Gearing Up for Long Term 987CS Ownership

Although this is my 2nd 987 and I've already had it since July of 2022, I figured I'd start up a thread I'll regularly update with modifications and maintenance notes during my (planned) long term ownership of this car. As I mentioned above, this is my 2nd 987 - I had my first car, an '07 Cayman Base 5MT in Speed Yellow. My ownership unexpectedly came to an end as I met with an accident during a rainstorm, totalling out the car. Life happened, and although I kept an eye on the 987 market, nothing special really popped up till July of 2022, when I stumbled across a 34,000 mile '06 987CS 6MT in Seal Grey. Although the listing was short and the car was located a few hours away from me, I figured I'd send the seller a message and see what came of it. After a short FaceTime video of the car and coming to a prenegotiated price, I booked a PPI at Sublime Silverlake - the car passed with flying colours, with no signs of bore scoring, overrevs, or oil leaks. I flew down later that week to see the car in person, and after a short test drive, I drove the car back home to the Bay and took the car to my detailer for a 2-stage paint correction and full body ceramic coating . It seems that the car spent the majority of its life on the East Coast and Chicago prior to the previous owner's custody of the car - during that time, the car wasn't used very often but was fastidiously maintained (as revealed by CarFax) with 3,000 mile or yearly oil changes, whichever came first. As the drive from SoCal to the Bay ticked the odometer about 3,000 past the previous owner's oil change, I went ahead with changing the oil with LiquiMoly 0w-40. I also decided to go ahead and try LiquiMoly 's Engine Flush kit and Ceratech for that interval. Using CarFax also allowed me to track the history of ownership of my car - the car was originally custom ordered and sold by Porsche of Boston. Using VinAnalytics, the car was noted to be a 12/05 production car, so it's quite an early specification in the original production run of the 987.1CS. Not much was done after the ceramic coating and oil change until December of 2022, when I took the car out to its first track day at Buttonwillow. The car performed flawlessly, but as my pads were running thin and my rotors were lipped (both items noted in the PPI as "needed to be replaced soon" anyways), I decided to go ahead and splurge on upgrading the rotors from OEM cross-drilled to Sebro's slotted/vented rotors on all 4 corners. To complement this, I also switched from the OEM Brembo-Textar pads to Ferodo Racing's DS2500 compound - more on this later. Although the previous owner had several receipts of maintenance performed, including changing differential and transmission fluids in September 2021, there was no indication of a brake fluid flush. I took the opportunity to upgrade the fluid to the more robust Motul RBF600, paired with stainless steel lines. Overall, brake feel has significantly improved and it takes more heat/repeated heat cycling to experience any fade. My impression of the DS2500 pads, however, is not the greatest. As a hybrid street-track pad, it is great at neither - at high heat, brake force rapidly drops off, and at low heat, the optimal biting point is slightly deeper into the pedal than the OEM pads. I would recommend these for use at AutoX as they heat up quickly, but either a more aggressive pad for track use, or a more forgiving pad for street use. As I am a university student, I stored the car for most of December after my trackday at a friend's place until I returned from winter break. On my drive back to my apartment, the motor made a large bang, but drove fine. Upon further inspection, I found out that my belt tensioner pulley had shattered (likely from age), prompting me to get a replacement at a Porsche dealer. I had a serpentine belt on hand already, thankfully, from my previous big order from FCP for my brakes. January was also when I did my 2nd oil change, moving to RedLine 5w-50. I also installed LN Engineering's X51 Baffle and Deep Sump kit, as I plan on tracking the car more and am working towards solving most of the oiling issues the M97 motors face. Last week, my regularly scheduled oil change prompted a change to Motul 300V upon recommendation of Apex1, and my friend Cactu also switching to 300V - firsthand, I did notice his car get quieter, with less valvetrain ticking. I've only been driving around on 300V for a few miles, so I need to pay more attention to that difference. In January, I was also able to source and have HOUSE Automotive install PCCM+ in the car - it's made it a much more friendly daily, and I can't imagine life without CarPlay anymore (those bluetooth transmitters really suck!). The integration and fit/finish looks factory, and I highly recommend it to those who are looking for modern functionality while retaining an OEM look. More minor aesthetic additions include Clima Repair HVAC switches and an OEM red S badge from Suncoast, and I'm in the process of adding 7mm front and 15mm rear spacers to improve the exterior aesthetic of the vehicle. (Just waiting on the extended Numeric lug bolts to arrive). Next on the list are lowering springs as a holdover until I pick up a set of MCS or Moton coilovers for the car, paired with Elephant Racing camber plates and Tarrett's GT3 control arms - hoping to get the most on the track out of the car, so I'm sacrificing some streetability, but I am in the market for a 2nd car to daily regardless. I also managed to pick up the OEM 987 Roof Transport System from a friendly guy on ********, who also sold me his Guards Red 997 GT3 seat belts. I need to fix the driver's side assembly before I can install the pair, but I think they'll pair nicely with the big red calipers and the red S badging on the car. I've also bought 997 GT3 front brake ducting, which I need to get around to modifying and installing, and I've also got to pick up 997tt or 996GT2 rear ducting for the rear end of the car. I'm currently in the market for Numeric's SSK and shift cables - I recently drove a friend's 981 equipped with it and really enjoyed the precise shift feel, and driving my car back to back did ruin my factory shifter for me. Aside from that, an exhaust system is on the table, and I recently picked up an .stl file for GT4RS style quarter-window air ducts - I've got to buy a spare engine heat shield and carpet for my car that I can cut up and custom fabricate an airbox for before I can install those ducts, however. 18" wheels are also on the wishlist, although I've got to figure out a set I like other than BBS E88s and Apex's EC7RS. Today the car has just over 45,700 trouble free miles (knock on wood, of course), and continues to be a pleasure to drive. Here's how the car was after the initial ceramic coating: Here's how the car sits today (featuring Cactu's Cobalt Blue 987.1):

