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I have always covet the Porsche Cayman, and without any hesitation refer to our beloved mid-engined Porsche platform as one of the best cars ever produced. Its no secret that my love affair with the car runs deep, especially given the fact that I was fortunate enough to project manage the North American launch of the Cayman GT4 Clubsport at Porsche Motorsport. During that time I was fortunate enough to acquire my own personal Cayman GT4 which saw extensive track use, and for those of you who might recognize me from the GT4 sub-forum, know that I went through a few different iterations with my car in terms of wheel and tire set-ups, as well as being the first with the BBi harness bar which was developed using my car as the project mule.
As of recently, I have joined the highly regarded CJ Wilson Automotive Group's Porsche Fresno team, and have been lucky enough to get a few projects going which I am excited to share with you all. Having had ample seat time in my previous GT4, and owning a PDK Cayman GTS for a year prior to the GT4, its safe to say that I had a pretty extensive feel for what the range-topping Caymans were all about, so needless to say when I heard about the 718 going turbocharged with the all-new boxer 4 engine, I had my reservations. Fast forward to February of this year when joining the team here at Porsche Fresno, I've been able to spend some quality time behind the wheel of the new 718 platform and I am happy to report that the news is good...very, very good.
Having bounced between a 6-Speed manual 718 Boxster and a PDK 718 Cayman S, I can safely say that I have felt both extremes and everything in-between of what the 718 range has to offer, and without any bias conclude that the newer generation 981.2 platform is a far better car than the outgoing N/A flat-6 cars that they are replacing. While I realize the noise of the new turbocharged flat-4 engines are purely subjective, I find the bassy rumble to be quite cool, especially during full load WOT acceleration. While neither of the cars which I have been driving have came equipped with the sports exhaust, they have both been equipped with the Sport Chrono package, which in Sport mode offer quite a bit more rumble and even a bit of overrun on deceleration. One of the greatest attributes of the new turbocharged motor is the fact that there is SO MUCH TORQUE available, with a torque band which virtually replicates that of a WRC car. Once the car is up and going, the torque curve essentially flattens, and the engine revs freely and winds out like the previous flat 6 engines in a very linear fashion. The 2.5L S offers Variable Turbine Geometry that is only otherwise found in the 991 Turbo/S cars, which essentially eliminates any turbo lag that could be found in the smaller 2.0L of the base 718. In Sport + mode, the engine runs an "anti-lag" map which runs 1 pound of consistent boost, even off throttle, to keep the turbo in vacuum and provides instantaneous throttle response. Both cars offer excellent performance both on and off the track, as I have now experienced on 4 different outings at both Buttonwillow Raceway and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
At Laguna Seca, I was able to achieve a 1.52.7 lap time with the 6-Speed Boxster, while the PDK Equipped Cayman S was able to record a 1.39.2 lap time, all on factory equipped components, fluids and tires. While I blew sound (96db) on my flying lap with the Cayman S, I was able achieve this lap time with the help of some excellent coaching from Shawn Hayes of the Porsche Experience Center, and some trusty left foot braking skills that I've been honing through my 16 years of karting, as neither cars came equipped with PTV (which I've been told is necessary).
You can feel the massive improvements in both the chassis, and the brakes, and the overall feel of the 718 in comparison to the 981 Cayman / Boxster feels like more of a revolution than an evolution of what I was confident of being an already perfect car. Is the Cayman S faster than my old GT4? It's hard to say as I don't have a personally recorded lap time at Laguna Seca to compare it to, but I can say this; On Cup 2 tires (which are coming soon) the Cayman S 100% will be a real threat to the GT4's which I wasn't already passing at our last PCA Diablo Region track day. The engine in the Cayman S definitely feels quicker and more explosive than that of the GT4 and I'm excited to see what the car can do with some proper tires, some fluid and an alignment. For anyone that is curious about the car and would like to have a go in a properly prepped 718 Cayman S and are local, please feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to accommodate a test drive at Porsche Fresno
Well, the 982 Cayman S may be a bit faster in a straight line, but throw in some curves and the GT4 shines.
From Fastestlaps.com. I don't know why the formatting gets all messed up. Upper time is GT4, lower time is 982 Cayman S.
Cup 2 swap alone would close the 5 second gap on the Nordschleife.
Originally Posted by Dr.Bill
Well, the 982 Cayman S may be a bit faster in a straight line, but throw in some curves and the GT4 shines.
From Fastestlaps.com. I don't know why the formatting gets all messed up. Upper time is GT4, lower time is 982 Cayman S.
