2023 718 Cayman T Track Review - [Can a Car be TOO Good?]
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- Watch as 🇨🇦 Time Attack Champion and Endurance Race Car driver Track reviews a Perfectly Spec’ed Porsche 718 Cayman T. Can a Car be TOO good?
#porsche #718 #cayman #caymant #carreview
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00:00 - Start
01:51 - Types of Car enthusiasts
00:54 - Spec of the Car
03:49 - Shannonville Lap TIme
06:27 - Driving Dynamics
09:17 - Cayman Line Up, Why the T?
10:12 - Shifter, Long Gears
11:26 - Motor
12:56 - Clutch, Brakes, Throttle
14:07 - Suspension & PASM
15:09 - Final Verdict
17:40 - Chasing Sunsets - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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Cayman T is actually one of the most underrated cars. 4 cycl is more than capable. Keep posting. Looking forward to when this channel blows up.
Solid vid. I drove the new 718 Cayman T for a few hours while my GT4 was getting a new set on PS4s put on at my dealer. Maybe the best bang for the buck Porsche sold. Also, your mic is pretty anemic but I'm sure you discovered this when uploading.
I have a 2018 718 Cayman GTS with the 2.5L turbo 4 cylinder and I can tell you it does not lack power or sound in sport (valves open) it’s even more underrated than the Cayman T. New subscriber so thanks for the content.😊
Purchased my Cayman T with carbon ceramic brakes and LSD, in 2022. Had a few amazing tracks days and drive it daily. She has 54,000 miles and counting. Next time you drive one, put 100 octane in the gas tank and go find the limits, then make an assessment on excitement behind the wheel.
I was lucky enough to spec and purchase my own under MSRP in 2021 as a 6MT in GT Silver with the Interior Package (Pinstripes) and the Premium Package (LEDs, Bose, LCA, etc.) Besides those options, I kept it pretty barebones and only added the larger 16+ gallon fuel tank which is a must-have, IMO.
It wasn't cheap, but also not egregiously extravagant like some of the cars I see around me on a daily basis. That being said, the sheer and INTENSE smugness you have driving this car is overwhelming. Not because it's a Porsche. Not because it's sleek, shiny and gorgeous. Not because 98% of the zombies out there can't tell the difference between a Cayman and a 911, and think you are loaded. No, the smug comes from the old adage, "IYKYK." That there is nothing sub $100K, nothing sub-super car on the road that is more driver-focused, more communicative, more inspiring, more rewarding than the 718 chassis.
Sure, there will be M2s, M3s, M4s, Supras, RCFs, Mustangs and the like that can boast about more power, but you're still smug AF because your mid-engined, 6MT, point-and-go, go kart-chassis 718 is the finest purist two-seater available today. And they know it.
I couldn't agree with you more as a 2019 Boxster S owner. You are correct and I appreciate you educating others that keep trying to compare the Cayman and Boxster with lesser cars.
Always gonna love the Cayman - hard top Porsche, no top to worry about tearing, but mid engine, good enough power and Porsche magic. What's there to complain about?
I have a 718 Boxster with the 2.0 and it's fantastic. I miss the sound of the 6 but in everyday traffic the torque makes the car feel ridiculously quick
Love the 718 T. Drove the base, S and the GTS and honestly I feel that T the best value.
Totally agree… I think the car makes the most sense for most people as well…unless its a hardcore track car…
Built for the driving enthusiast… that may occasionally go to the track.
GTS is too fast to have fun on the road and the GT4/RS are too stiff and the power is not as accessible on the street… dedicated track toy… different story
@@DriversPaddock What about the T vs the S with some track use in mind? I have read the 2.5L in the S and GTS 718 have some heat soak issues but wondering what real world looks like because I would love a T or S with an ecu tune, wheels/tires, brake pads, and exhaust.
About being too good - that’s what I thought about 992 911 when I first drove it - it is so capable, that there is nothing challenging in driving it, it lacks fun and excitement. Wouldn’t say that about 718 tho, I’d call it the perfect compromise.
Great review of the T!
Glad you enjoyed it
best YT car reviewer. Delivered by a real driving enthusiast
Glad you think so!
100 percent
Thank you so much for telling it like it is regarding the sound not being like an STI. I’m so sick of hearing that crap. You are absolutely right… It is so much more refined and excellently engineered compared to the Subaru. Especially the engine/sound.
