Drifting

Agree with the first sentence. My left knee won't let me drive a manual, but if it did, then purchasing a 981 GT4 and doing the 4.5L upgrade would be the best Porsche GT car option.

Otherwise, it's just not worth it for the money to upgrade to a 718 from a 981. Only worth getting the 718 GT4RS (if you prefer PDK)

lee88

I have a BGB massaged 981 GT4, actually John Tecce's old personal car which was sorta a test bed for a bunch of 981 stuff. I can hang with 991 GT3s at more technical tracks assuming comparable driver skill and can harass RS owners on my home track which only has one decent length straight. If you want to drop lap times, increasing driver skill thru coaching and/or a "hot" 981 GT4 is definitely good bang for buck.

That said I still have a deposit down with my dealer for a GT4 RS. It's possible we'll get further evolution of the Cayman platform here in the 2020s in which case I'll be an interested buyer. But it's also conceivable that the 718 RS may end up being a pinnacle of naturally aspirated, track-focused, mid-engined Porsche. Even if/when my 781 RS arrives I'm still keeping my BGB 981 and will probably transform it to a hot road car with a little extra ride height, more complaint suspension, maybe regear the transmission and keep it forever. In addition to the BGB special sauce, I've put some Pasha inserts into the LWBs and made the car my own so it feels special to me.

Drifting

Does BGB also do a 4.5L upgrade or something less extreme for the 981 GT4s? How much hp and torque did you gain in your car compared to stock?

KelvinC

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jlee504

It’s certainly going to be a better car and I’m sure it will be “worth” the upgrade if you can afford it. I bought the M2CS and talk about “worth” it or not. Did they put 30k worth of worth in that car? Nope. But is it the best M car, as someone said “the pinnacle”? For sure. So glad I have it in my garage.

ToasterThief

I hear this is the thread for those of us that are prostitutes/GT car enthusiasts?

I have to say, the wing is growing on me, to the point that I don’t think I’d take a touring option if it were available.

lee88

BGB does do 4.0 - 4.5L motors for 981/718 cars. My car (John's old GT4) is still a 3.8L though with X51 (aka 991.1 GTS) intake manifold, cams, cylinder heads plus a whole bunch of custom ECU tuning BGB did and I believe some custom machining on the heads. It dyno'd at ~415HP, 294 ft-lb at the wheels so they estimated 460HP +/- at the crank. This was with race headers and I think maybe a race gas tune, I have the stock GT4 exhaust back on and a slightly milder tune which means I'm probably down 20-30HP but it passes inspection/emissions in my neck of the woods and also means I can run 93 pump gas.

I think they had a thread on the original build somewhere but I can't find it now. This thread though has the full specs and dyno chart. From what I understand the big 4.0-4.5L motors make more torque though I think the peak HP numbers aren't too much different.
https://rennlist.com/forums/vehicle-...i-upgrade.html

CAlexio

I'm having a moment of doubt... will GT4RS be boring bc of pdk. I spent my life learning this lesson, but after time spent in GT4CS I'm totally Gung-ho on this GT4RS.

But I'm wondering.. hoping it's not. Hoping it will have enough character to not feel like a fast appliance on the road which is my impression after driving other non-manual cars on the road.

Even on track, last week I was in a 16 hour race at Sonoma with a manual prepped civic and loved slamming in every single up-shift and every double-clutch downshift frenzy approaching corners... will I miss that?

TDT

I think the problem might be it won’t be as good as a GT4CS, even the entry level trackday version, but probably won’t be too far off in price.
So then what are you really getting?

hf1

This is how I describe manual vs pdk: I feel like I'm sitting IN a manual car, wired to it through all my limbs. I feel like I'm sitting ON TOP of a pdk car.

Or another one: Manual feels like riding a horse. PDK feels like guiding the horse from the seat of the wagon behind it.

KelvinC

Alessandro, no need for sleepless nights. I will be more than happy to take your allocation at MSRP if you’re really having doubts!!!

😄

I’d need to find a buyer for my GT4 first, but where there’s a will, there’s a way.

Wild Weasel

Well for one thing... you're getting something you can drive to the track. Or anywhere else.

GrantG

Exactly - and you get a warranty and the opportunity for Euro Delivery and you can avoid buying a truck, trailer, and extra garage...

ExMB

You have no clue regarding pricing of the GT4CS, do you?

matttheboatman

I too have been considering getting a '16 Clubsport now that the prices have come down into the low $100s for a well maintained Euro import.

But, they are getting older so one would wise to budget for a PDK or Engine refresh during your ownership bringing the the true cost up into the $150s. Still a good value considering it is a Porsche factory built race car.

I do think the new RS speed wise will be the same or faster than a Clubsport right out of the box. But, obviously lacking the safety of the Clubsport's robust containment cage.

All in all, if you are not going to race, I think the GT4RS will be a better fit at least for me.