Hello everyone! I am awaiting allocation on a 2022 Spyder and I need your help with certain options as I can't see them in person and what I imagine they look like might not be what they actually look like. I want the car to not look more aggressive than it already is (more elegant/comfortable I guess, "low profile", timeless).

This is my current build: PN6Y3F51

Things I decided upon but would love some more insight in case any of my reasoning is flawed:

- Seats: I have 18-way in my daily driven Cayenne, besides the horizontal seat extension (thigh) I haven't used anything else; I have tried LWBS in a Cayman GTS and I fit nicely (6' , 200lbs) but it is a bit hard to get in/out and I don't really see any point in having them (I have not driven in them, only sat for about 30-40 min) so I ended up with 2-way seats as I enjoy the comfort and don't need the extra adjustments
- I don't have any experience with PCCB but my friends that went through Porsche Track Experiences said I would not need them for purely street driving (I will not track my car - no track available where I am - Romania , Europe). I have steel brakes on my Cayenne GTS 2016 and I haven't experienced any loss of braking power while driving in a spirited manner on backroads/mountain passes
- Transmission: I own a 2008 M3 E93 with DCT and every time I drive it I miss shifting gears but it was my first dual-clutch car so I was excited back then but now I want a manual and I hear Porsche really makes the experience worthwhile

What I am still considering: Satin Platinum wheels/Black calipers/Bordeaux seatbelts vs. Black wheels/Red calipers/Black seatbelts (can't have two shades of red on the car, I don't like it, so no Bordeaux seatbelts with red calipers). I think the car might look boring if there is not a single drop of color besides black/silver. I don't like my gauges or sport chrono in anything but black.

Any help is greatly appreciated and I am open to any other combination of colors with GT Silver exterior or worthwhile options I have excluded.

 

Hi Stmblaster:

Just my opinion:

Seats:Brakes:Transmission:Colors: Very personal.

My 2022 Spyder order: 18 way heated seats, heated steering wheel in leather, PCCBs in black, manual, LEDs, Bose. Went with white (So that rear diffuser stands out), black satin wheels, black roof, Spyder bordeaux interior, Apple play, luggage net, smoking package, 2 zone AC.

Good luck. Have fun playing with different permutations of your build. All fun. And the anticipation!

 

Porsche makes (IMO) the best DCT in the business. They also make (IMO) the best short throw you can buy.
Good news is you can't pick wrong

 

Hey Stmblaster, GT silver screams for the Bordeaux top, black calipers, Bordeaux belts and body color supplemental restraints.
Beyond that, the PDK is second to no other and I still bought the 6 speed, PCCB's if brake dust is a bother, I went with iron.
Mine is white with Bordeaux, LED's, 18 way seats, Spyder classic interior, Bose and the items above and I regret exactly nothing.
Good luck on your timing.

 

The only thing that I can say is "get the manual transmission" unless you REALLY want the PDK. PDK is better on track (not important to you) but the 6 speed in my 718 GT4 is just so much fun. Seats and color are personal preference items.

 

My 2 cents are unless you need PDK (ex. sharing with a spouse), I'd say get the 6MT - it only further adds to the engagement and every trip in your Spyder should be AND WILL BE an experience.

 

Just rec'd my 718 Spyder 2 weeks ago so still getting to know him. But here are my thoughts, my 2-cents (CAD) on options. And keep in mind that we're all different drivers, have different tastes etc...

A) Options I love and WOULD order again:
1. PCCBs (no brake dust, EPIC stopping power, my 3rd Porsche with them. And they seem less "grabby" in this generation, they're PERFECT)
2. Full leather, including the steering column
3. Apple Car Play - the best if you have an iPhone. WAZE is excellent for situational awareness of police, road debris etc...
4. PTS (well, if you can get it, but there's lots of other great easy to get colours), but not a deal-breaker.
5. Platinum wheels - super nice and don't show the dirt as much. But it depends on your colour - lighter colour exterior = silver, darker exterior = dark, IMO
6. LWBS I was on the fence (like many of you) about these but in the end happy I did ticked that box. They, for my body style, are super comfy and when the top is off a breeze to get into (well, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit but the 4-ways are no breeze either!) and they just look SUPER sexy!
7. Race-tex / Alcantara visors - love the feel. Just need to get those ugly warning labels off. In the future order from Polish supply company withOut them?
8. Light design package
9. Bi-Xenon lights in black with PDLS - love the 4-pot look
10. Exclusive Design Filler Cap! YES! It's new and cool.
11. Luggage Net in Passenger Footwell - holds the radar detector and cord etc...