You hit the nails on the head for ‘car enthusiasts’ and ‘driving enthusiasts’
I have never talked down on the flat 4 turbo. I love it. It’s punchy at low to mid revs and sounds cool!
That being said, I have had an F87 M2C and will say that yes, you can track the hell out of it lap after lap after lap as you know. The M2 non comp is certainly not the same (doesn’t like longer session). HOWEVER, the damn entry and mid corner understeer was TERRIBLE on my M2C. I love the 718 and always think that’s the first Porsche I get if I ever do get one.
Also, sorry about your audio! Sounds like you forgot to turn off the noise cancellation and it over processes A LOT. I’m going to run some tests with both mics at the same time; one on my body with cancellation off and the other on in a less windy place but lessen the decibels… hopefully that’s a good combo for car reviews, especially on track!
Thanks for the comment! I would buy the flat 4 personally…!
It takes a lot of work to get the f8x balanced… but that mid corner understeer and be dialed out nicely… like in my personal car. Square set up also works very well on them.
Both are great drive to the track, track, and drive home type of cars! But they are very different. Hammer… or scalpel? Take your pick.
This is the best track assessment of m2c i've ever read :D not enough people are talking about the bad front end out of the box
@@boro92 the push is truly nerve-racking. 😡
Actually the M2C needs camber plates and -2.8 degrees or further. My front end grips with tenacity. Problem is that it eats tires at that angle. Still won’t corner like a proper sports car though but camber fixes the front end.
@@harrykwan734 I had put Vorshlag camber plates on mine and did -3 in the front and it was a lot better. I made the mistake of going up in size of tires but stayed staggered instead of square and the understeer came right back.
Great review, its very important to understand the 981 Cayman and 718 Cayman have some of the most rigid chassis developed for a production car (and without roll cage) the torsional rigidity is ~ 40,000 Nm/deg to 41,000 Nm/deg (A Ferrari 458 is ~ 33,120 Nm/deg) what does this mean. It means the suspension doesn't have to compensate for body flex allowing the suspension to maintain optimal tire contact patch position at all times. It also means you don't need complex suspension set ups to deliver high performance outcomes and fast lap and times whilst at the same time reducing weight and maximising inboard space. I have done a lot of W2W and tarmac rallying (inc. 5 seasons Carrera Cup) and would suggest the Cayman GTS is the best true all round sports car in the Porsche line up. The T is good, unfortunately not a fan of the engine, although it is good for a 2L turbo. You will find a PDK equipped 4L GTS is both better around track and better to live with. I'm not a fan of the M2, I suspect you over invested )very significantly) in your M2. Take a PDK GT4 round a track, you'll never look back.
Amazing comment, thanks for your input.
I have done significant time in our TT Cup build and TCR, but primarily, I’m a time attack driver which, I would suggest, is very different than wheel to wheel. We are looking for one perfect lap.
Although I agree with everything you are saying, my personal preference is for BMW, they’re just more fun. To elaborate, my M2, in the context of time attack, is much, much faster than a GTS, and does similar lap times to the previous generation GT3RS with good drivers at all local tracks.
For reference, I do 1:27 at Canadian Tire Motorsports park with 440 WHP, minimal Aero. Fast drivers are doing the same time in previous Gen GT3RS, and the lap record set my Lars in a GT2RS is a 1:22.
@@DriversPaddock Sure, but you're comparing a prepared time attack car to a street legal and not track prepared road car. The difference between a GT3 CUP car and GT2 RS round a 1:10 circuit is around 3 to 4 seconds 😀 As a general rule of thumb corner speed is more important than straight speed as that is where the most time is (usually) thus grip and tire slip angle are the important drivers for lap times. Log your car and plot a graph of lateral g vs linear g - the shape of the plot defines how good a driver you are. Your peak linear g (under threshold braking) should match your lateral g and should describe a donut pattern. This means you are using all available grip at all times. Most amateur drivers struggle with corner entry to mid-corner - they don't know they are struggling, but the data always shows it. :). Driving is more science and engineering than art and as Colin Mcrae once said straights are for fast cars but corners are for fast drivers. Chase corner speed and training not HP. 😀
Beautiful car and beautiful video.
Great review!
My SRS will arrive later this year, you should review it 😁
Would love to 😂❤
Love my 2014 flat six love my canyon runs.
Love my 2.5gts 6mt, basically the same car with extra .5l. It is good at everything not just most things you get it.
