My new 982 718 Cayman S PDK

[Brian_Innes]

Interesting stuff guys.

Whatever the operational system of the 4 dynamic mounts, they certainly work. On normal road driving at legal speeds you wouldn't notice they are there. On the track it's a different story. Quick changes of direction at speed, as when taking chicanes, or Duffus Dip at Knockhill, the dynamic mounts really come into their own. It gives the driver a real feel for what the chassis and tyres are coping with. Last year, for interest and amusement, I did a couple of blitz standing starts. The car just hunkered down and took off leaving twin tram lines of rubber without any transmission judder or axle tramp. Very impressive.

When competing in hill climbs and sprints with my previous Cayman R manual, I always had to be careful to match revs and clutch bite off the line, otherwise the standard engine and transmission mounts used to wind up causing judder and tramping. Standing starts were always a delicate business with the CR, thanks to the dual mass flywheel. I used Cup 2's or Toyo R888's in competition, and I found releasing the clutch at 4500 revs gave the best result. I recall Andy Fagan offered me a modified insert for the front engine mount to beef up the stock rubber mounting, but I chose not to fit it as my CR was also used for touring, and I didn't want NVH issues. I understand this mod is quite effective on the CR if you are doing any from of competitive motorsport.

The dynamic mounts on the 718 are another example of evolutionary development, which generally goes unnoticed by most owners.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

I removed my front wheels for cleaning today, so took the opportunity to photograph the brakes and front suspension. The 718 CS uses the 991.2 Carrera front brakes and suspension components. Thicker ARB and other minor differences on the track control arms are apparent. Larger, thicker discs and bigger brake callipers are welcome improvements.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

I still haven't mastered downloading more than one photo at a time, so here is the other suspension photo.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

The 718 CS front brakes.

Brian

 

[Ray]

Brian,

How did you get on with the Abarth 595 Competizione 180bhp Manual? I was looking to get one but for some reason I had a senior moment and purchased a Pajero SWB, mind you come to think of it I am a senior.

Ray

 

[Brian_Innes]

Ray,

It's a great little car, I love it. It's like a Jack Russell terrier on a pogo stick.

PM me for more pithy details.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

Ralph,

In response to your request for a photo of the 718 dynamic transmission mounts, I uploaded a photo of the rearmost dynamic transmission mount, but for some reason it hasn't been posted.......

There are a multitude of wires and electrical connections to this unit. Also noted was the very beefy cast alloy bracket to which the transmission mount is attached.

I'll take some more photos of the engine mounts if I can seen them, when my car is up on the ramp for the geo set.

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

Brian,

If you go to Full Version reply mode, you can select one or more images from your computer which will display them on your post.

I have replied to your PM giving my PCGB email address.

Ralph

 

[MrDemon]

Interesting stuff guys.

Whatever the operational system of the 4 dynamic mounts, they certainly work. On normal road driving at legal speeds you wouldn't notice they are there. On the track it's a different story. Quick changes of direction at speed, as when taking chicanes, or Duffus Dip at Knockhill, the dynamic mounts really come into their own. It gives the driver a real feel for what the chassis and tyres are coping with. Last year, for interest and amusement, I did a couple of blitz standing starts. The car just hunkered down and took off leaving twin tram lines of rubber without any transmission judder or axle tramp. Very impressive.

When competing in hill climbs and sprints with my previous Cayman R manual, I always had to be careful to match revs and clutch bite off the line, otherwise the standard engine and transmission mounts used to wind up causing judder and tramping. Standing starts were always a delicate business with the CR, thanks to the dual mass flywheel. I used Cup 2's or Toyo R888's in competition, and I found releasing the clutch at 4500 revs gave the best result. I recall Andy Fagan offered me a modified insert for the front engine mount to beef up the stock rubber mounting, but I chose not to fit it as my CR was also used for touring, and I didn't want NVH issues. I understand this mod is quite effective on the CR if you are doing any from of competitive motorsport.

The dynamic mounts on the 718 are another example of evolutionary development, which generally goes unnoticed by most owners.