Good stuff. Pretty car! A comment on the serpentine belt. You say you got the replacement belt from FCP . There have been reports that aftermarket belts can induce vibrations that "confuse" the cars sensors. The solution is to get a Porsche OEM belt. But since you've put some good mileage on the car, this apparantly is not a problem for your car. Thanks for the detailed post.

Great thread, look fwd to reading your updates.

Great information, sweet ride. Curious, why the interest in 18" wheels?

Hi Harvey, thank you for the kind words. I ordered the OE Continental belt (not aftermarket, just the supplier for Porsche ) from FCPEuro . I am a fan of using mostly OE/OEM/OEM+ on my cars, granted I've strayed a bit further from that ethos with the addition of the aftermarket rotors and LN's deep sump kit.

Hey TorqueNut, I am using this car as a HPDE car, so the running costs of tyres on 18" wheels are significantly cheaper than 19" wheels. I also go to school in an area with less-than-perfect roads, so having more sidewall will also help with the ride of the car. Additionally, 18" wheels make the car appear lower to the ground, and the increased sidewall gives the car a more "meaty" look (refer to the picture of the Cobalt Blue 987.1 on 18" Apex SM-10s ). I plan on keeping the 19" wheels on hand, regardless. I love the lobsterclaws and they remind me of my old car - plus they are nearly as light as the 997 GT3 wheels!

likethebossiam-Hopefully you will get the full effects of the Motul 300V Competition product. I really like the competition 5W-40, but that's your local call. A couple of mods you are already doing is I would highly recommend the GT3 996 Cup front brake duct and the GT2 rear ducts, these really do their work well. I have the Tarett Race Cup LCA's, down links, GT Swaybars, but did go with Elephant front steering links and rear Toe links both with bumpsteer adjustments. If you are changing your motor mounts, I would highly recommend the Function First Orange insert and the Orange transmission mounts. Be aware that you most likely will also need to replace the OEM motor mount. Mine was totally shot at 40K. Lastly, if you are about gaining as much traction as possible out of the apex of the corner, check out the Wavetrac ATB LSD . It's an excellent product that has no clutches to wear out. It just quietly does it job. both in acceleration and engine braking. In that reguard, I also recommend a Sprint Booster to gain a little more punch out of the corners. Sprint Booster goes around the ECU with higher line voltage between the throttle and the throttle body. I found that the Wavetrac puts the ECU to sleep as no traction problems reduce the aggressiveness of the tune, so the Sprint Booster really wakes up the whole engine throttle. I use very thin soled driving loafers to get the best feel of the side of the pedal. Red 5 works well for me.

