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Much to my surprise I just bought a 2018 718 Cayman. I'd been toying around the idea of an X5M and on the way back from the BMW dealer decided to swing by Porsche. I told the dealer I was not of fan of what Porsche had done with the Caymans but begrudgingly accepted a test drive. I was smiling ear to ear the whole time....I couldn't believe it. The car was just FUN! Opening the door was COOL, turning it on was COOL, it was peppy, sporty, two seats and just... COOL !
A quick inventory search showed a 2018 in my longtime favorite midnight blue / beige in interior (PS the verdict is still out on if I like the two tone). It had the options in the right places and I took it, pending delivery next week. I guess I learned specs and the internet's opinion really aren't everything..if the car puts a smile on your face -- GO FOR IT!
After some review, I think I like this spec a lot! It is lightweight and no fuss. No nav so I am hoping that means no "wart" on the roof of the car. The 20" Carrera S rims transform the car, the twin pipe sports exhaust looks great. I ENJOYED the sound of the car. On startup it had a sound which barked "fun". It doesn't scream like a GT3... but as a daily sports car thats not what I want/need. It's far too easy to go overboard on the Porsche configurator...I think ~ 70k is a good sweet spot for this Cayman.
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I am now realizing the error of my ways...from an all weather all season X5M to a two seater sports car!? Oh well... we have a 2018 X5 scheduled for delivery first week of February, but I'd like to set the 718 up for winter duty. This is appearing to be a far more difficult task then I had expected. With the 20" Carrera S rims I have inbound there are practically NO tires availible. The P Zero's on there will not work in the tens temperatures we will be seeing. I am left with few options...and I am turning to you all for help!
1. Run two separate tires...is this crazy? The Carrera S rims have the following sizes:
Front - 8 x 20 ET 57 - 235/35 ZR 20 (88Y)
Rear - 10 x 20 ET 45 - 265/35 ZR 20 (95Y)
The Pirelli SOTTOZERO comes in 235/35R20 -- this fits the front
The Dunlop SP WINTER SPORT 3D comes in 265/35R20 -- this fits the rear.
Would it be an unbelievably bad idea to run these two compounds? This would spare the the pain of the options below...
2. Porsche winter tire set
19" Boxter S Winter Set ~$5k
18" 718 Winter Wheel Set ~$3k
I prefer the 19's but have no interest in shelling out another $5k for them. The 18's are okay... but I don't feel like making my fun new car look like a clown car in my first few months of ownership. That brings me to option 3...something I never thought I would consider.
3. HRE FF01
It looks like I could pick these up between $2-2.5k. Of course then I am out again for tires so figure $3k. Have I lost my mind? What would you all do? Any advice greatly appreciated!
I am liking the look of those! But for some reason they are only listed for the 981 series...true? false? Ahh! Sorry for the triple post..
EDIT: Some more info...the rims above are for the 981, they are an 18" winter set with the following specifications
Alloy wheel in a dynamic 5-spoke design with open double spokes.
Front axle: 8 J x 18 RO 57 with 235/45 R 18 94V M+S tire,
rear axle: 9 J x 18 RO 47 with tires 265/45 R 18 101V M+S.
The offered 18" rims for the 718 are the "Boxster" series with the following specs..
Alloy wheels in purist 5-spoke design.
Front axle: 8 J x 18 RO 57 with 235/45 R 18 94V M+S tire,
rear axle: 9.5 J x 18 RO 49 with 265/45 R 18 101V M+S tires.
Comparing the two the only difference appears to be the width and the offset. Are these two things I could overcome one way or another? I think that rim looks perfect!
The HRE's are arguably better looking, more lightweight, and more durable than the OEM wheel options. That should make things a little bit easier for you
You don't need anything fancy for winter driving in the cold, snow, slush, sand and salt. I would recommend a winter tire/wheel setup from Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Although, it's a little late and winter tire inventory may be limited.
OBTW, I like your car and the two tone interior looks good too!
Hah! Thanks for the offer Dave. I was this close to pulling the trigger...but am opting for the 981 series Cayman rims. They are 1/2" smaller in the rear but from what I've heard that'll be no issue. The do have the incorrect TPMS sender which is a drag, so I'll be buying a set of these to hopefully fix that. http://www.tpms.com/Huf_Intellisens_...uvc0018set.htm
I am hoping to be installed at around $2,500 - $2,800. Do you think you could beat that on a set of HRE FF01's + tires?
Originally Posted by DBH
You don't need anything fancy for winter driving in the cold, snow, slush, sand and salt. I would recommend a winter tire/wheel setup from Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Although, it's a little late and winter tire inventory may be limited.
OBTW, I like your car and the two tone interior looks good too!
Hi DBH! TireRack sadly is a dead zone for this size. It looks like positively nothing 20" will work, so I am stuck getting a different set of winter boots...I've found a thread with the Cayman 18" wheels installed on a 718.
Looking good! Thank you so much for the comments on the spec -- I am glad you like it! Looking forward to sharing more with you all in the coming weeks, arrival slated for Wednesday this coming week....I can't wait!
PS: looks like the thread title messed up, it wasn't supposed to be a cliff hanger like that!! Wanted to end with "...need winter setup help" -- D'OH!
