4PTZERO

Hey all - been shopping around for the "perfect" 981 S at the right price (aren't we all!?!). That said, I'm going cross-eyed looking at the options, and the ones I should care about for performance / sounds. I am only considering 6 MT cars.

I am hoping our resident 981 aficionados and pros can chime in.

Sport Chrono - what does this add to a 6MT over the standard "Sport" button? I don't care about rev matching or the stop watch stuff. I only care if it affects the throttle and PSM etc. - if so, is it enough to be a big deal? worth hunting down to have it?

PASM and X73 - can someone chime in about the standard suspension and whether its stiffness and cornering is already pretty flat and controlled. Or is having the X73 a must have or PASM?

Sport Exhaust - from what I've heard, the stock exhaust isn't half bad and is loud enough. Yes, PSE is definitely better, but would everyone agree the stock exhaust is loud enough? I'll be happy if I can hear that visceral goodness in the cabin (induction sounds / burbles and pops (even if it's less than a PSE).

PTV - I find this a pretty uncommon option included with Caymans and hear it's not necessary. I will track the car, but not excessively, will I be missing this option? I also hear it prematurely wears the brakes, more intrusive than anything else.

Thanks all!

Slim987

..

Dom991.1

Wow, you got a lot here. Bottom line - which of these have you tried/driven/heard? - because it will boil down to personal preference.

Let me try and give it a shot - I have Sport Chrono on my 981 & love the rev matching. Wasn't sure how I would feel about it at first but wouldn't get one without it now. There IS a throttle difference and supposedly the transmission mounts change as well in sport plus (but I've never been able to tell)

I have the x73 suspension on my 981 & PASM on my 991S - again, just different. X73 feels more 'track focused' but less flexible to changing road conditions

PSE all the way, on both cars. It's a different animal on the 991 (even in execution) but the the pops & crackles are worth it (IMO) - and the rev matching in SC REALLY brings that to life (does anyone get PSE withOUT SC???) I would agree that the car already sounds good but, again - it's what appeals to you.

PTV is probably the one I have the least opinion on. Don't have it on 981, have it on 991S. Maybe I'm not sophisticated enough to feel the difference?

You should try them all, including SC (I have it on both cars). In my opinion, PSE becomes less interesting without SC. Best of luck.

Dave H.

IIRC, rev matching was not available on 2013's.

that said,
"Sport Chrono Pkg - mostly for the dynamic transmission mounts [in SportPlus]" - you can feel it.
"PDLS - lights moving left and right does make a difference" - get it.

Dom991.1

I know for a fact that the 2013 991 had rev matching ('2012.5' did NOT), not sure when it was FIRST offered on 981 but my 2014 has it, HTH. Dom

Milehigh981

2013 981 did not have rev matching with SC (had one)

Yabo

I have a white 2014 Cayman S with the following options:

PTV - I actually had this as my first filter when searching CPO cars. I would've given up on it for the absolute perfect car otherwise but honestly, I had one 944 without LSD and then the rest had it, my autocross performance was significantly better, as was the enjoyment of driving the car hard. If you haven't felt both, you probably don't need it. Fair warning, it's going to take you a long time to find a good one in PTV if you also have a color requirement. It took me 6-8 months. There was only 3 PTV cars with manual transmission in the country at most, on the CPO locator.

20" wheels - this was the only rub, the previous owner sold off the stock wheels I guess, and put 19" black aftermarket wheels that are very nice. Overall, I really don't see the need for 20", my 19's look awesome and probably feel a bit better on the road.

Rear wiper - I've yet to turn it on, had it on my 951 also, don't really know why people need these. The look doesn't bother me though.

PASM - I like this, Boston roads suck, and it stiffens up well enough. I believe you get some of the suspension drop with this option as well. Any more low and I wouldn't make it in my driveway.

Manual transmission - #1 requirement for me.

Seat ventilation - actually a really nice feature to have on hot days. No sweating through my work slacks, reduces how stinky the seat will get after working out too!

PDLS - first car I have had with this option. Was surprised how well it works, nice feature, may reduce chance of hitting a deer by .0001%

ParkAssist front and rear - nice feature, why not

Sport Chrono - Rev matching is nice, but I thought it would work for autox. When you turn off PSM, which you must if you drive hard in autox, the rev matching feature turns off. It's a fun feature for messing around on the back roads and when passing on the highway. I personally don't notice the transmission and engine mounts but I'm sure it does technically improve performance.

Power steering plus - ?

Telephone module - worthless

14 way power sport seats - its fun to have extending seats and all that but I wish it had the sport seats plus. Don't be fooled, "sport seats" in Porsche just means regular old seats.

Bose - Requirement. Stock audio is HORRIBLE. like a low end tacoma pickup from the 90s.

Sport exhaust - requirement. The burble is awesome and why would you not get the best sounding option?

Pep!RRRR

+1 on the Bose. Not that Bose is particularly good, but the base audio is very primitive.

X73 or PASM are desirable for track use. If you get PASM you can eventually upgrade to DSC by TPC Racing, which apparently is da bomb. I have X73 but am beginning to feel the need for more adjustability.

4PTZERO

Thanks, what do you think about coilovers being added to the standard suspension (i.e. Ohlins R/T)? Gives me the ride height adj I want, and well, coilovers which should be better than a standard anyhow.

Dom991.1

"Bose - Requirement. Stock audio is HORRIBLE. like a low end tacoma pickup from the 90s." - THIS
Honestly, I think this is generous - I would say a 50 watt TOTAL system output, 4 speaker system is more mid-late 80s. Sadly, the car that I have has it - it had too many of my other requirements to turn it down. I wish I at LEAST had the Sound Package Plus where you could at least stream music (my 2008 Ford Fusion for less than $20k new could) but maybe someday I'll find someone selling that as a complete package and upgrade...😀

4PTZERO

If you want to stream music, have you checked out pluging in a Bluetooth receiver into your USB (for power) and then cable to your AUX?

Dom991.1

Pep!RRRR

Sound package plus is a good alternative, maybe even better than Bose. I'm not sure it was offered on all models though unless you also bought the upgraded infotainment unit. Main thing is to avoid the bare bones base speaker system.

Derek0812

2015 981 CS owner here...purchased last month.

PSE- A must have IMO. Started with listening to youtube videos, but once i heard it in person, it was a done deal.

Sports Chrono- 1 month of ownership and I haven't used it. That being said, I like that it is there (in case of track use..for rev matching). Plus, I love the look of the clock.

PASM- Heard good things, but haven't used it yet (via sports plus button, or PASM button). I normally cruise in sports mode with PSE on.

Nav/Bose- My car had sound package plus, which added speakers and wattage...it sounds great. I stream music via BT with $14 dongle that i bought on amazon (power through cigarette port and audio via aux). Pass on nav/bose and use money on something else.

6MT- Have it and love it. Coming from BMW M3, I'm a huge fan of the Porsche clutch and overall feel of transmission.

Car also has Power Steering Plus. I have no idea what it does and haven't noticed any added benefit.

I'm also a huge fan of the heated/ventilated leather seats. No kidding, I've run the ventilated seats on EVERY drive since I bought it. Power Seats (14-way) are also nice.

4PTZERO

Thanks D, good insight. I'm going for a bare bones CS pretty much, and getting closer I think. Seems like the PSE is the one everyone is saying is a must have, but I do plan to get an aftermarket solution if I can't find it with.

Question for you, as you are coming from a M3 (E9x or F8x?), wondering how you felt about the lack of torque in the 981 CS? I'm also an ex M car guy, so curious to what you think in detail.