Boxster Spyder vs Cayman GT4 and which one to choose…?
Discussion
For the moment I have a Z4M roadster with an adjustable Bilstein PSS-10 suspension, AP Brakes with Pagid pads, steel braking lines, high temperature brake oil, M3 CSL Wheels and Michelin Supersport tyres…
My You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MisterZ4M/videos?spfr...
The car drives really good with these modifications and I really love it! But when driving with my friends Boxter GTS and feeling, seeing how awesome it is with grip levels and how fast it goes on street and track. I was maybe thinking of a change to a more recent sports car and a different brand. You can feel the age of the Z4M and how much recent cars are improved considering stiffness, handling, balance and grip. My friend sold his Boxter GTS and I waiting for is GT4. Exited!
The Z4M roadster is not my daily driver and I use this car for fun on the street when not working and also for trackdays. I do around 8-10 visits to the Nurburgring every year and 1 other track (Spa). I do around 50-65 laps a year on the Nurbrugring. When the sun is out (yes this can happen in Belgium
) and I’m driving on the street I’m the first to open my roof. For the rest of the time the Z4M is a street car, that my girlfriend can also use to go the work. There is no point of keeping a car in a garage…taxes and insurance is paid so it needs to be driven in my opinion. Same goes for the new car that is coming…no garage queens for me!
When thinking about a replacement for the Z4M; for the moment their are only two cars that fascinate me as a wonderful replacement (and are in my budget).
1) Porsche Cayman GT4 2015 (yes; you can still buy some new LHD cars in Europe or otherwise it will be a used example in 2016)
2) Porsche Boxster Spyder 2015
From the 981 range I'm only interested in the Boster Spyder or the Cayman GT4. The S or GTS models don't interest me and are not a big step forward from my Z4M considering performance and the special feeling (personal opinion). I have zero worries about the suspension hardness on the street with either the GT4 or Spyder…my Z4M is already pretty stiff.
So the replacement has to have a lot of driver involvement, be a little faster then the Z4M and must be a manual gearbox. It has to give a lot of fun and feedback. It should also be very good on track for my occasional monthly trackday (in the dry months). It must also be practical and useable on the street if I wanted to go to the shop or on a roadtrip (rules out the Lotus Exige V6 for being to noisy and to unpractical). My Z4M is more then practical and useable enough in that area. The option of a cheaper and slightly used Exige V6 is still on the back of my head as a pure track car; but then I need to keep my Z4M also and I don't like the idea so much of storing, maintaining 3 cars.
The Cayman GT4 is awesome…! I love the set-up and I can imagine it would be great on the Nurburgring and trackdays. You have a mini GT3 with the same front suspension, same brakes, grippy CUP 2 tyres. The car is designed with track use in mind and with the clubsport package you also have the really cool grippy bucket seats with the 4 point belts and rollcage.
Big downside is that I lose the roadster function and the ability to open my roof on sunny days when driving on the street
I really love this feature on my Z4M and that is why I wanted a Z4M roadster and not the Z4M coupe. I never regretted this choice…even if that means that I still find that the Z4M coupe design is prettier then the roadster. When it’s sunny and driving on the street I always put my roof open. It gives an extra dimension on my Z4M that I will no longer have with the Cayman GT4. I will not miss this feature when driving on track, but will I miss it when driving on the street when there is some sun or when doing a road trip to the sunny France or Italy. Can other aspects of the GT4 compensate for losing the softop roof?
So will the GT4 be that more fun on the street then my Z4M (considering I lose my roadster aspect of the car). Does the more track focused aspect of the GT4 has any more value on the street and will it be noticeable? In the dry months I do one track day a month and the rest of the time it’s strictly street driving. If you put this in percentage; it’s like 90% street vs 10% track…
In comes the Boxster Spyder…same Carrera S engine as the Cayman GT4, same gearbox, same front spoiler, nice bucket seats, but not the GT4 brakes, GT4 suspension and other special GT4 enhancements. That is a pity in my opinion…!
