911 owner interrogated

A nicely written article on 911 ownership, how it compares to other porsches and options choices.... Porsche 911 owner interrogated by Countersteer were the comments on 987 vs 911 progressiveness, accurate?

Can't comment on the 987 but this comment -- Echoes some of my thoughts about the 981CS and why I ordered a 981BS (which does not share those characteristics) to replace it.

Wow. It's like the same answers Id have given to those questions. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have no such tire noise and love the sound of the mechanicals right behind me. As he said about the symposer in the 911 , Porsche has done a fanatastic job of keeping any/all bad noises suppressed under that engine cover and let the good ones in. If anything I'm amazed at how quiet the cabin is considering you're literally riding with the engine. Sent from my StarTrek communicator using Tapatalk

Keeping the engine in the centre makes them very agile on public roads…you don’t feel much left-right weight transfer through corners; more like the car pivots around your hips. But on track, I personally don’t like that. The propensity to pivot means you have to be really measured with your inputs or you’re just a hair from snapping into a spin. If like me you’re not a driving god, that’s hard to catch and it makes me less confident to push, and therefore not as quick. I like this comment the best, because it's not every day that I'm called a driving god. Moreover, there must be numerous driving gods because I know of many 981 owners who have little to no problem driving their cars flat out through the corners with all the diving aids disengaged. Of course everyone has the option of keeping the driving aids engaged, thereby making them appear to be a better driver than they are. As a many decades owner of 911s, I do agree with his observation about the 911's exit traction. Of course on pre-993 iterations of the 911, it took a great deal of skill to push them to anywhere near the max and not oversteer. I lost count of the unintentional 180s I did, but practice makes perfect.

I agree with the comments about tire noise. I have test driven several modern 911s and they are all quieter than the Cayman. I hear tire noise clearly and it gets much worse on noisy asphalt. The good news is on long runs, the asphalt between cities is usually much better and the Cayman gets quiet then. Also for canyon carving and the track, with windows down, noise is not an issue. The engine noise never bothers me. I have also heard of mid-engine cars being susceptible to sudden snap oversteer (sudden spin without much warning) but have never had that issue or any hint of it from the Cayman. I have a friend who is preparing a 1963 Lotus 23 for vintage racing. That is a mid-engine car that weighs about 1250 lbs including the driver and, of course, no traction control. In that car, the snap oversteer is a real issue. Not sure that's the case with the much heavier Cayman. OTOH, 911's are known for their propensity to suddenly spin under certain conditions and while the modern 997 and 991 have this mostly controlled, I am much more worried about this in my '88 911 than my Cayman. Has anyone experienced sudden spin with little warning in a Cayman?

I had my Boxster get away from me once on rain soaked roads as I rounded a corner too fast. It was very sudden and scared the fertilizer out of me as it tried to swamp ends. I blame the driver more than the car. That said, I was able to recover without incident.

Having driven a 997.2 GT3 the tire noise I find is very comparable if not the same as the 981 CS. In regards to the engine noise, the GT3 is a beast (w/ FVD exhaust) compared to the PSE on the 981 CS. The part I do strongly agree with is the handling characteristics with the 981 turning on a centered pivot while the GT3 having a rear pivot point. But needless to say both are amazing cars to drive.

True, but I'd opt for a GT3 on a track. I asked my local dealer to call me when he has a GT3 to sell. Well I got the call a couple days ago. Good news - gorgeous 2014 GT3 with low miles. Bad news - the price is $150K which is out of my price range.

I will generally second the 991 owner's comments on the car to include the annoying speaker buzz in the passenger door (and my car has the Burmester system...not worth the money IMHO). I consider the 991S a better daily driver than my 987.1S Cayman because of the kinder front end angle of attack and the better sight lines for the rear passenger quarter. I do not agree with his "must have" options although many of them would be nice to have. Options are always an "eye of the beholder" thing and living in Florida in the US will make my choices different from other locales (for example, my wife says ventilated seats are a "must have" ). The 991 gets less attention than the Cayman did and I consider that a good thing in today's world. I would, like the 911 owner in the article, opt for the GTS version of the car rather than a GT3 as a daily driver upgrade. The balance of extended performance while maintaining the daily livability of that version does make it attractive. I'm not trying convince the P9 crowd of this idea (like trying teach pigs to sing :taunt but merely stating my opinion. As a final note...with a direct comparison to the Bose system in the wife's Cayenne vs the Burmester...get the Bose (The base stereos in all Porsche vehicles need upgrading to get the truly useful features).

