from the apex. I could out qualify them and keep ahead while my tyres were strong but as soon as they went off, I just couldn't live with the 3.8. One of the drivers also entered some Carrera cup rounds in a standard car. In equal machinery, I would expect to finish 20-30 seconds ahead of him. His 3.8 race car did have a few aero upgrades as well but the majority of the performance came from the engine upgrade that I think Parr Did for him. I estimate that it was worth some 7/10's of a second per lap, which is an awful lot in Motorsport speak.
I can only compare the slightly lesser non-RS flavours of these, but I find that the 3.8 has a much more linear power delivery and significantly better torque (more so than the mere numbers might suggest), which is particularly noticeable at the bottom end. The 3.8 consequently makes a much better engine for un-spirited road driving so if you are thinking of it as anything but a weekend toy for clear roads or circuits this is a very tangible factor. On the track this also means that it doesn't dramatically fall off of the cams like the 996 did if you don't keep the rpm up (if you look at the power curves in the respective handbooks the reason for this becomes very clear). It also punches out of slow to medium speed corners appreciably better. Perhaps you might argue that this gives it slightly less character, but in all other regards I believe that the 3.8 makes a compelling case for itself.
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