You don't need anything fancy for winter driving in the cold, snow, slush, sand and salt. I would recommend a winter tire/wheel setup from Tire Rack or Discount Tire. Although, it's a little late and winter tire inventory may be limited.
OBTW, I like your car and the two tone interior looks good too!
I'll second getting a smaller (18) cheaper wheel/tire for winter duty.
I like the really two tone seats but not sure about the beige center armrest. I'd think a black leather armrest would have looked better.
Nice looking car, congrats!
I'll second getting a smaller (18) cheaper wheel/tire for winter duty.
I like the really two tone seats but not sure about the beige center armrest. I'd think a black leather armrest would have looked better.
Nice looking car, congrats!
Hey Milehigh! thumbs up for 18's... hoping the 1/2 narrower rear track doesn't cause too much trouble.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this two-tone in person, I will be sure to post pics! The configurator has a tendency to misrepresent (though all in all it is one of the better ones). Good point about the center arm-rest. We'll see how the tie it in with the rest of the column, maybe it will make more sense there. The two-tone is growing on me..neat for Porsche to offer it!
Hey Milehigh! thumbs up for 18's... hoping the 1/2 narrower rear track doesn't cause too much trouble.
I'm really looking forward to seeing this two-tone in person, I will be sure to post pics! The configurator has a tendency to misrepresent (though all in all it is one of the better ones). Good point about the center arm-rest. We'll see how the tie it in with the rest of the column, maybe it will make more sense there. The two-tone is growing on me..neat for Porsche to offer it!
Thanks for the kind comments!
Welcome! If you wind up not liking the armrest it's easy to replace. For the record I'm a big fan of two tones, especially with beige.
Looking forward to pics
I too was torn on the look of the 2-tone leather (in Black/Bordeaux). I normally like the look of a 2-tone interior as I ordered my last two vehicles (Audi S4, Range Rover Evoque) with them. Something was just a little off for me with the Cayman 2-tone look, so fearing I might always feel that way I went with full leather. Costs more but looks beautiful. Good luck!
I'll second getting a smaller (18) cheaper wheel/tire for winter duty.
I like the really two tone seats but not sure about the beige center armrest. I'd think a black leather armrest would have looked better.
Nice looking car, congrats!
Originally Posted by Milehigh981
Welcome! If you wind up not liking the armrest it's easy to replace. For the record I'm a big fan of two tones, especially with beige.
Looking forward to pics
Cool, that is good to know!
Originally Posted by lajoiedp
I too was torn on the look of the 2-tone leather (in Black/Bordeaux). I normally like the look of a 2-tone interior as I ordered my last two vehicles (Audi S4, Range Rover Evoque) with them. Something was just a little off for me with the Cayman 2-tone look, so fearing I might always feel that way I went with full leather. Costs more but looks beautiful. Good luck!
Gorgeous I am sure!! If I were in the configurator doing it myself I'm sure I would've done the same.. (full leather, beige). This one had all the other "right" boxes ticked for me so I took the chance! I'm just going to go with it and see what happens
It must be nice to be able to make a decision on a whim like that on a $70k car. lol
It took me 6 months to decide on 997 vs. 981. 981 vs. 718. base vs. S. S vs. GTS. PDK vs MT. Not gonna even mention choosing the color!!!
Hah! I used to labor like mad over these kinds of things...this vs that, hours and hours on the configurator (just take a look at my post history...) I'd back and forth so much so that I could never pull the trigger. I recently bought an airplane and that took 13 months end-to-end of debating this vs that, shopping around, pre-purchase, etc. She has become my new obsession and thus released me from the configurator curse.. I am now able to relax a little bit when it comes to speccing the cars and just pull the trigger with a smile on my face
Thanks for chiming in 9~factor, what did you end up settling on?
Originally Posted by PorscheAddict
Nice looking spec, congratulations.
Thank you PorscheAddict! Excited to see it in person...
............... I recently bought an airplane and that took 13 months end-to-end of debating this vs that, shopping around, pre-purchase, etc. She has become my new obsession .........................
Congratulations! Looks great. Love the two-tone interior. It's gonna be a fun ride; much more than X5M!
I second the idea of getting 18s for the winter setup. Don't worry if that makes the car look 'clownish'! All you need is safety through snow/ice/sleet. Go for smallest wheels it can take (18s) and as narrower tires as possible. 18s will give taller profile (hence the 'clown' look). It will give much needed extra inch of ground clearance. Trust me; you will need it. Depending on your local conditions, you can choose the tires either for winter-performance or hardcore snow/ice handling. I use Nokian Hakkapeliitta on S2000 for hard winter conditions. Driving a sports car through snow is a ton of fun!
Congratulations on getting a plane. That's a bucket list item for me. Working toward it. We have an aviation forum here: https://rennlist.com/forums/aviation-172/ Please share your experience, plane details, etc.
01-04-2018, 01:31 PM
Just ordered 2018 718 Cayman..
Looking forward to sharing more with you all in the coming weeks, arrival slated for Wednesday this coming week....I can't wait!
thumbs up for 18's... hoping the 1/2 narrower rear track doesn't cause too much trouble.
