SM_ATL's 2006 Artic Silver Cayman S Journal

It is good to be back... My ownership and passion for Porsche started here on Planet 9 in 2011 when I acquired a 2012 Cayman R ( http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-and-boxster-modifications/60623-2012-white-cayman-r-project.html ) and it all spiralled down from there: I soon bought a 991 C2S, 996 dedicated track car, 997.1 GT3 and another souped up 991 C2S (with in between a VW Mk6 GTI, BMW E36 M3, E46 M3 and F30 335i all extensively modded). Then, after almost 10 years spent in the US, it was time to move back to Belgium and say goodbye to my toys which I had sold one after the other . Back in Europe, I drive a more pedestrian BMW 430d Gran Coupe as a company car ( ATLBlue's 2014 F30 and 2017 F36 Journal ) and had promised myself I would get a new P-car -718 or 911- in a few years, after I had put my 2 older boys through college since they chose to stay in the US for a dad-subsidised run. I put all my Porsche stuff in a box in my basement and tried not to think about it, having as much fun as I could with my daily driver. This was until my better half, who had noticed I was dearly missing trackdays, registered me for a DE at Spa-Francorchamps. Even though I was running my diesel 4-door bimmer, I had a ton of fun but immediately felt the urge to get a lighter and more nimble ride. Here is a short cheesy video of the day at Spa that made me relapse: Looking at a way to get something fun without breaking the bank, I found a 2006 Artic Silver Cayman S (Manual, with PASM, Sport Chrono...) in very good condition with about 60,000 miles. I pulled the trigger but still have not taken pictures or done anything to my new week-end & track ride. Meanwhile, here is the pic from the listing showing the car in its present state: I am looking forward to spend time again on Planet 9, learn from member's experience and share my progress. Next steps are a few upgrades to the car next week (more to come...) and a first day at Spa on August 4th. :banana::banana::banana:

Nice! Do you find the used car market for P-cars to be more reasonable in Europe or the US?

Thanks! The used car market for P-cars in Europe varies quite a bit from one country to the other. The U.K. or Germany have more cars available and are usually a bit cheaper (probably around the US level). On smaller markets like Belgium, you end up paying at least 10 to 15% more than in the US for the same car. In addition, 80% of cars have the base engine because of high taxes. Believe it or not, but a lot of the 987 and 981 have the base engine... deflated to 211 hp to stay in the lower tax bracket Then comes the issue that you have a lot more haters (unlike the US, you are more likely to get your P-car keyed than getting thumbs ups from other petrolheads) and snobs (compared to the US, more P-car drivers own one to show off than because they are true enthusiasts). And naturally, the more snobs you have, the more haters you get. Overall, I found the US to be heaven on earth for car enthusiasts: cars are usually quite a bit cheaper, low taxes, cheap insurance, almost free gas, tons of petrolheads and cool tuning shops, lots of racetracks, clubs and DEs, etc. Still, there is a friendly crowd in Europe too, amazing tracks and lots of opportunities to have fun...

I bought the OP's Cayman R......................SM-ATL great to see you back. I am on my second 981 since trading in the R after 2 years of troublefree driving. If your pattern repeats, I expect this 06 to undergo a transformation .

Good to know! I hope to make it over there in the next few years to live out my nordschleife and Spa dreams, but it's tough trying to gain a work visa right now. I'm really interested in where you go with this car, especially suspension. Do you keep the PASM and go DSC Sport box and maybe their tractive coilovers, or something else?

Hi Ron, nice to hear from you after all this time! I am happy to see that you Cayman passion is still strong and am not surprised that you could not stay very long without a Porsche after you sold the CR Congrats on the 2016 981 !

First mod! Let's start small: new key cases... not even 20 EUR on eBay and looks like new and OEM.

