295hp vs 291hp

Some of the last reviews out are quoting 291hp for EU spec Caymans. While we are seeing 295hp in the US specs. Could this be indicative of the different, more agreesive exhaust we are getting in the US versus EU? JHellow

What you normaly see is the reverse. The EU norm is PS instead of bhp where PS is always marginaly higher than bhp. So we get the press confusing 295 PS with 295 BHP, where 295 PS is actualy 291 BHP. That doesn't explain the confusion here, though. Jack

The US spec is very definitely an hp spec and the EVO article quotes bhp. Also, maximum hp in the EVO article is 50 rpm below the US spec. Very curious. JHellow

For what it's worth, I've had some experience with dynos.... If you take 10 specimans of the same engine they vary around 5 percent. I'll also bet that Porsche's stated number is toward the bottom of the variance range...

Chris: I am sure the EVO number is not a number measured by EVO. It had to be provided by Porsche. I have seen a couple of EU articles that use 291. I am speculating that the EU engine is a different specification than the US engine, because of different exhaust systems. We in the US have always been at the short end of HP on European cars. It would be great in this instance if the reverse were true. JHellow JHellow

Please could someone extract and post where this apparent info on different exhaust systems actually came from? Funny how no other magazine or tester pre or post production has never mentioned this? I think it's rubbish as what's been said above the US are usually on the lower end of the difference (if any) on most brands of sports car in my experience anyway. Is the current 911 different like this for US bound cars? I think a relatively low volume production set-up like Porsche would just produce one model that fits all as not to get into any manufacturing variants which would just confuse the matter and slow the process up... they're not even putting crests in the head restraints for the first batch so do you really think they'll be bothered with the manufacture and costs of different exhaust systems? I ain't convinced, sorry. This is just a simple case of PS vs BHP as usual I guess (though still incorrect) as 295BHP (as stated on EU and USPorsche AG web pages)is 299.09765 PS so keep dreaming my US cousins across the pond as all our CaymanS' will be the same under the skin! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wink_smile.gif Dean Edited by - V6 TT on 10/05/2005 3:38:37 PM Edited by - V6 TT on 10/05/2005 3:40:05 PM

...oops! mpollard has already extracted the said text from the article - hmm, the only way this could be true is if EU noise regs are greater than the US but would they still produce 2 different exhaust systems to givethe USa better sound? They may have made just 1 version where the EU one gets a solenoid operated'flap' in thepipeaka 3.2TT, Ferrari, etc. which can easily be disengaged? Curious - it may be just speculation on the journalists part. Lots of mpegs flying around once we take delivery me thinks! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wink_smile.gif .......tbc Dean Edited by - V6 TT on 10/05/2005 3:59:30 PM Edited by - V6 TT on 10/05/2005 4:05:38 PM

V6 TT: Did you think I was making up the Motor Trend piece? As to different US and EU specs, I have no prior experience with Porsche, the Cayman will be my first, but ask any BMW M3 owner from the 90's how we in the US were short changed on engines. Even Ford products in GB faired better than we did in the US. JHellow

...no no no - god no, as if (did it sound like?), not aimed at anyone in particular it's just all I've heard over the past few days with no one posting the article. So by that rationel then, why would Porsche of all companies do the reverse in this instance is all I'm saying? Seems odd and as no ones come back with 'well they already do it with the current flagship 911 US model' then I guess the guys actually writing the article may be mixed up a little (or bull****ting, sorry I mean speculatingin this instance) Dean

i doubt that anyone here could feel the difference between 291 & 295bhp, and anyway who cares this is going to be 1 seriously fast car.

Confused is correct. I will not be tracking my Cayman, so it matters not to me.

I remember reading the same thing in a recent article (I've read so many I can't remember which it's in) that the US, for the first time, will get a louder sounding exhaust than the EU spec Cayman S. And this is why the US has 295 vs. 291 for the EU. I'm certain that the performance difference is hardly noticeable.

