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Long time lurker, seldom poster; after much time and a few PMs asking about my car, I decided I should introduce myself, and my cayman, GT4-ish.
I acquired my humble 2.5 CGTS with 600 miles on the odometer in October of 2020, getting old, with my best years behind me, and quickly approaching my 35th birthday I decided I had to take the plunge. I recently switched from an M4 to a Tesla M3P and I missed the visceral sensation of gas cars so much I had get back into one. I knew I wanted a car that I could track (I had tracked the M4 once before - more on that later) what better car than a p-car and a Cayman at that?
2019 CGTS in all its stock glory
I warped the brakes on my M4 in my one lone track experience, so I decided that I wanted better brakes and better tires. I'm a big believer in spending $ once, so I went with an AP kit and Forgeline wheels . Once my break in miles were done, it was off to the track. I did my first track event in March of 21.
I actually like the sound of the 4-banger, but everything can be improved. Lightweight, excellent heat dissipation? Kline it is.
Off to Glaswerks for a Kline.
The track bug hit me hard, from March to June, I did 15 track days, I was starting to eat through tires with all the driving to and from the track, not to mention all the driving on the track. It also didn't help that I was spending lots of time on the skid pad. It was time for a tow vehicle and trailer (a cayenne and a featherlite will probably do the trick). I did my first big tow from VA to Pitt Race, Cayennes are awsome tow vehicles, yes, a truck can probably do it better, but towing your p-car with a p-car?? How can one say no to that For my first tow it was surprisingly easy and pain free.
Yay skidpad I made it to Pittsburgh!
I had my first code brown moment back at Summit Point, I did the classic "my brakes can last one more day" they did not. Luckily I lost my brakes in turn 3 (uphill) and the combination of the hill and lots of skipad time saved me. I was able to save the car but not my pants.
Toward the end of the year and about 35 days in, I decided that safety and data were a must. An AIM Solo DL2 went in the car as well as seats and harness. I grabbed some 991 GT2 seats from Gert (I tested them in my kitchen first), a CMS harness bar, and into the car they went!
Installing AIM at the track
All in all I did 38 days my first year at the track. It was a freaking blast. Out of the box these cars are amazing. As fun as 21 was, I was tired of eating through tires, during the offseason I took care of the suspension. In went GT3/RSS front and rear control arms, TPC sway bars, rear toe links, camber plates, tractive coilovers and more.
2022 is when GT4-ish got her name; again, the GTS is an amazing machine but at the tracks local-ish to me (Summit Point, VIR, Pitt Race, WGI) I needed more aero. I thought about going aftermarket, TWL carbon or something like that, but the funny thing is Porsche already knew what aero the car needed ... it was time for an OEM GT4 bumper and wing.
I didn't think I'd be as zealous my second year tracking ... I ended up doing 50 days, with a car this capable it was impossible to stay away from the track . 2.75 years and 100+ track days later I still love this car and want to keep pushing what it can do!
2023 hasn't been as eventful, I did get a more "efficient" tow vehicle and I switched to the 18" life so I can run stickier tires, but the upgrades are not finished! On the way for GT4-ish is a DBJ swan neck wing and some 4RS bumper parts. The journey continues!
This community is awesome, I've learned a ton from it (learned how to wire up gt2 seats) and have met people literally from all over the world. Thanks for letting me be a part of this incredible community! Hopefully my build and it's journey is a fun read for some and I hope I don't offend any real GT4 owners out there! Thanks for reading!
-Matt (aka mr.t0fu)
Matt, very nice car and write up. I’m curious why you didn’t just get a GT4 if that is what you really wanted?
Hey Karl - fair question. In a different thread someone had posed the question should they mod a GTS or just buy a GT4 and I posted some of my thoughts there: https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...l#post18727529 but it's probably better to just consolidate them here. It came down to a few things 1) timing 2) streetability (which no longer applies) 3) cost (point of entry, modifications, insurance, etc.). 4) I don't really care about the motor. Let me elaborate a bit further since I truly believe you can't go wrong with either.
Timing - when I got/started looking for my a car there either were not or were very few PDK GT4s. I knew I wanted to track the car so a PDK was a must. I love the manual, but I almost money shifted my M4 and I didn't want to go through that. So this immediately ruled out a 981 GT4, again very few or no 982 PDK GT4s, and that sort of pushed me toward the GTS.
Streetability - I thought I was going to street drive the car (boy was I wrong). The car has about 15k miles on it right now, other than break-in miles and miles driving to the track, all those miles are on track. The car has seen minimal street miles. Any way I digress ... I thought I was going to street the car so the appeal of the turbo was actually quite large. I didn't car about a harsher ride, I actually like stiff rides (get your mind's out of the gutter ), but the instant torque that the 2.5GTS brought was very appealing. I've mostly had turbo cars (M4, 335, 240sx w/SR20 and RB26 for you JDM folks) so that has just been my preference. As I said above, this doesn't really apply any more since I don't drive the car on the street, but the torque, down low, is also nice on track.
Cost - I tend to modify all the cars I own (even if they don't need it) on my M4 I upgrade to ohlins, did wheels, etc. point being had I bought a GT4 I still would have done suspension work (albeit not as much, but the biggest cost was the tractive coiler), still would have done the brake upgrade, and still would have swapped to 19"s. My point of entry on the GTS was pretty low, essentially I picked up my car from a person who had buyer's remorse (I wasn't going to try and convince them to not be remorseful), they didn't really know what they had (how could you after only 600 miles) and I got the deal of a lifetime.
The motor - this sounds weird, but let me explain. I do not care about the HP. When I drove the M4 on track, it was too much HP I didn't know how to handle it. You might have noticed the one modification I have not done to my car is a tune. I honestly do not care about HP, the GTS has plenty (for me) that might change as I become a better driver, but I needed my baseline power to be more in line with my skills, heck 365 was probably too much for me at the time. The sound, ya objectively the 4.0 sounds better, but it doesn't mean the 2.5 sounds bad, plus on track at the high RPMs all the cars sound good, even miatas (just my opinion).
Would I do it the same way all over again? Absolutely. If I'm honest with myself had I gotten a GT4 I could still have done all the modifications and made the car just as personal to my tastes, I get that. I think, however, building my GTS into a GT4-ish taught me much more as a driver. There are a quite a few limitations to the GTS as compared to a GT4 and going through the process of understanding those limitations, modifying out (through suspension, aero, brakes, etc.) those limitations, have really helped me in my HPDE journey. Plus it's fun trying to chase down all the real GT cars in my humble GTS
Awesome post and build. I went from a Cayman T to a GT4 the easy way, and I very much respect the path you took to build your car. Pretty special and I suspect very fast.
Excellent post, story and adventure, thank you for sharing. I look forward to more track days however 50 in a year is a lofty goal!
And those brake pads, yikes! Were those street pads that were overheated as well as worn down? Looks like they cracked, crumbled and then left the chat.
Thanks! I'll call it fast-ish . Not gonna lie, still a bit jealous of all you real GT4 owners out there .
Originally Posted by j-dub
Excellent post, story and adventure, thank you for sharing...
Thank you! They were track pads, 3.12s - I didn't pay close enough attention to the leading edge of the pad, which was super worn down/tapered, they overheated then chunked . It's a good lesson learned, look at the leading edge and watch the inside pad too!
Originally Posted by GlasWerksDMV
Excellent write up, Thank You for sharing! ..
Thanks, I'll have to stop by and check it out! Shameless plug for @GlasWerksDMV (I'm not affiliated with them, they are just good dudes) if you are in the DMV and need PPF, wheels, kline, anything really, check them out! Or just go down and hang out with them, they are a cool bunch!
were those front or rear pads? my eye-opener was finding out what torque vectoring does to rear pads. only car i have ever owned that wore our rears faster than fronts, especially on the track.
were those front or rear pads? my eye-opener was finding out what torque vectoring does to rear pads. only car i have ever owned that wore our rears faster than fronts, especially on the track.
yep. if i could go back i would definitely not select that option.
i did something similar when i bought mine. it's a '17 CS with every performance option available except for PCCB. it's actually spec'd nicer than the GTS that was not available that year.
this is a stock rear pad after 6 days at mid-ohio
this is a set of the (no longer available) girodisc s/s pads after 13 track days vs brand new
Matt, very nice car and write up. I’m curious why you didn’t just get a GT4 if that is what you really wanted?
Hey Karl - fair question. In a different thread someone had posed the question should they mod a GTS or just buy a GT4 and I posted some of my thoughts there: https://rennlist.com/forums/racing-a...l#post18727529 but it's probably better to just consolidate them here. It came down to a few things 1) timing 2) streetability (which no longer applies) 3) cost (point of entry, modifications, insurance, etc.). 4) I don't really care about the motor. Let me elaborate a bit further since I truly believe you can't go wrong with either.
Timing - when I got/started looking for my a car there either were not or were very few PDK GT4s. I knew I wanted to track the car so a PDK was a must. I love the manual, but I almost money shifted my M4 and I didn't want to go through that. So this immediately ruled out a 981 GT4, again very few or no 982 PDK GT4s, and that sort of pushed me toward the GTS.
Streetability - I thought I was going to street drive the car (boy was I wrong). The car has about 15k miles on it right now, other than break-in miles and miles driving to the track, all those miles are on track. The car has seen minimal street miles. Any way I digress ... I thought I was going to street the car so the appeal of the turbo was actually quite large. I didn't car about a harsher ride, I actually like stiff rides (get your mind's out of the gutter ), but the instant torque that the 2.5GTS brought was very appealing. I've mostly had turbo cars (M4, 335, 240sx w/SR20 and RB26 for you JDM folks) so that has just been my preference. As I said above, this doesn't really apply any more since I don't drive the car on the street, but the torque, down low, is also nice on track.
Cost - I tend to modify all the cars I own (even if they don't need it) on my M4 I upgrade to ohlins, did wheels, etc. point being had I bought a GT4 I still would have done suspension work (albeit not as much, but the biggest cost was the tractive coiler), still would have done the brake upgrade, and still would have swapped to 19"s. My point of entry on the GTS was pretty low, essentially I picked up my car from a person who had buyer's remorse (I wasn't going to try and convince them to not be remorseful), they didn't really know what they had (how could you after only 600 miles) and I got the deal of a lifetime.
The motor - this sounds weird, but let me explain. I do not care about the HP. When I drove the M4 on track, it was too much HP I didn't know how to handle it. You might have noticed the one modification I have not done to my car is a tune. I honestly do not care about HP, the GTS has plenty (for me) that might change as I become a better driver, but I needed my baseline power to be more in line with my skills, heck 365 was probably too much for me at the time. The sound, ya objectively the 4.0 sounds better, but it doesn't mean the 2.5 sounds bad, plus on track at the high RPMs all the cars sound good, even miatas (just my opinion).
Would I do it the same way all over again? Absolutely. If I'm honest with myself had I gotten a GT4 I could still have done all the modifications and made the car just as personal to my tastes, I get that. I think, however, building my GTS into a GT4-ish taught me much more as a driver. There are a quite a few limitations to the GTS as compared to a GT4 and going through the process of understanding those limitations, modifying out (through suspension, aero, brakes, etc.) those limitations, have really helped me in my HPDE journey. Plus it's fun trying to chase down all the real GT cars in my humble GTS
@nineball that is some serious wear! Do you still track the 718? I followed your battle with limp mode a bit.
nope. picked up a partially modified 987.2 late last year. got it from a guy who bought it new to do time trials, did 2 events and found he hated it. sold it to me with about 14k on it. came with a tune, fabspeed headers, some engine work, half cage, suspension and some more. i threw in seats and harnesses, brakes, tires, a full aero setup and some graphics and love it. after a few years with the heatsoak it almost felt like i was cheating when i passed the 15min marks on a session and did not have to come in
07-11-2023, 05:05 PM
GT4-ish Build, Introduction
. Once my break in miles were done, it was off to the track. I did my first track event in March of 21.
For my first tow it was surprisingly easy and pain free.
. 2.75 years and 100+ track days later I still love this car and want to keep pushing what it can do!
. It's a good lesson learned, look at the leading edge and watch the inside pad too!
that is some serious wear! Do you still track the 718? I followed your battle with limp mode a bit.