First time at the shop... No major modifications yet, just the bare minimum to get the car ready for some track time this Friday at Spa. I went to an independent shop (Passion911) close to Namur (Belgium) and they seem to do a good job. They are more focused on maintenance/restoration of P-cars to stock than heavy on track prep', but my goal was also to make sure that my Cayman was perfectly reliable in stock mode before taking bigger steps. Brakes While OEM lines are of good quality, I preferred to have stainless steel braided lines installed. Unfortunately, non-OEM lines are not allowed in Belgium and I would get flagged during the annual mandatory vehicle technical inspection. Fortunately, Goodridge makes a nice product called "Phantom" brakelines that are covered with a rubber-like coating and would go perfectly unnoticed At the same time I got the fluid replaced by racing brake fluid and Pagid RS29s installed front and rear. Just for the looks, I also got new Porsche decals on the callipers... Suspension The light knocking sound I had in the front suspension got fixed by replacing the sway bar bushes. I was ready to do more if necessary, but I like the idea to be able to test-drive the car with the suspension in a completely stock setup and start from there. I also added 5mm spacer at each wheel and got a slightly more aggressive alignment. Engine In order to prevent any risk of oil starvation -while still being on street tires- I also had an oil pan and sump plate baffle kit from FVD installed (with a magnetic drain plug). I know it may not be a bulletproof solution but it will put my mind at ease for now. Others New battery, extensive inspection and testing... The car is good to go :drivingskid:

A few pictures I must be getting old. The clean OEM stock look of the 987.1 in artic silver on black is growing on me. I had considered all kinds of modifications, decals etc. but the more I look at how the car currently is, the more it simply illustrates how form follows function. I took a few pics today... The interior if full leather and in great shape, but I will probably want to add a bluetooth connection for my iPhone and I find the rim of the steering wheel a bit thin. Not to mention the usual A/C control buttons that need to be refinished. As far as the exterior is concerned, I had ordered the 'Cayman R'-stripes but have to make up my mind to see if I will get them on the car or not. Should I go for it, this is what it would look like. It is still fairly low-key... and can be easily removed, so I may give it a try.

Exhaust job! I was looking at getting a bit louder exhaust, but as stated before, I like an 'OEM+' approach. Living in Belgium, a visit to Gert Carnewal came in good order and his OEM modded GT exhaust was definitely the right option for me. The car still sounds like a Porsche (not too much low rev' growl), is not too loud below 2-3,000 rpm and really opens up from 4,000 rpm to the redline. My neighbours are still happy and the exhaust puts a big smile on my face when I step on it. Everything that is said on forums about Gert and his shop is true: he is extremely kind and competent, the exhaust swap job takes almost too little time to fully enjoy the premises and you get to wait comfortably installed with your computer, sipping on a good coffee and indulging a few chocolates Probably the best value for money for a louder exhaust suitable for daily driving if you do not have PSE. My car ready for the exhaust swap...: ...while I comfortably wait:

A few cosmetic changes Since I already had the decals, I went ahead and installed the 'Cayman R' stripes on the car. I also replaced the discoloured center caps with a fresh set of Tequipment coloured crest-on-silver. I find it OK for now. Let's see if it gets old or if I will leave the decals on the car on the long run... While I dropped by at the dealership, I also spotted this immaculate 996 GT3 for sale. Just in case you had 80,000 EUR under your mattress and did not know what to do with it

Air filter change Taking a look at the maintenance records, I noticed that the air filter had not been changed in a while. It was probably too soon according to Porsche's own schedule but having planned to head for the track, I decided to replace it anyway and while I was at it to install a BMC filter. Looking at how dirty the filter was and the amount of dust that came out of it, it probably was about time to take care of this. When I find the time, I will spend a couple of hours detailing the engine bay, but this is not mission critical for now.

At the track! All the basics being taken care of, it was finally time to take the Cayman to the track. The first opportunity was a Public Driving Experience day at Spa-Francorchamps. It is not the kind of DE I have been used to in the US (run groups not based on experience/skill level, not point bys, all kinds of cars on the track...), but it was plenty of fun. It is simply meant to offer the possibility to drive your own car on the circuit, but it turns out that most of the participants -a lot of them from the UK, Germany and France- are track rats. To make a long story short, the car did great and, to a certain degree, exceeded my expectations. My former 991 C2S or 997.1 GT3 were undoubtedly quicker and the 991 w/PDK was especially easier to drive fast, the car being so 'good' that it made you look like a great driver every time. The manual 287 certainly required more work but was also more tactile, nimble and therefore more rewarding. It may sound like a paradox, but while the Cayman S may feel a bit underpowered on the street, particularly due to the lack of low end torque, the perception on the track is very different and the car appears to be a very coherent and well balanced package: the motor, gearbox, suspension and brakes all work together very well. With the car being stock (except for the pads), you can push the engine to its limit and still go nicely around the turns, only having to use the brakes before tight corners. Would I like a bit more power ? having the car to remain a bit more flat around corners ? Sure, but I am afraid that if I rush into modifications, I could ruin the balance of the car like I have done on some of my previous rides. The only improvement I would like is a tad more stability under hard braking, but it was not even a real concern. Ideally, I would go for electronically controlled coilovers that would be softer than PASM in 'normal' mode and stiffer in 'sport'. I have been told that Bilstein Damptronics B16 could achieve this but reviews I read (logically) say the opposite with the car being stiffer all the time. No hurry anyway, I will keep running the Cayman as it is until it is time to replace the OEM shocks. The best upgrade I can think of for now is more seat time (and maybe go on a diet to reduce the weight). Here is a video of a lap following a pair of 991 GT3s. They could for sure have left me in the dust, but the drivers were most likely not pushing the cars too hard. I have also used one of iMovie's trailers to make this -very- cheesy video:

Well done chasing the GT3s. Your track driving skills look excellent!

More small stuff... It seems that over the years the headlights of my CS had become a bit hazy and covered with faint scratches: I cleaned them thoroughly, got them covered with clearbra and they now look like new again: Cheap, quick and easy

+5hp... at least with a Spa-Francorchamps sticker. Too big to my taste, I'll have to find another one... so I can make room for Zolder next week (yippee) and hopefully the 'ring in a few weeks.

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

The pleasure is all mine. There is for sure nothing really new with a car that has been for so long on the market, but I enjoy reading other's personal experiences, and what they end up doing over the long term. Before I bought the car, I thought about turning it quickly into a dedicated track toy and change a lot of things. Then I found out that I enjoyed it quite a bit the way it was... but with more trackdays, mod options are growing on me again. I asked quotes for bucket seats w/harnesses, new control arms etc. Time will tell.

You are the same SM ATL of Journal fame from RL and 6SP? You be famous I've read some of your journals and growing experiences and enjoyed them. Learned stuff from them too. I applaud you Sir, good stuff. Welcome back Chows

Thanks for the nice words. I am afraid to confirm I am indeed the half-(completely?) crazy SM_ATL who went through (too) many cars over the past few years, documenting my petrolhead path and addiction on several forums... For those of you who could use distraction at work, here is some reading material in chronological order: Audi B8 S4: B8 S4 Meteor Gray Project Cayman R: http://www.planet-9.com/987-cayman-and-boxster-modifications/60623-2012-white-cayman-r-project.html Golf GTI (taken over by my son): TheGTIChannel's Candy White (Mk6) GTI Journal - VW GTI MKVI Forum / VW Golf R Forum / VW Golf MKVI Forum / VW GTI Forum - Golfmk6.com 991 S (two of them...): https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/991/267634-sm_atl-s-carrera-s-journal.html 996 Track build: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996/290196-sm_atl-s-2003-carrera-project.html 997.1 GT3: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/gt3-gt2/296366-sm_atl-s-2007-997-1-gt3-journal.html E36 M3 (taken over by my son): http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64646 F30 335i and F36 430D: http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1053075 Undocumented: 2012 Miata, E46 M3. I am probably right to guess that my current Cayman S is just another 'episode' of my car addiction. I have enjoyed all of the rides I have owned, but 911s remain my favorites. My next step may be to consolidate my company car (430D) and weekend ride (Cayman) into a 718 or 911. But there are still almost infinite possibilities with the Cayman in the meantime ! One sure thing is that I will remain faithful to Porsche. Customer satisfaction is really one of their core values... and cars are not too bad either PS: I also have all my -cheesy- videos on a Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SM4ATL?feature=guide and pics on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/60293300@N06/albums

Serg, you forgot to mention the Cayman R you and I had in common (Though, I was not sure that you had tracked that....?). Good to see you active on the forum again. I just have a feeling, though, that there is a GT4 or something similar in the future............

The Cayman R brings great memories back and was my first experience with Porsche . I unfortunately never had the opportunity to track it I started spending time at the track right after, with my first 991S and every other car since then... even my diesel daily driver. Seeing the path you followed with Caymans after our common CR, I certainly see more in your future too !(you will get over the turbo engine one day... or Porsche will improve its soundtrack).

...even more small stuff... Just spent a few euros to replace amber turn signal bulbs with 'chrome' bulbs. I did not want to go for LEDs (except maybe one day for DRLs), including for headlight or taillight assemblies for both reasons of cost, but mostly because I do not want the car to look like a 'wannabe' more recent Porsche. It is a 287.1 and should keep looking like one. Just a question of personal taste of course. I nevertheless totally respect those who want to give a more modern touch to they rides... Before: Bulbs: After: Before: Bulbs: After:

Steering wheel on order Just ordered a refinished steering wheel (with core exchange) in Germany. I found the original rim to be too thin and the leather to be a bit too worn. Again, no major deviation from OEM, just more practical. Well worth the money at around $220 for the part the of car you interact the most with Should have it in about 2 weeks.

