Considering getting a 981 Cayman S

[Lavatoad]

I have a 987.2 S manual along with my e46 m3. My 987 didn't come with sport chrono, and the engine and throttle response was abysmal. However, a tune fixed that. Tune claimed more power, but I really wanted to fix the throttle response and it was a night and day improvement. I also eventually added a gt3 master cylinder to help with brake feel on track.

All in all, I prefer the 987 size, steering, brake feel, and exhaust. I prefer the e46 engine, looks, and limit behavior (more forgiving).

Edit: I also find it puzzling that Porsche didn't make and lsd standard on the S models.

[LSB4Me]

All in all, super happy with the current garage but every time I drive the E46M it's feeling more and more like the car I'd rather cruise around in vs hit canyons in. Maybe I'm getting old, maybe the car is getting too old for me, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about anymore.

Congrats on the 981S. That is a really, really great car. Mild exhaust, front spacers (to reduce understeer) and done.

Also, you’re not getting old. Don’t tell the other guys on here, but the proper P cars are simply fantastic out of the box and need nothing to deliver the optimum experience.

[simon_c]

Congrats on the 981S. That is a really, really great car. Mild exhaust, front spacers (to reduce understeer) and done.

Also, you’re not getting old. Don’t tell the other guys on here, but the proper P cars are simply fantastic out of the box and need nothing to deliver the optimum experience.

Thanks and it’s certainly a keeper. I have spacers all around already and factory sport exhaust is perfect. Contemplating catted headers but not sure it’s necessary yet.

I will say driving a base or S 992 is pretty sterile and not exciting (maybe after a tune or something). P cars generally are that good but the E46M will always have a special place for me

[RockyMtnM3]

simon_c with your S2k background, did you test drive the Boxster or was that a no-go?

[simon_c]

simon_c with your S2k background, did you test drive the Boxster or was that a no-go?

You know I thought about it for sure and ultimately wanted a Cayman. Actually ending up finding a really nice and well equipped 981 Boxster S for my father in law recently. I get to drive it from time to time and it's really really good (has PSE and PDK which is awesome and suits the car really well). Going from S2K to cayman/boxster is a really nice transition imo. S2K also has a special place for me now. 981 Boxster Spyder would probably be the ultimate vert car though but obv in a different price category.

I will say the S2K has mostly really low running costs (some oddly expensive items and NLA stuff). Side note, the S2K community is not my favorite and Pcar community is pretty meh. E46M community has been the best community so far which is not really a huge factor but something that I've just noticed.

[SQ13]

When I had my 981 GTS, the M3 didn’t feel like a cruiser to me. But now that I have the 997 GT3, the M3 really does feel like that. It would make sense to sell it, but the car costs me less than $500/yr all in + fuel to keep it running lol

I’d highly recommend the following mods for the 981 since they genuinely enhance the driving experience of the car:
Headers and keep the PSE
Numeric shifter (way better than GT4 shifter which I installed for a week before switching)
Code steering to GT3/GT3RS
718 steering wheel if you prefer that look

[simon_c]

Considered a numeric shifter but added a weighted sportshifter knob and paired with the GT4 it’s good enough for me (for now). I actually have a set of GT4 clubsport headers (with stock 200 cell HJS cats) sitting in my garage so maybe one day will install.

I actually coded in the GT3, GT4 and GT4RS steering maps and hated all of them. The on center feel was so bad and it felt so artificially light that I felt like it was so loose trying to get back on center. Load up on turns was better though. Sounds like I’m in the minority since almost everyone loves one of those setups but just not for me and stock felt the best.

Considering getting a GT4 wheel or maybe one of thr newer smaller diameter GT wheels from the 991/718 macans

[simon_c]

SQ13 My e46M costs me nothing (until it will) as well so makes easy to keep. But it also seems like a waste to keep around and would be nice to free up the cash

[LSB4Me]

When I had my 981 GTS, the M3 didn’t feel like a cruiser to me. But now that I have the 997 GT3, the M3 really does feel like that. It would make sense to sell it, but the car costs me less than $500/yr all in + fuel to keep it running lol

You nailed it. Perspective really does come down to general experience and current garage mates. Get the right P car though, and thew M3 starts to look like a utility vehicle. You've been warned, OP!

[Obioban]

Mild exhaust, front spacers (to reduce understeer).

proper P cars are simply fantastic out of the box and need nothing to deliver the optimum experience.

🙃

[dreamdrivedrift]

Congrats. Enjoy - they are surprisingly different driving experiences & use cases between 981, S2K, and E46 M3. Had both a S2K (also miss it, also want another) which got replaced with a 991. The E46 M3 keeps its spot in my garage because of how well it blends comfort practicality and fun; it seats 4, hauls luggage, is comfortable, and still fun. It gets the pick on longer road trips for me when I don't want to get beat up but still want to drive a sports car. The road noise on the S2K (!!!) and the 981 (!!) can be wearing on long trips and can't pop people in the back, but both offer unique sports car driving experiences.

[simon_c]

🙃

haha caught the contradiction. My car came factory with exhaust so there’s that. Spacers well that’s mostly cosmetic 🙂. Always gotta mod just a little bit!

[Casa de Mesa]

Congrats on the 981 simon_c! Have a buddy with one and he absolutely loves it.

Great write up and love that you're enjoying the hell out of it. I still have a very special place in my heart for the E46 M3. I think it's different enough that I don't end up comparing the 2 experiences. They are fundamentally just two completely different platforms (not teaching you anything I realize...), so for me they have their own uniqueness to them that keeps them interesting because of their differences. How many times can I use the word different in a sentence?

The sound of the CSL intake is just glorious. But then that brings up your point about modifying these cars... which, I'm a huge fan of modded cars that are well executed but your point is taken. Also, the sound of a flat 6 is just intoxicating.

Got any pics of yours?

Last year, I started removing the non-factory wing and splitter that came with my car to turn it back to stock on the exterior. One thing I wasn't prepared for (despite all the warnings about the P-car tax) was the prices for these parts. For rare and original Porsche parts, prices are just stoopid.

Before:





After:

[simon_c]

Casa de Mesa oh daddy I love that Cayman R. Looks super clean. I was considering one but wanted something just a little newer (plus they were/are pretty hard to find). How are you liking it?

I don’t have great pics but here’s one.

[simon_c]

How the hell do you embed photos on this site lol