Thanks for the suggestions Apex1. I picked up the 5w-40 weight as that was the only one available on FCPEuro. I did give them a call, and they may bring 5w-50 in stock, which I do prefer because I am in CA and we have yearlong warmth. I was looking at the 996 Cup front brake ducts, but the cost for the 997 GT3 ducts made more sense for nearly the same effect and functionality. I am still undecided on the rears, but I am leaning heavily towards the 996 GT2 ducts versus the 997tt ducts as they seem to be more readily available and require less modification to make fit. As for Tarett and Elephant Racing gear, I am shopping around for new coilovers, so I will pick up LCAs, trailing arms, drop links, and camber plates from either of those two brands as I spec out my overhaul. Motor and transmission mounts are on my to-do list but I am leaning towards Wevo's semisolid engine mounts versus the press-in Function First mounts. I haven't decided and there aren't too many 987 owners in my area who have done either mod so I cannot try them out myself just yet. I also know you recommended the Wavetrac LSD to me in a different thread, but to be honest with you I haven't hit my skill cap with the car in its current configuration yet, so once I am thoroughly thrashing the car on this setup, I will consider making the move towards an LSD. This is also the first time I'm hearing about the Sprint Booster. I personally am not a fan of my 987's Sport Mode that comes with the Sport Chrono package, as I feel like it makes the car too sensitive to throttle input and ruins part of the daily driving. I will do some experimentation at my next trackday to see how Sport Mode improves my throttle modulation. Thanks for all the resources! P.S. - what brand of bike accessories do you use? I bought the 987 RTS and am not sure if Thule or Yakima's gear fits the crossbars. I would like to mount my MTBs and road bikes without removing the front wheel.

The front wheel is an issue with me. I take mine off due to the wind resistance going over 100. Also, some times I find my self sliding around back country corners that have dips that really sake the bike as chip seal is the method here of cheap roads. My front Colnago fork is very sturdy and kinda makes for a tripod angle to the rear tire. The interesting part is my bike fits under my garage door by about 1/2 inch to the rear ot the saddle so all that lowering and suspension work is paying off. I use Yakima. They have those support arms as well as Thule. Your choice. You probably can cut off part of the long center tube that overhangs the rear door. This is my bike mod, then race days, the OEM wheels/ Michelin PS4 's come off, bike rack off and now with Sprint Booster , I can go around the ECU . SB has 18 settings so you can find one that fits your style of track driving. I use Red 5. Makes down shifting a very rapid engine rpm match. Check it out as Sprint Booster gives a 30 day return if not satisfied .

Thanks, I'll look into Yakima first and then Thule. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to fork mount but I'm unsure about where I'd fit my front mtb wheels.

You will be surprised how much tire your frunk can handle. I too have a mountain bike and my tire fits fine. Although 2 29 wheels with knobby 2.4 will likely fit as well.

your car looks fantastic! enjoy in good health!

I started a similar thread and think it's a great idea to document your successes and failures with modifications and upgrades. The 06 to '08 Cayman is inadequate from the factory in two or three areas. The rest, it is brilliant. upgrading it is not an option as far as I'm concerned. speaking in terms of long-term ownership, of course. suspension will be the last thing I do because it is excellent already. The only upgrades there I will make involve camber.

Ha Aenea137, do not give up yet on the 987.1 model, it just requires a little more care long term. Motul V 300 competiton 5W40 seem to take care of the oil #6 rod bearing scaring. A larger 996 oil heat exchanger would help keep the oil within specs for that bearing as well. The LN deep sump with an x 51 baffle with windage plate will control the sump and a Porsche 987.1 MotorSports AOS will keep the heads and sump oil from being sucked out into the motor during engine braking. Once this is taken care of, you may have 200 hours of track time as Frank experiences. So use up those tires and mount RE71RS and a Wavetrac to give more traction out of the curves.

yeah, what you said. those are the required upgrades for LT ownership. and it's good to repeat that list often for anyone who isn't aware yet.

Thanks for the response! I know of and follow your thread as well. I am well aware of the M96 /7 critical issues and have made my peace with it. I live only a few minutes from Sharkwerks and am debating doing a 3.8L swap when the 3.4L in this car dies or I feel like making that financial commitment to drop the 3.4L out and sell it for a 3.8L swap. While I do have the 3.4L I have taken appropriate measures to compensate (to a reasonable degree, not completely bulletproof) the issues the 987.1 has. Hartech has just now released their 1.8qt deep sump kit which is capable of sustaining 1.8G's on the track (tested on an '05 Boxster S on slicks) and I am considering selling my LN Deep Sump to pick up the Hartech designed sump and baffles. LN has not released any datalogging of oil pressures, so from a data perspective, it may make sense to go ahead and swap to Hartech's kit.

Hartech is a little late to the party. I have used the LN deep sump, X51 baffle with windage plate, LN screw on screen filter, 996 oil cooler and Porsche Motorsports AOS for 5 years without issues. So if Hartech has data supporting 1.8 G and front and back acceleration and braking that's good to know. I do have a set of Hoosier A7 slicks, but not for long track high G work. The RE71RS may get close to 1.5 G's though. Do you have a picture of the new Hartech setup? I only could find the lower part of this model. No baffle? What is the cost?

