Cayman GT4: Where are we up 2 now? Déjà vu Edition

[ChrisW]

It's a while since I've been on here ... been a tad busy !

Well, ditched the idea of playing with a 992 and have pre-empted Brexit by organising and paying for Jens Ehressman's Stage 3 upgrade and a quiet exhaust which should save 3dB over stock (no loud setting) ... and complete the deep breathing process adding an extra 10bhp with the live remap.

All the bits will be returned to me so that the whole car can return to standard if anybody ever wanted to.

Having taken a leap of faith on fitting the ST carbon discs ... I am delighted with them. I've only just had to replace the pads ... and after a careless tyre-fitter took a tiny chip out of the edge of one of the fronts, I was so pleased it wasn't a rather more fragile and un-skimmable PCCB ! I reckon they've saved me almost £4k in pads so far ... and their finish is now looking better and better as the slight surface imperfections polish out with every additional track day !

The job should be finished and back home by the 28th May ... happy days !

 

[MrDemon]

It's a while since I've been on here ... been a tad busy !

Well, ditched the idea of playing with a 992 and have pre-empted Brexit by organising and paying for Jens Ehressman's Stage 3 upgrade and a quiet exhaust which should save 3dB over stock (no loud setting) ... and complete the deep breathing process adding an extra 10bhp with the live remap.

All the bits will be returned to me so that the whole car can return to standard if anybody ever wanted to.

Having taken a leap of faith on fitting the ST carbon discs ... I am delighted with them. I've only just had to replace the pads ... and after a careless tyre-fitter took a tiny chip out of the edge of one of the fronts, I was so pleased it wasn't a rather more fragile and un-skimmable PCCB ! I reckon they've saved me almost £4k in pads so far ... and their finish is now looking better and better as the slight surface imperfections polish out with every additional track day !

The job should be finished and back home by the 28th May ... happy days !

Sounds great Chris, I went the other way and bought a 991.1 GTS with the correct engine ;-) pick it up tomorrow.

very much looking forward to the x51 3.8 and 430hp.

I look forward to a run out in the stage 3 GT4 should be quite a thing with the extra grunt and torque at 5k than more power to red line.

A tuned GT4 was a 2nd thought but I expected a drop in prices and they seem to have held better than I expected.

 

[Motorhead]

Well done Chris; sounds like an excellent move.

You've not missed much - or any thing for that matter! - since you were on here last. Keep us posted on progress, although I'm sure that there'll be some info on Jens' Facebook page.

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Great news on the stage 3 upgrade Chris!

Looking forward to a few passenger laps at Knockhill in August. The extra poke will be good for the long uphill drag out of the hairpin.

Brian

 

[ChrisW]

Thanks everybody ... travelling in anticipation ... and I'll keep you informed !

David, I was interested also in the X51 upgrade but I'm told that there is no tested and proven solution to the tuning of the seven varioram vanes when it's installed in the GT4. Regarding the GTS, that sounds like a very nice package (similar to the 992 spec I was playing with ... but didn't want the depreciation).

The second part of this was also my firm belief that Porsche should have a quiet setting for track days ... and this as a package breathes better and quieter ...

I probably need to do some bench marking ...

I will then be very interested to compare the cost and spec of my GT4 with the final cost and spec of the new 718GT4 ... a leap of faith !

 

[Deanoc123]

Thanks everybody ... travelling in anticipation ... and I'll keep you informed !

David, I was interested also in the X51 upgrade but I'm told that there is no tested and proven solution to the tuning of the seven varioram vanes when it's installed in the GT4. Regarding the GTS, that sounds like a very nice package (similar to the 992 spec I was playing with ... but didn't want the depreciation).

The second part of this was also my firm belief that Porsche should have a quiet setting for track days ... and this as a package breathes better and quieter ...

I probably need to do some bench marking ...

I will then be very interested to compare the cost and spec of my GT4 with the final cost and spec of the new 718GT4 ... a leap of faith !

Enjoy new car day. I'll personally be really interested in what you think. I am down for a 718 GT4 but want PDK so time will tell. If it's a no I want a 991.1 GTS but I'm concerned the x51 will make it feel more like a turbo which is absolutely not what I want.

