The 2021 Porsche Cayman GT4 Still Needs One Mod to Be Perfect - One Take

hey guys you know I am an aficionado of the manual transmission I am committed to it all the cars I personally own are stick and in fact I have gas and clutch tattooed on my body I am fully committed and that's why heel-and-toe apparel is for me it shows your commitment to the manual transmission to the outside world they have really high quality shirts hats and hoodies with a variety of cool designs aimed at us car enthusiasts especially those of us who drive stick hit the link in the description I got 20% off all your orders at heel-and-toe apparel dot-com / TST plus free shipping if you spend more than 50 bucks all right hit that link get yourself some cool shirts hats hoodies love them they're soft they're high-quality great stuff now enjoy this video good morning everybody welcome to the Angeles forest what a beautiful misty morning it is up here with the brightest of yellow Porsche Cayman gt4 it's the new 2020 GT for let me pull out the notebook I would encourage you to go back to last fall and watch the video of the Boxster Spyder that I did which for 2020 is the same color as the GT 4 with the exception of a roof back in the day last two generations a Boxster Spyder were not really true GT products but now joining us in charge of that - and Boxster Spyder in GT 4 are the same car without a roof they both have one has a roof they both have a four liter naturally aspirated flat-six based on the Carreras three liter it is not the GT threes four liter Porsche makes two different four liter na engines this one makes 414 horsepower at 7600 RPM and 390 torque at 5,000 rpm so fairly narrow power band focused way at the top of the attack this one has a new US spec sport exhaust with a button different from the euro exhaust in that some of the substrate filter holes are not plugged in this exhaust the same hardware there's just some holes in the substrate for the u.s. car it makes it a little louder 6-speed manual is standard with a limited slip diff PDK is coming soon as an option I think it's no cost actually they both gt4 and Spyder share the gt3 front axle and have a unique rear rear axle setup this car is twelve seconds faster around the Nurburgring than the old GT four which puts it at 7:28 the same speed that walter roll took the 2004 Carrera GT and horst von Sauer mom took the 2011 mclaren 12c that's the kind of performance we're talking about from this car that's amazing this has optional ceramic brakes it has optional nav it has a few other carbon buckets and and the the satin wheels so base price a hundred grand this one's 118 now let's see how she drive you [Applause] [Music] yes see off here we go up the hill tell me that doesn't sound good you have to immediately discuss the gearing because it's the same as it was before it was intentional last time it's intentional this time that came in complex is alive and well and as I said recently in my Carrera s manual video the gearing seems less feared when you've got an engine that's not turbochargers on it the turbos have the torque to fill in brings that peat torque number way down lower allows you to have 40 usable power band a wider Powerman same pillows before here second gear is good for 83 miles an hour and third gear is good for 114 that is not ideal for the doesn't mean the car isn't fantastic to drive it just means that it's not as good as it could be I'm gonna try bass please whole video in second and third gear because the power is so up high and caring that's that short like you cannot access you cannot access the power band of this car in the second year it at a reasonable speed so I'm at 52 right now to get to peak torque in second here weird right we all know about the aftermarket gear said it is still going to be my one and only recommended modification for this car if you buy this car to keep I would say it's an absolutely yes now although it isn't the gt3s war leader that makes this like the second best engine on the market it's you don't feel like you're missing out unless you have a lot of experience driving GT freeze people Porsche people who've seen me out and about with this they've said oh I have a gt3 but that new GT 4 looks awesome should I pick it up answer if you already own a 2016 GT four or you own a current generation gt3 skip this one and wait for the next one if you don't already or known one of those two options this is fantastic the six-speed shifter this shifter itself is pretty much introduced in the 997 gt3 and they really haven't messed with it is the best shifter in the business that doesn't have a metal gate on it Chris direct loved it the 7-speed in the Carrera S is a little lighter not quite as crispy this is really the ultimate need of manual transmissions right now clutch is very light pedals are well spaced just cruise it around at 6,500 rpm because you can [Music] you've gotta be really comfortable winding the snot out of this thing because although you can't drive it in the lower half of the tack you know to get around in the city and whatnot it's clearly laser focused and optimized to be kept at the top of the power band [Music] you should never run out of third care you have to be going so obscenely fast to get to the top of third it's so silly there we go second we're going into a pole in the tunnel two windows down no wind buffeting in the Cayman Caymans good for a wind buffeting here we go second air from four that sounds right feels like it doesn't feel white as motor sporty as a gt3 there's a there's an extra level of aggro and it's not hard to see where it comes from right the gt3 makes like a hundred extra horsepower from the same displacement without forced induction so yeah it's going to feel more aggro and more motor sporty this is still very good [Music] but the gearshift is like so good that I'm like bummed I don't have to shift more like we're the real close-ratio second third fourth and fifth like the aftermarket gear set has I'd be like so happily slamming for beers right now instead I'm either below peak torque in third [Music] it's a beautiful power delivery I mean it really is there's so much to like [Music] the balance is excellent 30 190 pounds those of you who are regular viewers will know that I have a preference and protection in the world for cars that are about 400 horsepower and about 3000 pounds that's that's my Canyon carving sweet spot and oh is this thing there the balance is extraordinary if you want a car that's fast exciting but approachable and confidence-inspiring this is such a fine automobile [Music] they hit the top of heard ah what's the video but downsides the downside of this car is that if you're a good driver with a lot of experience you can approach