Porsche Experience Centre: 981 Cayman S, manual
Discussion
Went to the PEC today and drove a new 981 Cayman S in manual form. It was a fairly basic manual Cayman S with no PASM, no Sports Chrono, steel brakes, standard seats, and standard wheels. The basic package was good fun. The 6 speed manual very positive, and no slack. Car moved around alot, benign, and very predictable. Drove it hard on the handling circuit for numerous laps (about 45 mins, at least 20+ laps of the handling circuit), until... it blew it's engine and went into limp mode 
Porsche then gave me another one!
This one was a higher spec: Sports Chrono, larger wheels, PCCBs, SPASM, bucket seats, and still Manual. This one had only 140 miles on the clock. By lap 5, most of the various factory engine coatings had been burned off (the smells stopped coming through the vents), and by the time I was done (around 220 miles on the odo), the car was... well run in
But it was a MUCH better drive: the SPASM firmed things up noticeably, the larger wheels (reduced tyre profile) made the car more responsiveness and less squirmish, the PCCBs offered far sharper and more controllable braking, and the entire car was a fantastically benign place to be at the limit.
Overall, it was a brilliant day!
Thoughts on the 981: it is a superb all round sports car. Compact, intimate, superb handling at the limit. BUT it needs an extra 30-40hp. The transmission tunnel intrudes too much against my left knee when bracing (even with the buckets). The brake pedal on the manual is too large or closely spaced to the accelerator pedal for size 9 feet to allow precise H&T. The layout of the HVAC buttons is terrible. The trim around the main HVAC monitor looks cheap. It's a great car, but distinctly 'less' than a 911 (even a 997.2). The 6 speed manual suits the Cayman really well.
The 981 Cayman R will be superb if it offers over the CaymanS: an additional 40hp, 50kg less, LSD, firmer suspension. If in that formula, a GT3 will make little sense imho.
Porsche then gave me another one!
This one was a higher spec: Sports Chrono, larger wheels, PCCBs, SPASM, bucket seats, and still Manual. This one had only 140 miles on the clock. By lap 5, most of the various factory engine coatings had been burned off (the smells stopped coming through the vents), and by the time I was done (around 220 miles on the odo), the car was... well run in
But it was a MUCH better drive: the SPASM firmed things up noticeably, the larger wheels (reduced tyre profile) made the car more responsiveness and less squirmish, the PCCBs offered far sharper and more controllable braking, and the entire car was a fantastically benign place to be at the limit.Overall, it was a brilliant day!
Thoughts on the 981: it is a superb all round sports car. Compact, intimate, superb handling at the limit. BUT it needs an extra 30-40hp. The transmission tunnel intrudes too much against my left knee when bracing (even with the buckets). The brake pedal on the manual is too large or closely spaced to the accelerator pedal for size 9 feet to allow precise H&T. The layout of the HVAC buttons is terrible. The trim around the main HVAC monitor looks cheap. It's a great car, but distinctly 'less' than a 911 (even a 997.2). The 6 speed manual suits the Cayman really well.
The 981 Cayman R will be superb if it offers over the CaymanS: an additional 40hp, 50kg less, LSD, firmer suspension. If in that formula, a GT3 will make little sense imho.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
For the road and since this is PH, the humble 1.8 MX5 has plenty of power for a sports car (on the road) allowing you to wring its engine out Conditions were sunny, dry, 7 degrees C. The PEC Handling circuit is a miniature track where you can drive the car hard, similar to how you'd drive it on track. You don't have to, but I thought the original post suggested I did. I enjoy track driving, and drive the cars as intended in such conditions. And when you do, imho the 981 lacks a smidgeon of power (say 10%) to give you a satisfying hard drive out of the bends - even more pertinent in road driving - although it is not slow per se. It didn't stop the 981 from overtaking everything around there and carrying a terrific amount of speed through the bends. Indeed, the 981 has a superb chassis. But being mid-engined, you have to wait a fraction more before being able to really nail the throttle, and when you do it lacks a bit of oomph; unlike being able to take advantage of the increased mechanical traction of a 911 accelerating out of bends.
Despite your experience with the 996GT3
, a 6GT3 is not the panacea for track day driving. Not sure how you can equate me wanting an extra 30-40hp out of the car, at the Porsche Experience Centre, to a critique of my driving of, "Either you're constantly lifting off, or you're constantly doing silly speeds of 120mph+ on B roads." 