I don’t think the Spyder is a car that is designed with a lot of track use in mind. Is 8 trackdays a year even considered a lot or not?
Still the Spyder is a great car and it has the extra value of opening the “more complicated” manual roof when the sun is out. But I want a car that’s also really lovely on trackdays and with the Spyder I will not have the full blown Porsche GT department experience. If money was not an issue I would probably buy a GT3…. But we are talking about GT4 vs Spyder. I’m not sure if the Spyder is a car that is designed with a lot of track use in mind? Is 8-10 trackdays a year even considered a lot?
For me personally; I can only fully enjoy the power, handling, grip and ultimate driver involvement when driving on a track. I love it….even if it’s only 8 times a year. ON the street I always feel myself restricted. On the other hand; when driving 90% on the street with my roadster; I’m also happy that I can open my roof and I find this a big benefit on the car.
The price difference between a equipped GT4 vs Spyder is 10.000euro in my country… The only thing I would chance on the Spyder to make it more track focused (if needed) are other tyres (CUP 2), Pagid brake pads and maybe other brake oil (same as I did on my Z4M).
Yeah in a perfect world I would buy a GT4 and keep the Z4M…or even better buy a GT3 RS and a Boxster Spyder…
Any opinions…thoughts…advise…?
My You Tube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/MisterZ4M/videos?spfr...
The car drives really good with these modifications and I really love it! But when driving with my friends Boxter GTS and feeling, seeing how awesome it is with grip levels and how fast it goes on street and track. I was maybe thinking of a change to a more recent sports car and a different brand. You can feel the age of the Z4M and how much recent cars are improved considering stiffness, handling, balance and grip. My friend sold his Boxter GTS and I waiting for is GT4. Exited!
The Z4M roadster is not my daily driver and I use this car for fun on the street when not working and also for trackdays. I do around 8-10 visits to the Nurburgring every year and 1 other track (Spa). I do around 50-65 laps a year on the Nurbrugring. When the sun is out (yes this can happen in Belgium
) and I’m driving on the street I’m the first to open my roof. For the rest of the time the Z4M is a street car, that my girlfriend can also use to go the work. There is no point of keeping a car in a garage…taxes and insurance is paid so it needs to be driven in my opinion. Same goes for the new car that is coming…no garage queens for me!When thinking about a replacement for the Z4M; for the moment their are only two cars that fascinate me as a wonderful replacement (and are in my budget).
1) Porsche Cayman GT4 2015 (yes; you can still buy some new LHD cars in Europe or otherwise it will be a used example in 2016)
2) Porsche Boxster Spyder 2015
From the 981 range I'm only interested in the Boster Spyder or the Cayman GT4. The S or GTS models don't interest me and are not a big step forward from my Z4M considering performance and the special feeling (personal opinion). I have zero worries about the suspension hardness on the street with either the GT4 or Spyder…my Z4M is already pretty stiff.
So the replacement has to have a lot of driver involvement, be a little faster then the Z4M and must be a manual gearbox. It has to give a lot of fun and feedback. It should also be very good on track for my occasional monthly trackday (in the dry months). It must also be practical and useable on the street if I wanted to go to the shop or on a roadtrip (rules out the Lotus Exige V6 for being to noisy and to unpractical). My Z4M is more then practical and useable enough in that area. The option of a cheaper and slightly used Exige V6 is still on the back of my head as a pure track car; but then I need to keep my Z4M also and I don't like the idea so much of storing, maintaining 3 cars.
The Cayman GT4 is awesome…! I love the set-up and I can imagine it would be great on the Nurburgring and trackdays. You have a mini GT3 with the same front suspension, same brakes, grippy CUP 2 tyres. The car is designed with track use in mind and with the clubsport package you also have the really cool grippy bucket seats with the 4 point belts and rollcage.
