Exhaust system and air filter upgrades for 987 Cayman S.....on a budget!

[Craiglm68]

Fellow Caymanites

Looking for some non-OTT upgrades for the current exhaust system on my 57 reg Cayman S ....a little more noise and HP would be a nice result! I've looked at the Carnewall set up from Gert and Crew, seems quite cost effective depending on who does the fitting locally. Have also had Remus mentioned and some others, so open to suggestions...am not looking for a full time rorty note, rather something I can live with on a weekend tour, but sounds nice when giving said vehicle a bit of welly!. Am only expecting another 5-8HP from anything I do so expectations are duly managed.

And air filter wise, I've heard K&N do some better breathing products that also shake loose some slightly better performance all around, again open to ideas (or is it a total waste of ££?)

Cheers
Craig

 

[garyrmartin43]

Hi Craig.

I share a track 56 plate Cayman S with a mate.

A week ago we stopped at Gert's and he fitted his upgrade exhaust on our way to Spa.

It took less than 2 hours to fit.

Highly recommend the upgrade.

On track it is much stronger at the top end.

The exhaust note is crisper. Slightly noisier but sounds more like a GT3.

Also, there is improved torque and it pulls strongly from 25mph in 6th.

Great upgrade.

 

[Craiglm68]

Thanks Gary, appreciate the intel, Carnewal seem to be getting a thumbs up across the board. Out of interest, can you share the rough costs and (from a driver's perspective) the journey involved in getting over there? I hadn't thought about going over, and haven't driven RHD cars on the "wrong side" of the road before...... but any excuse for a road trip! Cheers

 

[Craiglm68]

Oh; any opinion (informed or otherwise) on the air filter upgrade piece?

 

[Motorhead]

Craig,

See my response to your other post but re the BMC air filter, I think that Brian Innes has used them on his Caymans. You may want to PM him on BJ Innes for advice.

Jeff

 

[Buddy]

A friend of mine has the Carnewal on his 55 plate Cayman S and it does sound good, he says it felt quicker but it could be just an impression due to the sound, he also had the chip upgraded at Zentrum ( Calverton, Nottingham ) which effectively gave it a sport mode level of response and increased power at the top end. His view but having done a couple of trips with him these mods gave some improvement. As for the filters, the original filter has a large area to allow air through easier and many upgraded filters give little or no advantage mid range the standard filter will cope well but logically top end should give a benefit in capacity, ignore advertising blurb and claims and only take advise on which are effective from the track guys, they should have had opportunity to get them flat out, that's the only point to using the upgraded filters.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Hi Craig,

The exhaust replacement is well worth doing on your 57 plate CS. The OE exhaust is a major obstacle to efficient gas flow on the CS engine.

As for the air filter/induction options it's matter of personal choice rather than any noticeable power improvement. On my Cayman 987.1 and 987.2, I preferred the BMC cotton air filter element as it was much easier to fit than the K&N variant. I purchased two BMC air filters and used them in rotation after cleaning.

Later, you may want to consider a larger throttle body and plenum mod to compliment your new exhaust.

If I were asked which one single modification I would do to improve the track performance on your CS I would tyres, tyres, tyres. Fit a set of Michelin Cup 2's and you will be astounded at the improvement in lap times. The new Michelin PS4S is a good all-rounder by recent accounts, although I have not had the opportunity to test these as yet.

Hope this helps.

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

Surely a manifold with a proper collector merging the three pipes and 200 cell catalyst is a more effective way of improving gas exit than a cat-back change, which is more about sound than performance.

I'd endorse Brian's comment about BMC/K&N airfilters, they do improve airflow (and ever little bit counts in our air pumps) but it is more effective at high flow rates. When my car was being tuned, they got another 7PS at the top of the rev range (and it got there faster) when they replaced stock filter with BMC.

I'd suggest one further track day performance mod, driver coaching.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Absolutely Ralph.

I would place driver coaching even before tyre choice. Although, with your car shod with the right tyres, driver coaching is even more relevant as cornering entry speeds and exits are experienced at higher speeds where smoothness is paramount.

All my driving life I have been a firm believer in professional driver coaching. My most recent track driving coaching "top-up" session was in April 2017. Even after 50+ years of competitive motorsport, pro-coaching offers significant rewards for the track day driver.

Brian

 

[Buddy]

Another thing also well worthwhile is to get a proper alignment of the suspension, CG is generally acknowledged to be the best but others maybe closer to hand can do a good job if you know what settings you wish to have, alignment as it comes from the factory is not optimum, OPC's tend to go for middle of the range settings or in factory tolerance it depends on who does it.

Other alignment specialists will have set ups for road or track and it depends on which suspension you have but if you dial out the toe in on the front it gives better more responsive turn in. Equalising the adjustments side to side is one thing I've not found to be done well by some.

 

[ralphmusic]

Kevan,

It is worthwhile to ask the alignment shop when the levels of their rig were last checked and certified, and to what accuracy (half a mm is best). I asked one shop (during a recent 'marketing' invitation visit) and was told it hadn't been certified since they moved it two months previously.

 

[Craiglm68]

Thanks all, excellent input and suggestions here as always, most appreciated!

 

[FERNO]

Hi I went to Spa earlier this year and went to Gerts premises as on the way very impressive set up he did the exchange at his workshop very pleased with results sounds much better and got extra 8 hp, all pre booked mine is a track only gen 1 so I have done other mods as well but was told it sounded more like a Gt3 on track. And it certainly went well with new Toyo R888R boots as well. Would recommend. Fern

 

[Buddy]

A good point Ralph, twice after an alignment I have had a "free" alignment check at OPC when my cars have been there for routine work and been told that the left rear is out of line, different cars and after trusted alignments.

The OPC result makes me think that it was set, badly and not rechecked in years, both of the others do regular recalibrations.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Kevan,

I absolutely agree with your views on OPC alignment "checks".

I prefer my trusted local independent Michelin tyre specialist to do my geo alignment checks and adjustments. Their USA manufactured Hunter alignment equipment is regularly checked and calibrated as their core function is tyre supply and fitting.

Brian