Cars We Drive!

[Texasmade]

Blasphemy time: I drove next to a Cayman S today. The new version is a better-looking car than the 911.

#dontkillme

I actually prefer the looks of the new Cayman more than the current 911. The 911 just doesn't look as sleek and nimble as the 718 Cayman.

 

[bawlin]

The 718's rear end leaves a lot to be desired (the translucent tail lights are flat out hideous).

Hearing rumours that the new GT4 is going to have a GT3 engine (slightly detuned). Not sure what Porsche's motive with regards to that is. Anxious for friends to start receiving their manual 991.2 GT3 deliveries. So curious to see how the 6MT transmission suits the car. When I drove an RS on the track, the last thing I thought it needed was a manual transmission.

Briefly considered trading my 997.2 GT3 for a 991.1 GT3 last week. But then I took it on a spirited drive for the first time in a long time (due to bad weather) and remembered just how great of a car it is. Spring time can't come soon enough.

 

[scatterbrain]

Some time ago, I was here asking for opinions on M3, S4, S3, C43, etc. I remember @Dino944 was helpful with comments on the C43 that I was seriously considering.

I decided on the M3 - got an e92. I've been driving it since May and I love it. Whoever told me to get the M3 because it was the car I really wanted was spot on. I had wanted the car for ~10 years, and probably would have regretted getting something else.

I plan to drive this car until it will not drive any more.

Spoiler: Gratuitous glamour shot

 

[Thrift Vader]

Nice man!


+1 for Cayman.

 

[HRoi]

I don’t know if I opined on your choice, but I made that exact same choice 6 years ago and ended up with a e90M3, which I still have. Driving all those cars back to back made the choice in favor of the bmw extremely easy, imo.

Too bad it’s the last bmw I’ve really liked driving. Everything new is rubbish, except I’ve not driven the new f80 comp package which supposedly fixes some of the really terrible aspects of that car (steering, sound, handling)

 

[Texasmade]

Too bad it’s the last bmw I’ve really liked driving. Everything new is rubbish, except I’ve not driven the new f80 comp package which supposedly fixes some of the really terrible aspects of that car (steering, sound, handling)

Does the comp package still require those hideous rims?

 

[ridethecliche]

@ridethecliche excuse me nephew? You are coming at me with the new guys shopping list.
need i remind you that my Mechanic's Resume/CV is longer than your shopping list?

i doubt that there are more properly tuned MX5's (Miata's) over there. but i concede that there is a plethora of entry level, followed a checklist. same-same miata's. with the same brands parts list. few stepping above.
Imagination,and fabrication. is what sets a car apart. not just in looks. but performance.

Spoiler: More Words

it's not hard to buy a brake setup. let's say the Tokico 4-pots from a BP5 Legacy GT. roll into a machinist's shop. ask to have a hub made, identical to stock. with the bolt pattern to match the discs. mock up the calipers. have brackets made. and viola! you have a budget big brake kit. there are people with the skills to make your ideas happen.

an S13 Sivia is not a heavy car. neither is an AE86. But they both get 5 lug swaps. why?
Options. real options. not from "insert vendor here".
What do you see?
View attachment 883460
A 4 lug Silvia with 5 lugs. And wheel options. This car belongs to my twin. Runs a skyline hubset. Carbon hood. Frp fenders. Rocket bunny kit. And a bunch of custom mods under the hood. a real weapon.

His car is done right. But. My car. Would smoke his. Tollgate to tollgate.
View attachment 883468
This car has a modded Brake setup.rebuilt by me. from a 2006 Legacy GT. and it's a stupid fast car.runs 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds.
and rolls 18's in this pic. the Celsior will later have the same wheels. as i can get them cheap. and like the look. (Wedsport SA-15R. )


**** what people do. you can make anything.

edit: and yes. i think that the "Death star" Celsior/LS400 can run faster on the Wangan. it will. 500 hp. 500 trq . with grip.

Like I said, I have no interest in continuing this, but the bold is laughable.
Swaps I've seen: LS, 5.0, K, Rotary, SR20, etc.
Multiple 350-400+ HP cars.
Drag cars.
Drift cars.
Autocross cars.
Spec miata cars.
etc. etc. etc.

And yes, there are a lot of race cars that conform to a checklist. It's called class rules... I have no idea how you expect things to be different. The other non-classed cars are obviously different. Whenever someone builds a racecar, to you know actually race it, rules often apply. Show cars and highway/dyno pull queens are a different story.

Regarding brakes. Why would you want to spend all that money on 4-pots when you can get wilwood 6 pots with better rotors, race pads, etc etc etc. Oh, and they fit on 15x8 upwards for the mostpart...
Sure you can apply your ingenuity and do things to be different, but what have you proved if the end product is inferior?
But yeah, you do you. And as always... appreciate the banter and your helpful input about my build!

And in case you were wondering.... I'm still torn about splurging for forged pistons.

 

[Thrift Vader]

Laughable?

Spoiler: spoilered for the older guys. :)

I spend enough time browsing Craigslist. to know how Miata's are done over there. anyone with a "Tuned" one, lists their parts in the details. and, most of them are unfinished,stanced,or broken.
it's the "Entry level car" .so that's to be expected. you yourself, are a new guy. learning the skills on it.

learn this now. a Torsen Diff? is a Stock Diff. and they can break.
this whole thing came about from someone asking what would i do. i recommended actual race spec.
you keep coming back at me with Beginner's stuff. like it's Gospel.