Brian

I run the engine mount , it makes no extra NVH, they make 3 compounds, only the hard black one will effect NVH, the other two are fine and work really well.

you can bolt on 340MM disks to the R also, so all these little things can be done to mod the R

I do find it odd why 95% run stock cars and tyres !!

I also run these engine fillers in my Golf, it's crazy engine mounts have gaping holes in them on sports cars, I get no extra noise on the Golf either and it's stopped wheel hop and improved the shift, win win.

on a side note did you look at 19" wheels for track on the 718, I know you are about lap times , so a 19" 245/275 set up would have been lighter, offer more grip while lower ratio's would offer for more punch due to smaller over all Dia. a triple win even more so as 19" tyres are also cheaper.

718 is the same spec as my Spyder it seems for every thing, brakes, steering, ARB all taken off 911's for the Spyder and on the 718 we even have the same rear cross braces which are on no other 981. So the 718 is really a 981 Spyder with a 4 pot when you start to look at both in detail.

I am playing with putting my Cayman R wheels on the 981 Spyder to test, and if I like it will go or 19" OZ with the 245/275 set up

a 265 is not really a good fit for a 10.5" rim !any way or even a 10" and the 245 up front will give great turn in,, 245/275 is a much better fit on the wider sports wheels.

the rear tyres look daft on my 981 ! a 265 on a 10.5" rim !!! I know the PS4S help as they are wider even for a 265, but 245/275 seems the way to go for a new track wheel/tyre set up for sure.

I felt the 245/295 was over tyred at the rear on the GT4 and caused the car to always push unless you dialed in bigger cambers, the 981 Spyder and I guess the 718 don't push as much but now with this extra torque and BHP do feel under tyred at 235/265.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Thanks David, very helpful stuff and I appreciate your experienced input.

Regarding wheels, had my personal circumstances been different, I may well have considered a spare set of 19" lightweight wheels for track days. All the win, wins, you mention are valid. Having just completed the removal of all 4 wheels on my 718 for cleaning and pre-season brake pad check, I can verify that the 20" Carrera Sport wheels as fitted to my 718 weigh a ton! With my faulty hand, this task was even more challenging than in previous years.

What you say about tyres I also agree with you. You will already have seen my photos on this thread about the stretched 265 section P-Zeros on my 10.5" rims. The new PS4S N0 is much more comfortable looking, and it also seems wider in 265 section than the P-Zero version. I'm sure Porsche are aware of this and will address tyre section issues with the optional wider wheels. You are right, 275 or 285 rear tyres, and 245 front tyres, should be the default choice for 8.5" and 10.5" rims, regardless of the wheel diameter. I hope Porsche are listening.

On the engine mount modification for the CR, it was the black version that Andy Fagan offered me. Because of my long distance touring, I was not confident about carrying out this modification on my CR. The NVH worried me. I had to learn to be careful when doing blitz standing starts. The dual mass flywheel could also disintegrate on the starting line.

I have modified my cars since age 17 when I had my very first Downton tuned Mini. My 1966 Lotus Elan Coupe S/E had Elan Plus 2 wider wheels fitted, and the engine had L2 cams and a big valve head. It's no surprise therefore that I am considering swapping the PSE on my 718 for a improved cat-back version from FVD Brombacher. As my 718 already has all the 718 GTS sporty bits apart from the body kit and +15 BHP, this alternative exhaust would not only sound better, but boost the power and torque to at least GTS levels, particularly in concert with the BMC Hi-flow air filter which is due to arrive this week. I intend to take photos of the installation of this air filter on my 718. It's quite a palaver I believe going by the You Tube video. I'm engaging the help of a neighbour who is an Audi technician for this fitment. I don't trust my fingers not to drop things into the engine bay.

In the coming years when 718 CS values drop to below £20k, I know which model of track day hot-rod I would buy. A suitably modified 718 will be the weapon of choice for track day warriors. And you know what, I bet they won't give two hoots about the engine sound.

Brian

 

[MrDemon]

I was not pointing fingers at you not moddeing the cars btw , it's seems in general now, people are scared to death to touch any thing, and the GT4 stock was dire !! so I do wonder what people do driving it oem lol. I only did the tinyest tweak to my GT4 and it was transformed, I do wonder why most people stay stock 100% :-(

Air filters look a pain !!! and in these models suck up every thing and guess what , they don't even get changed after 2 years so I bet mine look rank, I used to do my R every year.

