981 cayman buying advise
Discussion
I'm going to drive a non-PASM and non-PSE car on the weekend back to back with ones that do hopefully. Really should have done it sooner but at least I'll be able to figure out if I can live without either.
Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
Setest said:
I'm going to drive a non-PASM and non-PSE car on the weekend back to back with ones that do hopefully. Really should have done it sooner but at least I'll be able to figure out if I can live without either.
Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
I and others dislike PZero N0 tyres. They're hard, little grip, with lots suffering from cracks in sidewall and tread. Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
The PZero N1 is supposedly better.
I went from PZero N0 to GY F1 A2 and they are far better, perhaps the best 20" replacements so far.
Michelin PS4S are just becoming available but not many 981/718 user reviews so far.
They should be the best tyre if all the "better than Super Sport" Michelin hype is to be believed.
Michelin SS (non Porsche approved) are widely lauded as the best performance tyre for road.
Setest said:
I'm going to drive a non-PASM and non-PSE car on the weekend back to back with ones that do hopefully. Really should have done it sooner but at least I'll be able to figure out if I can live without either.
Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
There are a number of tyre factors here. Clearly you need to test on the same size wheels and same tyres (N1 Pirellis are very different from N0s - particularly in cold conditions) Another factor is tyre pressures - there are two options with 20" wheels "normal" of 33psi and "comfort" of 30psi - you need to be sure both cars are on the same pressures.Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
Twinfan said:
I run "normal" pressures (33 psi/2.3 bar) on my CGTS which has PASM, 20" Carrera S wheels and Pirelli N0 tyres.
Ride quality is nothing short of outstanding, unbelievably amazing for 20" wheels and rubber band tyres.
You are joking, yes?Ride quality is nothing short of outstanding, unbelievably amazing for 20" wheels and rubber band tyres.
I had exactly the same set up when I bought my Cayman. 2.3 BAR; PASM; 20" Carrera S; Pirelli N0 tyres with 13k miles on them.
Horrible, horrible, hard, non-compliant, rubbish, sloppy, uncomfortable, crap in the wet, tyres!
Was this down to them being defective, as judged by the Pirelli engineer who came out to inspect them?
I don't think so, as many others report the same of the Pirelli PZero N0 with or without cracking issues (Gromit).
The Pirellis went at 18k miles when I'd had enough of them and the rears were well worn anyway.
The replacement GY F1 A2s are far superior. No scary moments whatsoever in my 12k a year daily drives in all weathers.
They've now done 20,500 miles. Rears have 4mm tread left; fronts 5.5mm.
I had the GYs on my 2012 TTS too and they were equally impressive and hard wearing (1 - 1.5mm wear all round in 10k miles on that). Not since Conti's SportContact 2 & 3 have I found a tyre which offers such grip and great wear.
Michelins are also renowned to be grippy and hard wearing whereas most other manufacturers, as with Conti SC5s I had on a BMW, are now building in premature wear to sell more units. My tyre retailer of 20 years confirmed it is really only Michelin who don't do this. I guess I've just struck lucky with the Goodyears I've had on both TTS and 981.
Twinfan, you should try the GYs next if you don't go for PS4S or PZero N1s. Could it be you don't know what you're missing? Or were you actually joking?
Setest said:
I'm going to drive a non-PASM and non-PSE car on the weekend back to back with ones that do hopefully. Really should have done it sooner but at least I'll be able to figure out if I can live without either.
Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
I don't think you'd miss either PASM or PSE but at the end of the day it's all about personal taste.Interesting that tyre choice is a factor in ride, F1's rated above p-zeros for this?
My 981S on standard suspension, 19" wheels and Goodyear F1s is absolutely fine.
DJMC said:
You are joking, yes?
No, I'm not joking. The ride quality is nothing short of sublime - compliant on the 'Normal' PASM setting and just that bit firmer on 'Sport Chassis'.My car isn't a daily, it only really gets used on sunny days when I fancy some fun, and I agree that the N0s aren't great in the wet or the cold. However, on a warm day and after letting them come up to temp they're fine for my road based driving.
I'll be switching to MPS4s or N1s when they wear out, but given my annual mileage it may take some time!
Geneve said:
I've had PASM on my last 11 Porsches, and I don't think I've ever used it. PSE, though, will bring a smile to your face.