Big downside is that I lose the roadster function and the ability to open my roof on sunny days when driving on the street
I really love this feature on my Z4M and that is why I wanted a Z4M roadster and not the Z4M coupe. I never regretted this choice…even if that means that I still find that the Z4M coupe design is prettier then the roadster. When it’s sunny and driving on the street I always put my roof open. It gives an extra dimension on my Z4M that I will no longer have with the Cayman GT4. I will not miss this feature when driving on track, but will I miss it when driving on the street when there is some sun or when doing a road trip to the sunny France or Italy. Can other aspects of the GT4 compensate for losing the softop roof?
So will the GT4 be that more fun on the street then my Z4M (considering I lose my roadster aspect of the car). Does the more track focused aspect of the GT4 has any more value on the street and will it be noticeable? In the dry months I do one track day a month and the rest of the time it’s strictly street driving. If you put this in percentage; it’s like 90% street vs 10% track…
In comes the Boxster Spyder…same Carrera S engine as the Cayman GT4, same gearbox, same front spoiler, nice bucket seats, but not the GT4 brakes, GT4 suspension and other special GT4 enhancements. That is a pity in my opinion…!
I don’t think the Spyder is a car that is designed with a lot of track use in mind. Is 8 trackdays a year even considered a lot or not?
Still the Spyder is a great car and it has the extra value of opening the “more complicated” manual roof when the sun is out. But I want a car that’s also really lovely on trackdays and with the Spyder I will not have the full blown Porsche GT department experience. If money was not an issue I would probably buy a GT3…. But we are talking about GT4 vs Spyder. I’m not sure if the Spyder is a car that is designed with a lot of track use in mind? Is 8-10 trackdays a year even considered a lot?
For me personally; I can only fully enjoy the power, handling, grip and ultimate driver involvement when driving on a track. I love it….even if it’s only 8 times a year. ON the street I always feel myself restricted. On the other hand; when driving 90% on the street with my roadster; I’m also happy that I can open my roof and I find this a big benefit on the car.
The price difference between a equipped GT4 vs Spyder is 10.000euro in my country… The only thing I would chance on the Spyder to make it more track focused (if needed) are other tyres (CUP 2), Pagid brake pads and maybe other brake oil (same as I did on my Z4M).
Yeah in a perfect world I would buy a GT4 and keep the Z4M…or even better buy a GT3 RS and a Boxster Spyder…
Any opinions…thoughts…advise…?
Edited by Franzino on Wednesday 23 September 19:59
Hi there, it's a tough choice to make - but you will win with either choice, both look like great cars.
Ultimately whilst the GT4 will give you that bit extra on track, will it really be that much faster than a spyder? I don't think so, fractions of a second per lap will be in it (on same tyres), the GT4 is 7.42 on the Nurburgring, the Spyder is 7.47 - so put them both on cup 2 and it will be roughly the same. So I wouldn't make the choice based on track usage. They are both special in my view, one is a GT motorsport product with all the trick parts, the other has some custom bodywork and you can put the roof down whilst still retaining that meaty 3.8l powerplant. Either you want a GT product, or you want the top down experience, you need to decide which is more important to you, unfortunately there are no GT convertibles.
Personally whilst I don't mind convertibles, I really wanted a GT3 so that's what I went for. If you do decide on GT4, then I'd also look at 997 GT3 if they are priced similarly in Europe - again a different driving experience but you get the Mezger engine and for me it is still more special than a GT4.
Ultimately whilst the GT4 will give you that bit extra on track, will it really be that much faster than a spyder? I don't think so, fractions of a second per lap will be in it (on same tyres), the GT4 is 7.42 on the Nurburgring, the Spyder is 7.47 - so put them both on cup 2 and it will be roughly the same. So I wouldn't make the choice based on track usage. They are both special in my view, one is a GT motorsport product with all the trick parts, the other has some custom bodywork and you can put the roof down whilst still retaining that meaty 3.8l powerplant. Either you want a GT product, or you want the top down experience, you need to decide which is more important to you, unfortunately there are no GT convertibles.
