Our local PCA chapter had an autocross school/competition today. Caymans ruled the roost, and apparently the local Porsche dealer "sold" about 4 of them today after letting people test drive it.

It was pretty clear they were the best handling cars there, as I saw plenty of 911 spins (incl. 996 GT3's, none w/ Caymans). Caymans also set first and second fastest times.

 

isnt it trend now to put 911 motor in caymans?

 

It would be a great exercise to find out wouldn't it? Say cap a modified Cayman to $110K and then put it head to head with a GT3.

I would say $30K could be spent on a 3.8L swap but you don't have to. In fact Farnbacher Loles charges $40+K but that's like shipping your S2000 to Comptech to install their supercharger (RIP!!). The only person openly advertising a price for a turnkey 3.8L swap that I'm aware of is Neil Orton,

http://ortonusa.com/porsche/caymansengine380.html

However, I also believe Scott Slauson, tech guru in the Porsche Club of America might also have a fairly economical 3.8L conversion for a similar price. My Porsche tech said it would probably take a couple of days to do the swap.

The X51 crate engine does come with a standard Porsche Product warranty just like any parts warranty coming from any manufacturer.

 

damn

 

[QUOTE=SilverSled,Apr 29 2007, 06:30 PM] It would be a great exercise to find out wouldn't it? Say cap a modified Cayman to $110K and then put it head to head with a GT3.

I would say $30K could be spent on a 3.8L swap but you don't have to.

 

06 Cayman S, Seal Grey daily driver

Company's fiscal year ends in 30 days. I'm being very nice to the wifey to allow me to replace the NSX that I sold last year.

I'll wait for a magazine to do the GT3 vs Cayman comparo. ...or I'll just call Farbacher and ask them for their opinion. That would be a LOT cheaper.

 

how's the overall handling stability of the Cayman S vs. your NSX? particularly in sweeper's? which car feels more balanced? glued down?

did you get the optional smaller diameter steering wheel? hows the steering feel compared to a 911 or a BMW M ? (if youve driven either)

 

I had an M3 before the Cayman S and, in my opinion, the steering feel is quite similar. Both offer a good amount of feedback, letting you know what's going on under the tires even in comparison to the S2K. I have the normal sport steering and not the thicker (XPA) one. The diameter difference between normal and sport steering is almost insignificant.

 

I guess we're slightly off topic from the original poster. Sorry S2kpdx01.

I planned on keeping the NSX "forever" when I picked up the Cayman S last year to replace my AP1 S2000 daily driver. After having both cars side by side for a month or so, the NSX bacame less, uhm, "relevant". I decided to hedge against the depreciation of the car and its associated ownership costs and sell the car to make space for another toy in a year (which happens to be NOW!).

I had spent the last 6 years of my 8 year NSX ownership getting it balanced and handling right. Todd at 2Nrwerks has driven my car briefly and can attest to the tuning I've done. Bandiscoot (Scott) on this board has also driven in close proximity to my NSX during one of the group drives in Tampa last year. Short of a narrowly focused track setup, it was as perfect as I could have made it handle, balancing street compliance and track DE effectiveness.

In sweepers my modded NSX felt better because it had less body roll than my stock Cayman but overall it wasn't as capable. In terms of ease of mid-corner weight trasnfer, steering feel, controllability past adhesion limits, etc., etc., the Cayman is clearly better. A $1600 set of Bilstein PSS9's, $550 H&R Swaybars, and some tuning time would negate everything I did on the NSX. Add a $1200 Quaife ATB Diff and it would destroy my NSX at the track. The Cayman S is absolutely the best handling and most complete package of a street car I have ever owned. You can literally decide to loose traction in a corner, do it, and not worry about being able to sort the car out. When driving the car hard, it exudes a sense of calm confidence that most cars do not give.

The 997S is very similar to the Cayman except it is more of a handful at the limit. Good power deliver though; I like that 3.8L. I found the only real tangible difference between the two is that I could get to the limits of the Cayman quicker and be more biligerant with the car and still feel confident that I can get away with it. Rear vs mid-engine reasons come to mind.

The E46 is another great car but feels like a GT car in comparison to the 997 and Cayman. Although one could argue the the 991 is also a GT car because of it being a 2+2. The E46 feels sluggish and heavy by comparison to the Cayman. I'm one of those who liked the E36's steering better than the E46. I think the new M3 will be a beast but even MORE GT than ever.

Sorry for the long post....

OLD:


NEW:

 

thanks Daniel L...

silversled, your from Tampa Bay? small world i guess

yes, i know Todd, Rob, and company... although i havent been a regular at the local meets...

ive seen a black NSX with Gold Volk's at QSL a while ago... perhaps yours...

interesting notes on the handling... i am looking for something thats easier to handle at the limit than my S2000... which i feel is QUITE a handful in stock AP1 configuration...

i assumed body roll would be there... i was more worried about suspension geometry, and wheelbase... id prefer a car that doesnt rotate easily like the S2K... thats what takes away my confidence in a sweeper at 10/10ths... once you lose grip, you've lost control... ive been to Sebring a few times now... id rather have a safety margin...

in my BMW 330Ci, i feel i can exceed the traction, yet still catch the car... Ive always heard the NSX in stock trim, is much more planted on sweepers, especially bumpy sweepers, than an S2K... im glad the Cayman rivals that in stock trim in addition to all the other benefits...

im just worried if Porsche intentionally took away some of the track level build quality in the Cayman that i know they incorporate into every 911... basicly telling people, if you want a car thats track ready, buy a 911... i guess we'll know after a few track seasons and more and more Cayman's are getting pushed hard...

nice car by the way... maybe ill see you around town...