Sorry, I'm pretty new to cars in general, but I came across this topic early on in my enthusiasm and I never really asked until now.
Why do people make a big deal about air cooled Porsches vs water cooled Porsches?
I understand classic cars become more desirable as they get older and that Porsche as a brand has more traditionalists in their fanbase than most other marques, but what are the mechanical/aesthetic reasons why the air cooled Porsches are considered more desirable?
It's a glorified VW, so less shit to go wrong, and you don't need a Ph.D and a bunch of fancy tools to work on them. Just basic mechanical knowledge.
And yes, I'll have one before I die.
bump
Why bump when you got your answer.
They are older and were essentially an evolution of the original 911 both in design language and engineering.
Dumbasses who buy cars as investment pieces are driving the air cooled prices up, while the smart guys buy water cooled turbos and gt3's to actually enjoy.
911 engines are not rocket science, whether air cooled or water cooled (excepting mechanical fuel injection). The only real barrier to working on them is access and the p-tax for lazy bums who can't use google.
1. Air cooled engines sound better
2. The last aircooled Porsche was the last "good" looking Porsche (not fried egg shaped headlights, lacked "modern" bloated design)
3. They are lighter (less parts)
4. They are simpler (less complexity for the cooling system)
5. Boomers don't like change
Porsche's designers and engineers have historically been very conservative and adherent to tradition- notice how little the overall "look" of the 911 has changed over its history.
The switch to water cooling was a significant engineering departure for the 911, and with it came significant design changes as touched on- new platform, new aesthetic elements. All together it made for the most dramatic change to date in the car's history.
Porsches have nothing to do with VW, except being owned by them. Only VW-Porsche have together are now the new platform that the Panamera and Audi A8 will share.
t. lifetime used civic owner
Ferdinand Porsche designed the original Volkswagen (Beetle), so there were some engineering similarities in the early vehicles. Such is the origin of the "Glorified Volkswagen"/"Overpriced Beetle" and similar memes that people still parrot even though they haven't been true for decades.
>Only VW-Porsche have together are now the new platform that the Panamera and Audi A8 will share.
Don't forget
>Porsche Cayenne/VW Touareg/Audi Q7
>Porsche Macan/Audi Q5
>Air cooled engines sound better
Excuse me?
you heard me faggot
I think you might be retarded, because aside from having a different type of fan, there is zero difference in anything that makes the sound.
not him, but i agree with him.
air cooled porches have a very nice whirr to them compared to the watercooled ones.
Air cooled engines lack all the water jackets filled with coolant dampening the sound of combustion.
Imagine firing a gun underwater
You can't really be this retarded.
you cant be this much of a cuck
>say something stupid
>get called on it
>HUR DUR KEK
No u
Aircooled engines do not sound better than water cooled. Air cooling doesn't make a difference in sound other than the fan. Air cooled is a lot of things, but does not inherently produce a better sound.
BTW all porsches aside from the flat 12 race cars and the Carrera GT sound like ass t b h air or water cooled.
There's no water jacketing around the cylinders, in person you can tell the difference even on an old beetle. More bass rumble up close.
>More bass rumble up close.
You're conflating "muh air cooled" with the sound of a short-runner exhaust on a flat four.
It's hard to find a video where the exhaust is pointed away from the camera for a vw flat 4, but I found one.
go to 3:40, when they're behind the engine
youtube.com
subaru 2.5 for comparison
youtube.com
You've lost too many brain cells breathing in your VW's exhaust. Read my post again
Short
Runner
Exhaust
OF COURSE the Subaru in the video won't sound the same, it has 15ft of exhaust behind it and a silenced intake instead of 3ft of exhaust and an open carburetor! Jesus Christ you're fucking dumb.
The aircooled porsches sound better because the fins on the engine vibrate, not because of exhaust
Even with almost double the displacement, the subaru is quieter, come on now.
autists discussing subjective matter with 0 arguments or facts.
Just memes and shit being parroted by ignorant deluded "car enthusiasts" who never driven a Porsche let a lone sat in one.
Because the 996 was a massive change, a huge break from tradition. The headlights were weird, it used water to cool the engine, it was built more cheaply, it had softer, rounder edges and was built on an entirely new platform.
Purists HATED it. It also didn't help that the new engines had a couple of pretty major design flaws, like IMS bearing failure and oil starvation under high lateral g-force loads.
The best part is they're relatively cheap because of this, the problems are fixable and it's not even difficult to do so, and they're mechanically very similar to the 997 so you're getting almost the same car. Along with the 986 Boxster S they're like the best value-for-money Porsches right now.
actually you are the retard here
SILENCED INTAKE
15FT LONG EXHAUST SYSTEM WITH A MUFFLER AND A CATALYTIC CONVERTER
MORON
Dubs of truth, radiator fins on engines make a lot of noise
No they don't. I own 3 air cooled 4 cylinder bikes and they sound the same as my water cooled bike. They all have straight through mufflers and 4->1 headers and pod filters on flat slide carbs.
>1. Air cooled engines sound better
Air cooled flat-6 boxer engines sound better.
also you can brag you car takes 11 quarts of oil
basically this, it's a "cool factor" thing for the most part. Everything other than these 2 replies is shitposting
>tfw you will never drive your air cooled porsche at 120+mph down rural stretches of highway blasting this youtube.com
i vas driving vaaay too fast!
My 996 neighbors feel like they're the guardians of Porsche history. They say they think their cars will definitely go up in value, but I don't they'd sell unless they couldn't drive anymore.
>tfw you will never drive your yellow with black/gray interior 964 Turbo at 100+MPH down a two lane highway in northern Canada blasting youtube.com
Driving the RUF in Assetto Corsa on Lake Louise with a G27 was sex, but then I sold my G27 and prices skyrocketed.
Lake Louise is fucking beautiful, I've been there in person. Can't remember if it had a road around it, but I don't think it did :(
It was a virtual road that some guy from BC made. He modeled the whole thing in accordance to local codes and the terrain you would actually find there.
youtube.com
I don't know if your ears are broken or what but air cooled engines definitely have a different sound, especially when you get off the gas and the exhaust isn't as loud but the fins are still vibrating.