Personally whilst I don't mind convertibles, I really wanted a GT3 so that's what I went for. If you do decide on GT4, then I'd also look at 997 GT3 if they are priced similarly in Europe - again a different driving experience but you get the Mezger engine and for me it is still more special than a GT4.
If track, GT4 no question, the Spyder will kill your tyres as it has no adjustemt in the LCA for more camber.
If no track use which ever floats your boat.
the GT4 track boys are already having to go >2 up front to stop the outters melting, you cannot even get to that on a Spyder.
If no track use which ever floats your boat.
the GT4 track boys are already having to go >2 up front to stop the outters melting, you cannot even get to that on a Spyder.
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Thursday 24th September 09:43
hi franzino! very good to see you here, i have to say you put that question exactly how i place it to myself, you did a great job of explaining.
, As a huge roadster lover myself with a very focused z4mR i can honestly say i think the sypder is the car for you, and tweak it.
Like you i LOVE the roadster aspect of the car and it really connects you with the experience, fi you can get the both worlds to meld together as an in-between i think you'll have a very special car in the spyder. I have to say though i think your going to miss your z4m and that engine, its one of the very best S6s made a true ///M division best. To get what you want from the sypder however it will need some changes, and i fear after your modded and very moddable z4m you may be surprised how little the extra outlay has got you.
i love the Exige but i just don't feel they are worth the money, and they aren't beating these cars on the track, where they should be killing them imo!
im a big fan of the P brand and have a new Macan S PDK Btw.
, As a huge roadster lover myself with a very focused z4mR i can honestly say i think the sypder is the car for you, and tweak it.
Like you i LOVE the roadster aspect of the car and it really connects you with the experience, fi you can get the both worlds to meld together as an in-between i think you'll have a very special car in the spyder. I have to say though i think your going to miss your z4m and that engine, its one of the very best S6s made a true ///M division best. To get what you want from the sypder however it will need some changes, and i fear after your modded and very moddable z4m you may be surprised how little the extra outlay has got you.
i love the Exige but i just don't feel they are worth the money, and they aren't beating these cars on the track, where they should be killing them imo!
im a big fan of the P brand and have a new Macan S PDK Btw.
Beedub said:
Like you i LOVE the roadster aspect of the car and it really connects you with the experience, fi you can get the both worlds to meld together as an in-between i think you'll have a very special car in the spyder. I have to say though i think your going to miss your z4m and that engine, its one of the very best S6s made a true ///M division best. To get what you want from the sypder however it will need some changes, and i fear after your modded and very moddable z4m you may be surprised how little the extra outlay has got you.
Hmm maybe you have a point and is the Spyder not that big a step up from my modded Z4M that already has awesome brakes, very nice suspension and lovely handling… Maybe I already created the best of both worlds for my purpose? Maybe a Spyder will not feel as big step up in experience and feel from my Z4M and is a GT4 the real game changer and a bigger leap forward in driving experience? I'm going to arrange a test drive with the Spyder to check it out and switching straight from the Z4M in to the Spyder…Beedub said:
i love the Exige but i just don't feel they are worth the money, and they aren't beating these cars on the track, where they should be killing them imo!
What do you mean exactly…Exige should beat which cars? Personally I think a normal Exige V6 S with the right factory options (brakes, suspension, tyres) will kill my modified Z4M on any track… GT4 vs Exige S V6 would be around the same if I'm guessing. The price of a used Exige S V6 from 2014 is off course a lot less then a new Spyder or GT4. Buying a Exige S will mean keeping the Z4M also…but 3 cars is something I want to avoid and the P cars attract me more then the Lotus.Edited by Franzino on Friday 25th September 00:54
Franzino said:
What do you mean exactly…Exige should beat which cars? Personally I think a normal Exige V6 S with the right factory options (brakes, suspension, tyres) will kill my modified Z4M on any track… GT4 vs Exige S V6 would be around the same if I'm guessing. The price of a used Exige S V6 from 2014 is off course a lot less then a new Spyder or GT4. Buying a Exige S will mean keeping the Z4M also…but 3 cars is something I want to avoid and the P cars attract me more then the Lotus.