B) Options I WISHED I'd ordered but PTS build closed too quickly:
1. Alternate stitching - silver would have been nice... or even the Red/Gray Classic interior, making it truly vintage through-back with the Olso Blue. Now that would have POPPED but maybe a bit too much... - not so easy fix and will not do anything.
2. Smoking Package to get the centre consul outlet for the plugin radar detector. Free!
3. Illuminated Custom Door Sills - super sexy at night and the captioning is fun - easy fix, I'll probably order illuminated sills from Suncoast and get the dealer to install
4. PTS key covers? Maybe but they're super pricey, could get chipped etc... can order some in white, silver, yellow?
5. Silver seatbelts - easy fix, can add these later...
6. Model delete - easy fix

C) Options I'm HAPPY I DIDN'T order:
1. Bose or Burmester audio upgrade - the base is great IMO and I generally don't listen to music unless I'm stuck in traffic and then you have to ask yourself why you're driving your Spyder in traffic etc...
2. Dual climate control - what for? The car is so small and I'm in it 98% of the time alone. My wife is not a happy passenger, at least with my driving "style"...
3. Rollbar hoops painted. I love the look of the car with just the "power domes" by themselves
4. Multi-function Steering Wheel - I love the clean look and feel of a GT wheel.
5. Navigation. Use the Apple Carplay for this with Apple or Google maps

D) Options I ordered but I'm ON THE FENCE :
1. CF Interior trim. It's nice but tends to darken the interior. Should be fine once I lighten up the seats with some Pepita LWCF seat inserts from P1 Designs!
2. MT vs. PDK. I can't believe I'm writing this but up to my MT Spyder arriving I had repeated use of a good friend's 2011 TTS Cab PDK and really enjoyed romping on it. It's an amazing transmission.

Hope this helps!

P.s. My other build, pre-PTS allocation, was GT Silver on Classic Red, which IMO is a KILLER look and price.

 

Thank you guys for the advice! So far it goes like this: 2-way (or 18-way) seats, manual, GT Silver exterior with Satin Platinum Wheels, Red Calipers (or black calipers if going PCCB), black top, bordeaux seatbelts and bordeaux deviated stitching (I understand the door handles come in black which would be even better) and black aluminum interior trim.

Heated seats are a must for me too, I often find myself driving in 50-60f weather and my girlfriend hates being cold. 18-way I don't think I need over 2-way but as a precautionary measure maybe? (future whatever physical issues I might have - I'm 29 years old and while this is a car I don't see myself selling, who knows)

PCCBs and the lack of brake dust is not really important where I live. It's raining often, the rain carries a lot of dust and the wheels get dirty every 1-2 weeks. We also wash cars here almost weekly (it's also ridiculously cheap! 10$ for a manual carwash that takes 45 minutes and I can also ask them to use my own shampoo/towels etc.). We have another problem with road debris, you often encounter little rocks flying towards you. Would this be a problem with chipping the rotors?

Transmission I'll stick to manual. This one I am sure of!


I agree that white with the classic package is beautiful but I prefer GT Silver with the black top, it's just more appropriate to who I am and where I live and gets along very well with my childhood dream of owning a GT Silver Porsche. I'd probably get it white if it wasn't my first sports car from Porsche!

I actually did not think you could get Apple CarPlay without Porsche Navigation including Connect. You just saved me around 2400 euros Zeus! Thank you.
Alcantara visors are indeed a must and I think I forgot to add them, I love those in my Cayenne and also the roof.

I am very audio-oriented and have the Burmester in Cayenne and a custom audio setup in my work car. I could not live without a (for me) satisfying system in any car.

Dual climate control I thought might come with some added extras compared to standard? Carbon filters or something, but then I realised the car is top down most of the time. Kind of pointless now that you got me thinking.

Which extended leather parts should I add that really make a difference (as in things look less appealing without them)?

 

A few things I was very happy to get:

Deviated stitching
smoking package
model delete
Bose Stereo, yep much better than the base, Burmester is even better but I did have some budget constraints!
Dual climate control (IIRC the temperature setting on the non-dual is not automatic?) besides between me and the wife, nice to be able to choose our own temperatures
Multi-function GT wheel, it has all of the benefits of a bare wheel and all of the advantages too, those that say the wheel it too busy, I ask why are you looking at the wheel when you are driving?
OEM Navigation for the many things it adds to the other functions in the car, there is an entire thread about this, right nacelle maps, ties into track connect, etc,etc. Plus I hate the phone stuck on the dash somewhere!
Carbon fiber trim, looks awesome, and no problem in a Spyder, too dark, how so?
LWBS, personal but if they work for you awesome!
LED headlights, simply amazing and blows away everything else
PCCB brakes, incredible and virtually no dust, amazing look too
Platinum wheels
leather where it counts, not necessarily full leather but it looks so much richer on the dash and door top edges.

