I’ve had my new 718 Spyder for about a week so far (pictures attached). I came off a 981 Boxster S 3.4L 6spd, previous to that 991.2 C2 7spd. . Impressions so far.... (also similarities and differences)

Design.
Best looking Boxster to date IMHO. The rear has better proportions compared to the 981 Spyder. Front bumper looks longer, stance is perfect, wheel gaps perfect.

Power.
The power is effortless, especially down in RPM, there are no crackles and pops, no sport button, throttle seems to be in a sport throttle setting setting by default. There is more torque than my Boxster S 3.4L- Where I still wanted more power. Power feels like my 991.2 C2. It just has the proper throttle response to be sporty yet daily. Very happy with the power, it feels natural and effortless in daily driving.

Suspension
Firm, but compliant. It feels refined, very much like how the GT3 suspension I drove once. There is no body roll around corners. I haven’t tracked it or pushed it harder on the road so I don’t know just how different it will feel compared to my 981 S but so far feels firmer and no body roll around corners.

Shifter
Notchy feel but great feel, each shift fits perfectly and you feel it. Throw is short and just feels perfect.

Sound
Okay this is the weak point and I am a bit audiophile so I am on the quest for exhaust solutions. so let me try to describe the sound... With PSE button pressed, between idle to 2,000 RPM the Exhaust valve Is open and it sounds raw and muscular, between 2,000 rpm and about 3,800 rpm the valves automatically close - even if you have the PSE button pushed. It definitely quiets it down, Then above 4,000 RPM you get a More high revving, muscular sound. It’s not the same higher Variable pitched sound as in the 981 S or GT3 and it’s flat to it doesn’t change much in tone as you gain rpm so it remains flat. . I’ve only gone to 6,000 rpm so I don’t know how It sounds after that and I’ll keep you updated.

First attempt was to disconnect the exhaust vacuum line to the exhaust valve and cap it. This keeps exhaust valve open at all times. (The valve stays open by default via the spring, and closes when there is vacuum to the line (when PSE is off there is a vacuum so it closes). Between 2,000 - 4,000 rpm valve closes again). So I had my local tuning shop disconnect the vacuum line and cap it so the valve is alway open and PSE button has no function at this point. With top open between 2000-4000 RPM the sound was not pleasant, sounded like a honda with a bad universal muffler, monotone like a turbo car. So now I knew why Porsche closes the valves between 2000-4000 rpm. With top up it sounded much better. Since I have top open most of the time I went ahead and had my shop but the vacuum lines back to stock.

My next attempt is to install the over axle pipes from Fabspeed or Soul to replace the particular filters. The 718 Spyder exhaust is 3 parts, headers/cats, over axle pipes/particulate filters then rear section with valve control. The over axle pipe mid section with particulate filters are the first thing I am going to change. I will update once those are installed. If any one has done exhaust mods please let know know your experience. I loved the sound of my 981 S With PSE so I am trying to get it to sound more like that.

Overall first week impressions are 1) love the looks (best looking porsche for sale today IMHO), love parking it and looking at it., 2) power is wonderful, very satisfied. 3) gear feel is perfect 4) suspension is firm and complaint with no body roll feel. 5) once I get the sound tuned properly it will be the perfect sports car.

Open to any specific questions.....

 

Beautiful car, congratulations. I feel the stock muffler in flaps open mode doesn’t mix the left and right banks enough, the way the 981 did with its centre exit exhaust. This makes the exhaust note less high pitched.

I actually like the tone it makes with the flaps closed better, due to more mixing between the banks, but it would be nice if that were louder.

 

I've had the Spyder for about 5 or 6 weeks now and absolutely love the car. It is truly what a Porsche sports-car should be. The thing comes on with a beautiful bark that starts around 4000RPM right to the redline.

I'm an instructor and already have had 2 track days *it certainly holds it's own with the stock 911s.

There's some understeer in stock form which scrubs off a bit of cornering speed, That's to be expected, but an easy fix. Overall, the car seemed very easy to drive with nothing unexpected. *other than it was fast right out of the box.

I was surprised to see 1.32 Gs on the chrono gauge. The tires are the Dunlop Track Max, and they really stick.

I cranked more stiffenss into the rear swaybar, without any noticeable ride or noise issues on the street, and it should be fun to see how this adjustment reacts at the track in a week or two.

BTW, Did I mention that the car really turns a lot of heads?

 

I shadowed one just like yours for a while (I was in my 718 S) and have to say it was the most beautiful mid engine I've ever seen from Porsche.

Oddly enough the wife felt the back looked too much like the batmobile and wasn't as impressed.

I've already contacted my lawyer...

 

Congrats on your car! Not sure if you saw my thread but if you'd like, please provide me your build info and I can add to the spreadsheet.

https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...errerid=243681

 

Congratulations on the car.

Noticed you didn’t speak about gear ratios. I have a 2021 on order and I’m hesitating because all the reviewers call this out as being a rather big deal. It’s not just about acceleration, but about the fact that the engine doesn’t come alive until above 4000 rpm, so with the tall gears, you can only really experience that in 1st... which also makes driving smoothly around town hard.

 

In my experience, the gear ratios are not a big issue. Reviewers just like to have something to complain about. The recent straight pipes episode was particularly egregious.

A shorter second gear would measurably improve acceleration in the 45-85 km/h range where the engine is outside the band of peak torque. First goes to 80 km/h, but it only makes sense to downshift below 45 km/h. On the other hand, second gear is perfect for acceleration between 85-136 km/h, which is where I spend my time passing, highway merging, and on back roads.

