Cayman 3800S -- 3.8L engine swap?

Anyone thinking about putting a 3.8L 997 engine their Cayman?

If you check the Boxster/Cayman file on www.6speedonline.com you will find a report from someone who dropped a 3.8 into a Boxster and is very pleased. Wouldn't it be a similar installation for a Cayman? Anyway, I asked my dealer if I could order the Cayman without an engine and the answer was a definte 'no.' One of the dealer's agents said that the Cayman was not designed to take the additional power/torque. Knowing Porsche, I don't believe that even a little bit.

I've contacted RUF to get more information on their 3.8L Boxster S conversion, and their thinking/planning for Cayman S. I will post here and in the Cayman Newsletter when I get their reply.

hey man thats bullcrap, everymagazine in the world that drove the cayman says this car, with this kind of chasis can easly handle another 100 hp. Cyaman has one of the if not the strongest and stiffest chasis on porsche line ( I am sure GT is pretty stiff, but i am talking about real life porsche's here)

the speed limit in my local town in the uk is 20mph, im happy with 295bhp.

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr id="quote" noshade="noshade" height="1" /> hey man thats bullcrap, everymagazine in the world that drove the cayman says this car, with this kind of chasis can easly handle another 100 hp. Cyaman has one of the if not the strongest and stiffest chasis on porsche line ( I am sure GT is pretty stiff, but i am talking about real life porsche's here) <hr id="quote" noshade="noshade" height="1" /></blockquote> I don't think the chassis is the problem........the tranny, clutch, and other drivetrain parts may be suspect. Porsche does build stout equipment, but more than once I've seen a 'sure its good for 500 HP tranny'grenade with little more than stock power. Porsche matches components and then throws in aslightsafety margin just like most other manufactures do. They don't put transmissions built for400 HP in a 295 HP car,that would be nonsense. A lot of Boxsters that have had larger engine transplants are those that have had the original engine blow or wear out........then it might be to some benefit. I can't see taking a new Cayman with a good warranty and tossing it all out with an engine swap. Edited by - Atlas_Croc on 10/01/2005 10:59:14 AM

<div style="text-align: left;"><sub /></div> The 3.8L 997 swap is insane.....but considering RUF charges 40K USD I'D rather mod the 3.4L

I believe RUF also does conversions. Looking at the Boxster, they ask 13K for a swap

yo can any where yo want with hp... Gemballa is offering tranny's mod for the 997... but I aint sure if the two cars have the same tranny I read one of the Porsche's press talkin which state the car has no problem with swepping the engine of Turbo or even GT2

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Grant, They do, although some internals are different and of course the tranny is reversed but I'd wager the Cayman S tranny could easily handle 400bhp.

I 'been working with Porsche mods all my life, and I can attest that the 6speed will hold 600hp without no problem, the only mod that I do is install a good oil cooler to the tranny and use a good oil (Royal Purple), there some issues with the 2-3rd gear synchros, but that can be easely be resolved with steel ones,this is just my second post,in the future it could become very interesting.,cheers,Sonny..

I wanna hear more from Sonny, as I have been eagerly searching for any info regarding just such matters as Trans, synchros, gears, and blowing stuff to pieces. My two cents as follows: if you were crazy enough to order the Tiptronic, don't waste your time with ANY engine mods, that trans will blow. A former client bought a 996 Cab new and detonated his Tiptronic trans with NO mods whatsoever. I still don't know how he did it. The 3.8 Ruf swap is almost $40K, but includes all labor, all new RUF parts go fast exhaust, cats, manifold, etc. A brand new stock Porsche sourced 3.8 crated block utilizing special mounts to lower the engine, is the key. Price also includes a full day at the track as a part of their package, I was told. The process takes a few weeks.

Farnbacherloles, located in Danbury, CT is offering conversions for the Cayman S. They have a EuroCup nose with a 997 design that eliminatesthose awful driving lights and adds a third oil cooler plus downforce. Theyalso offereither a 3.8 S engine with 375 bhp or the 3.8 X 51 with 405 bhp. It didn't take long for a quality tuner to answer this question.

Why even bother spending all that money to swap out for the 3.8L? I believe there is plenty of 'hidden' HP in the3.4L, that I think some good mods willget it to 335hp maybe even more. Guys this is PLENTY ofHP for this light weight car. I've read 4.8-5.0 0-60 times and fairly good 1/4 mile times. As quick as the car is now, with that increase it will blow away the competition and just about evey 911 on the track except the GT2. I think you guys that are thinking about a swap to the 3.8L are crazy, UNLESS you find a wrecked 911and can get the the motor at a cheap price but I doubt it. Or if you have a boat load ofmoney to tinker around.

I have just finished working w/ 9ff on some power upgrades for my Cayman. I cannot figure out how to attach their document, but the hp gains are interesting. They show that w/ their ECU modifications and complete exhaust package, that you will achieve a 40hp increase. With sport cams, an additional 15hp, totaling 55hp increase. This company isalways conservative w/ their hp ratings. They point out that the 12hp ECU gain is proof that porsche has held this car back. Thetechs at 9ff are tight w/ the porsche engineers,andthey get the right programing tooptimize performance straight from the factory.

>>This company isalways conservative w/ their hp ratings. They point out that the 12hp ECU gain is proof that porsche has held this car back. Thetechs at 9ff are tight w/ the porsche engineers,andthey get the right programing tooptimize performance straight from the factory.<< . Mapping out an increase of 12 hp, which is a 4% gain doesn't really mean Porsche was 'holding back'. Also, what does the re-mapped torque curve look like? If it loses that glorious flat plateau that spans over 2,000 rpm, then I'd approach the change with caution. Paul

jpcayman, Is this an electronic document? If so, perhaps you could e-mail the document to K-Man S and he could post so that we can all see the details. I believe that many of us would like to see this document in complete detail. Thanks.