vracer

I'm looking at Cayman Ss. The sellers don't always know what they have. Can someone please explain the buttons on the transmission 'tunnel'? I know that the shock symbol on the left side indicates PASM, but how about the Sport & Sport+ symbols. On the right side I have seen something that looks like binoculars, and another that shows an 'A' in a circle. What are they? Thanks for your help - I'm looking forward to joining the club.

Dr.Bill

Sport and Sport + indicate the Sport Chrono option. Also will have the dashboard clock.
The 'binoculars' are actually tailpipes. Indicates the Sports Exhaust.
The 'A' in a circle turns off the auto-stop feature. It's also disabled in Sport+ mode.

Scooby921

Confirming Dr.Bill's comments...same options / buttons I have on my GTS. Of great design, when you push the button to disable the auto stop-start the ECU remembers. You don't need to push the button every key cycle like so many other cars out there.

vracer

Thank you both. Actually, I think it is quite a bit harder to decide which specs you want when buying used rather than new. You can't drive multiple cars and talk to someone who is trained, (and maybe knows about) the nuances of various options.

I am looking for a 'quick & capable' daily driver that can be firmed up on winding back roads. I have years of racing experience; this car might, but probably won't see a track. In the past, I have had the bad financial experience of buying two cars that went too far as "wanna-be" race cars, and were just too harsh and jiggly to be comfortable on today's streets.

I know I want an S for the hp, but I'm not sure that the 15 extra ponies, standard PASM, Sport Chrono and ??? make the extra cost of the GTS worth it.

Any help for a newbie on the Cayman will be appreciated.

bvanlieu

Why do you know you want the S? Quick and capable is any Cayman. Backroads rev it out? The base can be a better car for that. Have you driven both? The gearing and power on the S/GTS means illegal speeds in 2nd.

The problem with base cars IMHO, is it is harder to find them with Sport and PSE (not impossible). For my style, I find the PSE to be a must have option as its just perfect for my tastes.

GTS is not worth it for the HP, its worth it only as a package if you enjoy the looks (and you know it will have either PASM or X73, Sport/PSE etc...). We happen to have a GTS more because of the way its styled.

Had we seen base cars with the options we were looking for, we certainly would have looked at them! Drove a 987.1 base for years and it was a joy.

Best advise is to drive all 3 flavors, a base car with base suspension, S/GTS with PASM and if you can find one, an X73 car. You also want to note the different seats (I find the base seats terrible, but Sport 2 way, or 14/18 sport yada yada excellent)

Our GTS happens to be X73 not PASM, and while firm I find it perfect for a street car and it rides a bit better then our old 987 in fact.

Given the cost points to me the time invested in research will be worth it with no regrets later

- b

Scooby921

You only want the GTS for three major reasons:

1.) Appearance - It gets different front and rear bumpers and different rear taillights.
2.) The Sport Chrono, Sport Exhaust, and PASM are standards - If it says GTS it automatically has these...X73 sport suspension is/was a free upgrade to PASM if desired.
3.) Additional cooling - If you're going to track the car the additional engine / oil cooling radiators are worth it.

If you're going used the exhaust and suspension aren't major issues. The money saved buying a base Cayman over an S or GTS can be folded back into an aftermarket sport exhaust (with key fob and push-button actuated valves to replicate the OEM sports exhaust) and a new sport suspension like a set of coilovers from Tractive / DDA.

I bought the GTS because I was buying a track toy, liked the exterior styling, and loved the over-priced optional GTS interior package with the alcantara and deviated red stitching.

WalterMitty

We are somewhat in the same boat....though I am waffling back and forth on either a Boxster or a Corvette.

As it relates to the Boxster (in your case the Cayman), I've been taking the time to figure out what options are most important to me. But as you have noted, it ain't that easy when you don't have a PHD in Porsche options, and can't drive cars back to back to back to actually see, feel, and hear all the differences. Porsche sure is a lot different in this regard. In the Corvette world, it's a lot easier given that most of the options come in bundles (1LT, 2LT, 3LT).

Through a few test drives, and tons of online detective work I'm getting there. I've realized that of all the options out there, for me, color and wheels are more important then all the rest. When I first started this process, I was taking in all the data, and got a bit caught up "optionland" and was soon convinced that I needed to go GTS, with cooled seats and a heated steering wheel. Once I came back to earth a bit, and remembered the real reason I want the car (and how I will use it), I now am confident I will be most happy an with an S with the "right" wheels and color for me. If best deal out there with what I really want has some of the other goodies, great, if not no biggie.

