Paul Marangoni

Sure, with the bigger engine and more torque, a 5-speed might make sense. But don't you think that a smaller engine benifits from more gearing?

TD in DC

Paul,

I have owned a 996, and now I own a 997S (with PASM). No, it is not a Cayman S, but I think my experience may be helpful, and it may explain Nordschliefe's post.

The stock 997S (with PASM) is really pretty phenomenal, and much, much much better than the stock 996 suspension. When I first got my 996, I was horrified by the suspension and extremely disappointed. I couldn't believe how much it dove under braking, rose under acceleration, and swayed and floated in the corners. The 996 was my first 911 and I thought, meh, my 4.4 X5 with sport suspension, not to mention my '97 M3, handled better. So I swapped the suspensions out right away.

The stock 997S suspension is really pretty outstanding right out of the box, and if feels like it has nothing in common with the 996. If I were you, I would just buck up for the S, and drive it for awhile without assuming that you will need to change the suspension. Maybe you eventually will, but the PASM will not be that big of an obstacle, and it really is pretty good for a dual use car (it is more than sufficient for a pure street car).

Just my two cents. So get the S.

Paul Marangoni

You're right about the stock 996 suspension. It was horrible. I went to the H&R Coilover setup on mine.

I'm going to get the base Cayman with the 6-speed and PASM. 245 is plenty of horsepower.

TD in DC

Why not buy a used S? I nearly did. There are so many nearly new ones on the used market, that you can get a screaming good deal.

I have a feeling that you will like PASM. I know where you are coming from, but I think you will, like I was, be very pleasantly surprised.

Paul Marangoni

Oh don't you worry! If I can find a slightly used S with options close to what I want, I'll be all over it.

MarkinMD

Since I found more spy shots of the 2009, and rumors of the direct injection engine with more HP and better fuel economy, I'm now thinking about "suffering" with the C4S for another year.

Did you see the shots at this link...
http://www.onlyporsche.net/porsche-c...-for-2008.html
and here...
http://www.leftlanenews.com/2009-por...an-future.html
Subtle exterior differences, but hopefully there's more under that body.

Jim in St.Louis

I have 987 base Boxster with the standard suspension, 5 speed and 17" wheels.
It is my seventh Porsche and I am a nationally licensed SCCA racer. I am delighted with the car's agility, braking and handling, but I have wondered about the six speed. I decided against the "S" because I did not plan to track the car. That's my two cents.
A fellow SCCA racer sold his 996 Turbo and bought a 987 S and likes it much better. So, who knows?
Jim

Paul Marangoni

Where did you hear about better fuel economy?

Paul Marangoni

It seems that all the dealers around here order the base Cayman with the stock 5-speed. I would love to try a base with the 6-speed before I order one.

MarkinMD

Direct injection generally results in a 10 to 13 percent improvement in fuel economy AND a 15 to 18 percent improvement in performance.

Here's Porsche's usage in the '08 Cayenne (select the Direct Fuel Injection link)...
http://www.porsche.com/usa/models/ca...ndetail/drive/

Here's an older article from Car and Driver...
http://www.caranddriver.com/columns/...y-make-it.html

GM says..."A new 3.6L V-6 with direct injection for the Cadillac STS and CTS sedans delivers improved fuel economy and performance. In the all-new Cadillac STS, fuel economy improves by 1 mpg in city and 3 mpg on the highway. That’s an increase of up to 13 percent in highway fuel economy. Furthermore, the new engine delivers an increase of 47 hp (35 kW), an 18-percent improvement (302 hp/225 kW and 272 lb.-ft./369 Nm) over last year. In the CTS, the new engine delivers a 1-mpg improvement in both city and highway fuel economy and an increase of 49 hp, or a 19-percent improvement (304 hp/227 kW and 273 lb.-ft./370 Nm for 2008)."

Nordschleife

the benefits from Direct Injection are much greater on a crappy engine like the klunker used by Cadillac, than they are on a fairly sophisticated engine such as that found in the 911.

Direct injection allows the engine management to do a lot of smart things, some of which can't be done with the fuel in many places, including Southern California, its not an octane thing, its other factors. So an RS4 will drive differently in Ingolstadt than it does in Pasadena. If you had access to internal charts you would see that the shape of the torque curves are subtly different in the two environments. By the time the marketing people have tidied up zjthe charts for publication, thesse differences are largely obscured.

I do not see DI reducing 0-100 k/hr times from 4.4 to 3.6 for example in a Porsche, much more likely is a 0.2 or 0.3 reduction at most.

As far as fuel consumption goes, again I expect improvements of less than half of 10-13% you quote. Some of the potential benefits are lost if you can't control burn because the fuel contains undesirable substances.

However, along with DI will come other techniques, such as shutting down some cylinders when idling, easier to do with 8 cylinders than 6. This will make most of the contribution to fuel economy.

R+C

MarkinMD

That makes sense. I will still be happy to have any performance improvement that also lowers fuel consumption.

McJohn

Sorry to be a little late to this thread, but I haven''t been here for a while.

I have a very basic 2.7 Cayman, chosen deliberately thus, with the 5 speed box and no fripperies, and I absolutely love it. 6 speeds are an irrelevance on this car, the 5 speeder is well chosen, in particular third which covers walking pace to 100mph. Not once have I regretted my choice.

There is an important point though that most people overlook, and that it the 2.7 engine does not reveal its best until it has done some miles. Mine has now done over 12kmiles, and the difference in low speed torque is very noticeable. This increased flexibility allows the ratios to dig lower in the rev range without feeling off the boil. Believe me, if you have only driven a box fresh car, you haven't truly experienced the full car yet.

If you want a simple light elegant sports car, the way Porsches used to be, then the 2.7 Cayman on 17 wheels is the best thing Porsche currently produce.

If you want a car loaded with gadgetry, buy a Lexus. (A Toyota in a fancy frock)

Paul Marangoni

Thanks for the insight! I may go with 18" wheels, but I've now decided to go with the 5-speed. I hope to have a new car sometime in the next two weeks.

McJohn

Another nugget of information about the 5 speed.

In the UK at least, there is a tax threshold at 225 gm/CO2 and cars that produce above that figure pay more road tax, and this difference is set to get ever more swingeing. The Cayman (and Boxster) 2.7 with 5 speed box is rated at 223 and so comes under the highest taxation bracket. The 2.7 with 6 speed is 227, and so has to pay more annual tax, as does every other car in the Porsche line up.

As "gas guzzler" taxes get ever more severe, this is another reason for choosing the 5 speed.

McJohn