987 Cayman - Tell me to man up or get out ....

[mr pg]

What does it have fitted at the moment?

[2Btoo]

18inch Cayman S alloys - the slightly slab-sided ones.



I want to go smaller.

[2Btoo]

Thanks again cmoose. Your Cayman knowledge is very useful!

From browsing eBay it seems that there are quite a number of different models of wheel which were fitted to the Boxsters and Caymans. I'm looking for 17inch ones (as the purists seem to say they are by far the best size for the car) and I quite like the first ones you pictured - the star-pattern ones. However prices seem to be all over the place; the ones I posted a picture of have just finished on eBay at £120 with no bids so didn't sell, and yet there are people asking two and three times that price for other designs.

I guess the question is where can I pick up alloy wheels second-hand that are priced realistically? Or is it simply a matter of keeping an eye on eBay and seeing what comes up?

[2Btoo]

Thanks. Where did you find those ones you purchased - eBay?

If there are four styles then those will be 987.1 base Boxster, like this:



987.2 base Boxster, like this:



987.1 base Cayman, like this?



... and 987.2 base Cayman



However there seem to be a number of other 17inch wheels which crop up. These, which seem to be a 986 type and are for sale in their hundreds:



Are these 997 wheels?



What about these?



These seem to crop up fairly often.



I'm not sure I have seen these in real life but they are supposedly 17inch Boxster wheels.



I think I saw a thread somewhere about fuchs wheels being made of the right size for Caymans, but they were fiendishly expensive ....

[2Btoo]

... and a follow-up practical question; can you get a set of four such wheels in the back of a Cayman? (OK, in the back and front of a Cayman?) I'm guessing not. What about if you leave your passenger at home and put a wheel on the passenger seat?

Or do I need to hire a Transit to go and pick them up?

[drjdog]

2Btoo said:

... and a follow-up practical question; can you get a set of four such wheels in the back of a Cayman? (OK, in the back and front of a Cayman?) I'm guessing not. What about if you leave your passenger at home and put a wheel on the passenger seat?

Or do I need to hire a Transit to go and pick them up?

As far as I'm aware, you can't even get a single wheel with tyre in the front, maybe you could get one in the rear (I doubt even that), but you're left with trying to carry 3 on the passenger seat. I've been thinking about the same thing and the roof rack would seem to be the way to go.

[2Btoo]

drjdog said:

As far as I'm aware, you can't even get a single wheel with tyre in the front, maybe you could get one in the rear (I doubt even that), but you're left with trying to carry 3 on the passenger seat. I've been thinking about the same thing and the roof rack would seem to be the way to go.

Thanks. That's pretty much was I was thinking. So if I buy any wheels I'm either borrowing a friend's estate car or having them delivered.

Update on the car: it's now mine. I bought it today. And drove it for the first time. 3 miles (perhaps 15 minutes), in traffic, to a relative's house where it will be stored for a week or so while I sell (or put into storage) my old car. And - brace yourself gentle reader - I didn't like it. Really. The steering wheel and gearknob felt VERY plastic-y. The gearshift was notchy and clicky. The steering wheel was FAR too high. (OK, I then found the height adjustment lever which sorted that one out). That weird engine clanked and rattled away behind me. It felt slightly cheap and nasty inside (goodness only knows how bad the ones without the full leather interior feel). The brakes weren't as strong as I had expected them to be and it didn't have as much pep as I was expecting (although I didn't get it much over 4000rpm). The whole thing frankly didn't feel a patch on my old 944, which is solid and robust and torque-y and utterly brilliant by comparison. I'm not actually as bothered by this as I could be as it took me some time to grow into my 944 so it's a fair bet that the same will happen with this Cayman. However I'm taking a lot on trust - namely that all the rave reviews of the 987 Cayman are true and not Porsche Marketing Puff ....

[romeodelta]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

cmoose is right (as usual).

In traffic, below 4k, is not where these 'come alive'.

I agree with you on the interior though, but you tend not to notice on a nice road with the roof down.

[freedman]

2Btoo said:

Are these 997 wheels?



....

No, they are 996 C4 wheels

[Magnum 475]

2Btoo said:

Thanks. That's pretty much was I was thinking. So if I buy any wheels I'm either borrowing a friend's estate car or having them delivered.

Update on the car: it's now mine. I bought it today. And drove it for the first time. 3 miles (perhaps 15 minutes), in traffic, to a relative's house where it will be stored for a week or so while I sell (or put into storage) my old car. And - brace yourself gentle reader - I didn't like it. Really. The steering wheel and gearknob felt VERY plastic-y. The gearshift was notchy and clicky. The steering wheel was FAR too high. (OK, I then found the height adjustment lever which sorted that one out). That weird engine clanked and rattled away behind me. It felt slightly cheap and nasty inside (goodness only knows how bad the ones without the full leather interior feel). The brakes weren't as strong as I had expected them to be and it didn't have as much pep as I was expecting (although I didn't get it much over 4000rpm). The whole thing frankly didn't feel a patch on my old 944, which is solid and robust and torque-y and utterly brilliant by comparison. I'm not actually as bothered by this as I could be as it took me some time to grow into my 944 so it's a fair bet that the same will happen with this Cayman. However I'm taking a lot on trust - namely that all the rave reviews of the 987 Cayman are true and not Porsche Marketing Puff ....

Unlike the 944 (NA), you need to rev this engine to get the car to come alive. It's best between 4.5k and 7k revs. Below that, it's a bit lifeless (the 2.7 especially so). The build quality isn't the same as the 944 - everything is thinner and lighter. However, the performance and handling when you use it as intended are fabulous. Get it warmed up, and take it on a good 'B' road hoon (or a few track days), and you'll see the car come alive.

[Heaveho]

I don't think the 987 is an easy car to like. I've had 3 over the last 4 years. I'm still not sold. I got one when I thought a house purchase had fallen through, and I had some money, and stuck a toe in the water with an '05 Boxster 3.2. After a month, the house purchase was back on, the Boxster was sold, and I made a grand on it, so not a disaster financially, but the longest drive I had in it was back from Torquay ( where I bought it ) to Southampton ( where I then lived ). I'd already made my mind up, and wasn't sorry to sell it.

I had a Gen2 3.4 at the same time that I bought damaged from Copart, repaired, and sold to my best mate. I never drove it. He still has it and likes it very much. Just as well, it cost me money to let him have it!

Just after I bought the house I was after, my current '05 3.2S came up for sale reasonably locally at sensible miles and money, and I felt I should have another go at it. I've had this one 3 years now, it seems like a much nicer, quicker car than the first, and I like driving it. But I don't love it. It's been faultlessly reliable, it's a great colour ( Cobalt blue ), and spec, and that makes it a nice thing to look at and a nice place to be, but I own another car ( Evo ) that is quicker, faster, and handles better. I also own a much older car ( Mk1 MR2 ) that is significantly slower but rides better, is more tactile, more engaging, and the Porsche possibly suffers in comparison. It's probably going to go this summer.

[Slippydiff]

Gearshift will be notchy until the ‘box has properly warmed up.
Brakes will be slightly wooden until warmed up (but check the inner faces of the front discs for corrosion, the outer faces may look fine, but the inners can be massively corroded and providing little or no friction)
2.7 engine is never going to be the last word in performance, but a 15-20 minute drive in traffic won’t have played to its strengths. As a previous poster said, get it on a decent bit of A or B road blacktop and use ALL the revs, it’ll then shine.
Look forward to an update one you’ve had a proper.outing in it.

[Slippydiff]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Ah, the vagaries of the English language (along with a healthy dose of semantics)
The 'box in my R was more smooth and less notchy when warm. The same applies to every 996 GT3 I've owned, which is multiple examples...

[Rocket.]

Henry and Jeremy, stiffer engine and gearbox mounts are where it's at for improving gear change feel on the 987, ask me how I know hope you both well btw.

OP the 987 Cayman is an odd car, some days I think this car just isn't doing it for me anymore, then find an empty A or flowing B road and they just work and leave you buzzing. I do think they respond well to few chosen mods though, engine mounts, good geo incl. maxed out front camber and GT3 Master cylinder for the brakes these bits among others bring them alive.

Would definitely check yours for suspension wear also, bushes on the coffin arms wear and delaminate which makes them feel disconnected and wallow a fair bit, as previously mentioned tyres, wheel size all have quite a noticeable effect.

[2Btoo]

Update: Finally moved the car from the relative's drive back to home in Central London last night. It was (predictably) as dead as a dodo after it had sat for 2 months so I used jump leads to supply volts to the fuse box which opened the front bonnet and then again on the battery to start it, which it did happily enough. It sat idling for 20 minutes with noticable 'ticking' noise from the engine which I suspect is scored bores. The brakes are CR4P, possibly due to the disks having rusted while it was sat (and possibly due to the fact that there is no record in the service history of the brake fluid ever having been changed), there is a dragging noise when driving (wheel bearing?), the gearshift is 'clacky' and I managed to get it half-into 4th while thinking it was in neutral, the stalks around the steering wheel are - frankly - confusing, the radio is hilariously basic and sounds it too, and the front and rear boot are both smaller than I remember. I also notice from the service history that it last had an oil change 10,000 miles and 8 months ago and it's had the same spark plugs in for the last 20,000 miles and 2 1/2 years. I also suspect that it's going to guzzle fuel in the same way that Donald Trump guzzles the blood of immigrant children.

Still, let's look on the bright side - it was spec'd with xenon headlights which seem very nice on full beam. (Horribly dim on dipped beam though.)

Do I dislike it as much as after my previous (3 mile) drive? No. Do I love it? No. But maybe I'll get used to it.

If anyone wants to chip in with some cheery comments to make me feel better then please do. Otherwise I'll just wallow in self-pity and mourning for my wonderful, wonderful 944.

[Magnum 475]

If (as I remember) it's a 2.7, the ticking is very unlikely to be bore scoring. It's far more likely to be a hydraulic valve lifter that hadn't filled with oil properly - some heat and revs will cure this.

Dragging when driving is harder to comment on - you may have a parking brake shoe that hasn't fully retracted (please tell me you didn't leave it with the parking brake on for 2 months in wet weather!). Alternatively, you may have one or more badly rusted disks that are scraping the pads.

Oil change interval is 2 years / 20,000 miles (I do mine every year, about 3 - 4000 miles though)
Plugs go 4 years / 40,000 miles on a standard service schedule.

Brake fluid should have been changed when the car was main-dealer serviced, but a lot of independents seem to 'forget' this item. The same goes for engine coolant. Disks & pads aren't particularly expensive to replace, especially if you DIY them, and they're no different to any other car so pretty easy to do (unless the parking brake shoes have welded themselves to the inside of the drum, but then the car doesn't move).

[2Btoo]

David,

Thanks again for your help. I'm hoping that the ticking was as you said - an tappet that was empty of oil. I only noticed it when I first started it after 2 months inactivity but didn't check it after an hour's drive. I'll see what it's like later on today when I drive it again.

Yes I did leave the handbrake on for 2 months .... ! In fairness I wasn't expecting it to be that long. I know that the disks were quite rusty when I collected the car so it could well be that.

I've ordered a full set of fluids (engine and gear oil, brake fluid) and filters and will do a very full service on it in the next couple of weeks. That way I'll know everything has been done as it should and we can then count forward for other services from that point. I'll also do the coolant pipes at the front and investigate the CV joint that is supposedly leaking (thanks again for the instructions on the coolant pipes.)