the GT4 hits the exige in a recent test in every area id expected the lotus to win, faster pretty much over the whole lap according to the telemetry. Not talking about the z4m. Personally I think a normal Exige V6 S with the right factory options (brakes, suspension, tyres) will kill my modified Z4M on any track… GT4 vs Exige S V6 would be around the same if I'm guessing. The price of a used Exige S V6 from 2014 is off course a lot less then a new Spyder or GT4. Buying a Exige S will mean keeping the Z4M also…but 3 cars is something I want to avoid and the P cars attract me more then the Lotus.Edited by Franzino on Friday 25th September 00:54
When you've tried the spyder please post it up as I'm in a similar position to you but also feel it could be an expensive move for very little gains, with your AP 6 pot setup i can't see any of these cars out braking you at least, i mean you have a fully fledge motorsport setup braking wise with little compromise in them, they are the best. The key is our platform is also very moddable for a fair -ISH price. Your roadster with some light weight seats, lighter 18s, some engine tuning shrink cams etc... I'm not saying go that way I'm just saying theirs ALOT more that can be done with your current vehicle! The fact you've had it so long shows you how well it serves you, 50 + laps of the ring is NO joke .
PorscheGT4 said:
have you thought about the 987.2 Spyder, it's a very nice thing and you can get 370BHp quite easy.
1 or 2 up for sale atm so a choice which is rare.
I'm not such a big fan of the look and feel of the 987 platform… It looks ok; but the new model looks so much better. Also the first Boxster Spyder has a real back to basic roof…the new Spyder roof is still basic but way better then the first one. In my opinion the new Spyder is a big step forward from the 987.2 Spyder. My interest in the Cayman/Boxster only became with the introduction of the latest model range…before I never thought I would be interested in a Cayman or Boxster.1 or 2 up for sale atm so a choice which is rare.
Beedub said:
the GT4 hits the exige in a recent test in every area id expected the lotus to win, faster pretty much over the whole lap according to the telemetry. Not talking about the z4m.
Indeed; the GT4 is really awesome when comparing to other cars….Beedub said:
When you've tried the spyder please post it up as I'm in a similar position to you but also feel it could be an expensive move for very little gains, with your AP 6 pot setup i can't see any of these cars out braking you at least, i mean you have a fully fledge motorsport setup braking wise with little compromise in them, they are the best. The key is our platform is also very moddable for a fair -ISH price. Your roadster with some light weight seats, lighter 18s, some engine tuning shrink cams etc... I'm not saying go that way I'm just saying theirs ALOT more that can be done with your current vehicle! The fact you've had it so long shows you how well it serves you, 50 + laps of the ring is NO joke .
The AP brakes are indeed awesome…and the best mod I did on the car. The braking performance and balance is one of the best I ever experienced (with the right pads!)…the car brakes better then my mates Ferrari F430 with ceramic brakes. I bought my Z4M in 2010 and fitted the AP brakes in 2011…in 4 years time I did 200 laps of Nurburgring and a couple of trackdays at Spa. I'm now on my second set of front AP rotors. I was a good investment buying the full AP set in 2011…nowadays a Full AP set is 1.500euro more expensive in my country then back in the days (currency)….You talk about extra modding my car…this is something I'm not going to do on the Z4M. I have done the following things; CSL Wheels, Strutbrace, Full AP racing brakes, Steel brake lines, Bilstein PSS-10, Vibratech engine mounts, etc. This is as far as I want to go with changing stuff on my car and made some big improvements that made the car more fun and perform better. It's already more then I intended to do when buying the car
Only one thing I maybe want to do and that is fitting Michelin CUP 2 tyres instead of my Michelin Supersports….I wil keep you informed after my test drive with the Spyder….
Franzino said:
Beedub said:
Like you i LOVE the roadster aspect of the car and it really connects you with the experience, fi you can get the both worlds to meld together as an in-between i think you'll have a very special car in the spyder. I have to say though i think your going to miss your z4m and that engine, its one of the very best S6s made a true ///M division best. To get what you want from the sypder however it will need some changes, and i fear after your modded and very moddable z4m you may be surprised how little the extra outlay has got you.
