Traction Control...On or Off?

Confession... I have never driven my 987.1 S hard without the traction control on. Weird, because I think 30 years ago, I would have never turned something like that on in the first place. So, before I decorate some concrete barrier with a little Atlas Gray Metallic, what's the consensus? Does it make a significant difference; do drivers with legit race experience turn that noise off, and are people like me basically missing the party running with it on all the time? How bad can it get??

"How bad can it get?".... lol. but seriously, everyone drives their cars differently with different personal limits, in different conditions, different surfaces etc. I don't turn it off on the road and while I do on occasion see the traction light come on if I'm getting up it, I don't feel like thats really detracting from my enjoyment of the drive.

I run at the track with traction control completely off and have for 30 years. None of my race cars even have traction control. On the street you really shouldn't be getting into traction control IMHO. I've also watched a novice driver at the track wad up a brand new 991 because someone told them to turn the traction control off. My suggestion and to Apexhunter's point, it's just not intrusive on the street. So leave it on. At the track push deep into the TC and see what it does. Then turn it off and start exploring boundaries in a controlled manor. Don't turn it off and go full send...

Agreed, it's not intrusive on the street, so why turn it off. I will admit, there are a few places I turn it off to see if I can swing out the tail a bit... but then I turn it back on. It's good to know where the threshold/limit is, after all! That being said, also note that from what I've heard, "off" is not really COMPLETELY off. It will still kick in, just later. If you're really good at hooning the car, this can be quite a surprise - I had a friend with a BMW and he thought off was off... but when it kicked in he was (intentionally) sideways and having it kick in then is very surprising and dangerous, because the car thinks you want to go into the center of your arc! Again, from what I've heard, the Porsche is the same way... so just beware! (I've never gone that far to test it.)

Turning the TC off in a non RS Porsche gets you some leeway but it will kick back on mid corner if it thinks you're getting too far out of whack. You can disable an ABS sensor to turn it completely off but you lose ABS too. Almost all of the cars we setup for the track use motorsport ABS which disables the OEM TC completely. The problem with the OEM system from my experience is that when you turn it off hoping it will kick back on if you get too far over you skis, is it's sometimes too far gone to save. Hence the 991 I mentioned. It lawn darted into a berm and besides completely totaling the car, it literally broke the motor off of the transmission. I digress.... TC good for the street. TC good for the track if you are new and unsure of where the limits are TC (OEM) bad for track if you are competent or racing

One thing you might try is some autocross where you can get a good feel of the limits of the car with traction control off.

Another P9 user thankfully left TC on recently, or would have spun off the track. YMMV: https://www.planet-9.com/threads/hello-planet-9.257144/?post_id=2240148#post-2240148

I decided to do an autocross to learn my car after I'd had it for a year. I realized that the traction control was causing hesitation in the corners. I picked up seconds by turning it off. Now I almost always turn it off, unless its raining

I’ve never written this but simply had to reply to maybe save someone else’s bacon. I drove my ‘07 987 base 5 spd for 225k miles on my every day commute over a mountain in northern NY (13 Winters). It wasn’t my first Cayman . In Cayman #1 (exact same spec!), one day coming home from work on a wet day, I decided to explore the limits (TC off) on this long sweeper that I drove every day. I thought I would just jerk the wheel and get a feel. Now looking back, I think some painted lines might have helped send me but I lost it in a moment. Full lock. I went off in a freshly cut inside of the curve. It was a field of 8-12” diameter stumps cut about 8” tall. Totaled my car without a scratch on it. I had driven that car 5k miles but had never done that in a parking lot or safe place. Now I’m ending my second Winter in my ‘15 981 base 😃. No shenanigans 😌.

I'm in sunny San Diego where if it does rain, its all in one day, so that day I leave the TC on, lol!

Thank you Joshua for the "off is not off" information as this was news to me. I AutoX with TC off and have spun my 981CS while doing so. Usually from getting on the throttle too soon out of a tight corner. I have also lost it while breaking too late or over driving a slalom. I have been able to correct these mistakes in most cases. (No I don't "loose it" on every run. ) Back in the no nanny days with my 1984 RX-7 once your over the edge your on a ride. The experience with TC off in the Cayman isn't any different. On the street TC is always on. I know where my limits are from running AutoX with TC off, but never get close to that on the street. But if I ever have to deal with an emergency move on the street, I think my understanding of my limits will be of help.

Nothing wrong with playing it safe, but turning off traction control can definitely change the driving experience—especially in a mid-engine car like the 987.1 S. It allows more throttle control and rotation but also demands more skill, especially on the limit. Many experienced drivers will turn it off in controlled environments (like a track) to get the most out of the car. If you're used to the assists, maybe start with Sport mode (if equipped) before going fully off. Have you considered trying it in a safe, open space first to get a feel for how the car reacts

The benefit of a mid-engined car is that it rotates quickly. The downside of a mid-engined car is that it rotates quickly when you don't want it to.

I kept TC on always for the first several months I had my CS, including 3 autocross events before I started trying it without. I spun pretty dramatically a few times at autocross, but after that, the car is much quicker and feels significantly better in corners. I leave it on for commuting though.

I think this is key wisdom - you can't know the limit until it's crossed. I'm keeping TC on until I can drive the car somewhere I can find that point without risking the car, or worse.

I left it on at my first track day with the 987.2 . It came in handy on a set of esses, when I came into them too hot on a couple laps(with old hard tires ). For street driving I would never turn it off unless I was trying to do a burnout or some drifting/power sliding shenanigans. It's less intrusive than other systems I have used before and still allows for a pretty quick pace before getting involved. With that said, as I become more familiar with the car and it's limits, I will turn it off on the track when my lap times become consistent and I am looking to trim my time.