Maximum second gear acceleration around 50 km/h is 0.6G. Not slow by any means, but slow compared to the AMG GT S or GT C, which would pull with around 1G (if traction allowed) in second gear at the same speed. However, because of the torque curve, the GT4/Spyder actually pulls harder at higher speeds in second, with around 0.65G acceleration in the power band up to 112 km/h, and generally strong acceleration up to redline. I violated break in rules a bit at took my Spyder to 6K RPM in second gear, and it didn’t feel much slower than my old AMG GT S at that speed.

The sport exhaust flaps open at 3700 RPM in second gear and up. This corresponds to 63 km/h. At 4K RPM (68 km/h), the engine sounds nice and pulls healthily. Peak torque starts at 5K RPM (85 km/h). I liked the little moderately high RPM sound I got during my break in violations better than than my old AMG GT S. As you go higher, it gets even better. I do most of my back roads driving above 70 km/h, since most curves in Ontario are not so tight. I generally switch between second and third on back roads. I use second going in and out of corners, and third to cruise at lower RPMs in the straights (where I’m not trying to accelerate further and break the speed limit).

In short, the gearing is just fine. There’s enough low RPM torque to not feel slow in second (unless compared to your AMG GT C), the power band of second gear is in a very useful range, and I actually like the versatility of the tall second gear.

 

Thanks, that’s great. I’m in Toronto so it’s good to have a local’s opinion. The negative reviews online are starting to make me think twice about the Spyder, so it’s good to hear your perspective.
It’s a shame they didn’t change the ratios, and not have a particulate filter (AMGs don’t in N America- at least for now - so not sure why Porsches do here).

 

It’s a dummy particulate filter that mainly attenuates sound. Interestingly, on the 992, there is no filter at all for North American cars.

The muffler design assumes there is some muffling done by the particulate filters, else it would be overly loud to meet North American sound regulations, and the transition between flaps open and closed would be a bit jarring. It seems they didn’t want to engineer a different muffler for non particulate filter markets, so they instead gave us dummy particulate filters for sound attenuation.

Ideally, they should have omitted the particulate filters, and then used a different muffler that’s a little more restrictive than the current one when the flaps are open just so the flaps open mode isn’t too loud, and the transition between flaps open and closed at 3700 RPM isn’t overly dramatic.

 

So It has plenty of torque Low in the RPM unlike the 981. The 981 you have very little torque Low unless you have the sport button on and increase throttle response. On the 718 Spyder you have plenty of torque low where you are most of the time in the city so acceleration is effortless - it feels like more torque down low than the 991.2. Also the exhaust valves open only at 4000 RPM, even if you have the PSE ON so you hear the sound way more which is why the reviewers say it comes alive. Yes there is definitely more power and pull between 5-7K RPM but you’ll be very satisfied with the low end torque, it’s perfect.


I had heard a lot about the tall gearing also from some reviewers but honestly I really don’t notice it. You get the spyder for the open air driving experience and I am more distracted with the handling, sounds, air, and shift feel. They talk about 3rd gear being tall. 1st and 2nd feel fine. I just change the gears to hear the rev matching auto blip. To a spirited street driver like me I don’t notice tall gearing or to what level, . there is just so much else going on that I am focused on. I am past 4K RPM all day in 1st, 2nd and 3rd so honesty I don’t notice 10MPH delta range Maybe.

I wouldn’t focus on gearing but rather the exhaust sound which is where the car needs it. The exhaust sound is monotone unless you get past 4,000 RPM which is when valves open but Still has a flat, muscular growl, not the higher pitched wail scream that 981 had and I love. I am looking at the exhaust from JCR which on YouTube videos seems to have the higher pitched exotic sounds. Contacted yesterday a few days ago waiting for their reply.

I’ve owned every generation of Boxsters to date. Overall if you love Boxsters this is the best one so far IMHO and has plenty of power especially low end torque. Just needs an aftermarket exhaust to **** off the neighbors and should be perfect. I’ll keep you posted on exhausts...

 

The gear ratios work fine on the track. The problem is that on the street with such tall gearing, *and an exhaust note that only comes to life at 4000 RPM, 1st gear is the only time we get too hear this beautiful sound. 2nd gear at 4k is way over any legal speed limit. Perhaps these ratios are intended for the no speed limit autobahn, but here in N.A., try winding the engine out to 8k in anything other than 1st gear, and you better have a good lawyer's ph.no.

 

Not true. Exhaust valves open at 3700 RPM, not 4000 RPM. I measured on my Spyder.

3700 RPM is 63 km/h in second, well below the typical 80 km/h back road speed limit (though everyone drives at 90 km/h on such roads). Peak torque comes at 5000 RPM, or 85 km/h, again below the speed the typical Prius drives at on country roads. On Ontario highways, people typically drive around 120-130 km/h, which is perfect for the top end of second (136 km/h @ 8000 RPM). This is also the speed range used for passing cars on back roads.

Think of first gear as a slightly shorter version of second gear on a Miata, and second as third on a Miata. There’s no need for a Miata first gear because the GT4/Spyder first gear already spins the rear tires.

 

Hate the "throttle rev-matching" thing! I must have spent the last 30 years trying to perfectly heel and toe downshifts, and this damned thing is better than me. Got to admit it, the car makes a hero out of any ham-footed rookie.Grrrrrr....

 

I see your point and I am more of a street driver and don’t mind staying in each gear a little longer especially with the broad power band. A good aftermarket exhaust and the valve control bypass from Soul or Cargraphic to keep valves open all the time with PSE ON should help on the sound Part. I haven’t paid enough attention to tall gearing but there is plenty of low end torque to help with power. Sharkwerks did have a re gear solution for the 981 Boxsters, so perhaps there will be one soon for the 718 Gt4/Spyder.

 

I heard the Sharkwerks transmission is ~$20K, which kind of defeats the purpose. Add another ~$10K? for the exhaust and you're close to GT3 territory -- albeit that's not a cabriolet.