My 2019 718 Cayman GTS PDK

[OliR]

Brian, how are you getting on with the GPF? I ask as my car has gone in for a service ahead of Silverstone and they’ve given me a 2019 Cayman with sports exhaust and the GPF, sadly (to me) the car is much, much quieter, and far fewer pops etc.

Does it it get any louder with time?

 

[Brian_Innes]

The 2019 GPF Cayman is quieter, even with the Porsche Sports Exhaust option. The pops and bangs on overrun on my GTS are still there, but seem more muted. On the plus side, the exhaust system on the GPF cars is quite different from the pre-2019 Caymans with larger diameter pipework and smaller mufflers. It looks better.

My GTS has 5500 miles up and I can't say I've noticed any change in the exhaust note so far. My previous 2016 718 CS had a step change in improved mpg and throttle response after 6000 miles. I'm waiting with interest to see if my current GTS displays a similar result. I have an inkling that the ECU has a hand in this somewhere. Whether or not that changes the exhaust note, I shall have to wait and see. I'll be reporting back on this soon, as 6k miles up is not far off.

Brian

 

[Fudgie]

Hi Brian,

Keep up the good work on this thread, I keep dipping in to catch up on how that lovely gts so going!

The recent renewed ’sound’ debate has made me smile, even more so after watching Sunday’s episode of TG where a certain Mr Harris declared himself a ‘chassis enthusiast‘ after driving a £200k 4-pot... I would say egg on his face but it was more melon on his head...

Anyway after 4 months sans 718 I’m really missing the car, the only other car that has had that effect was my S1 Elise which I bought twice!

My spare time is currently spent configuring the best options on a black 718T with Lizard Green deviated stitching & belts, a strangely alluring combo but then beauty is in the eye (& ears) of the beholder

 

[Brian_Innes]

Thank you Fudgie for your interesting comments. I also noted with interest Chris Harris's "I'm a chassis man" statement on Top Gear while testing the Dallara. I gave a wry smile at Mr Harris accepting, without apparent malice, the 2.3 litre Ford 4-pot turbo engine powering this particular £200k supercar. As one "chassis man" to another, I completely agree with his assertion on that particular film piece that it's the chassis that scores above the sound. Just like my 718 CGTS. []

Glad to hear you are missing the 718. Happy configurating.......

Brian

 

[Jedimaster65]

Hey Brian, are you 'Harris bashing'?

It sounded suspiciously like it.

Please do not savage too harshly the only good thing left on Top Gear...I simply cannot watch it on TV anymore and only watch the Harris bits on iPlayer now as despite being from the North of England myself, the other two presenters offend my intelligence.

Anyway, back to your 718 GTS...do you know it weighs 105kg more than my 981 GTS? (Almost enough to compensate for my beer-belly) Lol!

So Harris has a point about less weight can be just as important as more power...

 

[Brian_Innes]

Jedimaster,

No way was my post intended as a criticism of Chris Harris. He is an entertaining professional driver who, like me, values chassis dynamics above engine sound. My wry smile at his "chassis man" remark refers to his previous comments on testing the 2016 718 Cayman S, where he praised the dynamics and criticised the engine sound presumably because the flat-4 turbo was such a radical departure from the norm for Porsche. I now take it from his Top Gear remarks, that his opinion has mellowed on the significance of engine acoustics in relation to chassis dynamics. His Top Gear "chassis man" remark will not be forgotten by many 718 fans.

Regarding weights, I haven't as yet weighed my 718 GTS, but I would assume it would come somewhere near the bottom end of the published DIN weights of 1420kgs - 1490kgs. My car has the considerably lighter PCCB's, and lacks the heavy heated 18-way seats, hi-fi sound systems, and full leather dash etc. For interest, my 987.2 Cayman R manual in race motorsport trim, tipped the scales at 1440kgs with me onboard. Being a relatively trim 78kgs, that puts the kerb weight at 1362kgs. The published DIN weights in the handbook are only intended a guide dependant upon specification. Individual cars will vary widely within the published range.

Finally, as a lifetime motorsport competitor, I am more aware than most of the importance of less weight in respect of performance. Which incidentally, was the key element of Chris Harris's piece on the Dallara.

Brian

 

[Twinfan]

I think you're stretching a bit Brian - I got the impression Chris thought the excellent Dallara chassis overcame the humble origins of the Ford engine in that particular car and it gave a nice tagline to finish the piece off. Whether the same logic can be applied to other cars is an unknown at this point []

 

[Brian_Innes]

While on the motorsport theme, I have confirmed my entry for the PCGB Knockhill track day on August 17th. Being my "local" track, it is a circuit I know extremely well. The short 1.4 mile lap has all the ingredients of a challenging, technical circuit, with steep undulations, blind crests and apexes, and a tight hairpin bend leading on to the uphill start/finish straight. Knockhill has much in common with Oulton Park, with handling dynamics and agility being more important than outright power. This will be my first visit to Knockhill with my 718 CGTS. I am very much looking forward to it. I am also hoping to meet a few of the contributors to this forum at the event.

