Cayman GT4: Where are we up to now?

[MrDemon]

every one there last night seems mega rich, most people I spoke too were getting the RS and the GT4 and have 918's and FF's and 458's etc. Car park was a hyper car show room. as it was a very relaxed night ie 30 odd people, to have 3 x 918, 2 x 458 speciale, A Ferrari FF and a Bentley plus other Pork, it was not full of the general public.

 

[Motorhead]

Thanks for the update and pics D. Have to agree that the interior looks very drab without leather/stitching, particularly the door cappings, and the steering wheel is more a matter of taste, although the slighlty smaller wheel is a bonus. Isn't it the same one as that used in the 918? Colour? I still prefer the blue but then I'm not convinced totally about yellow, although it does look very good in the pics. The popularity of white could well be waining. I hope the attendees weren't actually typical of the first batch of GT4 owners. That's not to say that they aren't Porsche enthusiasts but it would be nice to think that there are a decent number of GT4 buyers for whom the purchase is a bit of a stretch and who will use the cars on a regular basis even, like yourself, as a daily drive. Jeff

 

[ralphmusic]

ORIGINAL: Motorhead ....The popularity of white could well be waining....

Well I still like it.. https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B01532ODWySz2V Ralph

 

[Motorhead]

Every colour has its day Ralph. There was a time when no-one [except the French and my sister-in-law!] would be seen dead in a white car and dealers were having to discount them on the forecourts. Well done for fighting your corner. I still think that it suits the lines of the 981. Jeff

 

[SteveJC]

Have to agree that the white car looked flat against the yellow one under the artificial lighting, out on the road they will both look stunning. Great to see both cars side by side in a very relaxed atmosphere. Just a little thing, the quality of the GT4 brochure is superb with some excellent photography, can't say much about the RS one as I haven't even opened it. It gave us a chance to see the car in the flesh and make a couple of decisions, one is to have the rear struts in black and the main one, against what seems to be the most common choice, is to ditch the bucket seats. Car will be yellow with ceramics.

 

[Motorhead]

Just out of interest, what was the issue with the bucket seats Steve? Jeff

 

[ralphmusic]

My comment on the buckets from yesterday at the PEC is that they looked great but for my tired old bones are difficult to get (climb) in and out of - but same as 997 GT3 - and limited adjustability for my (and I guess most more mature people) minor back ailments. The adaptive sports seats will be quite a lot heavier so it is a real trade-off. I do lots of track days but in the last 2 months out of 5,000 total miles, the 6 track days were maybe 800 miles on track and 4,200 were road miles - which one do you compromise? The clutch pedal was really heavy.. Ralph

 

[ralphmusic]

ORIGINAL: MrDemon ..... Wonder if owners cars have lighter clutch then.......

My friend in Germany said that the heavy clutch had been mentioned by a number of owners there so I presume it is not just a characteristic of either RHD or new cars.

 

[daro911]

ORIGINAL: ralphmusic

ORIGINAL: MrDemon ..... Wonder if owners cars have lighter clutch then.......

My friend in Germany said that the heavy clutch had been mentioned by a number of owners there so I presume it is not just a characteristic of either RHD or new cars.

Owners cars will have same heavy clutch pedal that's a dead cert or I will eat my suncap pre-production car or not the clutch fitted is the clutch being used on cars already sold and out and about in Euroland Presumably a 991 3.8 manual would have the same issue [&o] hence the popularity of flappy paddles No complaints at all here from CH except for long ratios [] http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/porsche-cayman-gt4-reviewed-by-chris-harris-video-ar168146.html

 

[daro911]

http://www.9tro.com/features/new-cars/porsche-cayman-gt4-a-question-of-balance The clutch is from the Carrera S and feels a little on the heavy side, but its movement is progressive and linear, with a crisp but well damped engagement point.

