The Spyder seemed slightly better balanced to me stock. It does understeer slightly, but the rear comes into play sooner and it's more adjustable. The GT4 understeers more stock, then with swaybars set full soft front, full stiff rear it's quite neutral (depending on tire temps, etc) but the balance seems less consistent- in certain on-road situations on lift throttle it rotates sooner than it should.

Steering I think the Spyder feels lighter than the GT4 (lighter than I'd prefer), but the quicker rack on center is nice to have. Close, but the nod goes to the GT4 overall.

Rear end stability depends on the bar settings, tire temps, etc- the GT4 is more sensitive to temps and pressures. The GT4 can be too stable imho (stock bar settings) but it gets less consistent when you play with bars, particularly over uneven/ off camber/ undulating pavement.

This is based on a few hours in the Spyder vs a few thousand miles in my GT4.

 

Curious why they gave the spyder a faster rack (I'm very happy about it) vs the gt4.. and why it's not as nice to drive. is it also a lower steering effort than on the gt4? last question.. does the gt3 front suspension provide more adjustability than the x73 on the gt4, or also more "feel" through the steering wheel than the Spyder?

 

I was there in the Sapphire Blue GT4... did not see any others though? Definitely seemed to get some attention while there.

David

 

I've noted a slight higher speed steering nervousness particularly over bumps in the GT4 that I didn't notice in the Spyder. Not sure if it's alignment, tires, aero or if I simply didn't get to that speed range enough in the Spyder, but I suspect it may have something to do with the decision to leave the quicker rack on the shelf for the GT4.

As for the feel, I prefer the effort level in the GT4- the Spyder mainly felt on the light side, and it probably does mask a little tactile feedback.

X73 vs GT4 suspension really depends on the roads you're using them on. They are really optimized for different things. Generally I'd take the Spyder's suspension on most U.S. roads.

 

did I read that there was a car and driver article this month on the Spyder?... would be fun to get an updated review.

 

Not sure about C&D, but check EVO if you haven't.

 

Road and track has a short article on it.

This popped up today :
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/...xster-10260694

Also:
http://driving.ca/porsche/boxster/re...boxster-spyder

 

I think the faster rack is because the Spyder is supposed to be the ultimate 981 canyon carver. The GT4 is supposed to be the ultimate 981 track car.

 

The X73 feels more bumpier than GT4 suspension, but the chassis and other setups on GT4 are much more rigid than Spyder, isn't it?

Why do you take X73 on most US roads? more feeling and feedback?

 

I am in love with the Spyders. One of my favorite cars Porsche has produced lately.
I'll take mine in Rubystone, please.

 

I like your style

 

Will see…the 987 Spyder was the best street car without mods I have driven.

 

X73 feels harsher at low speeds than the GT4, despite the fact that the GT4 spring rates are ~50% greater and it's also got a 50% stiffer chassis. The flip side is that the GT4 is more easily upset over medium and bigger bumps, and occasionally it feels bouncy and under-damped on the wrong stretch of road, the front and rear getting out of phase. The result is that I believe the Spyder will feel more at home and consistent over the type of back roads we have around here. I feel it takes a rather smooth road, autocross or track for the extra stiffness of the GT4 to display its advantages.

 

There's a great deal of discussion around the Spyder vs GT4 chassis stiffness and why one is better than the other. But I wonder at what point does extra chassis stiffness really make a difference on a street car?

We already know from previous comparisons that the 987 Cayman R vs the Spyder didn't result in any advantages for the Cayman when it was being compared on the track.

We all know that the Boxster was designed as a convertible first so chassis stiffness isn't an issue and it does have a weight advantage which also has significant impact when it comes to handling and acceleration. For those considering both Spyder and GT4 as a street car I really think the Spyder will be every bit as good with the advantage of being a convertible.

 

More chassis stiffness is essentially never a bad thing with proper car setup (unless we're talking go-karts), but clearly above Spyder levels there are diminishing returns. Where the real difference likely comes in is when you increase spring rates as in the GT4- this puts higher loads into the chassis and increases flex as a percentage roughly in proportion to spring rate. Thus I strongly suspect a Spyder wearing GT4 springs wouldn't feel as good. So does the extra stiffness make a difference? Yes and no- it may be part of the reason the Spyder didn't get stiffer suspension, which you would notice on the track.