Take the time. to listen to a Mechanic, with fast cars. giving an opinion on how to make a car properly fast.

you talk about saving money. using stock Bilsteins,stock diff. Then suggest Willwood brake kits? over a Much cheaper, simple overall upgrade?
put down the sales brochures.
go ask a machine shop how hard it would be to have blank Disks drilled for your bolt pattern. or to remake a hub. and mount the calipers. FWIW, the Subaru Tokico's and the Toyota Monoblock Calipers will both fit in 16" rims.with discs,pads,and lines? amazing stopping power. for less than a grand.
* Calipers. junkyard. $?? rebuild kit-$30. pads-$150-$180.(Dixcel type M) Discs $300 (Dixcel SD) Lines- $160 (Project Mu) i run this stuff in my yellow car. except my current lines are APP .ran same in my old R33.and my Altezza RS200. Track day ok. but streetable.
for your use? i'd say the Tokico's are better. as they have a lower profile.

i'm down for saving money. > @Thrift Vader - Duh.

you just are being told the wrong things elsewhere, about where you can and can't save money.
so forget Willwoods, get a strong diff and clutch, still fresh coilovers,and a brake kit from scratch. for around the same money as a full Retail BBK.
that is performance on a Budget.and isn't that what you are after?

Wheel size choice is personal preference. but Advanti's are not in the same league as SSR,Wedsport and Rays. not even close. nice looking. and very streetable wheels. wouldn't race on them though. (Lighter,stronger wheels)

You want to build an engine now? like i said before. Don't scrimp on it. do it right,or don't.The engine is the heart. would you scrimp on heart surgery?
you know i'm right.
and, if you make friends with Machinists & Welders? you will not just save money. you will learn a lot of cool stuff.

 

[HRoi]

Does the comp package still require those hideous rims?

Different (less hideous?) rims. I don’t think they look too bad and they’re forged/lightweight/blahblah.

The M2 is ok but not as good as the 1M. I am semi excited about the coming M5 though. If BMW wants to build hyperfast cars with no soul, the M5 could be its crown jewel as an autobahn-stormer

 

[Dino944]

I actually prefer the looks of the new Cayman more than the current 911. The 911 just doesn't look as sleek and nimble as the 718 Cayman.

The 718's rear end leaves a lot to be desired (the translucent tail lights are flat out hideous).

I've driven 997s and 991s, and they are really nice cars, but I miss the size of the old air cooled 911s. The new 911s are just sooo much larger. IMHO the larger dimensions have hurt the appearance of the 911. However, I suppose making the watercooled 911s larger and more comfort oriented has helped broaden the appeal of the car especially to first time buyers, who may be used to BMWs, MBs, Audis etc.

See the photos below just to get an idea of how the size and shape has changed.

Hearing rumours that the new GT4 is going to have a GT3 engine (slightly detuned). Not sure what Porsche's motive with regards to that is. Anxious for friends to start receiving their manual 991.2 GT3 deliveries. So curious to see how the 6MT transmission suits the car. When I drove an RS on the track, the last thing I thought it needed was a manual transmission.

Briefly considered trading my 997.2 GT3 for a 991.1 GT3 last week. But then I took it on a spirited drive for the first time in a long time (due to bad weather) and remembered just how great of a car it is. Spring time can't come soon enough.

You aren't sure what Porsche's motive is with giving a GT4 a detuned GT3 engine? Same as its always been, to make sure the Cayman doesn't out perform its bigger brother.

The important thing is enjoying what you have. There will always be something newer and/or faster in the future. That being said, I already know 2 guys who have 991.2 GT3 manuals on order, and who are in the process of selling their PDK 991 GT3 and a 991 Turbo S.

As for the RS on the track and your feeling it doesn't need a manual, there are always people (myself included) who feel that as brilliant as PDK is, there is a level of involvement that is missing when you don't have a manual transmission. Sure PDK shifts quicker than I could ever hope to, but enjoying a car for me goes beyond whether a car is 0.1 or .2 seconds quicker than the manual. Its about driver involvement and what I am doing all by myself on nice winding roads...but if your preference is PDK, there no doubt will be more cars to suit your taste in the future than mine.

 

[bawlin]

The previous GT4 had a 3.8 derived from the Carrera S, not the GT3, but I suppose now the Carrera S engine is turbocharged and that wouldn't make sense in a GT car (at least not at this moment in time).

My comment re: PDK was strictly regarding track driving. My skill level is nowhere near the point that I can pilot a car as capable as the RS on a track and also have to row my own gears. For back roads and canyons, where my GT3 spends 90% of its time, there is no question that manual is far more engaging and far more rewarding, hence why I bought the car on the first place.

 

[bawlin]

This is just weird: http://www.tmz.com/2017/11/30/john-cena-sued-lawsuit-ford-gt/

 

[jcman311]

This is just weird: http://www.tmz.com/2017/11/30/john-cena-sued-lawsuit-ford-gt/

That's real. Just ask any lawyer (@lawyerdad ). You can sue a car dealer when they break a contract and sell a car for more to someone else. He just did the same thing that the car companies are forbidden to do. Specific performance clause. (at least thats what it is called when the dealer breaks the contract)

 

[Texasmade]

Ford should sue him. Condition of purchase was for him to not sell the car for 2 years. He sold the car. Not sure what his argument is going to be.

 

[bawlin]

Meh. No sympathy for either party. All Ford cared about with their GT allocations was to get the cars in the hands of people with significant reach and following, rather than those whom could be deemed as more worthy (brand loyalists, etc.). But rarely is an allocation process for a limited edition car not flawed in one way or another.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/interview/amy-macdonald-im-accidental-ford-gt-owner