2006 987.1 Cayman S Newb

Hello folks. I've had this car for a month now. I've committed to celibacy and keeping it stock--let's see how long that lasts. I'm enjoying this car so much. I've had a Shelby GT500 chase me through Las Flores Canyon (in Malibu), and it was a bizarre experience...I didn't turn off the PSM, which made the car feel like it was driving through mud. It slowed me down, but it probably prevented me from hurtling off the cliff. I'm still learning lol. This is simply an introduction to my car and my experience. This picture was taken at dawn on Angeles Crest Highway. This picture portrays how I feel driving this car. I'm hovering over the clouds, looking over the landscape of my life lol. I love this car.

Welcome and congratulations. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Nineteen inch wheel and black is my way of things, congratulations! In the weirdest way there is really nothing like a 987 Cayman. There will be faster cars, more advanced, prettier, but nothing will really hit this formula again. Cheers!

Ahh yes the 987… cool design. Some angles I love some angles look like they finished it at 4:45pm on a Friday… there really just a mid engine 997. didn’t have a true identity until the 718. The one thing I wish I could change is a flush rear hatch (like the 981), that would help… best sports car for the money tho.

A flush rear hatch would ruin one of the sexiest parts of the entire design, that is uniquely cayman/Boxster, this gorgeous rear fender.

I’m talking about the hatch itself (cayman only)..

I disagree. The recessed hatch adds some visual distinction. The smooth hatch and roofline on a 981 or 718 reminds me of a Panamera.

Just an opinion… I don’t hate the hatch line I just like the 981 a little more. The 987 back does have some 964 lines to it, Which I love!

Oh I think I see what you mean now, that little raised lip around the hatch on 987 cayman, it integrates a bit better on the 981. Well that was their first gen attempt at turning the Boxster into a fixed roof hatchback, so that makes sense it got cleaner eventually. The 986 Boxster design has a few warts that got cleaned up too in the 987 Boxster.

Exactly… it’s not bad tho… this is that sunk area..

Thank you! It's been fun as hell!

Yeah, I feel like 2006 was a crucial transition, and I'm glad I got in before the big changes! I used to have a 600whp Z32 before this car. Although hp was a drastic drop, the handling and overall behavior of the car on turns is a whole different experience. Loving it!

Yes, for the money. If I had 70k, well...maybe I would be posting about my custom configured 718. Or who knows, maybe not. I'm utterly thrilled and happy with this car and happy to be a part of this community.

tkim14, a Wavetrac LSD would allow you to keep your PSM engaged, while not hitting the electronic nannies that reduce engine power. This works up to a point where the yaw factor comes into play. So, in your canyon driving, if you do not exceed 8 degrees of slip angle, you will have full power. Its a great addition. And you made a great choice in a mid engine sports car.

When it comes to the recessed hatch, Pinky Lai who designed the car, did it to exaggerate the "hill and valley" feature between the hatch and the rear fenders, quite difficult on a car this small and short. He is also well known for making designs look slippery and smooth, which in my opinion perfectly reflects the Porsche philosophy, and kicked the brand into a new era. For sure he needed to compromise using some existing Porsche parts, but not much in my opinion, and some distortion makes the car look more interesting. This is the bathtub that Ferdinand Porsche would approve!

This is a fantastic suggestion for upgrades. I have a list lol. Thank you!

I made a few mistakes in the up grades over time, but adding the Wavetrac has not had any downside of this date. The numerous modifications all seem to have plus and minus results. Its trying to make all of these upgrades work together. Its a job with the engine, suspension, brakes, cooling, and in the M97's case, keeping the engine from bore scoring and #6 rod bearing from scaring in high G corners due to lack of oil pressure. So, the take away is use the best oil you can find and change it at 3500 miles. Oh yes, do not exceed 7000 rpm or all the other stuff you did will be lost in a roller for sale. Yes, I have had a few mistakes downshifting along the way, but so far, the rod bolts are still together. Happy motoring, as you will forget about these issues after a few weeks as the motor keeps working as it should. At least it has for me.