the limits of this vehicle relatively quickly and then you're kind of there the gt3 in the gt3 RS are a bit more challenging to get to that limit the limit is a bit higher there faster driving a rear-engine cars and metal more exciting this is the balance though this is all about the balance the perfect steering Auto blipping is here turned off it's on a tone button unlike the manual with the Carrera S that I drove you don't have the the knob on the steering wheel but I love about the steering wheel there's nothing on it it's like a modern-day Momo prototipo and you just it's just for steering the volume control is there the cliff it's all it's great it's so great we're gonna make a huge turn here no rear steer for the Cayman gt4 but an engine should have pretty good yeah pretty good pretty good let's just do it let's just do a BSc off [Music] as a launch new truth table set for 5500 that's something [Music] and and bumpy roads really well I might I seem to have a recollection of the 16 GT for being all stiffer on the everyday roads this one's a little more forgiving it does have adjustable shocks and it also has manual adjustment settings for camber and aligned so you can set it up for the stream or for the track or daily [Music] you know growing through the gears is so good I just wish I could do more fit oh they had a close ratio gearbox in this car would be about as perfect as it comes I feel like I come up for sale yeah with the close ratio installed but I feel like if you want that in the car you get at least 50% of it back on the other end because people want that bomb and you're installing it yourself at home that's a professional mod if you're gonna pay a grand for ceramics that maybe you get four of it back on the other end when you go to sell I feel like you get at least 50% of the money back before the gearset mod - that would make this thing so perfect two tires 245 fronts 295 rears plenty of tire I am not missing a thing when it comes you know something else I really like about this car it has the same amount of usable interior space roughly as a Carrera no back seat okay but the passengers the seating space essentially that's all basically the same as the Carrera but the car is smaller it feels like a small it's a smaller car it doesn't take up as much room in the lane [Music] doesn't take up as much space parking six-foot-three plenty of room as we talked about in the super video I don't have to duck under some lucky side curtain to get out I'm able to get out of the car in and out easily optional carbon ceramic carbon ceramic optional carbon buckets if you wanted to use this car as a daily totally possible I would recommend the touring seat be honest with yourself carbons but these seats are really comfortable it's not about when you're sitting in the mud driven thousands of miles these seats they're great it's the right position it's all about crawling in and over the hard sill that can get hold if you're doing it a lot if you're not doing a lot it's go get the carbon seeds they're expensive but their room they're sweet if you want the car to feel a little more special if you want the car to be a little more comfortable as a daily just be honest with yourself get the thing that [Music] do it again why not second year from four pretty good I would say that I wish it was a little louder below four grand with the sport exhaust open even it feels like it's kind of like the Lotus of Laura we're even on sport exhaust we gotta wipe it together totally unnecessarily just to demonstrate to you people that I can [Music] oh man I really like what happens with this car when the camera changes but the Cayman gt4 does so well is it sorts out uneven tarmac rim whether it's a negative G over crest whether it's a big jump in the middle of the corner a change in camber it has such precise control of the contact patch and all of that comes right through your hands and feet you can manage that weight transfer so well Wow that is a very clean suburban look at that thing bro that's fresh e fresh I'm like impressed like I want to go by whoa that was like momentous the biggest bourbon and so fun the road throw through the gears but in the forest to row through the gears you have to be you can either use your power potential of the engine or you can roll through the gears you have to choose and that is very very strange [Music] or you decide to be comfortable living at the red line I feel very comfortable living at the red line in pressed arms I feel less so comfortable in my own cars be honest with yourself people always be honest with yourself enjoy your motoring experience that much more and just sorted out that bump in the mid corner so well [Music] also if I may add one of the very few cars that can pull off yellow see this is all second just making that motor scream don't worry we've caught someone who we're turning off what else did I want to talk about with the gt4 if you're not going to the track straight up I recommend Boxster Spyder Boxster Spyder really when you have a top-down experience associated with this car and very little sacrifice a slight lack of refinement and highway speeds with the top up and that's it and there is an argument for Boxster Spyder Salone cheaper - I think it's a thousand bucks cheaper another thing that you will have to budget for is winged stages the real wing as well as the new front end on this car provide 50% more downforce than the old considering us similar the cars look firm to each other that's amazing but still Ling is blocking the entire rear window PDI sharky bunch of them guys make a stanchion extender that raises the wig four or five inches it doesn't look too boyracer estupid and it clears your rear window so you can actually see the cars behind I recommend that but meat in general what could there be a complete forget something like this you complain about the price yeah 118 Brandis there's a lot of money but I feel like you're getting your money's worth I feel like this this goes to this gives you the quality the balance the naturally-aspirated feel the the power the agility and the practicality that you would expect from $120,000 Porsche the focus is narrowed it's a little stiffer the seats are are rigid you know and you trade every day torque of the turbo motors for the high revving what I call motor sport feeder but what's not to like folks feels great it feels great can't go wrong love it you just gonna need the gear set probably if you really care so budget that thank you to Porsche cars North America for letting me have a go thank you to you guys for watching this video and I'll see you next time bye and remember always fight your tickets go to off the record dot-com / TST or use code TST 10 on the off-the-record app

