I drove a friend's 997s cabriolet yesterday with sport chrono and the sport exhaust system. It was a lot of fun, really fast and so easy to drive, very different from a 993. The rear weight bias was not immediately noticeable to me whereas its seems very apparent in a 993.



I still have 2 months to go before my cayman s arrives, so couldn't directly compare how fast the 997s is, compared to the cayman s. I know the official stats from porsche are 4.7sec and 5.1 for the 997s cab and cayman s, respectively, but how noticeable or useful is this advantage on a daily basis? Anyone out there who's familiar with both the 997s and cayman s?



The 997s was extremely fast, but the sensation of speed was not very dramatic. It was so effortless and I felt that I was barely taxing the engine. I know the current M3 is about 0.4 seconds slower to 60, but that car always gave me the sensation that I was accelerating really quickly and that the engine was maxing out. How does the sensation of speed compare among the cayman s/997s/m3?

After owning several Porsches I have found them all to be 'effortless' in the speed department......like you always have plenty in reserve. It has a lot to do with them usually being lighter than most of the competition andbeing 'underated' in the HP department. If Porsche says the engine will make 295HP you can best believe it will make at least that.....and often more.Can't say I have felt the same with other brands.......including BMW where actual HP can vary a lot. I have seen a lot of stock M3's make around 265 net HP at the rear wheels which translates intoeither a 20% drivetrain loss or some phantom gross HP numbers. Maxacceleration in an M3 is araucous event with lots of engine and exhaust noise....even when compared to Cayman / 997.......maybe it's because the Porsche just sounds a lot smoother doing it.


Easy to drive fast is also another Porsche trait......one that usually keeps them tops in any comparison......even those where they weren't the fastest in a straight line.


A 997S in any form is going to be faster in just about every situation over a Cayman S with equal drivers......just because it has the extra muscle to do it, but if you put this same engine in the Cayman it would easily come out on top. In stock form either is very quick for street driving.


You are going to have to make your own decision which one you like driving the best.......the Cayman is a very quickscalpelwhere the911is more like a fast hammer. You really can't lose with either.....

I don't remember how fast my M3 is in stock form. The Cayman is a solid drive. Compared to a 997 S cabriolet, I don't know, but the difference in speed shouldn't be that much different. Now if you tested a Turbo...

__________________

Mike
2006 Midnight Blue Cayman S

I have not driven a cab only a standard 997s,It felt considerably quicker with less revs than a cs, but was far more clumsy less sharp and less sporty. J

Thanks guys for your thoughts. It's been a long wait for my cayman and I keep getting tempted by other cars including the 997s which was one of the cars I was also considering. The speed is intoxicating, but ultimately it's the mid-engine dynamics of the cayman that sold me. Still, more hp is always tempting.

I happened to take a 996 non-S,same color as Sally in CARS, for a spin in the back roads this weekend on an early morning. The sound is muted inside the cabin. Reminds me of the original 2.0 liter VW with high performance carbs. I have to admit that it takes off hard from the hole andalmost as fast as my Cayman. As I rip it in the esses,it feels like the car's rear is about to dance. The996 that I drove doesn't have any PSM buttonand no cup holder. The car'ssuspension packageis softer compared to my cayman but it is also a thrill to drive in the straights. The clutch is more stiffand the engine doesn't rev as fast as the cayman. As I was approachinga turn that's a little more than90 degrees, I tapped the brakes,feathered thethrottle with my heel and put it on 2nd gear. I punched it after theturn and all of a sudden the rear started to sway to the right and I started to apply more throttle and the car just catapulted as if I was doing an all wheel drive lunch on my EVO 8. I'm not sure if the PSM kicked in because there is no PSM button on this car. I got scared for a second because my EVO and my Cayman did notdo this on the same road. But in any case, it is indeed also a fun car. Just have to be more aware of what it's doing.
Edited by - amgevoman on 09/05/2006 11:15:04 AM

Edited by - amgevoman on 09/05/2006 11:16:40 AM

Get both of 'em!