I'll begin by saying that I am not affiliated with Hartech, but I am a firm believer in data-driven design, especially for consequences that extend to as far as needing a new motor. Unfortunately LN has not released any data with regards to oil pressures and cornering loads for their kit. Hartech's setup is $1650, I believe Slakker is selling them at the moment. Here is a link to the data, and in that Facebook thread there should be a link to a ******** discussion showing the entirety of the development data and a comparison to the LN Deep Sump kit in terms of oil pressures. ( www.facebook.com/groups/1072521640124726/permalink/1204929360217286/?mibextid=Nif5oz ) I don't have any pictures, but I can ask Hartech's development team via Facebook to see if they can provide any pictures.

so, one of the worst things you can do then is engine brake on a long sweeper? just kidding, I know there's no reason to ever do that. 😉

I hope more info will come from Slakker track development. Those graphs really do explain why so many M97's blow up while running with a standard sump/baffle. Now if Slakker can do a LN vs Hartech deep sump using the same data collection tool, that would be excellent. I would like to see the Slakker engine deep sump with the attached baffle. So Hartech windage plate has the baffles on the inside of the plate to let return oil into the lower chamber, but with a flapper (attached under the open holes with the set screws) to prevent it from moving up and out. The center baffle where the oil pickup is located is key here which is missing. Lastly, what about the swirl pots usage rather than straight return oil tubes. If this turns out to be correct data, that is repeatable, then for $1650, it is a steal. That was crazy G loading with good oil pressure. Does Slakker have Cayman 987.1 M-97 deep sump in stock now? (Now out of stock, but can be placed on back order list)

I'm in the same boat. Catching up on a bit of maintenance and getting the car track ready. I'm going to do what I can to keep the M97 happy and healthy. I've got quite a few more miles than the original poster (95,000). Purchased a year ago at 91,000 miles. So far I've done a brake overhaul (pads, fluid, lines, new rear rotors). Put in a new battery and AOS (OEM, not the fancy sport model just yet), and a fresh air filter and cabin air filter. I've bought 2 sets of wheels, and 3 sets of tires (18" summer/ Michelin Pilot Super Sport ), (19" all season/ Conti DSW06 Plus), (19" autocross/ Bridgestone RE71RS). I am hoping to get a performance alignment done soon. I'm trying to track down some specs to give the shop as a target. I am on stock suspension ( PASM ), with the exception of GT3 top hats in the front. I would like to add some sway bars and more adjustability in the future. I just received a new water pump, lower temperature thermostat, and serpentine belt. I've got a LN engineering 2qt deep sump oil pan and skid plate on the way. I will be doing an oil change with Driven DT40 oil. I would consider Motul once I am ready to do track days next year. I'm thinking that DT40 should be good enough for autocross and street use. I will be changing out the gear oil soon as well. Leaning towards using Motul 300 75/90. I'm sure that it hasn't been changed in quite a while. The car has a Quaife LSD added, Quaife states that using the factory spec gear oil is sufficient. The shifter cables will need to be changed soon as well. I'm hoping that I can hold off on those for a little while by shifting a bit gently. I'm also considering a short shifter at the same time. The shift feel is by far my least favorite part of the car. I'm hoping that the fresh gear oil is a good start. I'm thinking of getting the main hose that connects to the water pump, as well as possibly the serpentine belt tensioner to do at the same time as the water pump. The original poster had a tensioner go out at 1/3 the amount of miles that I am at. Is this a common issue or was that a bit out of the ordinary. If you guys see any maintainance items to do with the water pump/belt system that I am missing let me know. I'm hoping to get all of the easier not too expensive stuff done all in one shot.

So, Cactu, who has been following along with the Hartech development very closely, has informed me Hartech's kit re-uses the OEM plastic baffling (the one we switched for the metal flappers in LN's kit) and has built in baffles in the windage tray. It MAY be possible to re-use the LN metal X51 baffles, but I would need to ask Hartech myself to confirm fitment. I am also eagerly awaiting Slakker to test the LN and Hartech kit back to back on repeatable conditions. I believe you can order from Slakker by emailing them, or emailing Hartech/reaching out via Facebook.

