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Author Topic: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition  (Read 36085 times)

Offline rex

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Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« on: June 26, 2018, 08:41:04 pm »
Hi everyone!

Even thought this is not a specialized Porsche forum, I enjoy spending time over here are talking to you.
So, I would like to open this topic to share with you what's happening to the, new to me, Porsche Cayman Black Edition.

First question: why Porsche Cayman?
Simple: Porsche sport cars have always been a dream for me. Of course, I dreamt of 911 variants - because I did not like the styling of the 987 Cayman. But that all changed in 2013 when the 981 Cayman was unveiled. I like the new styling very much and the majority of the car magazines praised the chassis and the handling of the new Porsche. They considered the chassis to be the best in it's class especially for the money (they made some comments that it was the best chassis up to Ferrari 458 money - which says a lot). The handling was considered better that the 911 and, very important to me, very predictable.
I spent many days configuring a 981 Black Edition with LSD, Adaptive Dampers, Sport Exhaust and Sport Chrono Package. But, mid 2016 the 981 was discontinued and Porsche started with the 718 Cayman.
The 718 Cayman was (still is) just a bit better than the 981. The steering is a bit improved, the rear axle is from the 981 GT4, the brakes are better, the infotainment system is much better BUT it gave up the previous 6 cylinder boxer engine for a turbocharged 4 cylinder boxer engine. All the reviews said the new car is much faster than the previous one, but that the engine sound is really not suitable for the rest of the car ("The engine is a normal 4 pot, it's not a Porsche Engine").

By the begging of the year I had enough money to make a down payment for my dream car. The 911 was out of my budget (they were 100k EURO plus) so I had to chose between the 981 Cayman or the 982 Cayman (718).
I originally thought of buying the Porsche new. So I contacted the Romanian Porsche dealer and I settled for 2 configurations:
- 718 Cayman Manual with  LSD, Adaptive Dampers, Sport Exhaust and Sport Chrono Package and a few other comfort bits
- 718 Cayman GTS Manual with all of the above (standard anyway) and a few comfort bits
Out of these 2 I decided to go for the GTS because the delivery date was 2 months earlier than the normal variant. Unfortunately, right when I was suppose to make the down payment, the dealer told me I would have to pay a bit (10% of the full price) more than we agreed initially. I was a bit upset of this turnaround of events and a bit confused because he was not actually gaining anything with this move.
In the meanwhile I was watching the pre-owned cars daily on Porsche.de. I've see a car extremely close to my ideal configuration:
Black Edition which came with the following extras
- black exterior and leather black interior
- 20 inch Carrera Classic wheels
- Bi-Xenon headlights with cornering
- Porsche Communication Module with Navigation
- automatic dual climate control (yes, this is an extra for a 50k+ EURO car)
- heated seats
- parking sensors
- Sound Package Plus
- cruise control
- other bits and pieces

And on top of that the following extras
- Porsche Active Suspension Management - adjustable dampers and 10mm reduced hight
- Porsche Torque Vectoring - rear LSD and individual braking of the interior back wheel
- Sport Chrono - adaptive engine mounts and rev matching
- Sport Exhaust
- Leather Package - leather on the lower door cards.
- multifunction steering wheel
- interior alarm
- exterior Aluminum around the windows
- Porsche Vehicle Tracking System

and after the discussions with the Romanian Dealer, I decided to buy it.

Of course, it was not as easy as buying it straight away... The Porsche Dealer Fulda would not sell the car to me directly because I am from Romania. I am pretty sure the EURO's have the same color over here but some companies have this approach... So I went to my old VW Dealer, who now had a Used Cars division, and I got to buy the car from them (of course with their commission on top). Here are the pictures from the collection day.









And after I brought it home:





First impressions: it is an awesome car. Much, much better than I though.
As you might know, I drive a 1.4 TSI 160hp mk5 and a 1.4 MPI 85hp Ibiza. So, the power of the Porsche is more than enough.
But not the power was not the only thing that surprised me it was:
- the clutch is hard similar to racing cars
- the gear stick is in the ideal position and the gear change is much more mechanical
- the engine sound (intake & exhaust) are coming from behind the driver
- you sit very low and you get to see the nice front arches from inside and the "hips" by looking in the mirror.
- the engine sound is INCREDIBLE
- the rev matching (that comes with the Sport Chrono Package) is probably the best thing on this car
- the handling is different to the Golf, I got to oversteer a few times in the Porsche (by driving it at about 7/10) and the car is still very unpredictable for me (btw, it's the first time I regularly drive a RWD car)

I will leave other pictures and stories for the following posts.
BTW, tomorrow, I am going to Hungaroring to test it on the F1 Track.