1) According to the Excellence 718 GTS launch article it ran an indentical Norschleife 7:40 as the GT4. So that would put the S appropriately a few seconds behind. As you say, the Cup tires would close that gap, IMO.
2) Purely subjective of course, and with a lot of variables, but I've been on track with some 718Ss running SC2s or equivalent and they made me work my *** off just to stay ahead a little bit.
3) No question the chassis is better. I submit that the 718GT4 will be way faster, even if they used the exact same engine as the 981 GT4.
4) Who cares. Having too much fun in the 981 GT4 to give it any thought.
The Ring is a HP track, so on that track the GT4 has an advantage....the new generation 718 engines shine on twisty tracks (and city driving) because of torque delivery and the chassis setup...because, you know, it's the same chassis.
But I have test driven the new 718 cars and there's "something" missing, which the GT4 has....that feel that you get from the whole GT4 package.
Don't get me wrong, they are fast and refined......so looking forward to see what the folks at Motorsports do for the next GT4.
I only have a little experience with the 718S. I had a Boxster as a loaner for a day while my GT4 was in for service. I also drove the Cayman S at Barber with the PSDS Masters/ Masters R. On the track and skid pad I was very impressed with the Cayman. The torque was very noticeable. I didn't feel the chassis was hugely different. Felt very familiar to me. I drove in Sport and Sport +. Many go on and on about the sound. Not a big deal to me. On the street though I did not enjoy the 718 as much as a 981. I found the lag noticeable. To be honest the response felt like my F150 ecoboost.. It just feels like the ecu does a lot of stuff between throttle application and response. All e-gas cars do it to some extent but the 718 was more noticeable. Going to Sport mode helps, but the idle speed goes up to provide off throttle boost and the car feels buzzy in that mode. Still it's an impressive car and if I didn't have a GT4 would be interested in a 718 GTS.
The Ring is a HP track, so on that track the GT4 has an advantage.
Porsche said exactly the opposite. They said the torque of the 718 allowed it to crush the old cars on the uphill sections of the Ring. With similar tires a 718 Cayman S will be faster around that track than the 981 GT4. It’ll sound like it’s crapping it’s pants all the way around, but it will be faster.
It's also easier to drive quickly than the GT4 due to the PDK (assume most track cars will opt for) and gobs of low end torque making up for some small mistakes. I think Motor Trend's test of the 718S PDK versus GT4 was really close on track, but can't recall the specifics.
I will be the first to say that I was initially disappointed when I heard the 718 was going turbo with a 4 cylinder. I loved everything about the atmospheric engines in the 981 GTS and the GT4, but the simple fact of the matter is that Porsche will never produce a worse and slower version of the car that it is replacing. I feel that I extracted absolutely everything I could out of my GT4 without having to significantly modify the car. The 718 Cayman S with PDK feels 90-95% of what the GT4's performance window had to offer, and this is without proper "GT" brakes, suspension, differential, aero, etc.
The driving styles between the two cars are different as well, no doubt. With the explosive torque available in the 718, you're can drive corner exits far better than the GT4, but might have trouble putting the power down on the standard issue road tires that the car comes with. This is especially true after a number of laps where the tires tend to get pretty greasy, but again, on "apples to apples" equipment, I would find the performance of the 718 to outshine that of the GT4.
The 718 Cayman S with PDK feels 90-95% of what the GT4's performance window had to offer, and this is without proper "GT" brakes, suspension, differential, aero, etc.
.... on "apples to apples" equipment, I would find the performance of the 718 to outshine that of the GT4.
So the 718S with a manual is ......? Just to meet your apples to apples comparison.
P.S.
It seems that the 718 hp are being sand bagged by PAG based on dyno infos posted on forums; +10-15 hp
Resident ex-corpo business analyst vehicle test engineer track hooligan porschephile that can sell you a 718 Cayman S when you decide you want to go faster than a GT4
Porsche said exactly the opposite. They said the torque of the 718 allowed it to crush the old cars on the uphill sections of the Ring. With similar tires a 718 Cayman S will be faster around that track than the 981 GT4. It’ll sound like it’s crapping it’s pants all the way around, but it will be faster.
Both cars have almost the sane torque but at opposite ends of the range....so in order for the 718 to gain an advantage based in torque you would need to drop the rpms considerably....dobtfull on the uphills at which time you sre WOT....but I'll buy PAGs comment, they need to move those 718s from dealers.....😉
05-22-2018, 11:21 PM
The Porsche 718 S - Faster than my old GT4?
Having too much fun in the 981 GT4 to give it any thought.