...probably the same article. I'm sure it is hardly noticeable, if at all (well if it's actually true that is!), but why did they state this for such a small increase? Don't believe the hype - both official Porsche UK an US sites state exactly the same specs - these things just bug me. Perhaps they need to sell more in the US market and dropped the reporter a few dollars to say it to make the yanks think they were getting more for their money and one over on the Europeans? /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/taunt.gif If I'm wrong I'll drill a few holes in my exhaust, that should increase the dB rating a bit! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/wall.gif I'll drop the subject now - case closed me thinks! /fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/crazy.gif Dean

I just found my Motor Trend November issue and all it says is, "For a change, the US Market version gets a more aggressive exhaust note than do Euro Spec cars." It does NOT say this is why the US has 295 vs. 291. It's an interesting question, fun to debate but believe me, like all of you, when our cars arrive wherever they are we will have huge smiles on our faces!

I believe that the reason the US normally get lower output motors is to meet the more stringent California emmissions regs. Would this be correct? Jack

JackWood ' I believe that the reason the US normally get lower output motors is to meet the more stringent California emmissions regs. Would this be correct?' It depended on the manufacturer and the market. I would guess that for Porsche and BMW, California emissions was the tail the wagged the dog in the US because Cal. was and still is so much of there market here. In the old days, Mercedes and some other EU manufacturers had 49 state cars and Cal cars. Since we are now one happy global ecology this is no longer an issue and emissions requirements are relatively uniform throughout the EU and US. JHellow

It might be true that manufacturers that sell a small quantity of cars globally would build them to the most restrictive emissions standards, now that they have figured out how to do that without sacrificing performance. Besides emissions standards, however, there are plenty of other new automotive standards that countries and states have set. See the site below for a discussion of standards in Europe pertinent to this discussion. <div style="LEFT: 328px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 375px"><nobr>The <span class="goohl1">Automotive[/quote] Regulatory Framework</nobr></div> <div style="LEFT: 328px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 406px"><nobr>of the Next 10 Yea</nobr></div> http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Gjp1x0Zj8OIJ:europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/automotive/pagesbackground/competitiveness/stakeholder_consultation/t_e.pdf+european+automotive+standards+noise&hl=en Being a European manufacturer and selling vehicles in Europe, Porsche must meet the noise and pedestrian collision standards in Europe. Porsche also wants to be competitive in the American market where the horsepower wars has revived the interest in the exhaust note of performance vehicles. So it is perfectly understandable that the North American spec cars will be delivered with a sweeter exhaust note than the vehicels being sold in Germany. Having said that, no authoritative source on the Cayman S, that I am aware has talked about a difference in horsepower in models slated for different markets. What I have seen are many mistakes in articles about the Cayman S.We cannot determine whether these mistakes are due to the author or a less informed editor. Every publication I read includes a small section correcting previously published statements that were in error.

Regulatory Framework</nobr></div> <div style="LEFT: 328px; POSITION: absolute; TOP: 406px"><nobr>of the Next 10 Yea</nobr></div> http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:Gjp1x0Zj8OIJ:europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/automotive/pagesbackground/competitiveness/stakeholder_consultation/t_e.pdf+european+automotive+standards+noise&hl=en Being a European manufacturer and selling vehicles in Europe, Porsche must meet the noise and pedestrian collision standards in Europe. Porsche also wants to be competitive in the American market where the horsepower wars has revived the interest in the exhaust note of performance vehicles. So it is perfectly understandable that the North American spec cars will be delivered with a sweeter exhaust note than the vehicels being sold in Germany. Having said that, no authoritative source on the Cayman S, that I am aware has talked about a difference in horsepower in models slated for different markets. What I have seen are many mistakes in articles about the Cayman S.We cannot determine whether these mistakes are due to the author or a less informed editor. Every publication I read includes a small section correcting previously published statements that were in error. [/quote] ...now this guy is talking some sense - well done you!