Just bought a used 981 CS! Advice for track season??
 

Hi all, I think I am going to annoy some people right now but I am going to ask anyways. I just bought my first P car and its a 2014 981 CS (en route to my house!) it has 31.2K miles, headers, H&R springs, 6spd and ECU tune. The car will be garaged mostly, but when its taken out it will be seeing track and AX days. I am trying to figure out what mods I need to do ahead of the season. So far I am planning to buy 18 inch wheels, track pads and maybe radar. For now, my plan is to just have one set of track wheels/tires which i can use to get to the tracks (in the winter, I will change back to my 20s). So I am reaching out to the community for any guidance on where to find good deals and/or anything other parts that are crucial for my first real track season. I read that pagid track pads are good first step? I know these are highly capable cars - 99% of the reason I bought it! Looking forward to your responses and really appreciate any and all help!! Alternatively, if you can point me to helpful links, that would be super helpful too!

Best,
Akhil

At 31K miles you need the brake fluid changed to a high temperature boiling point fluid. Also once you get the tire/wheel combination settled, a track alignment. Depending on how hot it is where you are, adding the third radiator is useful in keeping the engine and transmission cool and away from heat induced limp home mode. On the track, you may find weaknesses that can be improved such as too much understeer. Stiffer rear sway bars are one upgrade for understeer, wider front tires are another, It might take both to get things where you want it.

After that, things get expensive for little gain. Engine mods, Chassis stiffeners, roll bars, monoball suspension, strut top mounts and adjustable camber and caster Lower control arms (LCAs), etc. Shocks that allow adjusting ride height, exterior aerodynamic modifications (rear wing, front spoiler, GT4 style side air ducts, etc).

I recommend you find a local independent shop and develop a relationship with them so they will support your track needs.

V6

Thanks! Yep, I will get to the more expensive stuff later on - just want to start getting some good seat time without harming the car! Do you have any good recs for track pads or tires?

How much experience do you have? That usually dictates appropriate mods before testing it out. If less than a lot of experience, I'd start close to stock and see where you find weakness in that form (hint: you won't find many weaknesses :)). For experienced, Pagid RS29 or PFC08 pads F/R, GT3 lower control arms in front to get some camber, and run an aggressive street/track alignment for starters. For tires, P zero are ok to start but you're better off with RE71R or even PS4S (less good than RE71, but last longer). Don't rush off modding it without seeing where you want it to improve, though, would be my suggestion. They're very capable stock.

Oh, almost forgot even though V6 mentioned, but you NEED a third radiator if you track much in hot climates. I used to run 275F+ oil temp, which is bad news. 245F with the third radiator. If you run super high temps, change oil every event and consider adding the center rad. They're not that expensive for Porsche parts.

All great suggestions,
Before you get ahead of yourself , start with a tune up / plugs / oil / filters / brake flush. That way you'll have a good base line. Then attack a good auto X , you'll get a good idea of how the car performs in its class.
Then you can start modifying in small steps , that way you will better understand the affects of the changes. Or , jump right in and enjoy :>} ( it's easier to give advice then to take it ) Ether way you'll love the Cayman.
Good Luck

i actually just picked mine up as well: 2014 CS w/ 11k miles but it's all stock. but i'm pretty much in the same boat as you preparing for my first DE in May. from my experience w/ other cars, pads, brake fluid, wheels and tires are a good start. i wasn't sure if the pagid RS29's would have too much initial bite for the cayman, but it seems like some folks like them. I loved them on my M2, but they're loud if rolling around the streets w/ them. also, not sure if it happens on the caymans, but on my m2, there was always a loud clunk from the pads when reversing the car. i've run the castrol srf on my M2 and ATE brake fluid on my old MR2 with good results w/ both. there's a pagid dealer that's currently selling 1L of ATE or 500mL of Motul RBF for $1 w/ a set of pads per axle, so you get two cans per full set of front and rear pads it seems. this first year w/ the car i'll probably just keep it stock except for these mods to get used to MR platform again. and mayyyyyybe an exhaust just to enjoy the engine note more. I don't have PSE and the stock exhaust seems quiet even at full tilt, so it'll be harder for me to hear it thru a helmet. next year i'll jump into modifying the suspension and aero. i have the adjustable dampers, so will need to research how to bypass that without errors.

I'm just a beginner on the track with 14 days. I use Hawk DCT 60s on the front but I have less car. Pagid are excellent pads, but more expensive than Hawks. I would not jump to their most aggressive track pad and probably just the fronts to start. You have to remove your calipers to change front pads, not the rears. ATE 200 brake fluid. Little things like a second tow hook for the rear (screws in under the rear plate) at least on my 987.2. Tape your wheel weights with aluminum duct tape. I'm running Michelin PS4S. A cheap $13 micrometer off of Amazon to measure your rotors. Zip tie the brake sensors out of the way; the heat from track pads will melt the sensors long before you get rotor contact. I'm using Mobil 5W-50 which is the Porsche recommended hot climate oil. Get some Wheel Wax when you put on the track pads. They are super dusty and will leave semi-metallic hard spots on your front wheels. Track insurance is recommended for a weekend DE. I get Hagerty or Lockton, pay $200 for $26,000 with 10% deductible. Get a cheap 10 X 10 canopy for summer track days. I carry mine in the passenger seat. Motorsportreg.com to find events. If not already a member join a club: PCA, SCCA or NASA.

09 Boxster PDK w/Sport/Sport+

I've been tracking a 987.2CS for 3 years and 2 of my close friends track 981 CS.

My suggestions are

RS29 pads front and rear

Fresh rotors (if you buy from FCPEuro every replacement set is free after the first set)

Castrol SRF brake fluid (don't waste time or money with RBF or others)

Caliper Stud Kit (especially if you are going to change pads back and forth between track and street)

Motive Powerbleeder

Torque wrench and socket(s)

Compact jack (the harbor freight aluminum race jack 1.5 ton is decent)

Jack stands. Jackpoint or Rennstand

Max negative camber alignment with your current setup.

Non asymmetrical tires so you can flip on rims and maximize wear (you will murder the outside shoulders until you get the suspension modded so you can

After that I would go all safety gear. Seats, belts, harness bar or bolt in cage, etc.

Track insurance. This is a must for aluminum framed cars in IMHO.

HA, maybe next year once I get my groove!

Appreciate all of the responses! I've done 2 track schools, 2 DE days and 1 AX day (in my old laggy bmw335). I have a basic understanding of racelines and weight transfer etc. Totally agree that I should go one step at a time, but since the car already has some good upgrades I want to make sure I can atleast handle all of the extra power. So I think my next steps are (as suggested), oil change, brake fluid change and pads. I know I will need to get new tires - just trying to figure out if I should pull the trigger on some good 18s and matching rubber OR just buy some tires for my current setup and see how it goes. Right now I have about 4-5 DE days and 2 AX days on my schedule through July. Based on those first couple of days, I may end up getting a center radiator.

For pads, any suggestions on track pads that are not too squeaky on the street? I've used Hawks on my 335 before, but that was purely a daily driver.

There are no real track pads that don't squeal. I find Pagid and PFC to both stay pretty quiet a couple of weeks post track, but both squeal like mad on street past that. In between pads suck at both, IMO. I'd either run OEM pads first and see how you fare, or go all the way to Pagid or PFC. Hawks are antiquated at this point and offer no real advantage to Pagid or PFC other than price.

Do you find there are any significant advantages/disadvantages to tracking a 981 vs a 987? I'm currently looking for an S, of course the 987 is more wallet friendly, but a low mileage 981 would probably have more life left at a cost.