 

[MrDemon]

did not feel well damped to me, will have to get in the gym. It's just plain hard to press and it pushes back hard on release. could make for a few jerky hill starts again road tester are more than useless, and only want to power side to generate you tube views. no real driver info on the GT4 yet :-(

 

[Motorhead]

ORIGINAL: ralphmusic My comment on the buckets from yesterday at the PEC is that they looked great but for my tired old bones are difficult to get (climb) in and out of - but same as 997 GT3 - and limited adjustability for my (and I guess most more mature people) minor back ailments. The adaptive sports seats will be quite a lot heavier so it is a real trade-off. I do lots of track days but in the last 2 months out of 5,000 total miles, the 6 track days were maybe 800 miles on track and 4,200 were road miles - which one do you compromise? The clutch pedal was really heavy.. Ralph

Ralph, I understand where you're coming from re the L/W bucket seats and think that given most people's usage, the standard sport seats - in base or adaptive form - will be a perfect compromise. I've never found the sports seats on my 987.2 CS lacking in support for road or track use. Because the car's a tight fit in my single garage I have to squeeze through a very narrow gap between the door and B-post to get into and out of the seat which, from what people say, would be even harder to achieve with the LWBs. Thankfully, despite my advancing years I'm still reasonably agile but fear that even I would find the exercise rather challenging. I've no doubt that they're excellent seats - and certainly suit the GT image of the car - but I think it would have to be a case of "try-before-you-buy" if I was in the fortunate position to be offered a car. Heavy clutch? Maybe you've been driving Tip/PDK Porsches for too long Ralph..! I suppose it's inevitable when you hand over vehicle development to the Porsche GT group for whom this will be the norm. Not ideal for driving in heavy stop-start traffic then and I suspect that many 991S customers will have spec'd the PDK box anyway. Jeff

 

[SteveJC]

Just out of interest, what was the issue with the bucket seats Steve?

The seats look fantastic but on trying them and knowing what we will use the car for ( mostly road ) then the normal seats will be ideal. We had the same seats in the last 2 Turbo's plus they are currently in our 991 4S, which we/I enjoy for long journeys and the occasional track excursion. The clutch didn't feel that bad to me but there again just pushing it down a couple of times in the showroom wouldn't give a true reflection as driving it for a period.

 

[Motorhead]

Thanks Steve. Useful information there. Bearing in mind the comment above that the GT4 uses the same clutch as that used in the 991S, I get the impression that you may have the PDK rather than the manual 'box on your 4S. Jeff

 

[SteveJC]

Yes, PDK in my 4S, I was so hoping for a PDK box in the GT4, but are now looking forward to using it as it was intended.

 

[ian harvey]

I went to see the new GT4 last night, mainly to evaluate the seat options. It would have been nice to have seen other colours in the flesh (I've chosen red) but the two cars present, yellow and white, looked good. The clutch seemed normal to me and the gate on the 'box feels really good. Does anyone know if the pedal heights can be altered, the throttle sits a little low for my liking? The seats certainly are an issue. They were the main topic of conversation for everyone by a long way. I could get in/out with no problem whatsoever but the whole unit is considerably too upright for me and i could not get comfortable. I couldn't position it to support my thighs and the small of my back is clear of the backrest as the upright position shifts you forward. I have no such issue with my current Recaro pole positions which are also fixed but there are numerous mechanical adjustments available. Tellingly I have them in the most reclined position available. The sports seats are beyond criticism, being 18-way adjustable they can be positioned perfectly and with the side supports nicely inflated they would offer decent support on-track. However, I am determined to make the carbon seats fit and can see two options. Firstly, get my spanners out and look at ways of raising the front, not what I was expecting of a new car and secondly the seat inserts are all velcro'd in position so could be altered or have secondary inserts made to adjust the angle. This second option would be pretty neat and well worth the effort. I loved it, btw!!

 

[MrDemon]

On Monday most thought the seats were better than expected when I chatted to them, I thought they were a bit big, but seems fine to sit in to me. I must be bucket seat shaped having most of my cars with buckets the tilt was fine.

 

[Sandy59]

ORIGINAL: MrDemon did not feel well damped to me, will have to get in the gym. It's just plain hard to press and it pushes back hard on release. could make for a few jerky hill starts again road tester are more than useless, and only want to power side to generate you tube views. no real driver info on the GT4 yet :-(

Some new owner feedback here which sounds quite positive, even on the clutch : http://rennlist.com/forums/gt4/877818-first-drive-with-the-gt4-was-impressive-compared-to-my-997-2-gt3.html

 

[MrDemon]

should be an amazing car, see you on the 29th July ;-)

 

[Sandy59]

ORIGINAL: MrDemon should be an amazing car, see you on the 29th July ;-)

Yes sounds good, are you morning or afternoon ?? Interesting that the first guy thinks the exhaust noise needs improving, while the 2nd guy thinks it's spot on already, wonder if the Spyder will sound exactly the same - we shall see (hear) !!