In real life, 991 has wider rear tires, rear-tire steer, all-wheel drive and PSEicon to keep it from spinning - more such features than are required by the Cayman. So my hope (since I don't want to spin without warning) is that the Cayman has more mass at the far front and far rear, relative to the center, than say a 1963 Lotus 23 or an MR 2 and so maybe it's a little safer? The Cayman, unlike the other two cars mentioned, also has traction control. Other than spinning on snow or ice, is this a real concern with the Cayman more than any other car? Here's your answer: 10 Ways the 2014 Porsche Cayman Is Better Than the 911 on Edmunds.com

Someone mentioned Ralph Nader and the Corvair. I always found it interesting that the car he held up as handling perfection, the Ford Falcon IIRC, was just as bad in its own right as the Corvair. Neither car was perfect, just different. Corvair may have been a bit better actually Americans typically have no idea how to drive an over-steering car. The things they did instinctively in an under-steering car, take their foot off the gas pedal when the car travels too fast when cornering, didn't help or could make matters worse in an over-steering car. Actually if Corvair owners followed GM's tire inflation recommendations, rear tires inflated 11 psi more than the front, and if GM spent a few extra bucks and made the front anti-sway bar standard, the Corvair would have been relatively safe to drive. Of course any Porsche owner of a 1960s 911 would have little problem with the Corvair. Fortunately Ralph Nader didn't write any books about the 911.

I agree with the guy. 911 's RR layout actually inspires more confidence than Cayman 's MR layout. As for the noise, I'm ok with that, but that's just personal thing.

The only time I have actually noticed a difference in the handling characteristics between my 981 BS and 991 TT is when encountering a bump in mid corner. The 991 TT will bobble a bit and you are aware of the mass hanging out behind the rear wheels. Otherwise, on the same roads at the same speeds, I don't really notice (other than the 300hp difference). - Patrick

wow, didnt realise this thread might become a mid engine vs. rear layout debate.... felt that the description is of a more "grown up" or mature sports car (excluding the GT3 specials) vs. the slightly more raw experience of the Boxster and Cayman, while having the performance and handling on tap when you want it.:drivingskid: On our roads, even with MPSS for shoes, some roads can be quite noisy and can relate to the comments in the article. Also found the comments on the coasting function and its impact to the overall consumption interesting. This owner also mentioned how usable the base model is on a day to day basis which is very similar to my views on the base cayman/boxster models. :cheers:

I find on the track that if I start to go into a Spin with the Cayman I simply take my hands off the wheel and stretch my arms out wide and that slows down the spin to where I can recover, do a 360 and move on with my lap... try it sometime...

I thought this was well done, and a very good assessment of the overall 911 ownership experience...

Interesting comment in comparing mid to rear engine. Never knew about this, but I have actually experienced the spin sensation several times. It was always on wet roads and is definitely scary because it's so sudden. Aside being glad I didn't ram into anything, after thought was a real letdown because you feel so stable and suddenly lose traction without any warning...makes me think twice about pushing the car (and sometimes gripped the steering wheel harder). All id say is careful in wet or frozen roads.

Wow, it's been a while since logging back in here and was really pleasantly surprised to see this thread. The guy interviewed in the article is me!

Oi, how's it been living with half a brain and one kidney? Cool interview btw.

Haha thanks Caymeown. It's perfectly fine actually... hardly notice it on a daily basis. Until I need to use those organs, then I tend to umm... have half a mind about whether it's really ok. :hilarious:

glad to see you're back and enjoying your 991. Nicely done on the interview. I was wondering if it was a p9 regular. If you see a grey 987.2 don't forget to say hi!

Thanks eyeofthetiger! I will indeed. The 987.2 CS I used to have was Meteor Grey too. Is yours Meteor or Agate?

its a Meteor Grey 987.2 Cayman 2.9 KL roads are getting a bit rough with the LRT/MRT and all the bloody roadworks these days. Does PASM make a world of difference in your view?

Nope, the sharp-edged, patchy crap we're swerving around these days is far too harsh for any sporty set up. In any case, the difference PASM made was already quite subtle so now we need to petition Porsche to retrofit some nice kuih lapis-soft air suspension to our cars

haha.... ok so PASM is not like having comfort suspension attached.... yes sometimes the thought does cross my mind as its my daily driver but once the road smoothens out all is forgiven! cheers!