Also, your description of the PSE button looking like binoculars was spot on and made me laugh (don't take that wrong).

Good luck with the search.

CaymanSinAR

Nearly *everyone* that gets in my car asks what the heck the binoculars button does.

vracer

Thank you guys. Keep them cards and letters comin'. I learn from all of them. I had a 2000 Boxster, 220hp? It was a fabulous car in 2000, but lately I have gotten used to 350+ hp cars, and I don't think my head and neck will flop around enough with too few ponies.

PASM question: Does it merely raise and lower the car 10-20mm, or does it do like many other cars do, and act as a comfort/sport switch by loosening or tightening the shocks?
Sport & Sport+: What do they actually do?

'bvan', in general, I agree with you. It is more fun to drive a slow car fast than to drive a fast car slow. I owned an Italian V12 coupe and a '73 914-4 at the same time, and the 914 was probably the funnest car I have ever had. Your point about the seats is a good one. I sat in a GTS the other day & was not impressed with the hugging quality of that seat. If that is an upgraded seat, I'm wondering about the base.

Scooby921

PASM is an "active" damper which reacts to road inputs and adjusts damping properties on the fly. The available button allows you to force it into a stiffer damping mode. The PASM suspension does not raise and lower. It uses a stiffer spring than the base suspension and the static ride height is lower than the base suspension. Likewise, the X73 sport suspension uses a stiffer spring than the PASM option and is again a lower static ride height. X73 removes the "active" dampers.

The "Sport" button changes the shape of the curve for the electronic throttle. The accelerator pedal inputs result in sharper response from the engine. You don't get any power increase, but the car feels more peppy and more responsive to your inputs. IIRC the button also adjusts the steering sensitivity. The option also adds a "noise" pipe to the intake which has a valve (activated by pressing the sport button) and makes the engine a bit more sonorous behind your head. It also sends a signal to the electronic brake control module to open up the thresholds for ABS, TCS, and ESC so you can push the car a little further before the nannies stop you from wrecking your car. "Sport" also automatically enables the sport exhaust and opens the bypass valves.

The "Sport +" button does everything "Sport" does, but also automatically enables the firmer damper settings and tells the electronic brake control module to go one step further in opening up those ABS, TCS, and ESC thresholds. You can drive on the track in Sport + with ESC still enabled and encounter very few interventions.

john981

If you have a PDK the Auto-Stop button also activates the coasting mode, which helps saving fuel. Although many people indicate that this mode is pretty risky for the PDK transmission, therefore I never us it.

vracer

Scooby,

Thank you! Your answers were thorough, and simple enough for me to understand. I have tried 'configuring' a '19 car realizing that the options won't do exactly the same as the earlier 981, and that is where I got the 10 & 20mm drops. I didn't realize the car was 'firmly' (pun intended) set at that altitude. My present bimmer daily driver has sport/comfort settings, and I was told that the sport/comfort setting was on both sides of the standard suspension.

oofie810

Bumping this as I also started looking at 981s.

Is the Sport Button standard on all cars and is Sport Chrono a "must" for PDK cars or is the Sport button sufficient? I ask because on the 997.2, Sport and Sport Plus make the PDK shifting a lot faster, not sure if this is still the case with the 981.

badabing

You only get the sport and sport + buttons with the sport Chrono option/Package.

IMHO it's mandatory in a pdk car because the 3 shift programs (normal, sport, sport+) are dramatically different.

Anytime I drive my 987.2 CS PDK in normal mode I feel like something is missing. Sport is my preferred setting. Sport + is not really useable on the street as it holds every gear until redline. But it is perfect on the track, or I will use it sometime on the street in manual mode.

On a manual car I would say Sport Chrono is much less critical especially depending on the other options you also have and how you will use the car.

If you don't also have PASM and PSE and you don't plan to drive on track (therefore have less need for altering PSM intervention thresholds) the I would say Sport Chrono is a waste.

Scooby921

Having Sport+ in a manual trans car does enable the auto rev-match when downshifting. It also firms up the magneto-rheological fluid in the engine mounts. Both are pretty useless on the street. So yeah...aside from Sport Chrono guaranteeing that you get the sport exhaust there isn't a lot in it for additional street enjoyment on a manual trans car. Would never trade my manual for a PDK though.