Hmm maybe you have a point and is the Spyder not that big a step up from my modded Z4M that already has awesome brakes, very nice suspension and lovely handling… Maybe I already created the best of both worlds for my purpose? Maybe a Spyder will not feel as big step up in experience and feel from my Z4M and is a GT4 the real game changer and a bigger leap forward in driving experience? I'm going to arrange a test drive with the Spyder to check it out and switching straight from the Z4M in to the Spyder…Beedub said:
i love the Exige but i just don't feel they are worth the money, and they aren't beating these cars on the track, where they should be killing them imo!
What do you mean exactly…Exige should beat which cars? Personally I think a normal Exige V6 S with the right factory options (brakes, suspension, tyres) will kill my modified Z4M on any track… GT4 vs Exige S V6 would be around the same if I'm guessing. The price of a used Exige S V6 from 2014 is off course a lot less then a new Spyder or GT4. Buying a Exige S will mean keeping the Z4M also…but 3 cars is something I want to avoid and the P cars attract me more then the Lotus.Edited by Franzino on Friday 25th September 00:54
Franzino said:
I'm not such a big fan of the look and feel of the 987 platform… It looks ok; but the new model looks so much better. Also the first Boxster Spyder has a real back to basic roof…the new Spyder roof is still basic but way better then the first one. In my opinion the new Spyder is a big step forward from the 987.2 Spyder. My interest in the Cayman/Boxster only became with the introduction of the latest model range…before I never thought I would be interested in a Cayman or Boxster.
the 981 is a step down in feel , but if you don't like it you don't like it :-)So depends what you call a step forward, if electric steering, fake diffs and PASM, Torque vectoring is a step forward then yes it's a step forward.
I love the real feel on the 987.2 Spyder and also it's weight, real steering, real shocks and real diff.
the 987.2 car is pretty much driving perfection. I have an R, plus a GT4 coming in 3 weeks so can choose what floats my boat day to day anyway.
And last that roof, I think the new one looks more back to basic 1970 MGB style, where the 987.2 roof is a work of carbon art and has very clean finish inside the car.
At the end of the day it's a open top concept , which means you drive it roof off, again the 987.2 roof you take out and save even more weight, where the iron 981 roof HAS to fold back into the boot and adds to higher C of G.
Edited by PorscheGT4 on Friday 25th September 18:09
S1MMA said:
Franzino, you talk about a "big step up" in experience and feel in your first paragraph above. I honestly don't think that a spyder or GT4 will be such a big step up. They will feel different and the engine configuration alone will make the experience different - but they may be too accomplished and not such a challenge to master. I really think you should drive 997 GT3 and then compare as I think that would be a big step up from a Z4M, the engine alone is very special and can't be compared to a Carrera engine whatever platform it's installed in. Have you driven or been driven in a 997 GT3?
I would love to have a 997 GT3 (I have only driven normal 911 models)….but when we are talking 997 GT3; for me it must be a MK2 GT3 with the 3.8 engine and the other changes that are made between MK1 and Mk2. At the moment the prices of a good 997 GT3 MK2 3.8 are more then a brand new GT4… Then I would rather have a brand new GT4 then a used 997 GT3…even if it means not having a Mezger or GT sport department engine. The Nurburgring lap time of the Cayman GT4 is identical to the 997 GT3 MK2…the time is no so important; but it shows how capable the GT4 is.PorscheGT4 said:
have you thought about the 987.2 Spyder, it's a very nice thing and you can get 370BHp quite easy.
1 or 2 up for sale atm so a choice which is rare.
love that.... fran this has got to be in the running for you, 370hp, some trick suspension bits, one with PCCB!!! Yes please!! That has got to feel like a roofless GT3. 1 or 2 up for sale atm so a choice which is rare.
Edited by Beedub on Friday 25th September 19:12
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