Cayman/Boxster Engine Health Data- Volunteers Needed

I have posted a new article on my website, linked below. The general gist of the article is to establish a baseline performance value for your car so if in the future things don't feel quite right, you will have something to compare to. The article goes into detail but I am proposing a timed 2nd gear pull from 3500 rpm to 7000 rpm. If any of you are interested in doing this, please post your results on this thread. I am mainly interested in M97.1 Caymans or Boxsters but this is frankly a valid test for all Porsches. If you respond please include your car details, including year and model. Thanks in advance for your help. 2006-2008 Porsche Cayman S Engine Health- Establishing a Baseline “3500-7000” Value I am going to write a series of articles exploring how to use the Durametric diagnostic tool to establish the health of a Cayman engine, in this case the engine for a M97.1 car. The information tha… newhillgarage.com

Harvey, is there a difference between the Cayman and Boxster engines? (I haven't explored the 987.1 world that much..)

In general, I'd say the Boxster and Cayman engines are the same for the 987.1 series of cars. Here are a couple of excerpts from a Porsche document I have- Talking about the S engine: Engine, Boxster S (987) - M97.21 General The Boxster S (987) for the model year 2007 will be be equipped with the engine of the Cayman S (987) with the type designation M 97.21. And talking about the Base engine: Engine, Boxster/Cayman (987) M97.20 General The Boxster (987) engine from the 2006 model year serves as the basis for the Boxster and Cayman engines in the 2007 model year. It was possible to further increase both the power and torque with further development measures.

My suggestion would be - perhaps including Boxsters in your survey (and in the title on this thread..)

Too bad my engine is M96 ...

Just to be clear, you can check the elapsed time on any engine, as your own personal baseline. But yes, for comparison purposes, I would like to see some values from a M97 S engine.

Just a note when comparing Boxster to Cayman , the first two gears in the manual boxes are different, so that will have an effect on the times between the two cars: PORSCHE 987 BOXSTER CAYMAN SPECIFICATIONS

My 2007 Cayman (Base) Only Changes from stock are: K&N filter in stock airbox 18" Aftermarket wheels (not lightweight) With a topped off, full tank of 93oct BP gas and tested in both directions on the same peice of road (at night, 32deg) I averaged 4.65s. I video recorded the dash and then got the timing off of the playback.

Thanks @Apexhunter987 As would be expected, the base engined car is a little slower. But not by much.

Tested again last night, topped off the tank with 93oct again. Only changes were that I opened up/exposed the gap in the top crossover tube between the stock mufflers AND the temperature was 72deg (welcome to the midwest). This time I averaged 5.05 seconds. I'll need to do the test again when its a similar temp and close the crossover again to see how much of the 0.4s difference is temperature related. I still have the original 17's I got with the car too so I'm intersted in testing the difference there too. Cheers, Julian

I haven't researched how much of a difference ambient temp makes but I am sure that any drag racer could tell me. This does point out that one might want to get a "summer" baseline and a "winter" baseline. That said, my expectations are that a "sick" engine will have a very noticable drop of in elapsed time.

Posting from 2024! 2007 Cayman 2.7L with a Softronic ECU tune and an unknown mod to my stock exhaust and/or cats that makes it louder. I seem to be getting roughly 5 seconds going from 3500 to 7000 RPM (full tank of 93 octane gas). If i try to analyze the seconds down to the tenths, my fastest run was about 4.8 seconds. So I believe my 95K mile engine seems healthy!

Cake, Have you heard of a throttle controller called Sprint Booster ? I have one and use the Red #5 setting. What this does is electronically opens the butterfly on the throttle body quicker and gives better response for a few seconds. It also helps blip the throttle for down shifting as well almost like using a light weight flywheel without the noisy transmission idle noise. For $275, this product really delivers as it always is ready to go from a steady state, like your 3500 RPM, I would think you should find another .2 seconds faster. I always use my soft soled slip in's so I can feel the throttle pedal easier. As noted, you can pre program your ecu to a race mode by getting on the gas for 10 minutes before the test. The Sprint Booster goes around the ecu so what ever you have set up by getting on the gas ahead of time, your Sprint Booster is outside of that ecu program. I also have Scotts Softronic Race kit for the 987.1S that includes the GT3 throttle body and plenum and his modified flash maps. Sprint Booster for your Porsche Cayman 2006 to 2012 PORSCHE Cayman Sprint Booster V3 Following is Softronics product Performance Software Porsche 987 Cayman Race Plenum Kit Porsche 987 Cayman Race Plenum Kit Product Description Softronic set out to offer a complete Race Plenum package for the 3.4 liter Cayman S and 2.7 Cayman (2007-2008). Add a real 25 BHP and loads of mid range torque to your Cayman S with the new Softronic Stage II Racing Intake system. This robust combination of hardware and performance software brings everything we know about Porsche's 3.8L Carrera S, GT3 and the 3.4L Cayman S or 2.7 Cayman motor together to deliver the highest performance available and pave the way for more radical enhancements. At the heart of the Stage II Racing intake is a larger less restrictive racing throttle body mated to a new high flow intake distribution pipe. The hardware you see above is just the tip of the iceberg. To make use of these new high flow intake components, Softronic has developed an exclusive all new Motronics software tuning flash. This new software flash targets the higher volumetric efficiency of the intake and engine by completely retuning the remaining intake resonance valve, Vario Cam Plus, Ignition, and Fuel delivery maps. The results: Never before seen tire roasting increases in mid range torque and a nice extension to high RPM horsepower,all files are tested with 93oct and exhaust recommended. . This kit includes: Genuine Porsche GT3 Throttle Body Genuine Porsche Plenum Collapse proof four ply silicone turbo grade intake hose reinforced internally with tubing All necessary hoses, hose clamps & install hardware (20 parts in total) USB Vehicle Interface Cable (*) Softronic flashing software Custom tailored vehicle specific performance flash file *This product comes with a OBD2 cable, and software... that allows flashing for only 1 vehicle as it is tied to that vehicle's VIN. This is also a special order item as they are made to order and require parts only available from Porsche. Typical shipping times can be 2-3 weeks.

The SRP was on my list, but didn’t consider the Sprint Booster , thanks! I feel like I’m getting a bit too fast to be honest (I actually said that!), I’m 30 minutes away from the nearest interstate and don’t get enough time on the pedal before I’m at illegal speeds. I’ll probably wait to upgrade things after I get used to this power!