Based on driving the basic 981 and optioned 981 CS at the PEC, I suspect the 981 Cayman R could be an exceptional hooning and track toy if Porsche get the mix right... http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
and the PEC handling 'track' is a mickey mouse little circuit more like a go-kart track than a 'real' circuit. Given you can't really get out of third gear (just clipping the limiter, or possibly a short squirt in 4th) in a 991S round there, comments on lack of power seem a little surprising.
spareparts said:
For the road and since this is PH, the humble 1.8 MX5 has plenty of power for a sports car (on the road) allowing you to wring its engine out
Conditions were sunny, dry, 7 degrees C. The PEC Handling circuit is a miniature track where you can drive the car hard, similar to how you'd drive it on track. You don't have to, but I thought the original post suggested I did. I enjoy track driving, and drive the cars as intended in such conditions. And when you do, imho the 981 lacks a smidgeon of power (say 10%) to give you a satisfying hard drive out of the bends - even more pertinent in road driving - although it is not slow per se. It didn't stop the 981 from overtaking everything around there and carrying a terrific amount of speed through the bends. Indeed, the 981 has a superb chassis. But being mid-engined, you have to wait a fraction more before being able to really nail the throttle, and when you do it lacks a bit of oomph; unlike being able to take advantage of the increased mechanical traction of a 911 accelerating out of bends.
Despite your experience with the 996GT3, a 6GT3 is not the panacea for track day driving. Not sure how you can equate me wanting an extra 30-40hp out of the car, at the Porsche Experience Centre, to a critique of my driving of, "Either you're constantly lifting off, or you're constantly doing silly speeds of 120mph+ on B roads."
Based on driving the basic 981 and optioned 981 CS at the PEC, I suspect the 981 Cayman R could be an exceptional hooning and track toy if Porsche get the mix right... http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
I think I know what you mean about the "power", but to me I would suggest that it probably could do with more mid range torque (which is exacerbated by the tight and twisty nature of the PEC). I found it really energetic at 6,000rpm plus, very happy to rev, but another 30-40lb/ft torque (or slightly lower gearing) would punch you much harder out of the corners and onto the straights. Still was very enjoyable to watch my mate (in a 991 C2S) being overtaken by a tidy driver (in a 981 Boxster S)! Conditions were sunny, dry, 7 degrees C. The PEC Handling circuit is a miniature track where you can drive the car hard, similar to how you'd drive it on track. You don't have to, but I thought the original post suggested I did. I enjoy track driving, and drive the cars as intended in such conditions. And when you do, imho the 981 lacks a smidgeon of power (say 10%) to give you a satisfying hard drive out of the bends - even more pertinent in road driving - although it is not slow per se. It didn't stop the 981 from overtaking everything around there and carrying a terrific amount of speed through the bends. Indeed, the 981 has a superb chassis. But being mid-engined, you have to wait a fraction more before being able to really nail the throttle, and when you do it lacks a bit of oomph; unlike being able to take advantage of the increased mechanical traction of a 911 accelerating out of bends.
Despite your experience with the 996GT3
, a 6GT3 is not the panacea for track day driving. Not sure how you can equate me wanting an extra 30-40hp out of the car, at the Porsche Experience Centre, to a critique of my driving of, "Either you're constantly lifting off, or you're constantly doing silly speeds of 120mph+ on B roads." Based on driving the basic 981 and optioned 981 CS at the PEC, I suspect the 981 Cayman R could be an exceptional hooning and track toy if Porsche get the mix right... http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
c7xlg said:
and the PEC handling 'track' is a mickey mouse little circuit more like a go-kart track than a 'real' circuit. Given you can't really get out of third gear (just clipping the limiter, or possibly a short squirt in 4th) in a 991S round there, comments on lack of power seem a little surprising.
Not even 4th. In the CS you are in 2nd gear the whole way around except for a change to 3rd on the 'straight' leading up to the sharp right hander at the 'paddock'. Although a short track, it certainly allows you to experience the car in typical hard road acceleration and tight twists/turns using 2nd to the redline. MadMark911 said:
I think I know what you mean about the "power", but to me I would suggest that it probably could do with more mid range torque (which is exacerbated by the tight and twisty nature of the PEC). I found it really energetic at 6,000rpm plus, very happy to rev, but another 30-40lb/ft torque (or slightly lower gearing) would punch you much harder out of the corners and onto the straights. Still was very enjoyable to watch my mate (in a 991 C2S) being overtaken by a tidy driver (in a 981 Boxster S)!
You're right: mid-range torque is what it would benefit from. It is a very free revving engine.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff