Plavan

Yeah, I would dump those wheels too. Everything else looks great.

stevecolletti

I couldn't agree more.

Plavan

I need to see the new Cayman in person before making that judgment.

stevecolletti

Understood.
I saw it (multiples) at the LA Auto and while I prefer it to the 991, there is a 'bigness' and a lack of character that I couldn't get past.

w00tPORSCHE

I am 100% with Steve here. The 'bigness' and the luxurious interior just does not tug on my heart strings. I strongly feel that the 981 spyder/R variants will be better lighter, safer, stronger and better performers but when compared to the 987 ones something will be lost in translation.

Mikelly

Matt, your car resume is quite impressive and you are a good guy to get feedback from...With various cup cars, GT3 street cars, and other platforms/marques... So how does this one stack up so far?

Cayman has grown on me over the last 3 years, and I almost bought a well sorted 2007 S from Eric at Hergesheimer Racing Gruppe when I found my GT3. Still think that car, for the money was just as good a car, especially with all the fixes they made to that platform. I've always thought that was the one that "got away".

Mike

khooni

It's the sleekness of the cayman which ironically started with the 996. Doesn't anyone think the 996 C2 is the best looking 911 of the the 996/997 platform? especially the early ones with the fried egg headlamps.

mrd_spy

Why question Cayman and Boxster brakes, just owning one over a GT3 means you can brake later and carry more corner Speed than any 911 already :-) due the the mid engine layout,
Like wise a 911 gets on the power sooner due to where the engine is.
Both are totally different driving styles for fast laps.
And again this is where the Spyder is lapping faster than the cayman R. The cayman really finds it hard to get the power down with its stiffer Arb over a Spyder. And while you might have over steer fun, the Spyders seems to have it on lap times on all tracks. Well if you have a light weight one lol and not a bloat wear model.

RaceCarDriver

Congrats!

orthojoe

:crickets:... Uh, the 996 C2 is like Porsche's red headed stepchild. Many have found it to be the least desirable 911 ever made. Value of the 996s here in the US are horrible. Maybe it's different in the UK?...
Khooni, let's face it: You are I are like yin and yang, man. LOL.

We're not questioning the performance of the brakes, it's the feel of the brakes that is under question.

https://rennlist.com/forums/987-981-...our-987-a.html

The 987 brake pedal has a long travel and mushy endpoint. The GT3 brake pedal has a short travel and solid endpoint. IMO, a sports car should have a GT3 type of brake pedal.

BTW, the spyder that you are referring to that was tested against a Cayman R in excellence magazine was a 'bloated model' that didn't even have the bucket seats (it weighed more than the CR that was tested). Let's be realistic here: Few, if anyone will be able to notice any difference in performance between a 'bloated' spyder vs a lightly optioned one. All this talk of light weight spec really is more mental masturbation than anything tangible. Don't get me wrong, I think light weight spec is cool, but it really doesn't make a difference in performance. Not at the differences that we're talking about.

stevecolletti

+1 on the 996 C2 opinion
+1 on yin/yang
+1 on Spyder/CR crappy brake FEEL, and that the GT3 pedal is right
Re the Excellence article on Cayman R versus Spyder, the 'track' was also, at best, a cart track, not a race course

It takes a goodly amount of (static) weight to be noticeable on these cars in normal driving. It takes a relatively small amount of rotational or unsprung weight to be quite noticeable.

I care quite a bit about weight on cars (emulating NJ-GT?). While any weight savings is valuable, it's really about where the weight is saved and what the weight savings impacts.
I guarantee that lighter wheels, PCCBs, or a LWFW will be noticeable to almost everyone, even in street use. Less obvious, but still easily noticeable are changes in the center of mass of a car.

orthojoe

+1 on the LWFW making a difference, Steve. I can confirm that.
+1 on where the weight is saved. I'll bet that the aluminum decklid, doors, and no power roof are what really make the difference in the spyder

Wheel/tire combo does make a difference, but some of these 'light weight' wheels are only 1-2 pounds lighter than stock, and I can't feel the difference when the delta is that small.

PCCB on a cayman/boxster is somewhat debatable still. We still don't have actual confirmation of the true weight difference since the calipers/rotors are larger, do we?

stevecolletti

That decklid (and roof) seems like it would be a huge savings.

I noticed 1-2 pounds (each) on my MR2 SC, but that was on a tire/wheel combo that was less than 30 pounds (each) - still 3-5% was noticeable. I've only changed tires on the Cayman, so haven't noticed a difference. (The RS wheels are so heavy that the when I change to the Champion RS98s, I expect a completely different experience).

I know that some still debate it, but I have no doubt of the value of PCCBs - I just wish replacement rotors cost closer to the ~$1000 that Chevy gets for a ZR1 ceramic rotor.

bensf

The least desirable 911 in my book. I do however appreciate the look and performance of the GT3 version and to a slightly lesser degree the turbo.

Agreed. I have one of these "bloated" Spyders and thought that I would notice a difference when switching to a lightweight battery but didn't. I thought maybe I'll notice when switching to Sport Buckets but didn't feel a difference there either.

mooty

put a set of R6 on, you will feel the difference.