Cayman 987 suspension

[adz86]

Hi all

Fairly new to owning my Cayman 987 2.7 which I love, but finding the suspension a little unforgiving and bouncy on British roads. Just wanted to see if this is a consensus, or should I get it looked at. On smooth roads she's amazing, just starting to get fed up of bouncing around.

FYI I am running on 18"s

Cheers for any feedback.

[klootzak]

Depends what you're used to and you mean by "bouncing around" really.

I'm running P-Zeros on 19" wheels and the ride is firm verging on harsh, particularly on the cracked old chip-seal that passes for road surface down here. Not actually unpleasant though and certainly pretty composed.

I'd never call it "bouncy" though, which suggests a damping problem.

By way of comparison, my previous car was a BMW 123D with M-sport suspension and 19" wheels. I remember being a bit startled by the apparent harshness of the Cayman when I first got it, but quickly realised that it was far more a product of the cheapo bakelite tyres the car had fitted (Nexen I think, perfectly horrid) than the suspension.

k

[adz86]

Thanks, "bouncy" is probably the wrong word. Jarring is probably more descriptive. On smooth roads, she's a dream. I've got brigdstones on, so thinking it's not the tyres.

Maybe I just need to get used to it.

[overunder12g]

How old are the tyres adz?
Had this on a Boxster and changed to new tyres. Difference was massive.If I remember old tyres were about 4 years old. I actually went up a wheel size from 18 to 19 and even then the ride was much better.

[adz86]

Funny you should ask, recently (3-4 weeks) I changed all 4 due to getting a puncture. Don't seem to have much of a difference though. My tyre sizes are 235/40/18 & 265/40/18

I'm due a service on June, so going to bring it up then. Will be taking it to Percision Porsche who seem to know what they are talking about

[overunder12g]

Maybe a 4 wheel geo might be in order?

[adz86]

Forgive my noviceness, but what's that?

[adz86]

Never mind, google search is a wonderful thing 😝

[Eddie Strohacker]

Agree with Cmoose, it does ride considerably better on smaller wheels but without wishing to come across as facetious or even bleedin' obvious, it is a sports car, the ride is always going to be a bit on the strong side compared to the majority of cars & then when you factor in our crappy roads. Is it in part a case of getting used to the characteristics of the thing?

[ORD]

Better on smaller wheels, but never terribly comfortable because the rear suspension is a bit crap.

[adz86]

Thanks for the feedback guys. Will look into the 17's and get the alignment sorted out.

Btw, the car is 08 with 62K on the clock

Edited by adz86 on Tuesday 2nd May 11:38

[overunder12g]

I have a set of 17s from a 987 Boxster. Oddly enough I changed to 18s on that car!
17s had Michelin N rated which were about 5 years old and had clearly gone hard.
So, the 18s actually gave a better ride.

[SV_WDC]

987.2 myself and can find it harsh if there are a lot of pot holes. Usually try and avoid them.

Seats are comfortable so not too bad on the back. As far as sports cars go I have been impressed with how well it copes.
Riding 19"s.

If you have buckets then it will definitely feel uncomfortable

[JackReacher]

I switched from 19"s with conti tyres to 17"s with PS2 tyres on my 2.9 and the ride improved significantly, still nice and firm but less harsh. It made it a much more enjoyable sports car.

[adz86]

Hi all

To get to the bottom of this. Just had a service at Precision Porsche who suggested that the Bridgestone tires would be harder than Michelin. Shame I've just bought, and had fitted 4 news ones

[finestjammy]

I tried PASM and non PASM cars before I purchased, having the PASM made a huge difference to the ride. Having said that, the ride is still considerably better on my 18 inch winters compared to my 19 summers.

If it really is something you can't live with then it's probably a case of swapping to 17 inch wheels or, dare I say it, swapping the car for a PASM equipped version.

[ATM]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

This

A difference of 20% should be noticeable.

And it is FREE!

[adz86]

Cheers

TBH, I think its something I've not been used too. So its just "different", I'm coming around to it, especially over the last few days where I've been driving around Europe on nicer roads. Love the car, so just have to keep an eye out for those better roads :P

[gadgit]

adz86 said:

Cheers

TBH, I think its something I've not been used too. So its just "different", I'm coming around to it, especially over the last few days where I've been driving around Europe on nicer roads. Love the car, so just have to keep an eye out for those better roads :P

Yes, you will need to stay with it for a bit longer to understand that its the roads and not the car that is the problem.
I drive a standard 2.7 cayman 981, which is better over rough surfaces but still find the odd roads drive me mad as the rear knocks a bit with the limited suspension movement.
Certainly, your car with 19s on would be rocking a bit harder than a 981.
If only they could just start getting the roads in shape again, we would all be a lot happier!

Had a great drive today on nice roads and 19s on the 981.......

Stay with the car, learn to live with it a you will be rewarded for your efforts.

Gadgit.