[CAinCA]

Hello,

Last weekend I bought my first Porsche. It's a 2011 Cayman base in Meteor Metallic with a Stone Gray interior. The car only has 55k miles and looks like it's spent most of its life in a garage. It came with a set of 19" OZ Ultraleggera HLT wheels and low mileage Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires with 2017 date codes.

I'm moving up from a 2011 GTI with the DSG. I put camber mounts, sway bars, engine and DSG tunes on that car and tracked it a dozen times. I was able to do respectable times in the GTI (1:48.13 at Laguna Seca this January) and pass a lot of guys in more capable cars but I came to the conclusion that it's the wrong tool for the job. So, I started looking at Caymans last summer. My wife sent me to the Porsche Experience Center in LA to drive a 2021 Cayman GTS for my birthday last August and I was hooked. It was a great time and I'd highly recommend it.

The Cayman will be my daily driver and do a handful of HDPE events per year. I've already ordered a ProClip phone mount, Porterfield R4 brake pads and a set of GT3 brake ducts for the front and rear. I'm planning to attend a HDPE event next Sunday at Laguna Seca.

I'd like to keep it basically stock with the exception of adding camber F/R and a set of track tires/wheels. I'm leaning towards the GT3 adjustable LCAs in the front. I want to stay away from solid pillow ball type camber plates. I had a set of those on the GTI and they added a lot of NVH.

 

[CAinCA]

This week:

I had PPF installed on the hood and front fenders. The bumper, headlights and mirrors already had PPF on them.
Had the car ceramic coated.
Installed a ProClip phone mount.
Swapped brake pads to Porterfield R4 track pads.
Brake fluid flush with Castrol SRF.
Oil Change.

 

[CAinCA]

On Sunday I attended a track day at Laguna Seca. I’ve done 12 days there in my GTI so I know the track pretty well. The MPSS weren’t the best tires for a track day but they did ok. My best time for the day was a 1:54.57. My wife, kids, and brother joined me there for the christening.

My son and I.

The family that plays together stays together.

 

[CAinCA]

My daughter asked if she could use my camera to shoot pictures on Sunday. I set it up for her and then she was on her own. She got 3 excellent pictures. IMHO the first one is better than any of the shots the track day photos guys take here.

 

[bruinfn4lf]

My daughter asked if she could use my camera to shoot pictures on Sunday. I set it up for her and then she was on her own. She got 3 excellent pictures. IMHO the first one is better than any of the shots the track day photos guys take here.

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Very nice pics!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Platinum5150]

Looks to be in very nice shape.

Happy motoring!

 

[Chris(NJ)]

man the car looks amazing after that ceramic coat and ppf! Love some artificial garage lighting to highlight newly detailed paint

I'm not sure what's involved, but you should set her up with the track, taking and selling photos. She did a great job! Out of curiosity what camera/settings/lense?

 

[CAinCA]

Thanks Chris.

Canon R6
Sigma 150-600mm Contemporary
1/160
ISO 100
f/8.0
160mm
“Vehicle” tracking AF mode. This was the first time I have tried using it.

 

[mdb_1800]

Congrats on the new vehicle and the very talented shutterbug (that first picture is tremendous).

I love the meteor gray - the finish looks great, and I dig the black wheels. I was looking for a base 987.2 in that color, couldn't find one, got a black 'n' tan '09 instead.

Good luck on the track.

 

[CAinCA]

Congrats on the new vehicle and the very talented shutterbug (that first picture is tremendous).

I love the meteor gray - the finish looks great, and I dig the black wheels. I was looking for a base 987.2 in that color, couldn't find one, got a black 'n' tan '09 instead.

Good luck on the track.

Thank you. My daughter was worried that she didn't get any good shots. LOL!

I wanted a color (red, blue, yellow), not a shade but then I saw the ad and thought it looked pretty nice. We already had four white cars when I bought it. I wanted something else if possible. I knew I didn't want black. It gets hot here and the car isn't going to be garaged so it would always look dirty. Meteor is really growing on me. It has a ton of depth and at the same time it hides dirt pretty well. It's also subtle enough to not be a ticket magnet.

 

[CAinCA]

I saw that Pelican Parts had Schwaben tools 20% off for Memorial Day so I picked up their Professional Scanner.

 

[CAinCA]

I got video of my best lap editted last night. This is about 6 seconds slower than my best lap in the GTI, but the AR1s are so much better than these MPSS on the track. My brother said that they don't even squeal before they break loose. It was kind of like driving on a damp track.

 

[CAinCA]

Last Sunday was not only the the first time I drove my new to me Cayman at the track. It was also the first time I'd ever driven a rear wheel drive car on a track. Some of the things that worked well in the GTI didn't work as well in the Cayman. That and the greasy tires led to some exciting moments.