Also agree about Goodyear F1s being excellent for compliant ride and low noise.
You have been using PASM constantly, although perhaps you were unaware? This from the 981 Cayman brochure book: Also agree about Goodyear F1s being excellent for compliant ride and low noise.
If you're in Normal mode and drive enthusiastically PASM will sense what you're up to and stiffen the ride. Alternatively, in Sport mode you might dawdle along and so PASM will soften the ride to accommodate your current driving style. It "learns" what you're doing.
Twinfan said:
No, I'm not joking. The ride quality is nothing short of sublime - compliant on the 'Normal' PASM setting and just that bit firmer on 'Sport Chassis'.
My car isn't a daily, it only really gets used on sunny days when I fancy some fun, and I agree that the N0s aren't great in the wet or the cold. However, on a warm day and after letting them come up to temp they're fine for my road based driving.
I'll be switching to MPS4s or N1s when they wear out, but given my annual mileage it may take some time!
Went to my long term tyre dealer (of 20+ years) today to have some tyres fitted to my wife's car. The owners were invited to a test day by Michelin when the PS4S was launched. The drove a variety of vehicles on various tyres including Goodyear; Pirelli; Super Sports; PS4S and had to blind guess which were which. She (the joint owner) told me it was obvious which were the PS4S as they were head and shoulders above the rest, including the MPSS. She drives day to day on MPSS in her 130i. They have fitted dozens of PS4S to various cars and many of the owners have reported back that they are amazed how good the new Michelins are. Sounds like a must have when my F1s need replacing.My car isn't a daily, it only really gets used on sunny days when I fancy some fun, and I agree that the N0s aren't great in the wet or the cold. However, on a warm day and after letting them come up to temp they're fine for my road based driving.
I'll be switching to MPS4s or N1s when they wear out, but given my annual mileage it may take some time!
I sold my 15 plate Cayman 2.7 a few months back after nearly three years of ownership from new.
I had 20'' wheels and no PASM and yet the ride was fine and much more compliant than the average hot hatch.
That said, I've not had a 'normal' car for years now, so I'm probably more used to a firm ride than some.
As for the sports exhaust.....if it was on the car then fine....but the flat six still sounds great without it.
I'm quite into tyres (sad I know) and actually I thought the P Zero's were good. In the dry on a warm day they were epic in my view and in the wet I had no issues when I just drove normally. But what I would say is that when they got to just under 3mm depth and in particular in the cold, they just switched off. I nearly lost the back end a few times at very ordinary speeds and I came to the conclusion that they seemed to switch on a couple of degrees higher than say a MPS or a Conti.
That said, I managed around 20k miles out of the rear tyres and it was only the last 1000 or so where I had any handing issues. By comparision the Conti's of our Civic Type R were below 2mm by 10k miles, which given my slowish 25 mile commute is the least amount of miles I can ever remember getting from a pair of tyres.
I had 20'' wheels and no PASM and yet the ride was fine and much more compliant than the average hot hatch.
That said, I've not had a 'normal' car for years now, so I'm probably more used to a firm ride than some.
As for the sports exhaust.....if it was on the car then fine....but the flat six still sounds great without it.
I'm quite into tyres (sad I know) and actually I thought the P Zero's were good. In the dry on a warm day they were epic in my view and in the wet I had no issues when I just drove normally. But what I would say is that when they got to just under 3mm depth and in particular in the cold, they just switched off. I nearly lost the back end a few times at very ordinary speeds and I came to the conclusion that they seemed to switch on a couple of degrees higher than say a MPS or a Conti.
That said, I managed around 20k miles out of the rear tyres and it was only the last 1000 or so where I had any handing issues. By comparision the Conti's of our Civic Type R were below 2mm by 10k miles, which given my slowish 25 mile commute is the least amount of miles I can ever remember getting from a pair of tyres.
^ my findings too re. the Pirellis. Get them warm and they're fine, but in the cold and wet they're not great. However, in those weather conditions I'm not "pressing on" anyway.
Re. the Michelin PS4Ss, now they're N rated I think they're the best option. I can save a few quid on Pirellis via PCGB but I'd probably pay the extra to get Michelins...
Re. the Michelin PS4Ss, now they're N rated I think they're the best option. I can save a few quid on Pirellis via PCGB but I'd probably pay the extra to get Michelins...
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