Base vs S - weight

[boxxster]

I'm not an engine expert, but it seems to me you could maintain the same cylinder wall thickness and block dimensions at the expense of smaller (narrower) cooling jackets?

Someone can probably correct me on this.

[Boxx]

Maybe, but that would be a different block.

And if it was a different block, they probably wouldn't choose
to narrow the cooling jackets to increase bore size.

[Paul]

From wikipedia:

All 986 and 987 Boxsters use the M96, a water-cooled, horizontally opposed ("flat"), six-cylinder engine. It was Porsche's first water-cooled non-front engine. In the Boxster, it is placed mid-engine, while in the 911, rear-engine. The flat, mid-engine layout provides a low center of gravity, near-perfect weight distribution, and neutral handling. The engines had a number of failures, resulting in cracked or slipped cylinder liners, which were resolved by a minor redesign and better control of the casting process in late 1999. A failure for these early engines was a spate of porous engine blocks, as the manufacturer had difficulty in the casting process. In addition to causing problems with coolant and oil systems mingling fluids, it also resulted in Porsche's decision to repair faulty engines by boring out the cast sleeves on the cylinders where defects were noted in production and inserting new sleeves rather than scrapping the engine block. Normally, the cylinder walls are cast at the same time as the rest of the engine, this being the reason for adopting the casting technolog

[j.fro]

Here's a little chart I've put together regarding M96/M97 engines. They all have a very similar block, except for the 996 GT3:



Be careful comparing factory weight specs. Options can throw things off. Just a guess, but I'd bet that a fully loaded base 00-04 986 manual would weigh about the same as a really low option manual S model.
FWIW, somewhere I read that the 6sp is about 100 lbs heavier than the 5sp.
I don't know the weight of the tiptronic, but it wouldn't surprise me if it weighed the same or more than the 6sp.

[Paul]

The 996 GT-3 and 996 Turbo do not have M96/97 motors.