[jman]

Anyone planning on putting the spyder suspension on their cayman? From what I've read the spings and roll bars are different. The new springs have the perfect drop and I bet the valving has also been changed, but I'm not sure. I want to drop the car but don't want to throw the whole geometry off so I figured porsche much have balanced everything out on the spyder. What do you guys think?

 

[WAY]

I believe it is more than springs. From what I understand, the strurts are stiffer, the the springs are softer. However I have also read the engineers saying that they can make the compression rate of the spring lower because the car is lighter. So it is all interelated. If you want to change the suspension, why not just go with KW Clubsport?

 

[DaveC]

Actually it can be done but all the suspension components from the Spyder have to be transferred to the Cayman if you are going to do it right. Springs alone is not a good choice. The Spyder suspension is not a PASM system, more akin to the previous M030 available for the 986 Boxster but w/ a 20mm drop. Porsche hasn't done anything with the Spyder suspension that it couldn't do w/ any other 987 variation. In the end a Bilstein PSS or other coil over set up will be more cost effective and adjustable.

 

[Schwabe]

Why would you spend beaucoup dollars to retro fit OEM suspension???? You will get a much better ride if you go with a reputable tuner who knows what they do and coilovers.

 

[ChrisF]

Just a guess, but the cost to retrofit all OEM Spyder components would probably put you in Moton Clubsport territory. Now given the choice between the two, I know which I'm choosing

 

[Geomic]

Now, how about the OEM GT3 Coilover Suspension onto the Cayman

 

[jman]

I believe you guys are right with the valving in the stuts also changed. I just figured porsche was better at tuning their cars then the aftermarket. I bought the cayman as it was simply better tuned than anything I have ever driven. I have considered coilovers for my STi in the past but was put off by the fact that they need to be broken down ever 5 years and rebuilt. By the way I looked at the Moton website for the clubsports but no prices. What kind of damage are we talking about for those?

 

[zebulon]

I also remember reading somewhere that the suspensions on the Boxster and the Cayman are set up very differently, not just spring rates but geometry too...I was looking at the TCP suspension packages the other day. Not sure how far you want to go or what your goals is but they have several different levels which is what caught my eye.

 

[ChrisF]

One of the reasons I ended up with the Cayman (among many) is that the OEM suspension is very good and tuned to my liking. My ultimate goal though is to fit the car with a set of Moton Club Sport double adjustable coilovers. I had a set on my last track car and they were simply magic and better than any OEM suspension I have ever driven...by far. They were better than OEM ride quality when off the track and unbelievable on the track.

While a lot of coilovers are usually a big compromise leaning towards track performance, there are options that best even a finely tuned OEM suspension. They tend to cost a metric f ton of money though

 

[alan93rsa]

+1 on the Moton Club Sports. I've had them on two cars and they were great.

 

[Jeff G in NE GA]

Why would you spend beaucoup dollars to retro fit OEM suspension???? You will get a much better ride if you go with a reputable tuner who knows what they do and coilovers.

I agree.
I'm also willing to bet there's not significant geometry differences between the two. Plus, the Cayman chassis is much more rigid (torsional rigidity is doubled)- so anything tuned precisely to any Boxster would not be ideal for a Cayman.

 

[[email protected]]

Ours should get here in a week or so. I plan on taking many photographs and videos of the car.

The .2 Chassis is significantly more rigid than the .1... So The suspension alone from the spyder is not going to be the answer to your suspension interest. Your money would be better spent on suspension that was designed for your car.

 

[jman]

Thanks for the advice guys, that really does make a lot of sense. I was up last night thinking about Motons and coilovers in general. From what I can tell they look a little over 4K for the clubsports. The big question for me is whether they need to be taken off and broken down every 5 years for maintenance and sent back to the factory? From Hawaii that's a big deal.

Other than that they may be the way I will go as for me power is adequte but the supension needs to be dropped some and firmed up from my non-PASM system. I don't track the car but appreciate a slightly more aggressive setup but still compliant for the bad streets here. Do you think Motons will answer my needs.

 

[gtkyl]

The big question for me is whether they need to be taken off and broken down every 5 years for maintenance and sent back to the factory? From Hawaii that's a big deal.

Hi jman,

I didn't realize car suspension needed to be serviced like the forks and shocks on my race bike (rebuilt every year). Makes sense though - at least to change the oil.

You want it stiffer and lower? I appreciate the PASM on my car; the Cayman I used to have didn't have it and it was stiff enough over our 3rd world roads. I've already had to replace a tire due to sidewall damage caused by a pothole on the Pali off-ramp. FYI, there's a new one forming right where the two that were filled in after my incident.

 

[ChrisF]

Jman:

I had Motons on my EVO for 2.5 years before I sold it/them. During that time I probably did 25 track days and about 10K street miles. When they came off, they were perfect with no leakage or apparent wear. I beat the hell out of that car too. They are a very well designed product and I would guess that they could go 3-5 years easy without rebuild. There's a certified rebuilder in CA so I would guess you'd need to go maybe a week without them. Doesn't seem like too much to ask for that level of performance.