Love the review but makes me really regret foregoing my allocation on one 🤦🏻♂️
Ive never driven an ND but The Miatas are way more dramatic…. Cornering on the bump stops, tons of lean, super balanced chassis and a ton of fun… different driving experience. It’s more dramatic and sendy… it just doesn’t have the mid corner adjustability like a cayman does…
Both are great cars, we need more cars like these ❤.
@@DriversPaddock I do agree with you regarding the ND. With the 718T I put my deposit for my allocation and having driven both previous generation Caymans I felt confident it would be a great “drivers car” but out of curiosity I drove a new base 718 and disliked the 2.0T and felt it lacked character compared to its N/A flat 6 predecessors. I didn’t get the same feeling I did driving with the 987 or 981 with the infamous flat 6 variants. So, I yanked my deposit and couldn’t commit. However, the 718 2.0T produced far more useable torque throughout the rev range.
PS. You can drive my ND anytime
@@MachMotorsport I would love to drive an ND! It’s on the bucket list for sure!
@@DriversPaddock Anytime! I’m going to try to get to TMP soon to baseline stock then do all my improvements to OTA
@@MachMotorsportamazing! Will be great to see you out there! Come find me in the paddock and say hi!
The best you can do to this well specd is 19 inch light wheels. 👍
Great review and solid track drive!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
Good very review. I drive Honda S2000 (AP1) which gives me plenty of oversteering excitement when approaching the limit, with a very sharp turn in (double wishbone suspension). The S2000 was setup from the factory to ease of rotation on corners, which is the way the Japanese engineers/performance drivers preferred back then. This make it turn and highly engagement, but not for the novice driver. I have driven a number of 981 Caymans (S, GTS, GT4) and they are amazing cars (especially in manual form). Porsche just seems to setup those cars more conservatively from the factory so an average drivers does not get into trouble.
I have a 2.5GTS and it’s amazing. I wish everyone could have the opportunity to drive one once in their life to see what all the hype is about. I honestly can’t imagine ANYONE driving it, and not have a smile and appreciation for it.
Mine is PDK. Normally I’d always prefer a manual in a sports car.. and my other 2 are manuals. However , Porsches PDK is unreal and it knows exactly what you want it to do the Milisecond you tell it to. I honestly feel like I’d be sacrificing performance and ability to experience the Marvel of engineering that went into manufacturing such a glorious transmission.
I can't imagine passing up the 4.0 GTS.
Can't speak to the T, but expect, like the GTS I had, put an APR tune on it and with more power you'll see the power come on dramatically and yeah, my first 180 on track spin came in my GTS, so you have to be careful where you are in the curve to apply throttle. The car is begging for it but gotta manage the right foot. I guess if you do lots of time with turbo cars you can get good at this, but now have a GT4 and love the linearity of the throttle. I don't have to meticulously manage that 200 rpm range where torque goes nuts like on my GTS during mid/exit. Too bad they stopped offering the T model though, it was absolutely a fantastic price performer in the Cayman line up.
Interesting! Is it the tunes fault? Doesn’t sound right. Porsche powerbands are very linear.
Good info. I like the Cayman but can't justify the price so I'm happy with my '13 FR-S. Haven't tracked it so I can't really compare the "at the limit".
Was about to order one but it had already gone out of production in Europe, ended up with a Style Edition.
❤woh great review
Excellent conclusion! 😅
I love this car
Hello, great video. I’m curious to know if you had any brake or brake fluid change before driving on track. I have an upcoming track day and I’m interested in driving my boxster T at the track. I’m wondering how the brakes held up. I usually drive an e92 M3 on track and feel pads and fluid are a must for tracking.
Thanks for your input.
I love the Cayman T spec except I wanted the 4.0 engine so went with the GTS instead.
People say this is the hairdresser’s Porsche.
But I like to think of it as the salon owner’s Porsche.
