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Steering Feel - Can You Have it All? 987 vs 981 vs 718

maxrevs

maxrevs

New member
First off the bat, this is not a subject with a mathematical right or wrong, and I’m not looking to stir the pot of controversy as it were. Moreover I am seeking honest opinions from those that have lived with or driven the 987, 981 and 718 Caymans. What is an example of your best Cayman steering feel?

This forum, I’m hoping, is a more honest/sensible space to discuss this topic than other areas on the Internet.
Why am I posting this thread?

Having purchased a 981 GT4 around 2 months ago, I can honestly say I love the precision in the steering wheel on the GT4. The steering wheel is definitely better connected to the rack with a more direct setup. However… and here it comes. I preferred the steering weight of my 987.2 Cayman S. By weight I mean the amount of rotational force one had to apply to turn the steering wheel. Yes this must be linked to the hydraulic steering setup in the 987, versus the electrical assistance in the models thereafter. Is it a sin to admit this publicly? A £20k Cayman has better steering weight (to me) than a £70k GT4! It just gets even softer in the 718.

However this is where I’ll come onto the topic post headline. The steering in the 981 GT4 is definitely more precise, with zero play, and that’s exactly what I like. So in regards to accuracy, the 981 GT4 steering rack wins hands down. Which makes me dream of my ideal Cayman steering.

So in summary, I guess I’m saying, THE BEST CAYMAN STEERING FEEL FOR ME… WOULD BE THAT OF THE GT4 (981 OR 718) BUT WITH HYDRAULIC STEERING. That would be my PERFECT Cayman steering setup.

To clarify I’m super happy with the 981 GT4, and this is largely an age related preference coming through. Having driven cars as a youth without power steering, I guess some of that feel is programmed into my mental and physical expectations. In particular I recall our family Volvo 340GL, which had a steering wheel which would make my 987.2 Cayman feel like a toy car! Then again prior to the Volvo we had an Austin metro 1.0L, with no power steering, and the ease you could turn that plastic moulded steering wheel was effortless.

Technological advance is great, however what you gain in one area you can also lose in another area. All in all, I’m just glad I’ve managed to secure a Cayman from a point in time in history, where I believe they made the best possible Cayman for my requirements. It’s not long to go now, until the petrol engine is removed from the Cayman and replaced with Scalextric motors ;-)

As a parent (e.g. my kids think 1080p HD TV is poor quality… whereas some of us remember VHS cassettes and struggling with the V-hold dial to hide the fuzz at the top of the screen. Oh my… the advent of automatic V-hold tracking [by Sony?] was a God send!), I’m actually looking forward to the next generation, raving about their electric Caymans and electric everything, to then test drive a 987 Cayman from the history books, and to then publish a video on YouTube titled "What were they thinking making this awful Cayman? - Porsche 987”

Happy motoring folks,
Enjoying Life & Cars To The MAX!!
 
987.2 was sweet. I liked the GT4 in the dry but still poor feel in the wet to push on. ALL normal 991 and 981 are to vague for me which was ashame as the 981 would have been a nice car but ruined by the steering. Worse steering cars in Porsche history the 991.1 and 981 :-( My 991.2 GT3 has a CUP front end and no rubber, that has made the EPS far far better, so if you own a EPS car and still not happy fit some CUP racing Monoballs up front.

The EPS takes out the noise, but you have no rubber parts so you can feel the road again even in the wet. Best of both imo. BUt no one mods on here so thats that ;-) suck it up on P,zero's and rubber bushings lol

 
I can only speak based on my previous 3 cars. Lotus Exige - no PS, sublime feel for the road. Cayman R - hydraulic PS, more damped, but still granular and you knew what was going on at the front end. GTS 981 - EPS smoother and with the weight well balanced with all other controls for brakes, clutch etc.

The trouble is that steering feel is also affected by unsprung weight, suspension compliance, tyre types and sizes and geometry as Demon suggests above. Each of the cars above had increasingly bigger wheels and tyre widths, requiring more assistance for low speed use and the cars got heavier too.

 
i agree with Mr D and John regarding the feel of the 987.2 CR hydraulic steering. Get the geometry set up on the CR with maximum stock negative camber and zero toe on the front end, and you will have one of the best steering Porsches made.

I was often doubted by some on this forum for my rave reviews of the EPS steering on my 718 2.5t Cayman GTS. I was even accused of BS by one contributor. My 718 GTS had Power Steering Plus and PCCB. The geometry also negative camber maxed at the front end with zero toe. On Michelin PS4S N0 tyres this car steered as good, if not better than my CR. Bags of feel and a fizz at the wheel rim.

It's a very subjective thing steering feel. Some people just don't get it, others rave about it. The main reason I passed by the 981 was because of the early EPS. I hung onto my CR until the 718 came along. By then Porsche had revised the EPS more in keeping with the previous hydraulic standards.

Brian



 
I would look in the option list of your GT4 Max and see if it has Power Steering Plus. If you do, this may be the answer to your issue. Try one without PSP and see what you think. Fortunately its only a software change so if you do have it but prefer the feel without, your OPC can turn it off (they can also turn it on if you don't have it but there's a cost of c.£350).

Dan

 
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