Base cars only.

It's been proposed to move the 2007 & 2008 Cayman base cars to CS, along with the 4-cyl Supra, the Z4M and the 4th gen Corvettes.

If it goes thru I'll be looking for a Cayman. Must have PASM and Sport Chrono. I don't think it can win against the ND2 Miata, but I think it will be fun trying to trophy at Tours and it's a car I wish to own.

 

987.2 will still be in BS? Was hoping that the base 987.2 would go a class down as well.

 

Nope. just the 987.1 Base goes down a class.

987.2 base stays in BS. 987.2S stays in AS.

But, 718 S & GTS, Cayman R (2012) and Spyder '11-'13 go down from SS to AS.

(I think the 718S & GTS can do some damage in AS on a transient course, if you can handle the turbo lag.)

All 997 models stay in AS.

Remember, this is proposed, not final.

 

I assume the PASM shocks option must come with some different springs or something? The PASM shocks on the 981 are not fun to autocross on, I can't imagine that the 987 ones are better. Even the shocks on the 997.2 GT3 really need the controller to optimize them, or chuck them in the bin for some Penskes.

 

Right. You want the PASM springs, which are 15% to 20% stiffer and lower the car 10mm. Then you replace the struts with passives. This is the way the car I drove was done, with simple Bilstein HD struts, with a front bar and 8.5 & 10s. It was a very sharp tool with well-controlled understeer. Whoever set that car up knew what he(she) was doing.

I supposed I can probably do without SportChrono, which, in this setup, only affects the throttle map. (Humans adapt to throttle maps in about 7 seconds.)

 

I had forgotten that it was allowed to replace active dampers with passive ones. Thanks for that!

While there will exist PASM-equipped 987.1 base Caymans, I think they will be *very* hard to find.

My understanding is that Sport Chrono does three things on a manual 987.1:

1. More aggressive throttle pedal mapping - I hate it for the street but for autocross I find it compensates for my habitual lack of aggression.
2. Changes the PSM auto re-engagement to occur when both fronts go into ABS activation rather than just one wheel.
3. Allows for a few more percent of yaw rate before PSM auto re-engages.

IMO Sport Chrono is not crucial to autocross performance. Even when PSM re-engages I believe it's only for a very short time. I've never had power cut on a corner exit with PSM "disabled".

I have an '06 Cayman S with PASM and Sport Chrono. I specifically sought this combo after Ryan Clark's 2017 win, but to the best of my knowledge, Brandon Porambo who won last year had neither PASM nor Sport Chrono - just insane talent. This year I am being eaten alive by a top-PAXing Supra. Very interested to see how the Supra does at Nationals this year.

For sure, I think a PASM Cayman Base with 255/285 tires (30 profile on the latter) running against MX-5 would be a hoot.

 

Also I am unsure about the gearing of the 5-speed base car. But for reference, my 6-speed 2nd gear tops out at 67 MPH when running an 285/30R18 RT660.

 

Well, now you're making me think Sport Chrono IS necessary!

In the East BS is getting whacked by Dave Marcus. Is that the Supra you mean?

 

No, I was meaning a driver here in Vancouver, Canada. We do have some strong competition from NWR join us from time to time so I think he's more than just a "local hot shoe". He's going to be at Packwood with the Supra so eager to see how he does up against the big boys and girls. I don't believe he has the camber correction (0.5 degree) hub though.

 

Good to know. That's the size tire I would probably run and, as I understand it, PASM only came with the 6-speed. I've found it difficult to nail down with certainty what the gear ratios are. I've found credible sources that disagree and one source that says there were two versions of the 6-sp with slightly different ratios, but no data on what cars/years got which.

Have you got the short shifter?

 

I can only assume that the Cayman Base was available with the 19x8.5 / 19x10 XRR code rims which would allow you to go 18x8.5 / 18x10.

This bit of Internet Lore seems to say that you could option PASM with the 5-speed (which I'm pretty sure I've seen out there) but if you optioned the 6-speed you had to take PASM: https://www.planet-9.com/threads/6-s...6/#post-197998

No short shifter for me.

 

I think that link is correct.

Yes, the XRR option is in the order guide and in the brochure. The order guide lists 11" for the width of the rear rim, but this has long been known to be an incorrect carryover from the similar Carrera wheel. As fitted to the Cayman and Boxster it was only 10" wide. The correct info is stated in the Cayman PET (10J x 19 ET42) I once went down to my local dealer and they had a Cayman in for service with that wheel. We measured the wheels and they showed me the original order sheet with option XRR. The front is 8.5J x 19 ET55.

The short shifter is a slightly convoluted story. Option XCZ (short shifter) is listed as a conflicting option in the order guide for the Tiptronic option, which makes sense, but is not listed as an option by itself. However, the optional gearshift lever ball housing p/n 997-424-983-00 is defined and illustrated in the Cayman PET with the option XCZ noted. Having it is probably not an advantage for autocross but might be an interesting plus at resale as a distinguishing characteristic. It's available for $545 from Perimeter Porsche. It's listed as fitting everything from the 2000 Boxster to the 2013 Turbo S.

 

Good to know, thanks for the background. Now if you can find crash hubs that give me 1 degree of negative camber that would be really helpful, LOL.

I did have a chance to drive a 997 Turbo with the short shifter. Don't know how different the feel would be on a 987 (different transmission and all that) but on the street I didn't like it that much. The shifting effort was just so high.

Will see how it goes. If you do try a 987 in CS don't do too well with a PASM car or else it's back to BS you go! I think the CS apple cart is not one I'd want to upset. ;-)

 

I don't think CS will notice me........until it's too late!!!!

Actually, the level of driving in CS at the national level is phenomenal. All they will say is, "that's a funny lookin' Miata. Why is he so slow?"

Now, to be serious, look at this big beauty:



Used on every Boxster, Cayman and 911 strut from 1999 to 2012.

This existence and design of this item is the key to making older Porsches competitive in Street. I assume everyone knows this?

 

When I was researching for my return to autocross after a 15-year hiatus (how I ended up in the 987.1) I actually did read a bunch of your blogs then forgot about them - I will go back and read again https://edfishjr.com/2019/07/20/the-last-944-part-1. This is just one reason I am not a Nationals level driver. I did refresh my crumbling bump stops when I got the car but simply with OEM ones.