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I have always covet the Porsche Cayman, and without any hesitation refer to our beloved mid-engined Porsche platform as one of the best cars ever produced. Its no secret that my love affair with the car runs deep, especially given the fact that I was fortunate enough to project manage the North American launch of the Cayman GT4 Clubsport at Porsche Motorsport. During that time I was fortunate enough to acquire my own personal Cayman GT4 which saw extensive track use, and for those of you who might recognize me from the GT4 sub-forum, know that I went through a few different iterations with my car in terms of wheel and tire set-ups, as well as being the first with the BBi harness bar which was developed using my car as the project mule.
As of recently, I have joined the highly regarded CJ Wilson Automotive Group's Porsche Fresno team, and have been lucky enough to get a few projects going which I am excited to share with you all. Having had ample seat time in my previous GT4, and owning a PDK Cayman GTS for a year prior to the GT4, its safe to say that I had a pretty extensive feel for what the range-topping Caymans were all about, so needless to say when I heard about the 718 going turbocharged with the all-new boxer 4 engine, I had my reservations. Fast forward to February of this year when joining the team here at Porsche Fresno, I've been able to spend some quality time behind the wheel of the new 718 platform and I am happy to report that the news is good...very, very good.
Having bounced between a 6-Speed manual 718 Boxster and a PDK 718 Cayman S, I can safely say that I have felt both extremes and everything in-between of what the 718 range has to offer, and without any bias conclude that the newer generation 981.2 platform is a far better car than the outgoing N/A flat-6 cars that they are replacing. While I realize the noise of the new turbocharged flat-4 engines are purely subjective, I find the bassy rumble to be quite cool, especially during full load WOT acceleration. While neither of the cars which I have been driving have came equipped with the sports exhaust, they have both been equipped with the Sport Chrono package, which in Sport mode offer quite a bit more rumble and even a bit of overrun on deceleration. One of the greatest attributes of the new turbocharged motor is the fact that there is SO MUCH TORQUE available, with a torque band which virtually replicates that of a WRC car. Once the car is up and going, the torque curve essentially flattens, and the engine revs freely and winds out like the previous flat 6 engines in a very linear fashion. The 2.5L S offers Variable Turbine Geometry that is only otherwise found in the 991 Turbo/S cars, which essentially eliminates any turbo lag that could be found in the smaller 2.0L of the base 718. In Sport + mode, the engine runs an "anti-lag" map which runs 1 pound of consistent boost, even off throttle, to keep the turbo in vacuum and provides instantaneous throttle response. Both cars offer excellent performance both on and off the track, as I have now experienced on 4 different outings at both Buttonwillow Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
At Laguna Seca, I was able to achieve a 1.52.7 lap time with the 6-Speed Boxster, while the PDK Equipped Cayman S was able to record a 1.39.2 lap time, all on factory equipped components, fluids and tires. While I blew sound (96db) on my flying lap with the Cayman S, I was able achieve this lap time with the help of some excellent coaching from Shawn Hayes of the Porsche Experience Center, and some trusty left foot braking skills that I've been honing through my 16 years of karting, as neither cars came equipped with PTV (which I've been told is necessary).
You can feel the massive improvements in both the chassis, and the brakes, and the overall feel of the 718 in comparison to the 981 Cayman / Boxster feels like more of a revolution than an evolution of what I was confident of being an already perfect car. Is the Cayman S faster than my old GT4? It's hard to say as I don't have a personally recorded lap time at Laguna Seca to compare it to, but I can say this; On Cup 2 tires (which are coming soon) the Cayman S 100% will be a real threat to the GT4's which I wasn't already passing at our last PCA Diablo Region track day. The engine in the Cayman S definitely feels quicker and more explosive than that of the GT4 and I'm excited to see what the car can do with some proper tires, some fluid and an alignment. For anyone that is curious about the car and would like to have a go in a properly prepped 718 Cayman S and are local, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to accommodate a test drive at Porsche Fresno
1:39? Faster than Randy Pobst in the S! That's a flying lap great job!! You mentioned Cup rubber available for these coming up soon. Do you know in what sizes? I have been looking for decent rubber. The factory GoodYears on mine are not proving to have much longevity...FYI I was going to go to the most recent Diablo Event at Laguna but got busy with work and couldn't play hooky. Maybe I'll see you at one of the next events in the Bay Area. I'm not going to go down to Willow..a little too far for me. Also I'd like to know what your Sonoma times are whenever you get out there. I only have about 6-7 track days total under my belt but I managed consistent 1:57.2 in my 718S until 1/2 way through the third session when the GoodYears started going away. I know it's not that fast but for me that was 8 seconds quicker than the 997 GTS I traded in for the Cayman. I wanted to say it is because my driving skill improved ...but I realize it was because of the car. So easy to drive and very predictable and so precise. Like you I like the sound when hammering on it. I actually have a good video of the sound at Sonoma last week. Anyway thanks for the post it validates everything I feel about the 718.
1:39? Faster than Randy Pobst in the S! That's a flying lap great job!! You mentioned Cup rubber available for these coming up soon. Do you know in what sizes? I have been looking for decent rubber. The factory GoodYears on mine are not proving to have much longevity...FYI I was going to go to the most recent Diablo Event at Laguna but got busy with work and couldn't play hooky. Maybe I'll see you at one of the next events in the Bay Area. I'm not going to go down to Willow..a little too far for me. Also I'd like to know what your Sonoma times are whenever you get out there. I only have about 6-7 track days total under my belt but I managed consistent 1:57.2 in my 718S until 1/2 way through the third session when the GoodYears started going away. I know it's not that fast but for me that was 8 seconds quicker than the 997 GTS I traded in for the Cayman. I wanted to say it is because my driving skill improved ...but I realize it was because of the car. So easy to drive and very predictable and so precise. Like you I like the sound when hammering on it. I actually have a good video of the sound at Sonoma last week. Anyway thanks for the post it validates everything I feel about the 718.
one thing from watching the video- it looks like you are making good use of the full track, now you need to work on extracting maximum lock from the wheel and the front tires. if you get a little closer to the steering wheel via seat or via telescoping wheel you will have a better opportunity to use more friction to get deeper cornering after deeper braking etc. refreshingly smooth for only having done a few days on the track, but you can add a little wheel at apex (especially when going uphill at T1) and a little more entry speed and you will shave 2 seconds quickly at a track like sonoma.
one thing from watching the video- it looks like you are making good use of the full track, now you need to work on extracting maximum lock from the wheel and the front tires. if you get a little closer to the steering wheel via seat or via telescoping wheel you will have a better opportunity to use more friction to get deeper cornering after deeper braking etc. refreshingly smooth for only having done a few days on the track, but you can add a little wheel at apex (especially when going uphill at T1) and a little more entry speed and you will shave 2 seconds quickly at a track like sonoma.
This is awesome.
I'm going to now post all my track vids with egregious request for feedback.
Arya, thanks for your detailed comments on the 718 range. Great stuff and interesting to hear from folks such as yourself that have extensive experience with both the 981 and 718 platforms (something which I think is in short supply here, unfortunately). I've admittedly only had limited time behind the wheel of a 718S w/PDK, but enough to be able to draw some cursory conclusions, the two most significant being the lack of any noticeable lag and the huge amount of torque on hand, as you mention. Couldn't agree more. I'm a 981 fanboy, but hugely impressed by the 718 and not put off at all by the sound. If I wasn't so pleased with my current car I would definitely be looking at a 718 in one of its variations.
Didn't realize a racer owned a dealership within 2 hrs of the bay area. I'll have to stop by Porsche Fresno soon. Owned my 987.2S for only a year ...
Here are a few vids for comparison:
my best lap (1:40.65) from the 2014 SCCA runoffs in a 2450lb Honda S2000 racecar with 215whp and Hoosier A7s. This was my first time on A7s and the car needed some setup tweaks plus the driver is mediocre =) Jump to 13:39 to see the start of the fast lap
Andrie Hartanto's pole lap (1:36.843) in the same class, similar car and tire but with 225whp and a Quaife sequential + custom gear ratios. Note how much speed he carries through T6, T9, and T10
Hi guys, I’m a longtime corvette racer located near Fresno and I just happened across this thread. I didn’t know CJ Wilson owned this dealership, very cool! I was actually planning on visiting on Wednesday and checking out that orange cayman s. Here’s a lap at Laguna in my T1 corvette taking pole position and track record at the 2014 Runoffs. Hope to meet you Wednesday! Bill (never owned a Porsche) Brinkop
05-22-2018, 10:48 PM
The Porsche 718 S - Faster than my old GT4?