 

Great opinions provided by the above Rennlist members. Choices very personal.

Reasons why I spec'd my order the way I did:

1. LED: Greater lumens for my tired old eyes. Live in the dark woods and need to look out for the deer and bears. Really find this essential.
2. PCCBs: As mentioned, brake dust. I am so busy with work, that I have so little free time to spend washing my cars. Need dust free brakes. Also, PCCBs are supposed to last a lifetime for street cars. Up front cost of $8k a bargain to the replacement cost of >$18k. Prone to chip if mishandled. Would not get PCCBs if tracking. For me, this is really worth the up front cost. Though, I really do like the red calipers much better.
3. 18-ways and heated seats: Wife factor, wife hates our LWB in our other Porsche. Old age. Gets cold in CT, and want to extend the driving season here before the snow and winter hibernation. Not able to get LWB with heated seats, I would have, despite the wife factor. Otherwise, I would definitely have spec'd the LWB for the COOL factor. I really like the LWB as a driver, but not as a passenger.
4. Heated Steering Wheel in Leather: Again, to fight off the cold. Don't like the wear on the alcantara with sweat. Leather wheel more durable, especially in a convertible?
5. 2 Zone AC: Wife factor. I am always cold. She is always hot.
6. Smoking Package: Need extra outlet for recharging and radar/laser detector. Though, will likely hardwire Escort Max 360c.
7. Apple Play: As noted above, integration with Waze and situational police awareness.
8. Spyder: Wife wanted a convertible for evening drives to the beach. 4.0L NA 6 at 414 hp. Greatest bang for the buck. I view this as the bargain Porsche. 4/5 Speedster at 1/3 price.
9. 6MT: Just correct with the Spyder. More engagement. For the track IMO, PDK faster, safer and prescient. Porsche PDK is really a great transmission. I really like the PDK, but the 6MT is the correct tranny for the Spyder, IMO.
10. Michael Jackson theme: Black and white. White car to contrast with diffusers. White color great for a cooler summer convertible. Black top. Black wheels. Black calipers. Contrast with Spyder Classic interior, always liked Bordeaux. Wife missed our old white GT3.
11. Bose: Just something better than stock, but not the greatest. Can't hear much in a convertible. End up listening to engine note. Could not justify Burmeister in a convertible. But totally get it if one wants a Burmeister.
12. Luggage net: Why not? One of only a few limited free items offered by Porsche.

 

You don’t get the dual zone a/c because of individual settings…you get it because of auto climate control.

Otherwise you’re working fan speed and temp control all day long…just like the 70s.

 

Seats - I am 67 and have no issue with the 2-way seats. I put the seat back manually when I get out. No big deal. To me the extra cost, weight and complexity of the 18 way are worth it if you have multiple drivers (memory) or a medical issue that the more adjustible nature of the 18 ways helps alleviate.

Dual zone climate - the important feature isn't the two zones (it's a pretty small space) but the thermostat, which you don't get with the standard. I miss some features of cars made 30-50 years ago; this isn't one of them.

 

I see.Thank you again! I will order the dual zone climate then and I'll search for the navigation benefits thread. Regarding PCCBs I have another issue: my Cayenne has ±65.000 miles and I've had to get the car to service twice because stones were stuck somewhere in the braking system so well that the car made ridiculous squeaking noises because the stone kept scratching the rotor. I tried at first to maybe shake the car a bit and for it to drop, but nothing. The only way they fixed it was to take the wheel off, take the rotor out (I think) so that the stone could fall. This happened with my previous car too about 3 times in 100k miles and this is something that happened to my family members/friends at least once (although the stones usually drop on their own after some car shaking). We do not drive on gravel or anything else, the roads have potholes and I think asphalt bits break from the edges and start moving on the road.

Now I don't expect to drive the Spyder more than 5-7k miles a year but even then, would a ceramic rotor survive this? Would I need to replace all of the rotors or just the damaged one?

 

Regarding PCCB, did you have this on the Cayenne, it is not clear from you wording... as for surviving for 5-7K miles per year, definitely last for that, I know people that have 10 year old Porsches with all original PCCB rotors, are they invincible, no. FWIW the type of rotor has nothing to do with catching stones.

Regarding NAV here is a place to start: (39) PCM without Navigation, what would I be giving up? | Porsche 718 Forum

And here: Missing SC display on PCM w/o Nav or connect - Rennlist - Porsche Discussion Forums

 

Oh thanks for linking the threads. I have the standard 2016 GTS brakes on Cayenne, which I think are from the Turbo - red calipers. The rotors survived the stone getting caught in there and I was wondering if a PCCB rotor would also survive having a rock caught up in the braking system that scratches it (at least until I can get it out) without having to replace the rotor.