Hi PNW, thanks for the response. Glad to see that you've been enjoying your car over the past year as well. It may be prudent, as per the original conversation, to use the Ultimate AOS instead of the OE Porsche Motorsports AOS - it seems that Hartech has done development on their deep sump kit using the Ultimate AOS and have obtained very positive results as indicated by the datalogging in the link I shared a few posts ago. You may also want to consider changing your transmission mounts to the OEM+ offering from Function First. They use new OEM mounts and refinish them with a different filling, and my friend who runs it on his 986S track car says it does help with the shift feel. Another alternative to Numeric's offering is the Rennline Precision SSK, which fits our cars, paired with the revised shift cables from Porsche. The belt tensioner has happened to a couple of us on the "What did you do to your Cayman today?" thread. I believe it is not a mileage issue, but an age issue. After 17-18 years, rubber and plastic is bound to degrade. Motor mounts and transmission mounts are also on my to-do list for this very reason. I am also going to be replacing all my pulleys to avoid shredding another serpentine belt.

Updated Rennist thread suggests that Swirl pots are recommended and that Hartech deep sump's oil channels inside the sump top cover are different between the two engines. Boxster/Cayman and 996/997. Can not see these channels, but they maybe reversed. No accusump was used during the trial and a 3 rd radiator was installed in the Boxster 986 3.2l as a modification. This discussion is on the Rennist 996 forum 1251937 oil pressure instability.

Is there a deep sump attachment for the oil pump pickup, seems that a lot of thought might be involved with a new pickup design. Sent in a PO for being added to the Hartech deep sump. Will be interested if Slakker responds.

For reference: Hartech Racing Sump 986/987.1 I'm a data nerd too. This looks very promising, and I prefer the single piece design as opposed to the spacer approach.

Slakker is out of inventory now, they are back ordered. There are a few questions to be answered, what length of oil pump pick up tube is used to get the right level inside the sump, Currently, I have the LN deep sump with a 3/4 inch spacer to push the pickup down to the same level as OEM while using the 3/4 inch sump spacer. Also can I use the X-51 baffle with metal doors. The second question is how much accusump direct injection into the oil pump is necessary for HPDE use.

I really don't want to use a accusump, and a UAOS. Maybe old fashion but i do get using 1 qt more oil to keep the oil pump pickup from sucking air.

@Apex1 , not sure if I am qualified to answer either of those questions. They may be best answered by Slakker or Hartech themselves. Returning to the original thread, unfortunately my 987 was involved in a minor fender bender last Friday. The front bumper is repairable, so it'll be getting reconditioned and repainted starting this Friday. Still awaiting my Numeric extended lug bolts to install spacers... getting impatient as it's been 14 days since I ordered the lug bolts but they have yet to ship out from Numeric.

That daily driving can be painful sometimes. Others are quite joyful. I'm not sure what happened on ******** and the oil thread. Seems that Slakker as deleted a post and nothing except for the moderator, Some previous posts about Hartech being banned from posting. Not sure what that is all about. The oil sump looks great and hopefully Slakker will post a trail of the Hartech vs LN on the same race course. I'm fine staying with the Porsche Motorsports AOS as its membrane is thicker than the Porsche genuine AOS . Either way, seems the Hartech sump really does not add oil to the intake like in the past with the LN windage plate. I have sent Slakker a personal message Friday to get on his list. Ordered mine today. No ship date yet.

Shows up as in stock as of this moment. Was out of stock when I posted it last time.

I really like the Tarett Cup LCA's. That's what make that photo work at -2.9 in front camber. I have recently gone done to -2.7 f and -2.5 r with RE71RS's. I have to admit that the Michelin SP4's are a fantastic tire for everyday driveability. The difference is the sidewall is so much stiffer with the RE71RS.

Update to the front bumper damage - my Porsche club unanimously recommended me to a guy in SoCal who says that the damage to the bumper can be reconditioned and repaired, so I don't think I'll need a new bumper. Car should be back in my custody next Friday. F6M/ Numeric finally sent my extended lug bolts this week! Hoping to throw them on the car next week. Hopefully May will be a smoother month for ownership than April has been.

Got the car back earlier this week and the job turned out great. The shop paint matched the little splitters to Seal Grey and it made the front end of the car the slightest bit more aggressive. I'm a big fan. The Numeric extended lug bolts also came in late last week so I took the time to clean up the wheels and install the 7mm front and 15mm rear spacers that I had picked up several weeks ago. I'm much happier with how the car sits now in terms of stance. It needs to be properly lowered on coilovers, but that's going to be a later modification.

Front 997 GT3 brake ducts have been installed! I've always heard they need to be modified to fit, but it seems like these just clipped on with no issues. Shopping around for some decent deals on 996 GT2 or Cup rear brake ducts now. Hopefully brake temps will be slightly better with sustained heavy braking, which remains to be seen at my next HPDE event.