casaforte9

Now the Cayman S has got PDK, reviews/first drives of it are comparng it to 911

I remember when the Cayman S was introduced 3 years ago many reviewers said how purer the Cayman is as a sports car over the 911 etc

Now with the PDK test drives of cayman S they now again commnet how much better it is over 911 in terms of balance and handling and power output which is close to base 911

I am not sure why the Cayman S is compared always to 911 but my observations were the following after owning the caymas S for a year and before that a Boxster S

1) The boxster S and Cayman S feel remarkably similar in feel and handling and grip

2) The 911 especially S with 19" rubber has much better traction on startup, better handling, ofcourse roomier and sounds nicer

Although the mid engine design, physics wise may be a better design but the 911 rear engine placement gives it awesome traction and the engineers have done a good job of making it handle as good if not better than Cayman S


What do ya guys think ?

ADias

Fair perspective.

Minok

The Cayman is a different car. Its engine is in a better place for traction on all 4 wheels, compared the 911 line. But its a different car. I'm not looking for a race car; I'm looking for a car that matches many more parameters than just the ability to get around a road course.

I can see how 19" wheels would affect cornering possibly, but how does it help straight line traction? With the same torque, onto the same surface of rubber, how would 19" vs 18" for example, make a difference in traction?

Alan Smithee

I think the new Cayman S will be fantastic. Finally the power it deserves at 320hp; with the sport buckets and PCCB with manual trans it is 2,9XXlbs. I assume it will be getting the PASM sport suspension option with LSD like the 911, which is just icing on the cake.

I also think that, unlike the 911, the new front/rear styling on the Cayman is an improvement.

I've never driven a Cayman, but I've really enjoyed base model Boxster loaners I've had.

996toomey

I think the Cayman is probably a more user friendly platform to drive fast especially for drivers with a lower level of experience and skill level.

I have only driven one at the PDE school in Alabama and I liked it but then again I like them all.

ADias

Well-designed mid-engine cars like the Boxster/Cayman are very stable and balanced until they reach their traction limit. From that point on they are more unpredictable than a rear-biased car like the 911 which is far more predictable when it slides and can be caught, if its driver is fast and knows what he is doing.

mdrums

Unfortuantly I do not fit in a Cayman..legs are too long. So I will never be able to drive a Cayman. If Porsche ever makes the 911 with less leg room like they use to be or drops it then it's back to a Corvette for me.

f4 plt

Having had a 997 GT3 and now a 2008 Cayman S and also having driven the new Carrera S with PDK I think I can make some candid observations. The Cayman S is a fantastic car. Yes it is a little tighter than the 911. I have also had a C6 Corvette and find the seating in the Cayman much better, betters seats and equally as much room. As for driving, first Porsche intentionally put a taller first and second gear in the Cayman so its initial acceleration would not be as quick as the Carrera and of course less power. That said it is also lighter and is better balanced. Bottom line it is more nimble, has a lighter feel than the Carrera and much easier to drive fast. It feels more like the older air cooled 911. The 997 Carerra is just that the icon. There sre many upgrades in the 997.2 over the previous 997. The steering has more feel I like the suspension better. At some point down the road Porsche will put lots more power in the Cayman (when the 911 is no longer competitive on the track) until then just enjoy a great little mid engine car that has all the Porsche quality. what other company gives you the choice of mid or rear engine in a well built fun to drive sports car. The Cayman is truly worthy of the Porsche badge and a great little brother to the Carrera.

blakt out

I was in an Excellence Magazine shootout that took place over a few days. I got to be one of the drivers. It was a Cayman S (modified by Sharkwerks), a 680HP 997TT (modified by S-Car-Go), and my car. Cayman almost won. It's an amazing car, especially when some of the engineering silliness (keeping it behind the 911) is tuned out.

cello

Eventually, Porsche will have to race this platform to be competitive in the GT2 class due to the F430 & new the regs (or get out of it with a lot of egg on the face). That act will first require a paradigm shift in thinking at Porsche. It really is a shame the mid-engined platform is held back due to marketing concerns. I do not think the people who buy the 911 would be turned off were Porsche to develop and race the Cayman. Will it take some sales - yes (which would be made up by the sales of Caymans, i think); would the 911 not sell as a result - no. Bettering one is not necessary at the expense of the other; or, said another way, improving one does not worsen the other.

f4 plt

I have heard a rumor that they are already testing a mid-engine (spell Cayman) race car. It is only a matter of time. I think the 911 community would rather see a winning Mid-engine Porsche than a second or worse place 911. Time and evolution marches on and winners accept the change.

jumper5836

Wouldn't be to hard to take out the back seats of the 911 and make it mid engined, or just move the engine more forward some more to give it better balance. I think they will do that and not race the Cayman platform at all.

Cupcar

They have already done this, the Le Mans winning GT1 was a 911 converted to mid engine. Was this the first Cayman? All this proves is that a mid-engine makes more sense for racing and a rear engine makes more sense to carry golf clubs and luggage.

gota911

Remove the rear seats, shift engine forward, and make it a Flat-8!

cello

Uh....., then it would be not be a rear engined car, and possibly a "911" in numerical sense only. Why not just call the Cayman a "911"

Edit: Also, I am pretty sure that such action would run afoul of the homologation rules in the GT2 class.