Comments are always welcomed, thanks for watching and sorry for the long post  :drinking:
« Last Edit: November 08, 2020, 01:16:16 pm by rex »

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2018, 04:27:48 pm »
Just came home from the first track day with the Porsche and what a day it was...
But before I go into more details, I will continue with the events chronologically...

I received the car mid February with summer tires. It Romania winter is not to be taken lightly and since for winter tires and rims I would have to wait until the end of March I decided to use the car with the summer tires but only when the weather allowed it.
In the meanwhile I had to a take a business trip, so I did not miss it that much...
When I returned I started to drive the Porsche more and more and I got to enjoy it that much more.

As some of you know, my Golf has had a lot of modification to everything except the engine. The Porsche is much sportier and much more comfortable than the Golf (even with 16 inch rims)!
Dynamically, the Cayman is totally different to the Golf. I got a few surprising oversteers at the beginning... But I got a bit more used to the rwd and mid-engine feeling.
And as you know, this post is worthless without pictures so:













Next up, the Hungaroring trip.
Stay tuned!  :driver:
 

Offline teo_parvu

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2018, 07:26:13 am »
I'm glad that you've decided to stick with the forum and present the car here. This is a dream car and somehow VAG related.
I know that the Hungaroring report will be awesome, can't wait.  :happy2: 

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2018, 05:26:41 pm »
Thanks buddy!
Well, yes, Porsche belongs to VAG :).

So, like I said, Hungaroring with the Porsche was very, very interesting...
First of all, a bit of intro...
This year I was a bit unlucky when it came to attending trackdays. Whenever a trackday was announced I was either on vacation or on a business trip. So, this year I couldn't attend any.
A friend of mine posted the ad for the 26th of June, when an event was organized at Hungaroring. Of course, I had to be in Italy for a business trip. But, 4 days before going I found out another colleague could take my place so I quickly regrouped and made the reservation to attend the Hungaroring event. I also took a friend with me who rented a 718 Cayman S.
So, on the day of the event I went to Hungaroring to find out it was a very exclusive private event. You can see it by the cars attending:











I carried on like I did not have the cheapest car :). I've setup my cameras, the VBox, reduced the tire pressure and got going.
The track was opened throughout the day (open pitlane) and there were no sessions like there are on a public trackday. I do as may laps I wished but, because the car is 100% stock I set up a target of 30-40 laps in order not to kill it.

During the whole day I got to understand the car better and better. And boy, what a car it is:
- incredible sound - finally my car cars sounds like a proper sports car



- incredible grip and traction - I could really use more power
- the brakes are ok but they get hot very fast - I could only do 3 hot laps per "session" with a cool-down lap after each hot lap. After these the brakes and the tires were no longer ok
- the tires Pirelli PZero were ok-ish for stock tires
- because of the tires the car was a bit unpredictable and not consistent (too low pressure at the beginning, to high pressure at the end and the grip was alternating)
- I left the EPS on (the ESP has a special program if I select the Sport Plus setup, which I did, that allows more movement) and I felt it was restricting me in some parts. But I am not yet brave enough to deactivate it completely.





My best time was 2:15.5 that is more than 6 seconds faster than my best lap with the Golf (2:21.6).
The videos will follow in a few weeks (I have to do a lot of editing to overlay the dashboard) - hopefully before going to Nurburgring (July 21st).
Thanks for watching!  :drinking:

Offline eddie pk

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2018, 04:46:23 pm »
thanks for this thread not sure how i missed it, a great line up of cars , i cant stop looking at caymans at the moment , not sure where it has come from , i am hoping it will go away - it isnt !... will be interesting to see if the 981 drops much in value over the next few years or becomes even more sort after .. what was your friends view of the rented 718 in comparison?..

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2018, 08:36:55 pm »
Thanks for the kind words.
I don't see 981 Caymans dropping in value anytime soon. In fact, there are cheaper 718 variants (newer, fewer miles, similar or better equipment) than 981's - I kind off browse the porsche.de used cars section a few times a week to see if something more interesting appears. Up until now, no real competitor for my car has appeared - looks like I've made the right move at the right time.