T seems pretty pointless unless it is significantly cheaper than gts2.5 (used prices seem to be fairly similar since T is newer), although I've yet to try 2.0
2.5 was a lot better than most people say, much better than 981 gts or even 982/718 GTS4.0 which felt heavier and pretty lazy/anemic/torque deficient with its tall gearing while costinh basically gt4 money. The only cayman that ive driven out of the variety of 987s and 981s that actually rotated well, guessing all thanks to ptv/lsd and spasm, and actually had torque and power that it deserved. So much more composed and sharp than my m2 (perhaps not as sharp as my elise was with $25k+ in upgrades) with superior turn in, traction, steering, mid corner adjustability. Still have some more parts (front thrust arm monoballs, trans mounts, ucp, m2csr fronr sway bar (not sure about rear yet), doubke mount rear diff plate and poly bushings, rear toe and traction arms, camber correction hubs (hopefully can get enough without camber plates or lower control arms)) to throw at my f87 lci (already on ohlins road sport, e9x slave for cdv delete, csg brake pads with pmu fluid, autosolutions ssk, fbo(dv, exhaust, dp, cp, ic, inlet, intake) + custom tune, strut bar and corner braces, all of the m performance bits, CS version software) to hopefully improve the situation there with turn in understeer, body roll for days, wheelhop, loose rear end, and power oversteer on exit, being a sideways hooligan with some slidy action cornering line adjustments can be fun, but i prefer something more sharp and precise with more speed to carry through the corners, the steering isnt very natural, there seems to be a lot of play/deflection in suspension under load.
M2 is more entertaining in normal city driving, and the sensation of speed is better, but it definitely wouldn't be able to keep up in the corners.
Just getting into tracking myself on a gen 2 brz. it's been very informative listening to your insights on a car's handling characteristics. in terms of mid cornerning adjustability, where do you see the deficiencies of the brz/86? i dont really expect it to compare to a cayman of course, but my goal is to eventually step up to a 718 S or T so I'm curious
🔥🔥🔥
The only wrong is the engine , I have a 981 boxster and the flat 6 is something truly special
To each their own… keep yours…
I used to own a gr86 and looking g87, Supra and 718s, I tested 718s it’s just not as sharp as my gr86 with coils. It’s more stable in the mid corner but on the high speed corner it’s a little bit under and unstable than my gr86. The Supra drives like a heavy gr86, and never drove a g87. I was thinking should I buy one more gr86 or buying one of those car.
one of the best T reviews. too bad the audio quality is crap
It has improved! See latest video 😂. Took the criticism.
How’s the turbo lag? Is it noticeable? Driving the GTS 2.5 it felt pretty linear.
It feels pretty dang linear and feels like it makes power all the way to redline. Peak torque is at 1950… I see TH-camrs launching these cars or accelerating from 40km hr in 3rd or 4th gear… just makes me shake my head…not what these cars are about!
Don’t short shift, then zero turbo lag.
Exaclty…!!!
How would you compare this to the G87? It's very different, I know. Assume this car gives much better feedback through the controls. Is the suspension more compliant?
G87 is an animal. It is so fast. G87 is very balanced and is new gen bmw… the diff is great in that car and the 10 stage traction control is out of this world. Few years back, for that level of TC, you need emtron or Motec or haltech…
Problem is it’s 3800 pounds. It doesn’t Yaws like a traditional bmw… the g87 does have mid corner adjustability… similar to a cayman but not as wide of a range. The cars are so different… only similarity is mid corner adjustability, really.
Can’t compare shifter, steering, pedals to the caymans… driver inputs are way… way better in cayman vs g87.
@@DriversPaddock thanks for the detailed reply, sounds like I’ll have to test drive a Cayman
I dont think porsche is capable of making a hooligan car. As a company they so serious.
Good review but please improve your audio.
Great feedback. Issue is solved. Combo of noise cancellation and voice isolation ruined the audio. Stay tuned for better audio on the next episode. ❤
BTW I own an M2C too and even though the Caymans are better at everything (at the track), I also prefer the raw edges and hooligan nature of the M2. We don’t drive on tracks everyday so for a daily the M2 is more fun. The Porsche in comparison feels sterile and boring. Same conclusion as you 👍
Yes. Too clinical for some of us.
Nice video but dude get yourself a decent microphone (sound is painful).
You are really heavily over-processing your audio.
Sadly, I had it on noise cancelling AND it was on mono for some reason…. Had to duplicate the L and R 😭. Rookie mistakes!!!!
Its not too good. Sorry to spoil it for you. Im an expert on porsches. Its ok but typical Porsches we will leave it at that so porsche fan boys dont get upset
You are not expert to Porsche otherwise you would not say such a lies. Porsche is about lightweight and balance. If you are more experienced you buy stronger Porsche if you are scarred about too strong engines you buy not strong one but outcome is allways the same from Porsche.