Bertil Roos

[George3]

........thanks, Beth.

Eric-
During my period of analysis of which car would replace my GT3, I've always been fond of the Cayman S.  I started out doing DE's in a 07 Boxster S.  It is a formidable track weapon.  With just some suspension work and r-comp tires, you will have a fantastic track car.  2006 versions of the Cayman S have the higher output engine and 6-speed transmission.  These are currently selling at $40K or below.
George

[catchacab]

Caymans have a few areas that one needs to be aware of for track duty.

1. Caymans do not have LSD, but there are after market ones (Guard)

2. There is an issue with the power steering system, that causes pump and rack failures.  There are fixes out there.

3. Oil ingestion issues (oil/air separator)

4. not a true dry sump

5. reports of brake failure (pedal going to the floor)

6. Intermediate shaft failures (not only on track)

To learn more http://www.caymanclub.net is an excellent source of material

There are many Caymans that have been successfully tracked and club raced!  I haven't tracked my Cayman, but I will tell you it is an awesome car! I like it even more than my 996, just only if they made a convertible Cayman

[George3]

This may be true, but the good news is the Cayman will likely still be under warranty, which is a huge plus to the track enthusiast.  Compared to an older P-car, all expenses for repairs will be out of pocket.  Get a good working relationship with your servicing dealer and you'll be all set.

[emayer]

Thanks all for the advice and link....

Of the cars I listed, I'm favoring the Cayman thus far as it seems like an excellent handling platform with reasonable engine strength for a newcomer.  Intermediate shaft failure is a concern.  I tend to not hold cars for a very long time and assume this is a covered item, but would hate to have to undergo an engine rebuild/replacement.  I'll have to research whether Porsche has any mods planned in this arena.  As for brakes- I'm thinking ceramics may circumvent the reported failures, pricey and likely harder to find on a used car though.... (May be an excuse for a new one! )

catchacab- Are you planning for Cayman track duty down the line?


Addendum:  Just found this link regarding 2010 changes.  May have LSD...

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/rende...an-leaked/

[catchacab]

If you are going to order a new one for 09 ('10 model year) they will have the new engine with DFI, no intermediate shaft,  and new sump design.   Some have pointed to PSM as being the cause of the brake problem. 

I would wait for the new model to come out especially if you are going to track it.

There are also many reliable mods available today for current CayS's to achieve higher HP and torque than a stock 997S.

No plans to track the CayS, I have the 993 for that. 

[George3]

I think you meant to say.... 987S

[APXD 30]

George3 wrote:

I think you meant to say.... 987S

Technically a 987S/C. I have heard about some of the shortcomings but I agree that there's a lot of potential than Porsche released in this chassis. The brakes on the 987S/C are the same as the base Carrera. The fun of setting up a car is to drive it, identify weaknesses, improve it, and measure the results. Just me, but I wouldn't believe some of the "experts" on the forums.

I mistakenly trusted some Rennlist "experts" while setting the Cayenne up for towing and now have 2 extra mail order electrical parts on the shelf that weren't necessary. On the GTI forum, people believe that you need a $500 VAG COM unit to clear an "over revs/exceeded speed" message that tips the dealer off regarding your aftermarket chip and voiding your warranty....still not convinced on that one (next to the 955/2 parts on the garage shelf).

PS- George I like the new track ride. You've run the gamut of blue (team), to red, and now white. You're a great American!

[Brian Minkin]

I have had the pleasure of instructing a handful of students in Cayman S.  It is a beautifully  engineered car that exhibits excellent handing, braking and ample power. My students have been able to progress rapidly driving these cars and quickly can out pace most of the cars in the student groups without driving on the edge. The owner of Princeton Porsche races a Cayman in club racing so we have a good local source for questions about known issue's and I am sure Alex would be happy to address these. 

[catchacab]

Check these threads out:

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-competi...track.html

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-complai...smoke.html

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-modific...ation.html

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-competi...bucks.html

http://www.caymanclub.net/cayman-competi...seals.html

Just a small amount of reading material.

Any car that you buy to track will have some problems with their design, because most are designed and engineered to be driven on public roads.  Even with the problems Caymans have they are still an excellent cars, and do make wonderful track cars.  One just  needs to be aware of the deficiencies and what is available to correct them.  IMO the next generation Cayman is going to be much better than the current model. 

Ken Smiley the PCA Cayman Registry liaison, has done a lot of mods and tracks his CayS, and Joel, (who Alex knows) had his CayS converted to track only, has set the PCA club racing (with his CaymanS) track record at Limerock, are great resources.


 

[emayer]

Thanks again all for the input and resources....

On balance, it would seem that a CaymanS is a good way to go.  I'm inclined to hold out until the 2010 release... the downside here is that I won't be able to run with you all at '09 DEs.     I'll use the time to get training at Bertil Roos, and perhaps attend one of their race weekends if the experience is good.

BTW George,  Great article!  -E