Unfortunately my friend did not drive the 718S (the owner changed the brakes a day before and something happened on his way to Hungaroring - by the time he got there the pads were almost entirely gone and the discs were severely cracked). By talking to the owner (also a driving instructor) I think the 718 S is much faster than my car but:
- more power & more speed = needs much bigger brakes for serious track usage (more than I do)
- no LSD and apparently it is needed (I never felt I needed one, maybe because I have one...)
- since it's turbo charged it needs more cooling than my NA 981 for extensive track usage

I don't regret buying the Cayman, not even a little bit. It is truly an awesome car and I would definitely recommend getting one especially with the 6 cylinder engine.
If so, please get the Sport Exhaust and if you get the Manual version the Sport Chrono is also a must (for the rev matching).

Offline rdfcpete

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2018, 11:00:12 pm »
Absolutely stunning Rex, I can't agree more with what you've said and I'm happy for you with such a great daily track car  :evilgrin:

I, similarly to you, went from four front wheel drive hatchbacks (none of any huge power) to a RWD daily which is now 330hp and 685nm torque in my 430d M Sport - I realise what I've been missing all those years with RWD and the everyday opportunity to tail squirm, slide, oversteer and spin the rears up for sheer joy  :laugh: :wink: :signLOL:

The chassis equally isn't bad on mine, but nowhere near what yours has to offer and I'm well placed to know-how as I lap a 987 Cayman GTS round the ring a good few times a year, of which is another stunning car - fairly identical to yours all round  :happy2:

The baby Porsche's are way, way better than anyone can expect or object to on-track in braking, cornering and lap time abilities.
I won't drive a GT4 until next year but I fully expect that to be the perfect balance of all the above, perhaps only 5-10% better all round than an S or GTS because they are genuinely, that good  :drool:

Look after it, stay safe but certainly enjoy every moment  :party:
Envious but very pleased for you  :happy2:
Pete


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Previous: OEM+ 2006 MK5 Golf GTI 2.0T FSI Steel Grey 3 Door

Offline Shoduchi

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #7 on: July 05, 2018, 03:15:36 pm »
Glad you share your experience with your Porsche here. It's a dream car for anyone who likes to drive for fun. :drinking:





Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2018, 09:39:22 pm »
Absolutely stunning Rex, I can't agree more with what you've said and I'm happy for you with such a great daily track car  :evilgrin:

I, similarly to you, went from four front wheel drive hatchbacks (none of any huge power) to a RWD daily which is now 330hp and 685nm torque in my 430d M Sport - I realise what I've been missing all those years with RWD and the everyday opportunity to tail squirm, slide, oversteer and spin the rears up for sheer joy  :laugh: :wink: :signLOL:

The chassis equally isn't bad on mine, but nowhere near what yours has to offer and I'm well placed to know-how as I lap a 987 Cayman GTS round the ring a good few times a year, of which is another stunning car - fairly identical to yours all round  :happy2:

The baby Porsche's are way, way better than anyone can expect or object to on-track in braking, cornering and lap time abilities.
I won't drive a GT4 until next year but I fully expect that to be the perfect balance of all the above, perhaps only 5-10% better all round than an S or GTS because they are genuinely, that good  :drool:

Look after it, stay safe but certainly enjoy every moment  :party:
Envious but very pleased for you  :happy2:
Thanks for the comment  :happy2:!
Yes, RWD is totally different and much more entertaining!
Not so sure what you meant with the "987 GTS".... Is it a typo and you were refereeing to the 981 GTS? If so, it should be identical to my car except the engine, the brakes and the stilling. The only sportier setup is with the Sport Suspension witch comes with thicker ARB's (and the GT4, of course).
I am sure you will enjoy the GT4 - a bit of a dream car for me but not usable as a daily (low splitter, no parking sensors, etc).

Totally agree about event the "baby Porsche" being a very, very well sorted car. I can't imagine how a GT3 or GT3 RS feels... BTW, that will be the next Porsche I buy (if any), of course a long time from now  :smiley:

Pete, we have a saying in Romania "iti doresc ce-mi doresti tu mie si sa ti se intample tie", which translates to "I wish everything you wished me will happen to you"  - aka stay safe and enjoy the 430 or the occasional Porsche drives!

