swftiii

Folks,

My Dad is looking at getting back in to the Porsche family and is quite interested in the Cayman S. He has asked me to post a request to find out what options you recommend (Sport shifter, PASM, Sport Chrono, etc.). The intended use of the car will probably be weekends and some DE.

Thanks for your thoughts and opinions...

-Skip

mooty

here is my 2 cents.
xenon is a must.
bose stereo is better than non bose, but still POS. and $$$1000
if you drive a LOT (15+ days on track) skip pasm, go aftermarket. if not, then it's a hard call. some love pasm. i dont. i put 2000 track miles on a standard suspension car and didn't find it too bad, so i think on street it will be fine. but YMMV. personally, i will not get PASM.

i really dislike sport chrono. there is no more pwr, they just change mapping so the throttle seems to open up faster. and i dont like wart on the dash.

sport shifter. you have to go drive it. it's more positive but stiffer.

i run 19" on street but 18" on track. the ride on 19" with stock suspesnion (non pasm) is fine with me. not harsh. but the downside is when you see through the wheels, the brake rotors look tiny inside the 19" rims.

i have both sport and non sport seats (not the anatomic $3000 one's). honestly they feel the SAME.

get the $250 sport str wheel. it has a round center (air bag area) vs. the standard bikini centered str wheel. the $250 sport wheel also has resting area for thumbs at 3 and 9 oclock. of cousre you can get teh more $$$ str wheels (one at 700+ one at over 1k) but i am happy with the 250 one. the more money you pay on the str, the fatter the rim.

i think these cover most of the options. get a copy of ordering guide from dealer. it's pdf or if you pm me with emial addy, i sent you a copy. it's 60+ pages. 1/2 of it is on carbon and wood trim that i dont go for.

Jim Michaels

Desirable options are very personal. You can see from Mooty's post where his mind is. One can option the Cayman S to about $130k, mostly with appearance/comfort/convienence options. Most buyers seem to be in the $65-75k range on total price.

I have bi-xenons, PASM, Sport Chrono, and sports steering wheel and seats (the short shifter was not available when I ordered). My student's Cayman handled very well at VIR without PASM, and on the OE Michelin PS2 tires. He also had OE brake pads and fluid. He was clearly the fastest in green run group (never had a sports car before, and never been on a track before). For those who know VIR times, he was running 2:25-2:26 in clean air on Sunday. If he becomes a track junkie, he can more easily upgrade the non-PASM suspension to a more track-worthy setup. Popular options that I don't have include Bose, heated seats, and auto climate control. If your dad's lazy, he may also want some of the other automatic options (rain sensing wipers, light sensing rearview mirror, etc.).

Xavier6162

Why would anyone consider heated seats a desirable option? I have them on my other car and it’s a pain in the butt whenever they are accidentally switched on.

designman

I can't figure it out either. I have heated seats and never use them. I'd like to know what good it is driving in the winter with the top down when your *** is burning but your head is encrusted in frozen snot. I can hear my body asking WTF? They might as well make heated ski masks and sell them as a $600 option. I see even less of a reason to want them with a coupe. I think the derriere is the last thing that needs to be heated. However some people swear by them.

David A

if you're looking for performance get nothing to save weight and get the Ceramic brakes to reduce unsprung weight.
Options that don't make the car faster are a waste of money.

Dave DE

I agree with Jim above that options are highly personal. One often overlooked option worth considering is a sport steering wheel, which gives a thicker wheel with a slightly smaller diameter. It can be a relative bargain as well. Option 435 is only $250 ('06 model year).

Dave

Ed Newman

Sunroof delete?
PASM unless you plan to go to an aftermarket suspension, but the stock PASM is impressive
PCCB adds super stopping power and seems reliable on the track now
Xenons are a must
Skip the seat upgrades and put in GT3 seats and harnesses
B&M short shifter instead of Porsche
Sport steering wheel

mooty

Sunroof delete?
_____
sunroof is not an option on this car.


Skip the seat upgrades and put in GT3 seats and harnesses
______
yep, that's what i run.

911Dave

Guys, come on. Where are the recommendations for full leather, metallic paint, floormats, leather steering wheel? If you're gonna buy a spendy car then you need all that stuff.

epbrown01

In a hardtop, they're not as necessary (though handy in Chicago winters, since they heat up faster than the engine does), but in a convertible they greatly extend the top-down capability of the car when combined with a windblocker. Great for a romantic evening drive when it might be cooler. Note, some women find heated seats cause a bladder response; I've never heard of that happening to a guy.

gameson

How much is GT3 seats and harness?

mooty

seats roughly 2600 per pair. google foreign affair and suncoast and sunset porsche.

schroth harness is about 400/set

pstoppani

All the options are, well, optional Really, I doubt one would miss any of them for a "weekend and occassional DE" use.

If you drive at night, the xenons are fantastic.

I love PASM.

Sport Chrono is a waste of money.

The stereo is crap so spending any additional money on it for bose surround is a waste.

I love heated seats.

I would not bother with the Sport seats; the standard seats are very supportive.

Make sure he gets the 3.8L engine though, that is a must

Atlas_Croc

I got....

Met Paint, Personal pref.....the $3k jobs are a big time waste.
Xenons, Very Nice
Bose, Not the best, but nice for $1k
Full Leather, Very nice, but not absolutely necessary. Sure does make the car look good inside though.
Sport Wheel, Got the "smooth" leather version to go with full leather.....very nice.
Sport Seats, Very Nice and cheaper with full leather.
Auto Climate, Nice, but not necessary.
Sport Shift, Greatness
A few interior painted pieces. Look great, but not necessary.

My .02.....

19"s Not needed at all, but if you like the looks....get 'em...brakes look small though. The stock 18"s look fantastic on the car and are easy to clean.
PASM Too soft in normal, too hard in sport. Save the $2k and stick with non-PASM car. The base suspension is greatness and is ready to play at any time......no screwing with buttons.
S/C Ugly wart, doesn't make the car any faster on the street.....save the $1k