PedalFaster

Nope, base 986 got moved up to BS alongside the 986S as part of the transition to Street.

A bunch of people (myself included) tried 986S's against S2000s back in the R-compound days and gave up. Not sure how much the switch to street tires would change the balance of power, but that's not a bet I'd be keen on taking.

sjfehr

Yeah, 986 was quietly booted up to BS this year for some reasons. 986S isn't the car to have in BS, but I think it's close enough to be reasonably competitive, especially regionally.

Koni yellow were always an option, but a royally difficult one. This makes it a whole lot easier to retrofit.

burglar

Ok, next question, between the BS options (986, 986S, 987 non-S) which one and why?
986 550 spyder unicorn model? 987 Cayman? Are they all stuck with an e-diff? Can one get camber? Does one have a wide wheel secret option?

What keeps them from being competitive against the S2k? Gearing? Camber? Diff?

Early 987 prices look pretty attractive, nice looking 5-speed cars for <$18k. Could be a nice 3-season DD, although I've never driven any Boxster.

Basically I'm looking for any excuse not to just pick up a new Fiesta ST

abqautoxer

Quietly? That was a really long talk in our meetings actually and it wasn't any more quiet than the corvettes just no one gave a crap like they still don't.

PedalFaster

986 has nothing on the 986S, so it's out.

Debateable which would be faster -- 986S or 987. The 986 has more power, the 987 has wider front wheels (even wider than first realized since Audii-Dudii figured out that 8.5s are legal in front).

The Anniversary Edition 986S is overrated -- the only differences are M030 (which is available for non-Anniversary cars), 5 mm wheel spacers, and a microscopic 6 hp power bump. I'd get an otherwise-identical 2003 for a lot less money.

Yes, no, and yes (see above).

Yes. Keep in mind that the S2000 isn't the only bogey; the C5 Corvette remains in the class as well for at least next year.

As sjfehr wrote, you'd do just fine regionally in either car, and Kenny Sorensen (RIP) managed to trophy in a base Boxster in 2011, but I wouldn't want to bring either to Lincoln.

burglar

Seems kinda silly to take an already non-competitive car and bury it further, but since the newest 986 is already 10 years old I understand.

Any insight on just how far away the base 986 was to being allowed in STR? I don't want to beat a dead horse, but they really seem like a perfect fit. Donors under $10k all day, good aftermarket support, low powered roadster. At least they make more sense than my car, an S54 Z3 M coupe, or the 370z.

abqautoxer

You have proof of it being uncompetitive on Street tires in CS? It was never tried on street tires by a top driver, just with race tires when it had the MSR/Z0K to deal with. With the 370z gone now for 2015, I would have been very tempted to try it.

No idea, I don't deal with STAC issues. I see more downsides than upsides. You see a $10k car, I see a $10k buy-in and a lot more in potential costs that could hurt a class that really needs no more help in popularity.

burglar

Fair enough but I see zero upside to the addition of the AW11 MR2 to STR next year, so not every decision is based on that philosophy.

The '84 is a bit of a pain on long drives, especially in summer. I'd dig a good place to play for one of the affordable circa '99 or so Porsches. An STR Boxster or STU 996 would be a lot of fun to try, hence my letter. But alas.

So, which Boxster for BS then?

abqautoxer

If you see the threat and costs of the MK1 MR2 vs the 986 as similar, we really can't have this discussion because we are on opposite sides of that key point.

I would not be buying any Boxster for BS. C5/370/S2k would be my choices and since I love Pro Solo I don't see how C5 wouldn't be the answer.

burglar

FS E39 M5 it is!

XPC5

All of the above. The usable acceleration in 2nd gear is modest, because of the tall ratio (over 70mph). The weight is also high, our 987 base cayman with minimal options still weighed in the high 2800's. I think you could only get sport chrono with the 6-speed trans, which added weight to the car too. You want sport chrono for the PSM changes. Oh and the PSM was very intrusive, noticeable power reductions on corner exit to keep things stable. I gave up on the car in about 4-5 events.

burglar

Can 13.9.G be called into effect to "fix" a 987 PSM? A lot of people didn't notice this made it into the Street rules, myself included.

PedalFaster

Because I already had the data lying around:

sjfehr

As in nobody ever really talked about it. No giant heated online arguments, no letter-writing campaigns, just silence. I assume most people just sort of shrugged and accepted than when the MSR/Z0K moved up, the 986 was going with it (that's what I did).

Street tires really compressed a lot of the classes- SS is closer to HS than SSR is to HSR . There is not a whole lot of time separating CS from BS, so I don't think it's as big of a crush to regional competitors as it might seem. (Well, aside from C5s cleaning up on faster courses at least.)

burglar

Are those charts just dyno plot * gearing? On factory tire size?

Thanks for posting, btw.