Black Headlight Trim After having clearbra applied to the headlights to give them their original clarity back, I ordered the gloss black trim from kistudios. I had already done this on my former 997 GT3 and liked it, so I thought I'd do the same with the Cayman - not trying to make it look like a fake-Cayman R, but I like the touch of contrast it brings. I am usually not good at applying decals myself, but I removed the headlights (5 minutes job) and proceeded carefully. Here are two pics with the final result. I am done with headlights for now. On to something else...

whoa, that looks great!

Thanks. Good value for money in fact.

Steering wheel The refinished steering wheel arrived this week and the swap/trim transfer was fairly easy with plenty of DIYs available online. The wheel is definitely thicker than OEM (a little too much in fact, but I am happy with it nevertheless). A couple of weeks ago, I had also installed an iPhone holder that is very convenient to run Waze or Coyote (radar detectors and laser jammers are illegal in Europe ) and Harry Laptimer on the track. The good news is that ProClip products are also available on this side of the pond.

So-so trackday... It was time to give a try to another local tack and I registered for a DE in Zolder, Belgium, a few weeks ago. There is no such thing as a bad trackday (except when you crash), but I ended up fairly disappointed. Zolder is not the most exciting track, but it is not bad either. The weather was not great, but this is Belgium and that is the way things are. The biggest frustration was that my trackday lasted... one hour. I had heard that Zolder had crazy -read stupid- noise limitations and I never thought that my Gen 1 Cayman S, with a slightly modified OEM exhaust, would ever be too loud. The noise limit is 95 dB (!) and after 10 minutes I got blackfklagged to get notified I had been measured at 99 dB. I did my best to be as quiet as possible after that and short shifted at all critical spots. Still, when I exited the track after the first hour, the noise nazi (I have no other words for him) told me I had been measured at 95.6 dB which was a second time above the limit and that the only thing I was allowed to do was to leave the premises and go back home . This got me awfully mad for 3 reasons: I have no measurement device of my own and if I end up being measured at 95 .6 instead of 95dB, I think it would be fair to give me a second warning and the opportunity to manage my driving accordingly What is the accuracy of the sound meter, and, not being alone on the track, can I really be held accountable for exceeding the limit ? If you mean to run a so called world class 'racetrack' and organise trackdays, find a way to make it accessible to mere mortals and get the permits necessary to let ordinary cars run or, at the very least, offer options to borrow or rent silencers instead of sending people home without any further opportunity to discuss the issue. I can now cross Zolder off my bucket list, but I certainly will never go back there. After all, Spa is just as close, much more fun and people are way more friendly. All the more reasons to make it my home-track. If there was any positive points, I got a few nice pictures of my first and only session: First laps, a little too excited, wet track and cold tires... resulting in a brief excursion through the gravel trap. Shame on me. So far, I found the car to have very little body roll, but this was maybe a bit more than I expected. Still, no plans to make significant changes to the suspension. I may not plan on going back, but this is no reason for not adding a +5bhp sticker on the car (again too big, I know).

Man, that guy sucks! What's the common thing to do there? 90 degree bend v-clamped to the muffler? Also, for future reference, you can download decibel meter apps onto your smartphone. Not ultra precise, but should give you a close enough frame.

Loudest cars use specially designed quiet exhausts for Zolder. Otherwise the solution you suggest may be a quick fix for occasional trackdays. Anyway, I do not think other tracks have noise level limits as low as Zolder and I found the guys running the track so unfriendly that I have no desire to ever go back. I have decibel meter at home, I will run a few tests at different speeds, throttle position, distances from the car etc.

Love reading all your threads! You do a great job documenting and photographing all your car changes. I bought a 2006 Cayman S myself last year and put the Cayman R side decals on too, but have been looking for someone who paints the side vents the same color as the decals. Let me know if you've desired this as well and looked around!

Where did you get the steering wheel? Looks awesome! Exactly what I am wanting!

Thanks for the nice words. So far, I decided to leave side vents in the original body colour, but should I change my mind, I would simply remove them (very easy) and drop them off at any bodyshop to get them properly painted in gloss black.