 

[MrDemon]

Enjoy new car day. I'll personally be really interested in what you think. I am down for a 718 GT4 but want PDK so time will tell. If it's a no I want a 991.1 GTS but I'm concerned the x51 will make it feel more like a turbo which is absolutely not what I want.

the x51 don't make it feel any thing like a turbo !

what you get is instant throttle response and a engine which keeps making power to red line so you have to work it.

people buy the 991.2 GTS because it's easy !! the x51 is one of those "best ever" Porsche engines imo.

And the engine EVERY one wanted in the GT4.

 

[ChrisW]

That is probably true ... maybe P will do it on the 718 version ?

Or maybe not.

Life is a mystery

 

[MrDemon]

That is probably true ... maybe P will do it on the 718 version ?

Or maybe not.

Life is a mystery

They did for the clubsport, ! Seems odd the road cars not getting the race engine :-(

My ideal car now now I have had 9 porkers many bmw an amazing golf, 2 lotus Plus 50 odd other cars.

would be a GT4 with the GTS engine, cayman R steering feel, GT3 rear mulitilink,a proper set of gear ratios, and a set of 3 way passive shocks.

That would be perfect And pretty much what A Manthey 991.2 GT3 is I guess but I could easy trade down on the 4.0 500hp lump to a 430hp 3.8 Cayman If that came in at £100k

 

[Motorhead]

Courtesy of PH, here's the latest showing.

A bit more aero tweaking - note the ducts at the edge of the front PU to guide airflow around the front wheel. Looks like something from a GT2/GT3?

Jeff

 

[ralphmusic]

The rear view from rennlist/pff is good too

 

[Motorhead]

Yes Ralph, you can see the duct at the trailing edge of the front PU more clearly in this pic.

I'm not a fan of black cars but the GT4 looks really mean in these shots. That car looks as though it's done a fair amount of high-speed testing judging by the significant amount of gravel rash on the front PU..!

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

The above recent spy shots of the 718 GT4 look as if they have the car really sorted, at least on the aero kit level.

I am eagerly awaiting the official launch release of the mechanical details. It should be a cracking car.

Brian

 

[MrDemon]

The above recent spy shots of the 718 GT4 look as if they have the car really sorted, at least on the aero kit level.

I am eagerly awaiting the official launch release of the mechanical details. It should be a cracking car.

Brian

Not sure it will be, EU regs, and cost will keep it being a 10 out of 10 car imo.

i think we have to wait for fun hybrids in new cars now, the current crop are not great drivers cars.

turbo laggy and poor sound, hybrid will fix the lag but we have lost the sound for ever.

Just no hybrids in fun models yet, 992 was a disappointment imo it needed hybrid from the off.

Want fun for £50k the Cayman R is still king ......

at the minute we we are stuck in the Turbo era and it’s dull as shit.

 

[OliR]

i think we have to wait for fun hybrids in new cars now, the current crop are not great drivers cars.

turbo laggy and poor sound, hybrid will fix the lag but we have lost the sound for ever.

Just no hybrids in fun models yet, 992 was a disappointment imo it needed hybrid from the off.

Interesting. Have you driven the 992?

 

[MrDemon]

i think we have to wait for fun hybrids in new cars now, the current crop are not great drivers cars.

turbo laggy and poor sound, hybrid will fix the lag but we have lost the sound for ever.

Just no hybrids in fun models yet, 992 was a disappointment imo it needed hybrid from the off.

Interesting. Have you driven the 992?

When you speak to owners of which I know one, they just say it's easy, may as well sit in the passenger seat and get a driver ! people said this about the 991.2 cars also, hence why I just spent more to get into a NA engine GTS than I could of got a 991.2 car for.

people hanker after newer is better but since 2010 all we have got is less driver interaction !

Turbo give you that torque low down and people seem to love that, but they are no fun to drive, just fast.

as I said hybrid into fun cars will be the next step, atm we are in limbo land and it’s a bit dull.

Depends what you want of course, my mate has just bought a 987.2 Spyder and it’s too hardcore for most, but it's like a RR to him after his 65 911, he did sell his 65 for a newer car though , a 66 model

 

[Brian_Innes]

[/quote]

When you speak to owners of which I know one, they just say it's easy, may as well sit in the passenger seat and get a driver ! people said this about the 991.2 cars also, hence why I just spent more to get into a NA engine GTS than I could of got a 991.2 car for.



people hanker after newer is better but since 2010 all we have got is less driver interaction !