As already intimated, this will probably be my final year at track day participation. I have had a superb life of competitive motorsport spanning a total of 55 years. During that time, I have driven a wide range of front-wheel-drive and rear-wheel-drive cars, and accumulated 3 shelves of trophies and awards for the many speed events I have enjoyed competing in along the way. My long experience in competitive motorsport, together with the many professional tutored driving sessions I have undertaken, have given me a solid base from which to appreciate the superlative chassis dynamics of my current 718 CGTS. For me, this car is all about handling dynamics and I am fortunate to have some of the best driver's roads available locally to enjoy it to the full.

Looking back over my motorsport life, one of the many high points was my participation in the Super Lap Scotland Championship in 2014. My Cayman R manual was ideally suited to this power-to-weight classified sprint event. My main rival in the road car class was a modified E46 BMW M3. It turned out to be a real needle match with our respective lap times over the 2 lap sprint often decided by a only few tenths of a second. At the end of the seven championship races I came out on top in the road car class with a first place over the M3. Incidentally, the overall winner of the D3 power-to-weight class was also another 3.4 Cayman, albeit a stripped-out full race PDK car driven by the very capable Matt Collins. Happy days indeed. It was so good to be part of it, and importantly, learnt me a lot about the superb handling capabilities of the Cayman chassis and the importance of working the tyres to maximum advantage.

This may help explain why place I place so little emphasis on the sound of the 718 engine or the piston count. But then, I'm perhaps not a typical Porsche owner.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

As a PS to my previous post on the many happy days competing in the 2014 Knockhill SLS championship, I have dug out a couple of photos from my motorsport archive. Please pardon my indulgence in reliving those halcyon days competing with my sublime Cayman R, but the experience really learnt me a lot about Cayman high speed handling. The CR may not have had the ultimate road grip my current GTS so comprehensively displays, as Cayman suspension development has improved the chassis tuning with the introduction of the 718. But the poise, agility, and handling balance of the CR was absolutely supreme and a joy to behold.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

One more photo from the 2014 Knockhill SLS. You will note the timing transponder bracket located on the front bumper. It was a requirement that all competing cars were electronically timed via the My Laps transponder fitted to the extreme front of each car. Competitors cars were also weighed in the scrutineering bay following each competitive run to discourage cheating.

Brian

 

[Ray]

As a PS to my previous post on the many happy days competing in the 2014 Knockhill SLS championship, I have dug out a couple of photos from my motorsport archive. Please pardon my indulgence in reliving those halcyon days competing with my sublime Cayman R, but the experience really learnt me a lot about Cayman high speed handling. The CR may not have had the ultimate road grip my current GTS so comprehensively displays, as Cayman suspension development has improved the chassis tuning with the introduction of the 718. But the poise, agility, and handling balance of the CR was absolutely supreme and a joy to behold.

Brian

Brian,

You are either, well in the lead or miles behind?

Ray

 

[Jedimaster65]

I had a Cayman R for the afternoon, courtesy of Wilmslow OPC In 2013.

I really liked it's performance but found the PDK in Sport Plus rather severe and race-car like (especially on the downchanges) and this put us off for use as a road car.

The 981 GTS seemed to have similar performance but the PDK seems much smoother.

But I never doubted the CR would be a brilliant track car, as Brian seems to have proven.

 

[Brian_Innes]

As a PS to my previous post on the many happy days competing in the 2014 Knockhill SLS championship, I have dug out a couple of photos from my motorsport archive. Please pardon my indulgence in reliving those halcyon days competing with my sublime Cayman R, but the experience really learnt me a lot about Cayman high speed handling. The CR may not have had the ultimate road grip my current GTS so comprehensively displays, as Cayman suspension development has improved the chassis tuning with the introduction of the 718. But the poise, agility, and handling balance of the CR was absolutely supreme and a joy to behold.

Brian

Brian,

You are either, well in the lead or miles behind?

Ray

Ray,

Super Lap Scotland is a single car sprint championship. Each car is timed over two laps on its own. The best lap counts. No way would I have raced my precious CR door to door with other competitors.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

On the subject of dynamic chassis handling, while reading the 982 GT4 report in the current issue 391 of Christophorus, the test car had the PCCB option fitted which, according to the report, saves 4.75kgs (10lbs) of unsprung mass per wheel equivalent to a 50% weight saving compared to the standard steel brakes. Multiplied by 4 that's a total of 19kgs (41.8lbs) less unsprung mass.

The benefits of such a significant weight saving on the chassis dynamics of the car are not lost on a "chassis man" like myself. Less unsprung weight at the wheel hubs allows the springs and dampers to focus on controlling the sprung weight of the car, that is, the body-shell and contents, engine, transaxle, and steering. When you consider the high workload these vital suspension components have to cope with on bumpy surfaces while cornering, steering, and braking, you don't have to be a PhD scientist to appreciate the advantages of reducing unsprung weight.

I have already mentioned on this thread the improved steering feel I have experienced on my current 718 CGTS. I am neither an engineer nor a scientist, but I do have a keen appreciation of all things mechanical. It is my assertion that PCCB reduces the gyroscopic forces exerted on the steering rack components when turning the rotating wheels, with the consequential benefits of enhanced steering feel at the steering wheel rim.

In the same issue of Christophorus there is an interesting article on PDK gearboxes. Both PDK 1 7-speed, and PDK 2 8-speed are covered in detail. Interestingly the author describes how PDK suits the current turbocharged Porsche engines particularly well. PDK, by allowing full or part throttle gearshifts without lifting a foot off the gas, keeps the turbo charge pressure constant and avoiding traction interruption. More than three quarters of all Porsche 718 and 911 models are sold with PDK.

Brian

 

[Twinfan]

One thing to note on the subject of PCCBs Brian, is that they are larger in both disc and caliper size than the standard steels on non-GT cars so your weight savings will be quite a bit less than the numbers you quote on a 718 CGTS. 4-pot 330mm and 4-pot 299mm versus 6-pot 350mm and 4-pot 350mm.

 

[Motorhead]

Well Brian, I am an engineer and you're correct on all counts (except that I think you'll find that the standard brake discs are cast iron not steel - but I'll let you off that!). PCCB discs are significantly lighter than the standard disc, and as you say bring worthwhile improvements in unsprung mass and reduced gyroscopically-induced steering forces on turn-in. Plus, your wheels stay much cleaner too..!

The comment that PDK particularly suits the turbo engine characteristic definitely holds true; any transmission which provides an uninterrupted power-flow will be of benefit. It's now very difficult to find a used 718 with manual transmission - how soon before it becomes the option rather than PDK?

Jeff

 

[Motorhead]

One thing to note on the subject of PCCBs Brian, is that they are larger in both disc and caliper size than the standard steels on non-GT cars so your weight savings will be quite a bit less than the numbers you quote on a 718 CGTS. 4-pot 330mm and 4-pot 299mm versus 6-pot 350mm and 4-pot 350mm.

Good point Dave. However, the PCCB discs themselves are significantly lighter than standard (they have examples at the PEC Silverstone), but the 6-pot calipers will of course be heavier than the standard 4-pot.

Jeff

 

[Twinfan]

Yep. On GT cars PCCBs and steels are the same size so the weight saving is much more significant []

 

[Brian_Innes]

Thank you for your constructive comments Jeff and David.

All I can say is, in my experience of Caymans the PCCB option brings tangible benefits for those drivers who appreciate road feel through the steering and chassis handling on uneven surfaces. PCCB's are not only all about stopping power.

For those who's road miles are mainly driven in straight lines, the advantages of PCCB will hardly be noticed. In my locality however, I feel the benefits daily.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Just a last word on the subject of weight saving comparison between standard cast-iron brakes v PCCB on non-GT Porsches, I accept that the discs and callipers are larger on my PCCB equipped GTS than on a similar model with standard cast-iron brakes and 4-pot callipers.

However, on close inspection you will notice that the hubs on the ceramic composite brakes are also fashioned from a lightweight alloy. It is my assertion that the additional weight of the cast-iron hubs on the standard braked GTS, will more than offset any negligible weight attributed to the larger alloy 6-pot callipers and 20mm larger disc diameter. Especially considering the extreme lightness of the ceramic disc material. The PCCB alloy hubs also look so much better than the standard cast-iron hubs. And they stay so clean!

A photo is provided for illustration.

As Jeff has already mentioned, at the Silverstone PEC there are comparative ceramic and cast-iron discs on display in a holster for people to lift to demonstrate the significant weight difference between the two disc types. I know, because I have lifted them myself at a previous visit to PEC. The difference in respective weights is remarkable.

Unfortunately I have been unable to find out the official respective weight savings of PCCB compared to standard brakes as applied to my 2019 718 CGTS, but as already stated I am convinced through the road feel of my GTS compared to my previous CS, that the weight saving on each corner is a significant one with tangible handling and steering benefits.

Brian