I’m looking to start research on getting a trackable Cayman. Think 981 Cayman S, but my issue is how do you figure out common problem areas or consumables?
Does a salvage (but solid car) even matter for a track toy? Guessing insurance is harder to get, but likely would get track day insurance anyway.
I’ve done some track days with my prior M3, GT4 and some Porsche experience days. Looking to get more serious with it (have 4 tracks within a 2 hour radius).
I have a base 981 as well. Bought it in 2021 as a midlife crisis car, started tracking it last year, no previous track experience. I left it stock for 2022, this year the CPO expired so I’ve done wheels (Apex) and tires (PS4S), brakes (FCP Euro kit with Sebro rotors, SS lines, Ferodo DS2500 pads), and recently found a lightly used Ohlins R&T kit. So next year should be a lot of fun, I can already feel how much more stable the car feels at on-ramp speeds. And I’ll probably try 200TW tires and more aggressive pads once these are done.
My dilemma is where do I go from here. Logical next step would be cage and seats, I think. At that point it’s going to become kind of impractical for my office commute. Is there such a thing as comfortable bucket seats? I have to say, the Ohlins at the softest setting are quite OK for daily driving, even on bad downtown roads. I was afraid I would already turn it into a weekend car with that change, but that hasn’t happened.
But I keep thinking, should I get an S or GTS before going that far? I also keep thinking, should I get a $10k Miata that I won’t be afraid to push more?
Curious what drove you to build a racecar out of a base 981. Was this for some class? Do you have any power train upgrades?
Sounds like you’re having a ton of fun! Your upgrades will be awesome this coming year. I swap sebro rotors from FCP every time I change pads on mine. I’m running S calipers in the front now - larger disc but same pad shape. I’ve run a lot of different pad compounds but hands down PFC 08 is my favorite and it seems the ABS systems favorite as well but that can all be preference. They’re definitely not a street pad.
It’s quite simple to change the seat for track weekends. Check out the CMS 981 roll bar and the GMG slider and seat base. It’s four bolts and one plug then to do a quick seat change before you head to the track :)
The short answer - I built a base racecar because it was the car I had. The longer answer - I’ve karted my whole life but my wife wasn’t interested in karting but really wanted to get involved with tracking cars. I already had a 991.2 GTS but that is way too much car in my eyes at least (and $$$). I found a killer deal on this cayman in 2020 and we’ve just been building it ever since. We decided that whatever we were running at this point needed to be caged for safety and just decided to do it on this car. I love to instruct and my wife drives as well so it’s just a great track car. No powertrain upgrades yet. I’ve got a few more things on the list before then but if she gives up on the back stretch at VIR she’s lived a great life and I’ll find a bigger block for replacement.