Turbo give you that torque low down and people seem to love that, but they are no fun to drive, just fast.



as I said hybrid into fun cars will be the next step, atm we are in limbo land and it’s a bit dull.



Depends what you want of course, my mate has just bought a 987.2 Spyder and it’s too hardcore for most, but it's like a RR to him after his 65 911, he did sell his 65 for a newer car though , a 66 model

[/quote]

David,

You seem to have a very narrow-minded view of what makes a car good to drive. Somewhat surprising as you claim to have owned more cars than anyone I know.

I cut my keen driver teeth in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's. A raw, raucous, free-revving, 1293cc Mk1 Mini Cooper S with 649 cam, twin inch-and-half SU's, straight-cut gearbox, and a crude Jack Knight pawl-activated LSD, made the hairs on the back of my neck bristle. The bark of a BDA engined Ford Escort, or the sewing machine whine of a 9000 rpm 998cc Hartwell Imp race engine, all etched an indelible mark on my brain right up to the present day.

However it may displease some, automotive technology is unstoppable and does not stand still. Due to increasingly stringent environmental constraints, we are currently in the midst of the turbo era as engine induction facilitator.

Turbo cars are not dull, big torque is not boring. "Newer" brings with it chassis development tweaks that only a decade ago would have only been available to supercars. I'm not talking about electronic stability aids here, like RWS, PTV, PSM, and such like, I'm referring to better engineered dampers, springs, anti-roll bars, and brakes.

My current 718 CGTS is a hoot to drive. It has better steering than my CR, is just as playful on the track, and has absolutely magnificent PCCB brakes. A feature that the CR was woefully short of. Having said that, the CR is the iconic car of its time.

Picking up your point on turbo lag, I can quite easily replicate turbo lag in my 718 GTS. This is how....select Normal mode on the dial, stick the gear selector in "D", and your brain in "lazy" mode. That'll dial-up turbo lag. I prefer to engage fully with my driving on the roads that are in my back yard. I select Manual shift, Sport mode, and my brain in keen driver mode. You know what? Turbo lag is non-existent. Just instant go.

At 70+ I embrace the modern era, even though I have a life-long attachment to the normal aspirated engines of yesteryear. The new current engines are not necessarily better to drive than their n/a forebears, just different.

Brian

 

[Motorhead]

Brian,

I have to agree wholeheartedly with everything you've said - but then I'm ages with you, so undoubtedly our experiences have been very similar. Car technology and driving conditions (traffic density) are totally different compared with the 1960's when we started driving and modern cars are designed for modern (ease of) use and where regulation is king and 'connectivity' is a prime customer requirement.

As enthusiasts we may wish for something very different, but manufacturers are building cars for the 99.99% who aren't and are quite happy to drive a motorised fridge..!

Jeff

 

[Brian_Innes]

Absolutely Jeff.

In my Porsche driving experience over the past 11 years, particularly when touring in the UK, I would say that most drivers on the public roads are not interested in driving. They would rather be doing something else. Last year when driving to visit friends within the M25 near London, the driving standards I encountered were absolutely appalling and at times downright dangerous. People look upon a car journey as something to be endured until they get to their destination.

Sadly, the lowest common denominator increasingly applies to all car and traffic regulations these days. Driving, like horse riding, motor cycling, archery, and clay target shooting, are skills most people do not have. Nor do they care.

We, as enthusiasts are becoming a dying breed.

So, let us put aside our prejudices on turbo engines and flat-4's, and relish with eager anticipation the exciting new 718 Cayman GT4 when it arrives in July. One final thing for sure, I shall embrace it whatever the piston count.

Brian

 

[Motorhead]

Brian,

I fear that we're sounding like a couple of BOFs, but once again I have to agree with your comments about driving standards and having a certain pride and enthusiasm in driving, which clearly we both share.

The technology packed into a modern car really is staggering - a real tour de force - and in general I reckon that we should be thankful for it given current motoring conditions and requirements, as well as increasingly restrictive legislation.

I'm with you in looking forward seeing what Porsche has done with the 718 Cayman GT4 to ensure that it's a step up from its predecessor. Hopefully it will have been worth the (not inconsiderable) wait..!

Jeff