Gearing Up for Long Term 987CS Ownership

Although this is my 2nd 987 and I've already had it since July of 2022, I figured I'd start up a thread I'll regularly update with modifications and maintenance notes during my (planned) long term ownership of this car.

As I mentioned above, this is my 2nd 987 - I had my first car, an '07 Cayman Base 5MT in Speed Yellow. My ownership unexpectedly came to an end as I met with an accident during a rainstorm, totalling out the car. Life happened, and although I kept an eye on the 987 market, nothing special really popped up till July of 2022, when I stumbled across a 34,000 mile '06 987CS 6MT in Seal Grey. Although the listing was short and the car was located a few hours away from me, I figured I'd send the seller a message and see what came of it. After a short FaceTime video of the car and coming to a prenegotiated price, I booked a PPI at Sublime Silverlake - the car passed with flying colours, with no signs of bore scoring, overrevs, or oil leaks. I flew down later that week to see the car in person, and after a short test drive, I drove the car back home to the Bay and took the car to my detailer for a 2-stage paint correction and full body ceramic coating.

It seems that the car spent the majority of its life on the East Coast and Chicago prior to the previous owner's custody of the car - during that time, the car wasn't used very often but was fastidiously maintained (as revealed by CarFax) with 3,000 mile or yearly oil changes, whichever came first. As the drive from SoCal to the Bay ticked the odometer about 3,000 past the previous owner's oil change, I went ahead with changing the oil with LiquiMoly 0w-40. I also decided to go ahead and try LiquiMoly's Engine Flush kit and Ceratech for that interval. Using CarFax also allowed me to track the history of ownership of my car - the car was originally custom ordered and sold by Porsche of Boston. Using VinAnalytics, the car was noted to be a 12/05 production car, so it's quite an early specification in the original production run of the 987.1CS.



Not much was done after the ceramic coating and oil change until December of 2022, when I took the car out to its first track day at Buttonwillow. The car performed flawlessly, but as my pads were running thin and my rotors were lipped (both items noted in the PPI as "needed to be replaced soon" anyways), I decided to go ahead and splurge on upgrading the rotors from OEM cross-drilled to Sebro's slotted/vented rotors on all 4 corners. To complement this, I also switched from the OEM Brembo-Textar pads to Ferodo Racing's DS2500 compound - more on this later. Although the previous owner had several receipts of maintenance performed, including changing differential and transmission fluids in September 2021, there was no indication of a brake fluid flush. I took the opportunity to upgrade the fluid to the more robust Motul RBF600, paired with stainless steel lines. Overall, brake feel has significantly improved and it takes more heat/repeated heat cycling to experience any fade. My impression of the DS2500 pads, however, is not the greatest. As a hybrid street-track pad, it is great at neither - at high heat, brake force rapidly drops off, and at low heat, the optimal biting point is slightly deeper into the pedal than the OEM pads. I would recommend these for use at AutoX as they heat up quickly, but either a more aggressive pad for track use, or a more forgiving pad for street use.

As I am a university student, I stored the car for most of December after my trackday at a friend's place until I returned from winter break. On my drive back to my apartment, the motor made a large bang, but drove fine. Upon further inspection, I found out that my belt tensioner pulley had shattered (likely from age), prompting me to get a replacement at a Porsche dealer. I had a serpentine belt on hand already, thankfully, from my previous big order from FCP for my brakes. January was also when I did my 2nd oil change, moving to RedLine 5w-50. I also installed LN Engineering's X51 Baffle and Deep Sump kit, as I plan on tracking the car more and am working towards solving most of the oiling issues the M97 motors face. Last week, my regularly scheduled oil change prompted a change to Motul 300V upon recommendation of Apex1, and my friend Cactu also switching to 300V - firsthand, I did notice his car get quieter, with less valvetrain ticking. I've only been driving around on 300V for a few miles, so I need to pay more attention to that difference.

In January, I was also able to source and have HOUSE Automotive install PCCM+ in the car - it's made it a much more friendly daily, and I can't imagine life without CarPlay anymore (those bluetooth transmitters really suck!). The integration and fit/finish looks factory, and I highly recommend it to those who are looking for modern functionality while retaining an OEM look. More minor aesthetic additions include Clima Repair HVAC switches and an OEM red S badge from Suncoast, and I'm in the process of adding 7mm front and 15mm rear spacers to improve the exterior aesthetic of the vehicle. (Just waiting on the extended Numeric lug bolts to arrive). Next on the list are lowering springs as a holdover until I pick up a set of MCS or Moton coilovers for the car, paired with Elephant Racing camber plates and Tarrett's GT3 control arms - hoping to get the most on the track out of the car, so I'm sacrificing some streetability, but I am in the market for a 2nd car to daily regardless.

I also managed to pick up the OEM 987 Roof Transport System from a friendly guy on Rennlist, who also sold me his Guards Red 997 GT3 seat belts. I need to fix the driver's side assembly before I can install the pair, but I think they'll pair nicely with the big red calipers and the red S badging on the car. I've also bought 997 GT3 front brake ducting, which I need to get around to modifying and installing, and I've also got to pick up 997tt or 996GT2 rear ducting for the rear end of the car. I'm currently in the market for Numeric's SSK and shift cables - I recently drove a friend's 981 equipped with it and really enjoyed the precise shift feel, and driving my car back to back did ruin my factory shifter for me. Aside from that, an exhaust system is on the table, and I recently picked up an .stl file for GT4RS style quarter-window air ducts - I've got to buy a spare engine heat shield and carpet for my car that I can cut up and custom fabricate an airbox for before I can install those ducts, however. 18" wheels are also on the wishlist, although I've got to figure out a set I like other than BBS E88s and Apex's EC7RS. Today the car has just over 45,700 trouble free miles (knock on wood, of course), and continues to be a pleasure to drive.

Here's how the car was after the initial ceramic coating:


Here's how the car sits today (featuring Cactu's Cobalt Blue 987.1):