Thanks for your help.

[s3 akr]

Hey OP - a belated welcome to Cayman ownership. You car really just sounds very much like me - needs some use, a little bit of general TLC maintenance, and is perhaps feeling certain aspects of age!!

Look into getting the suspension refreshed on those items that perish, soften and wear out with age, sort the geo as part of that exercise and I think you'll find it a changed car in the way it hustles along the right roads and you will begin to understand the attraction. In those early days, I seem to remember that it was always reported that the 2.7 was a sweet balance in the Cayman with some car journo's favouring it.

The adventure begins with a toolbox and some home spannering - enjoy it fella and keep the community updated on here with progress!

[2Btoo]

s3 akr said:

... keep the community updated on here with progress!

Thanks. I should have posted an update earlier.

I've had the car for 4 months now and probably about 2500 miles. I've spent a bit of money and a lot of time on it and am getting used to it.

Do I love it? No. Do I like it more than when I first bought it? Yes.

The starter motor bendix started screeching in week 2 of ownership. Removing it was was harder than it should be and it cost me skin and time but once off it was easy to dismantle and re-grease and now works as it should.

I've serviced it, although not changed the plugs as they are not that old. New engine oil and oil filter and air filter and cabin filter have made it run a little more smoothly. (I was a bit concerned to find that the old air filter was a cheapo foam aftermarket 'sports' jobbie. Such things suggest uncaring previous owners).

I've changed the coolant pipes in the front. And that was a proper pig of a job which involved me and a friend fighting the car to get the old (very rusty) ones off. The new ones finally went on and coolant refilled, but it took two of us more than 12 hours. (Yes, really that long. OK, we didn't rush it but neither of us are amateurs when it comes to working on cars, and we had a pit, and we had air tools. It was a PIG of a job). I slathered the new ones in some Dynax anti-rust stuff once they were on as I don't want to do that job again in a rush.

The same friend helped me change the air-con condensers in the front. That was easier, and we refilled the gas as well (although I don't think we put enough in). I made some mesh covers for the front grilles to keep crud out in the future.

I've fitted a replacement head unit and amplifier and changed the speakers as well. That's helped the sounds a lot. I discovered that there is some source of major EM interference in the front footwell which caused a LOT of whining in the amp but that was eventually solved with some expensive shielded RCA cables.

I've fitted some 17inch wheels with winter tyres and owe a vote of thanks to everyone who said what a wonderful improvement this would make - they were entirely right. It is much lighter and more nimble, more compliant, the controls feel more delicate and it's significantly better to drive - it's quite the best thing I've done to it since I bought it. Many thanks for the recommendation cmoose and others. I think the wheels I bought are 987.2 base Boxster wheels, here's a (very bad) photo.



It's been taken on holiday twice (filled to the gunwales on both occasions) and can take a reasonable amount of stuff. Not as much as a 944, and the space is nowhere near as usable as a 944, but we're getting used to that. It uses a little less fuel than the 944, which is kinda nice, although any saving is more than eaten up by the increased insurance and road tax costs.

My biggest grumble is that the cabin environment is not that nice; it's hard to get a decent blast of air from the heating system and it steams up very readily in colder weather. Getting the condensation off the windscreen in the last few weeks has been difficult, even with the 'demist' button pressed. I've changed the cabin air filter and it's made no difference. Everything works; pressing the different air direction buttons makes the air come out of the different vents but it never does so with much force. The recirculation button changes the noise of the airflow so I assume it is working too, it's just that the end result is not very satisfactory.

So, review from 4 months in: it's OK. But I'd still rather have my old 944 back.

Thanks again for your help.

[2Btoo]

... it also no longer bottoms out on all the local speed bumps (of which there are many!) I can't readily explain this; perhaps the rolling radius of the 17's is slightly bigger than that of the 18's so I have fractionally more ground clearance. Whatever the explanation - I'm happy!