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Hi, I'm Cliff and I bought a 2015 Cayman GTS a few weeks ago. It has 45k miles on the odometer and is optioned with 6MT, X73, PTV, Nav (P9G), GTS interior package, 18-way sport seats plus, and Sport Techno II wheels, along with a few other options. A friend of mine operates a Porsche restoration business here in Livermore, but he agreed to look at something with a radiator and the motor in the wrong place and do a PPI on this car. It passed that inspection so I bought it. This car is replacing a modified Mk7 Golf R, which after 63 track days, is experiencing regular mechanical issues out on track. My shop finished returning the R to mostly stock last week and I sold the car to a dealer last weekend.
Except for wheels, tires, and brake pads and rotors, I will be keeping this car stock. Ok, well, maybe some GT3 LCA's at some point. I have already had the car out at Buttonwillow Raceway Park for a weekend with the Audi club, for whom I am an instructor. This car is awesome out on track but quite a bit different from what I am used to. Before buying the R, which I tracked and autocrossed for over 5 years, I tracked and autocrossed a BMW 330Ci (E46).
I will probably keep the OE 20" wheels stored in my garage most of the time, and mostly run a set of black 19" HRE FF01 wheels that I bought used from a friend. UPS sent the back tires on a tour of the US so I could not get them mounted in time for the Buttonwillow event. I have 255/35R19 front and 275/35R19 rear Bridgestone RE71R tires mounted to these wheels. When they wear out, which won't be too far in the future given expected track use, I'll go with 285/35R19 tires on the back. The rotors were replaced with Sebro slotted, pads with Ferodo DS2500, and fluid with Motul RBF600 before heading to the track. I will probably try Ferodo DS1.11 (from FCP Euro) once the DS2500 pads wear out. I did not experience any fade but the pedal feel was a little softer than I have become used to with the Pagid RSL29's in my Golf.
Next up for the car will be some attention from a professional detailer, paint protection film, and maybe a ceramic coating. I went over the car with Wolfgang Paint Polish Enhancer and a PCROB last Sunday, followed by several coats of Blackfire sealant. That brought a lot of life back to the finish, but I deliberately avoided doing any paint correction until I can get a professional to evaluate the car. I usually do a dozen days a year at the track and that usage pretty much mandates paint protection film on a car. This is a non-metallic black car, which is the only reason I am considering a ceramic coating.
Nice choice and will obviously be exercised well. I suspect you will like the way this car can be rotated. Even with all the stock suspension bits in place, it's quite good.
I wonder if the Pagids had more initial bite, affecting pedal feel. Alternatively, the caliper set-up could differ vs the Golf R. I've found the P-cars can benefit from an occasional left-foot-check after rumble-stripping, to tighten up the piston travel prior to reapplication.
If neither of those, then the easy fix, in my opinion, is replacing the rubber brake lines with a stainless steel set. This was the only remedy for pedal feel on my dedicated club-racer. Made that change... never an issue under any conditions, sprints, enduros, etc.
welcome! look forward to hearing of your track experiences if you are inclined to share.
I typically upload video of a lap or two from each event. Here is one from Buttonwillow. Unfortunately I forgot to bring the OBDII cable for my AiM SoloDL so I am only getting GPS and accelerometer information from a GoPro Hero 5 Black. I threw the cable into my HPDE box so that won't happen again. My next event will be 3 days at Thunderhill in late January, again with the Audi club.
Nice choice and will obviously be exercised well. I suspect you will like the way this car can be rotated. Even with all the stock suspension bits in place, it's quite good.
I wonder if the Pagids had more initial bite, affecting pedal feel. Alternatively, the caliper set-up could differ vs the Golf R. I've found the P-cars can benefit from an occasional left-foot-check after rumble-stripping, to tighten up the piston travel prior to reapplication.
If neither of those, then the easy fix, in my opinion, is replacing the rubber brake lines with a stainless steel set. This was the only remedy for pedal feel on my dedicated club-racer. Made that change... never an issue under any conditions, sprints, enduros, etc.
YMMV. Beauty car. Good luck!
I think the bite on the DS2500's degraded as they got more heat in them. Which is not surprising since that pad is primarily a street pad. Moving to a race pad will likely improve things, with some compromises like noise, rotor wear, and dust. I like FCP Euro's lifetime warranty and they carry Ferodo's DS1.11 race pad, so I'll give those a shot next.
Excellent choice! The GTS is on my short list. I hope you'll enjoy the car - and the forum.
Thanks!
Originally Posted by jago
welcome! look forward to hearing of your track experiences if you are inclined to share.
My next event is coming towards the end of January when the Audi club has Thunderhill East for 3 days. The club will be trying lead/follow instruction techniques for the first time so it should be an interesting weekend and a good learning experience for me. It looks like messages with a youtube link go straight to moderator limbo, so I guess I won't be sharing video on this site. If you google Cliff Oates then my youtube channel is the first site returned in the search result.
Originally Posted by Dave in Chicago
Nice choice and will obviously be exercised well. I suspect you will like the way this car can be rotated. Even with all the stock suspension bits in place, it's quite good.
I wonder if the Pagids had more initial bite, affecting pedal feel. Alternatively, the caliper set-up could differ vs the Golf R. I've found the P-cars can benefit from an occasional left-foot-check after rumble-stripping, to tighten up the piston travel prior to reapplication.
If neither of those, then the easy fix, in my opinion, is replacing the rubber brake lines with a stainless steel set. This was the only remedy for pedal feel on my dedicated club-racer. Made that change... never an issue under any conditions, sprints, enduros, etc.
YMMV. Beauty car. Good luck!
The DS2500 pads are basically performance street pads with some light HPDE ability and I think they lose their edge as things heat up. I was running Stoptech ST-40's on the Golf, so similar brake setup as the Cayman, at least up front. I'm a fan of FCP Euro's lifetime guarantee and they carry Ferodo DS1.11 endurance racing pads so I'll try those next. I will probably swap out the brake lines eventually as what with all the heat they are exposed to they are kind of a wear item
12-04-2020, 09:38 PM
New to Porsche and new to this forum