If I track it I will definitely tinker with mods. Your list of mods is impressive. I'll use it as a template to make some changes. Thanks!

I had the Porsche Motorsports 987 AOS installed. I have not had a problem to date with this unit. I went through 2 OEM type AOS as the windage plate attached to the deep sump LN conversion does allow some oil to wash up the side walls as the plate covers most of the sump to prevent oil from the sump coming up. I called LN to see if they could stamp mini dams in the windage plate to prevent this standing oil from moving around. Their reply was most of the oil goes down into the sump not up the walls, so just change to the Porsche Motorsports 987 AOS. I did this and have had no problems since its installation 2 years ago. I would get the deep sump soon followed by the Motorsports AOS. Then figure out how often you are going to track the car. Certainly a 3 radiator will help as well as a 996 oil/water heat exchanger.will work well together. If you do track a lot certainly pick up a power steering fluid cooler. However, before these mods, I would think about keeping the outside tire shoulders from coring. This requires adjustable LCA's to improve the camber. Currently, my car is setup with -2.9 f and -2.4 r. I also have slight toe out in front and slight toe in in the rear. Along the way adjustable swaybars will be needed to keep the weight transfer under control. You can see my choices of this equipment in my bibliography. So far, the inner shoulders have not worn away with this camber after almost 2 years on old RE71R that have too many hieat cycles to use as race tires. Just think about these mods carefully before installing. It tempting to get the cheapest available, but I've found that good quality Tarett products go a long way in preventing product failures and road rattles from very hard bearing material. This harden material prevent the lower control arms from moving around, slightly changing the alignment, either over bumps, braking, accelerating or cornering. My use was 15% track and 85% daily. If your use is 5% track and 95% daily, I would use rubber bearing material to cushion the ride. You will be giving up some turn in but that's the trade off. Preventing NVH is the always the trade off.

I am about to install the LN deep sump om my 2008 987.1 and I replaced the AOS awhile back with the OEM unit. The Motorsports AOS with the modified hoses is around $2K, so this is not good news. Perhaps someone could figure out how to make these for $100 with a 3D printer, as $2K seems steep even for Porsche. I can testify that replacing the OEM unit was truly a pain, as I broke one of the cheezy plastic hose connectors in the process. (Take my advice and don't do that.)

After replacing 2 of these OEM models and blowing smoke all over the staging area, I figured that I did not want to be thought of as the guy that blew up his 987. So, I bite the big one. Yes you can modify the 996 Porsche MotorSports version, that works almost as well. They are not exactly the same internally as the 987 model has a more robust filament to withstand oil wash downs cracking, but still do fail over time. Another way to look at this problem is the 996 version certainly will work much better than the OEM version, so I would go that direction. There are modification videos of the 996 MotorSports AOS made to fit the 987 with google search engines. Seems one side of the AOS will hit a support bracket so a little trimming will do the job. These old videos were removed from P9 last year and are no longer supported here.

Yes, I have seen videos and photos of the modifications to make the 996 version work. There is no free lunch. It is a pity that much of the instructional material has been removed from this forum. I find broken links frequently.

That's the web sites progress? Supposedly, these old files require a lot of developers time to transfer to this platform after a complete renewal of software a couple years ago. Google actually can find the original if you are spot on with the correct wording in the search engine. If you are good at using small grinder tools, I'm sure you can make the 996 unit work. Just be careful not to crack the plastic AOS case. I think the 996 Motorsports AOS are sourced for $900 vs $1800 for the 987 model. The only replaceable item here is the vacuum hose between the AOS and the GT3 78mm throttle body plenum. My shop used rubber, which over time became saturated with oil, but was not leaking air vacuum. Just replaced it do to gue like exterior of the hose. I found replacements in an AutoZone back room with all the hoses on the wall. Found one with the correct 90 degree corners and correct size on both ends. Purchased a couple, The connection to the 987 Motorsports AOS is not friendly to a rubber hose, so careful banding is needed to prevent vacuum leaks.