 

[tmat]

The Cayman is an amazing car especially for the track. Aside from GT3's, I think Caymans are the next Porsche model in quantity at PCA track events. Some people will want the manual, but the PDK allows for full concentration on driving. I bought my Cayman specifically for the track. I have not highly modified it and I drive it to and from the track. Doesn't look like you have sport or sport chrono, but those are nice on the track. I am at the other side of the country and go mostly to Watkins Glen. Cayman's look good, are track functional, and all in alll, a reasonable investment for use on the track. Enjoy!

 

[CAinCA]

The Cayman is an amazing car especially for the track. Aside from GT3's, I think Caymans are the next Porsche model in quantity at PCA track events. Some people will want the manual, but the PDK allows for full concentration on driving. I bought my Cayman specifically for the track. I have not highly modified it and I drive it to and from the track. Doesn't look like you have sport or sport chrono, but those are nice on the track. I am at the other side of the country and go mostly to Watkins Glen. Cayman's look good, are track functional, and all in alll, a reasonable investment for use on the track. Enjoy!

This car has Sport and Sport Plus modes. It doesn't have the Sport Chrono option though.

 

[CAinCA]

I haven't updated my thread here in a while. Let's catch up...

I picked up a used set of Apex Racing SM-10 wheels in 18x9 and 18x10. They came with Hankook RS4 tires in 245/275 40/18. The wheels are in great shape. The tires have a few track days on them and should be good for 1-2 more. I'm looking forward to seeing what this car can do on a decent set of tires.

I had my first failure last a couple weeks ago. We went away for a few days for July 4th. When we got back I was itching to drive the Cayman but it wouldn't start. I got it jumped and drove it for a while. I stopped at the HW store and immediately restarted it. So far so good. I went inside and came back about 15 minutes later and the car wouldn't start again. Wa wa waaaa. Luckily Costco had the battery in stock and my son was able to give me a jump so I could drive it home. The only thing resembling a date code said I5. If that actually was a date code that would translate to September 2015. I think it was time.

I also purchased a Carnewal GT modded muffler for the car and installed it last week. It wasn't hard, but getting the mufflers assembled and set to the correct width was a bit of a PITA. I wish I had measured the original assembly's width before I took it apart. A couple hours later I had it installed and took it for a drive. At lower rpms it really doesn't sound any different than the stock exhaust. At higher throttle or above 5k rpm it opens up a bit. The exhaust note is deeper and louder, but not too loud. Perfect for a daily driver.

We took the Cayman on a 185 mile drive over the weekend. Hwy 152 to 1 to 9 to Skyline Blvd. Took a break at Alice's. Headed to 92 to Half Moon Bay. Stopped for lunch and then took 1 all the way back to Watsonville and 152 back home. It was a beautiful day and other than a short stretch on 92 it was traffic free.

In other news I'm signed up for a HDPE on July 30th at Laguna Seca. This will be the first track day with the Apex wheels and Hankook RS-4s. I ran a set of RS-4s on my GTI and really liked them.

 

[ELCID86]

Awesome update. Congratulations on the tires/wheels they should make a big difference on track.

Remember Costco has a no questions ask 3-year warranty on automotive batteries.

Thanks for the initial review on the Carnewal exhaust. I’m leaning towards that on my 981C. No noticeable highway drone?


Shawn in VA (USA)

 

[CAinCA]

Awesome update. Congratulations on the tires/wheels they should make a big difference on track.

Remember Costco has a no questions ask 3-year warranty on automotive batteries.

Thanks for the initial review on the Carnewal exhaust. I’m leaning towards that on my 981C. No noticeable highway drone?


Shawn in VA (USA)

Thanks Shawn. I've only noticed a drone once. It was noticeable but not terrible. I was NOT in sport mode, 7th gear, ~72mph and going up a slight incline. Apparently that was the perfect storm for drone, moderate throttle but not enough to kick down to the next gear. I manually dropped the PDK into 6th and it went away.

 

[GotBox]

Thanks Shawn. I've only noticed a drone once. It was noticeable but not terrible. I was NOT in sport mode, 7th gear, ~72mph and going up a slight incline. Apparently that was the perfect storm for drone, moderate throttle but not enough to kick down to the next gear. I manually dropped the PDK into 6th and it went away.

Welcome, what a nice ride! I picked mine up for same reasons, AutoX and track days! Some here my usual words of wisdom:
1. Owers manual
2. Ctek MSX 5.0 ( Tender/Maintainer of choice)
3. FCP Euro ( For track guys, a must)
Enjoy the ride.
Eyes up, Look ahead

 

[ELCID86]

Thanks Shawn. I've only noticed a drone once. It was noticeable but not terrible. I was NOT in sport mode, 7th gear, ~72mph and going up a slight incline. Apparently that was the perfect storm for drone, moderate throttle but not enough to kick down to the next gear. I manually dropped the PDK into 6th and it went away.

Good to “hear” and know. I like the sound of that! (Ok, I’ll stop).

On the install “width” are you talking about how the two mufflers are connected together (straight pipe and exhaust tips) that gave you trouble?


Shawn in VA (USA)