Glad you share your experience with your Porsche here. It's a dream car for anyone who likes to drive for fun. :drinking:
Wouldn't go anywhere else  :signLOL: I think a lot of people no longer have their MK5's but still stick around for the company.
Yup, it really is a dream car... I still can't believe I've bought it  :pomppomp:

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2018, 05:17:49 pm »
I am returning with the video  :wink: ...



And a few words about the video...
I have had 6 fast laps, out of which I am showing 4, the rest were either with more traffic or with more mistakes.
As you can see, the laptimes are: 2:15.7, 2:15.5, 2:16.1, 2:16.5 (the last 2 ones are with a passenger - and obviously, the weight of another grown man is visible in the laptimes). According to CircuitTools (one of the tool I use for analyzing the laps), the ideal best lap is 2:15.0, so there is potential to go to 2:14.x with the stock car.

First lap:
0:30 - I miss the gear shift, and I lose about 0.14 sec (according to CircuitTools)
1:03 - I always shortshift in that corner... if I am to go to 7500 RPM and then shift, I would shift in the middle of the bend which I am afraid would unsettle the car. So I prefer this approach - but I can push the shifting a bit further...
1:46 - the car is a bit unsettled and a slight oversteer

Second lap:
3:46 - I have to overtake the GT3 and I lose about 0.15 sec
4:22 - I turned in too early and in order not to be incorrectly aligned for the next corner I have to ease of the gas... I lose about 0.15 sec again

Third lap:
6:13 - one of the best lines and speeds into that corner. I can still push a bit harder but that's for the next trip.
6:58 - the car always understeers in that corner... I prefer to let it run wide... The Golf is very balanced or even oversteers in the same corner so I don't know what to make of this  :thinking:... It may be the tires, the ESP or who knows...

Last lap:
8:58 - I brake a bit too late
9:32 - I am bit slowed by traffic and I lose about 0.7 sec only in that corner

Comments (especially with advice  :ashamed:) are welcomed!
« Last Edit: July 07, 2018, 05:19:42 pm by rex »

4ndy

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2018, 06:17:17 pm »
 :sad1: No full screen  Still enjoyed it :popcornsoda:

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2018, 07:25:22 pm »
Thanks!
Click on the name of the video (top part of the video) and you will be redirected to youtube where you can use the full screen button.

4ndy

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2018, 08:58:38 pm »
Thanks!
Click on the name of the video (top part of the video) and you will be redirected to youtube where you can use the full screen button.
Got it :happy2:

Offline rex

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #13 on: July 25, 2018, 08:01:36 pm »
Still in Germany - leaving for France tomorrow - but I need to share the last Nurburgring experience with you (and it can't wait till I return).
So... After the Hungaoring trip, I had a sortoff road trip planned for the Porsche - visiting Germany and France. While in Germany I coudn't ignore the Nurburgring so I stayed for 2 nights there. I only did 7 laps - since the trip goal was not a specific trackday - again with the 100% stock car.

If I had to sum up the experience in a few words, I'd say: "Man, now I understand the power of POWER"  :evilgrin:.
Of course, 275 BHP is nothing compared to what a lot of people have around here, but compared to my beloved mk5 Golf (with 165 bhp) IT'S A LOT. I could finally be competitive on the straights (overtake GTI's, Megane RS's, stay with M3's, etc).
My driving performance is not quite satisfactory for me. I had to re-learn many bends and I struggled with the gearing. The Porsche has a much longer gearing and I always have to use a lower gear than the Golf (where I am in 3rd in the Golf I have to be in 2nd in the Porsche). I am at least 20 laps away from being consistent around the track, but I will leave this for the next visits.
Even if my driving performance is not quite to my liking, the best laptime is way out of my wildest dreams...
I managed a 8:30.1 (BTG) on the 6th lap, even with traffic in high speed areas (compared to 8:56 with the Golf)... I will discuss more about this lap when I upload the video.

For now I will leave you with some pictures taken by my wife or me:











And with a TechArt modified Cayman S





The amount of Porsches you see at Nurburgring is amazing... Mostly 911's but some Cayman (mainly GT4's) and Boxsters too.
Next up, some professional photos with the car in action... Stay tuned!

Offline Shoduchi

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Re: Porsche Cayman 981 Black Edition
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2018, 12:18:02 pm »
Really jealous of your trip! Glad that you're enjoying so much your beautiful machine! :drinking: