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Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 3:48 pm
by rocket71
I have been out of sorts not owning my own car. I am glad I have moved on from the S2k and the Vette. I have been trying to find something that is not only class competitive but fun to drive on the street.

My first thoughts were a B Street Vette but honestly, I just don't like that much torque on street tires. The A Street Vette is more like work than fun. I honest think the SSP Vette and Hoosiers ruined me when it comes to autocross and torque.

I have tossed out anything V8 or convertible or front wheel drive.

So that has brought me to the Porsche in B Street initially. While running at Milton Frank a month ago I got to hang out with a guy running one. It really got me thinking and researching.....

The 2006 - 2008 Porsche Cayman base model is legal in B Street. That puts it running with C5's and S2k's. Those two cars have been relatively close on the national level. Comparing the #'s, the Porsche is right in the mix with the same weight but more power and torque than the S2k. From there the 2006 - 2008 Cayman S goes into A Street....I am just not sure it has enough power to go up against the likes of the C6 Z06....it only has 285 hp.

I do think it is funny that I have been mulling over a Cayman and the new Fastrack is talking about adding the car to STU. I don't really want those costs but....but...if the Cayman S is put in STU that is exactly what I will get and run it in A Street till the budget allows upgrades to STU.

One last thing...as I ramble...the 2006 - 2008 Caymans I have mentioned do not come with a factory diff option. Is that something to worry about? or does the platform dictate no need for a posi-diff since the balance is more to the rear?

Any car guys got thoughts on any of the above?

Re: Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 4:05 pm
by RxCritical
Paging Dave Rogers. :)

Re: Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 9:27 am
by scottgib
I ran a 2007 Cayman S in "Tire PAX" class for a season. Thoughts:

Really fun street car

Similar to the Boxter S except the Cayman has a more rigid chassis

For me it was hard to get the last 5% out of it in an autocross. Better drivers would no doubt get more out of one than I did.

Not much need for a LSD

Comfortable with all the modern amenities

Practically no luggage space. Useless car for anything but fun driving.

This series of engines had a potential flaw that in a small percentage they would grenade with no warning. There is an after-market warning kit that will give you a chance to rebuild the engine instead of completely destroying it. Later versions eliminated the flaw. Easy to research on Internet.

Getting in and out of the car was hard for someone with arthritis and overweight, which is the main reason I changed.


BRZ/FRS?

Dave Rogers runs one now and it is his second Cayman

Re: Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2015 9:41 am
by rocket71
The Cayman is on my bucket list of reasonable cars.

If the 2009 up S gets moved out of SS to AS then I would get one for locals. I would like the piece of mind knowing the IMS issue will never rear it's head.

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

Re: Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:47 am
by djrogers1
As Scott said, I am on my second Cayman S. The first was 2006 and I thought it was reasonably competitive locally (all I've done in my three short seasons) in AS. I swapped it for a 2011 in late 2013 (too late to run any autocross that season). The main reason I swapped was the concern for the aforementioned self-grenading potential. The 2006 had two suspension settings that allowed for relatively comfortable city and highway travel while a stiffer, slightly-lowered setting suited me for AX. The 2011 does not have that, so I feel every pebble on the road, and Kingsport has some really rough pavement; concrete highway joints are punishing. I don't feel that the 2011 handles as well as the 2006 in "sport" setting and I don't feel the extra 25 hP it's supposed to have. I have not been close to the two vettes in SS, although I still have a lot to learn about driving in AX and about this particular car. It seems to me that it might be a better fit for AS. As for luggage space, I use soft duffels and have a net for the space above the engine. My wife and I often take the Porsche on weekend trips, but not week-long ones.

Hope this helps a little.

Re: Porsche Cayman...Street A or B...or STU.

Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:34 pm
by Brian
I picked up an '11 S more than a year ago. It's great for track days, a bit fast for me on the street and severely camber challenged for Street class autocross. Better tires helped with the front end but it doesn't make it to many autocrosses these days. I have the PASM suspension that Dave mentioned on his 2006 and it works really well but is obviously a waste for STU. I don't have an issue with luggage space on weekend trips either but I've spent a lot of time in Miatas. There's plenty of headroom in them but otherwise, it's a cozy fit. I really like it as it sits but I did go to 18's for track/autox and will probably address the front camber issue one of these days.