CaymanSinAR

No, the gearing is not a show-stopper on the street. At all. The Boxster and Cayman (along with the Miata) have always been some of the best cars to drive on the street at any price.

Sure, the 981 gearing could be a bit shorter, but by no means does it ruin the experience.

BlueNorther

I don't expect to convince you or anyone on this forum, but how about this: keep the T, and add a lowly 718 base Boxster with MT for the convertible. Treat as your beater Porsche. One you get over the motor boat sound at idle and at low RPM, it is actually a decent Porsche. You just have to keep the RPM's above 3000 but once there it is a great little car on the back roads. Never realized convertibles could be so much fun. I also don't mind taking it on dirt roads to trail heads etc. My 991.2 GTS is a great car too, but can be too much engine for the mountain roads. It's been sitting in the garage waiting for the end of convertible season. Lots of chatter about the C8, but larger and stupid fast does not always mean more fun.

Chester7

So true

Surge74

It is actually BETTER for driving in traffic to have tall/long gears. I am glad my 718 Spyder has these gear ratios - think about it: you never need to leave 2nd gear, which means far less shifting and clutch work.
And to those who say you can't run the engine to redline - that's false - you can still do so in 1st and 2nd gear (although in 2nd you are doing something like 85 mph) -- but you can still run it to redline in 1st any time you like.

MidEngineRules

To add, you can't have a complete conversation about acceleration (which is why gearing is being questioned) without at least factoring throttle response, how quick the motor revs to redline, and the force (multiplied torque) being generated across the entire rev range. When someone questions the gearing I'm assuming they're wanting harder acceleration at low speed points. I never found my Spyder nor my current GT4 lacking in acceleration on grippy roads (traction is paramount). Perhaps if I drove in top gear at posted speed limits and expected the same acceleration as if in a much lower gear. BL is that you need to operate something optimally for the need. If you're unwilling to do that, or if your primary use is to weave through heavy traffic at or below posted speed limits, then there are other better choices in cars. As far as torque goes, there's no replacement for displacement.

Surge74

Agreed.
And it's not impossible to swap the manual transmission ratios either, but I'm glad they are the way they are.

On another note: Personally, I think a PDK would be terrible for a GT4 or Spyder, and a great way to destroy resale value.... but to each their own.

X2Board

Forced induction says you are wrong.

Surge74

Huh? No... not if you prefer linear and fast throttle response.
There's a reason the GT3 is naturally aspirated. Most people much prefer a linear increase of torque and HP, and the no-lag, immediate throttle response that only NA engines provide.

BlueNorther

You'd be surprised how linear and fast the throttle response feels on the 991.2, at least with the GTS in sports +, where the turbos pre boosted and ready to go. (If it only came with the GT3 sound and red line, no comparison there...)

Surge74

Not to bash it, but the 991.2 GTS is known for its turbo lag. The best engine in the 991.2 lineup, outside of the GT3, is the base engine. Most immediate throttle response, still has some lag, but far less than the S and GTS...

MidEngineRules

Fully concur. I still have a 991.2 S and the lag is significant. I have seat time in the GTS and whomever hits the throttle first wins. Porsche never makes one flat and the other sharp. It's sharp and slightly less sharp. The 991.2 S/GTS all require quite a lot of effort to make them move quick. People like to talk about turbos like they're so efficient and capable that partial throttle is all you need to enter hyperdrive. No you have to put the throttle to the floor and it's not a light action pedal. It's almost like Porsche intends you to drive the car in a sedate way. At highway speeds in the 991.2, you have no passing power without downshifting several gears. Otherwise you bury the throttle and wait for the power to come on. Carrera T is the best of the 991.2. The lower gearing makes up for the lag.

fxz

+7 or 8

mb1

I own a 991.2 C4 and love the base engine. I've owned NA 911's, and thought they were great cars also. People like to call the power delivery in the NA engine linear, but in my opinion, it's no more linear than the current turbo, maybe even less so. It always had lag when cruising at RPM less than 4-4.5K. People just don't like to call it lag in the NA version. Power delivery was always like wait for it, wait for it, then boom. Instead of calling it lag, one could call power delivery at lower RPMs in the NA engine sluggish, but no one would like that either.
I completely agree that sound wise, NA wins hands down. I'm seriously considering going 718 Spyder next year. I hope I don't miss the 991.2 base engine.

Mark993TT

LOL

MidEngineRules

Base engines are fun because they make you work to squeeze all the power out of it. Way more fun than as you describe, being in top gear and expecting hard acceleration when cruising. That's not called lag, it's called lug as in lugging the engine. You're using the motor incorrectly. These cars have gearboxes for a reason.