I am at logger heads with this 981 Spyder of mine, I so want to make it better, but so need to sell it lol and a posh set of 19" OZ don't come cheap now days esp with a set of PS4S on them !

Do you have mesh in the side pods ? My spyder does not and looking at peoples vids you have to hoover out the whole area !!! esp track day cars another JOB to sort .

Any way I'll report back on my 19" findings I have 1 set with ps4s and one set with cup 2's on to try just in the smaller 235/265 size off my other 2 cars.

I think they are going to work really well on the 981/718 platform plus lower this daft 85mph limit a tad and give me a good performance gain. speedo will only be out 2 or 3 mph so no issue with that.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Useful photo David. Thanks for the tip.

I don't have mesh on my side pod air intakes on the 718. I had mesh on the LH air intake on my CR when I de-snorked it. I'll be checking the 718 side pod intakes for debris when I do the air filter swap. That's a lot of rubber marbles you retrieved. I did approximately 500 miles of track time last year so mine definitely worth checking. The 718 has big jug-eared side pod intakes like the GT4, so I would imagine I must hoover up a similar amount.

I'll be posting photos and comment of my 718 air filter swap soon.

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

If you are getting that much of other peoples' rubber in the intakes you must be running with cars on sticky tyres or slicks. I found after three Goldtrack Silverstone days and three days in Iberia that OPR other than that welded to the tyres was in the undertray.

 

[MrDemon]

not my car btw that GT4, but I do even now find those bits of rubber on my drive, they set stuck in the LCA sections.

I also fitted mesh to my R, I think the 718 / SPyder /GT4 needs it also.

Spa was dire for rubber pick up it was so hot and tyres were 65degree and melting on track.

 

[Brian_Innes]

I also get rubber marbles deposited on my drive when washing the car after a track day, but nothing like the quantity shown in the photo.

Regarding mesh for the 718 side pod intakes, I'll make a judgement on this following the air filter replacement when I'll check the ducting for debris. Never having seen inside the 718 CS engine bay, it'll be interesting to see what access is like within. I'm expecting it to be a pretty crowded place. Depending upon the amount of debris I find in the ducts, will determine my decision on fitting mesh grills on the side pods.

On the other topic, an email received today from M&M in Germany on my sport exhaust enquiry. Not good news. The manufacturer M&M, who supply FVD Brombacher, have confirmed that the 718 CS PDK sport exhaust with valve flap I was interested in, will be too loud to pass the static noise tests at track days. M&M have long experience in this field and have found this to be also the case in Germany. They recommend fitting a sport exhaust without the flap which has a maximum volume of 94db. I'm not interested in doing away with the PSE flap switch option as it forms part of the Sport Chrono selection. Besides, I like the switchable exhaust option. My Abarth has the Monza sport exhaust with flaps. It's a fun thing for an old boy racer like me.

So it's back to square one with that particular modification idea for now. A pity. I'm sure in time a track day legal, cat-back switchable exhaust box will become available for the 718.

Brian

 

[Brian_Innes]

I've ordered the BMC cotton air filter element for my 718 CS from FVD Brombacher in Germany. It's expected to arrive any day now. That's coming to a week now since I placed the order. I received a confirmation email saying the goods would arrive in 2 to 3 days. They don't know Highland delivery schedules obviously.

I had a look at Planet 9 and You Tube, regarding what's involved in gaining access to the engine bay on the 718. There's no info that I found on the 718 Cayman particularly, but it seems very similar to the procedure involved on the 981. In other words a complete PITA......[]

I replaced air filter elements annually on my 987 Cayman R, and this job was a breeze. Not so on the 981 and 718. This requires the removal of various sections of plastic trim at each side of the hatch, followed by the fluids top-up crossbar, the seat belt shrouds, and the bulkhead crossbar behind the seats. Only then can you remove the carpet from the top shelf to gain access to the engine cover itself. What a palaver this is going to be.

