James88

Great write up, do the TPC offset toe links make a big difference, more buttoned down?

Bob Z.

If I had to live with the stock Spyder exhaust I would not have bought it...luckily there are a lot of options to make it sound better.

James88

Drove 718 GT4 MT & 718 GTS PDK back to back. The 718 GT4 had a longer 2nd gear than my previous 981 GT4, even the dealer manager confirmed this, 718 topped out around 137kmh.
I have always been a MT guy but I found the GTS PDK much more fun and much more alive to drive, I was a convert right there and then.

wizee

The redline is higher on the new car, but the gear ratios and final drive and wheel diameter are identical to the 981. Both 981 S/GTS/GT4, and all manual 982 models (base/S/GTS 2.5/GTS 4.0/GT4) will be travelling at exactly the same speed at the same RPM in the same gear.

James88

It just felt longer geared, maybe it was the dull stock exhaust that made it feel underwhelming.
​​​​​​I asked the dealer manager twice, just to make sure l heard him correct as l couldn't believe they'd do this, but what you're saying does make sense.

chris8535

except if I understand correctly you will be at different speeds. Do you can rev deeper on the streets in a 3.4 from the S. Isn’t this the obvious thing we all are talking about?

wizee

No, you will be at exactly the same speed in the same gear at the same RPM on a manual or PDK 981 (S or higher) or 982. For example, in a manual 981 S (3.4L), at 7500 RPM in second gear, you will be at 128 km/h. On a 982 4.0L manual car, you will also be at 128 km/h in second gear at 7500 RPM. The redline on the 4.0L cars is slightly higher though.

A 4.0L engine with extra torque and power would go from 4000-7500 RPM in the same gear more quickly than the 981 S’s 3.4L or 982 2.5L turbo, so you’d need to shift sooner/more quickly in a 982 4.0L model than in a 981 S or 982 S.

What you’re probably missing is the exhaust sound of the 981. The gearing is identical, and the 982 Spyder accelerates substantially quicker in the same gear than a 981 S at any RPM.

chris8535

live and learn. I had always assumed less power at sane rpm produces less speed but in reality it makes sense that to just takes more power to get to same speed/rpm faster.

however what you are saying here is that every single boxster 981/982 has the exact same longer gearing problem, but it’s only mentioned on Spyder reviews? The top of 982 spyder 1st gear is nearly 50mph and it certainly was not at all that at the top of 981S 1st. Accounted for my higher rpms?

Zeus993

In my neck of the woods the local police reguarly hand out expensive noise violation tickets. I've been quite happy with "quiet" mode in my Spyder when driving around the city, to then hit the sport button on the open road. Working great for now but yes, I do miss the sound of the 997.2 GT3 RS. I bet the new Spyder RS will be epic as the new GT3 engine sounds great.

wizee

Top of first gear on a 981 S is around 47-48 mph due to a slightly lower redline.

The 981 base (2.7L) had somewhat shorter gearing than all the other 981 variants. All the other 981 variants have identical gearing to all the 982 cars (other than GT4 RS).

Long gearing has been an “issue” for Porsches for decades. Even the 987.2 S had mostly the same gear ratios (but one inch smaller tire/wheel diameter). It’s nothing new for the GT4/Spyder. The only difference is the somewhat higher redline, so you can go even faster than prior cars in the same gear if you go all the way to redline. I don’t mind the tall second gear too much, it’s nice in many situations, but wish for a taller first gear so that it’s closer to second, more usable for regular downshifts, and I can stay in it all the time in autocross. Right now, first is just a bit too short for autocross and a bit too short for downshifts above 40 km/h to make sense. A short first gear is unnecessary except for creeping in slow traffic, as first gear would remain traction limited even if they made it slightly longer. A shorter third gear that’s closer to second gear would be nice too; PDK improves this.

IMO the gearing isn’t such a big issue because you don’t have to take every gear to redline. There’s plenty of torque in the mid range. I go through all the gears regularly because having the engine spinning at high RPM all the time is wasteful and generally useless on most roads. The exhaust valve logic that keeps them closed below 3700-5000 RPM (depending on gear and load) does take away some of that excitement you got at moderate RPMs on the 981, as does the disappointing split exhaust muffler design that doesn’t mix the banks, resulting in a tone sounding like two separate three cylinder engines. I’ve been contemplating getting an aftermarket exhaust for a long time, but I’m a bit conflicted between Soul/JCR/Kline and their different benefits/drawbacks.

mojo12345

except for the long gearing on your cons list, the 981 version would erase the rest of them