Cayman S (Design Edition 1) Exhaust Sound Issue

Hi All, First post here, unfortunately starting off with a problem/issue! I recently bought my first Porsche, a Cayman S Design Edition 1. Correct me if I am wrong, however I have been led to believe the Design Edition 1 comes with PSE, or a variation of the stock exhaust as standard. (chrome twin round 3.5" tips). I do not have Sports Chrono (so no sports button) and no Exhaust Open/Closed button within the car. I have been loving the car so far, however I went out for a drive tonight and the exhaust seems to be much quieter than usual? I have never heard of an issue like this so sorry if it is a very stupid of me! It was left sitting for around 48hrs, and it is approximately 9 degree Celsius and raining... if that makes any difference. I noticed that upon start up the exhaust seemed much quieter than usual, it didn't "roar" into life as usual. The sound at idle seems about normal when standing at the rear of the car (not that I have spent much time outside with the engine running), and I can feel airflow coming out both pipes so I assume a blockage is not the issue. The issue is most noticeable around town up to 30mph. Usually if I was in second gear around 1200 rpm and accelerated up to 30mph there would be a loud "burble" kind of sound produced from the exhaust however this appears to have gone completely. At times it seems almost as though there is no exhaust sound what so ever, and other times there is a very muffled sort of note produced but nothing like what it used to be. Does this sound like there could be an issue with the exhaust system, or am I just going prematurely deaf? Any help would be much appreciated! The exhaust note on this car is perhaps one of my favourite things about it, so this is stressing me out quite a bit!

Welcome to the site! I would recommend after your car has cooled down that you climb underneath the back and see what sort of exhaust you really have. Is it factory or aftermarket? If factory, does it have the vacuum actuators next to the mufflers attached to the pipes that are part of the sports exhaust? If you have a factory exhaust and no actuators then you don't have sport exhaust (and without a button on the dash you shouldn't have PSE but doesn't hurt to check if someone retrofitted one or aftermarket). Assuming all looks well underneath and no error codes are being tripped then I don't think there is much more you can do other than consider an aftermarket exhaust if you want different sound/performance. One issue you may have, but it almost always immediately trips a code, is if you had premature catalytic convertor material disintegration then that could "plug up" one side of your exhaust to some degree and change the sound. The problem is that it should almost certainly trip a check engine light in doing so, thus the odds of this being the culprit is remote at best. Let's start with figuring out what you have first!

Hi, Thanks for the response. I have just gone underneath and it appears to be the stock exhaust system (not PSE). fitted with PSE Chrome tips (factory fitted). There are no dash errors. This obviously rules out any issues that could be linked to the PSE, however I am still at a loss as to how the sound has changed so dramatically? Could a crack/leak somewhere be causing this, yet still be pushing through pressure for it to "feel" normal when placing my hand over the tips while at idle revs? Thanks again for any assistance you can provide.

Change of Gas? Brand or Octane?

Fuel is still the same - Using 99 octane (Momentum 99, Tesco - UK). Update - I noticed a loud suction sound coming from the centre of the engine on my way home from work. It occurs when I "blip" the throttle for a split second, but not under continuous throttle. Can be heard at idle or while moving. I took the engine cover off and the "Phssh" sound is actually very loud! I do not think this could be normal intake sound? Fairly sure this did not happen before... Could this be a vacuum leak? This could possibly explain the lack of exhaust sound. Failing that a Cat issue/blockage? This was suggested above and would make a lot of sense despite the lack of an error lights. Is there an easy way to check this out as the culprit? Thanks,