After removing the two small carpet sections at each corner of the hatch, I had a go at prising the plastic trim from the each side of the hatch. I was using plastic and wooden leavers I previously used on my CR for this job, but the trim on the 718 is not user friendly, and I gave up fearing I damaged or split the trim, which is tricky, bendy, and creaky stuff. The other problem is, never having done job this before, I don't know exactly where the mounting clips and slots are located.

I thought it best to seek professional help. I consulted with my neighbour who is an Audi technician, and who has kindly offered to assist me with the air filter replacement. He will use custom plastic leavers, plus his extensive previous experience of prising off plastic trim on Audis. After removing a few Torx bolts and the aluminium engine cover, access to the air box should be straight forward as it sits on the very top of the engine. I shall be very interested to see the condition of the existing paper air filter element, and also if any debris has collected in the air box ducting.

Hopefully, the various trim parts will be removed successfully and undamaged, and snap back into place perfectly after the completion of the job. That's my hope anyway.

For those who may be interested, I intend to take photos of this ridiculous 718 air filter replacement palaver. I suspect Porsche technicians at OPC's must dread doing this procedure. Perhaps that's why the service intervals are so long.

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

Brian,

Slight detour, may I ask what price were they from FVD? They often pop up in searches for parts but have never found them to be particularly competitive price-wise.

The 981 seems to require access to the rear of the firewall and removal of the ECU, maybe easier access without need to remove top cover over engine? (regretfully I have a man do mine)

Ralph

 

[Brian_Innes]

Ralph,

Having unsuccessfully tried to source the 718 BMC cotton air filter through the usual UK Porsche performance parts suppliers, I thought I'd give FVD a go as they had it listed at €82 plus carriage to my Highland post code of €36. This figure the same I was quoted for shipping the exhaust kit I enquired about incidentally. Living in the north of Scotland, we pay extortionate carriage costs compared to the rest of the UK. Any Scotland address with an IV post code frightens the death out of carriers. Be that as it may, I decided to go ahead with the order as I need to change the air filter anyway, and if I am to go through all the palaver of the 718 installation, I may as well fit the best filter.

The air box containing the filter is directly beneath the aluminium engine cover on the 718. I know this for sure because I watched a USA video on You Tube showing the engine cover removed on a 718 Boxster. The air box sits right on the top. You cannot get access to the 718 air box any other way except from the top of the engine bay. It sits next to the charge intercooler immediately underneath the aluminium engine cover. That is what I am expecting to find anyway.......

Brian

 

[ralphmusic]

I used to travel up to Thurso where we had a factory I was responsible for, so I know the journey by plane at least to Wick. I thought Inverness was a long way South...

I shipped a pair of Cup2 tyres to a man in Nairn via Paisley Freight for £40, as I recall this was double the normal cost.

I have found that UK distributors typically list 986 & 987 parts and have yet to list 981 never mind 718. The two BMC filters for a 981 cost me £125 delivered and I have a cleaning kit to try out on the old filters.

Ralph

 

[Brian_Innes]

Today, I decided to have a go myself at removing the various sections of plastic trim and carpet, to obtain access to the engine cover lying beneath. I used a broad bladed ice scraper and an old wooden spatula to lever off the sections of trim. I have to say, undertaking this process is by far the scariest thing I have done in my 718. The trickiest part was removing the seat belt slot trims next to the rear quarter lights. The plastic trim is fairly high quality, but until you have removed a particular section you don't know where the various fixings and clips are located. Care must be taken to ensure you don't lose the cone shaped covers from the locating studs. These cones can become detached when prising the trim away from the locating slots. The only tools required, other than two strong plastic leavers previously mentioned, are a size 30 Torx bit and a small ratchet device.

I shall still need to enlist the help of my Audi technician neighbour, as two of the twelve Torx bolts securing the engine cover are in a confined space, and require a smaller ratchet tool than I have currently available.

I have downloaded the following 7 photos of the trim removing process for your interest. The 718 engine cover removal, seems almost identical to that on the 981, but a whole lot scarier and nerve-wracking than the simple and quick job it was on the 987 Cayman.

Photos to follow.

Brian