Channel: TheSmokingTire

Views: 277,917

Rating: 4.9040976 out of 5

Keywords: porsche, cayman, gt4, gt, gt3, gt4 rs, gt4rs, stick, 6-speed, manual, 4.0L, four, 2020, 2021, mid, engine, 911, ceramic, brake, matt, farah, tst, the, smoking, tire, thesmokingtire, thesmokingtire.com, tires, smokintire, supercar, supercars, exhaust, cars, the smoking tire, smoking tire, top gear, car cast, farrah, hoonigan, tavarish, wrench, adam lz, the straight pipes, vinwiki, redline reviews, carwow, throttle house, vehicle virgins, doug demuro, edmunds, hagerty

Id: nQb9G_WiLn4

Length: 20min 35sec (1235 seconds)

Published: Mon Jun 29 2020

Reddit Comments

[u/nate800]

I knew it was the gearing before I even clicked on the video.

[u/YouAreMentalM8]

AQM offers a 19% shorter final drive for the 981 GT4, which helps make all the gears more usable. Hopefully they can do something for the 718.

[u/BruinRichardson]

I got to flog one of these on tail of the dragon last weekend. I imagine the gearing is intentionally long so that the gt4 doesn't overstep any of the 911 gt products. I had no issue keeping up with the 911 gt cars in the corners, but Matt is right, below 4k rpm you don't get much mustard. You gotta keep it high in the rev's to get the most out of it.

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That being said, if you're thinking about buying one, don't let the gearing deter you. The GT4 is still an absolute weapon that will hold its value tremendously well even if you drive it.

[u/ArcturianMegadonkey]

Without regular track time, might rather just have the GTS 4.0 and save the $$, though the GT4 will hold value better .. hmm

[u/weagle11]

The entire 718 lineup is just a refreshed 981, essentially a 981.2. well equipped with options these new GT4s come in close to $120k. I don't know if theyre worth $30-40k more than a lightly used 981 GT4 for a worse sounding car with minimal performance improvement that's still a neutered by the gearbox. I doubt many 981 owners would be jumping to upgrade. Hopeful there will be a RS car that fixes all the problems but I'm sure the price will be crazy.

[u/iloveturkey7]

I went from a manual base 981 to a GTS with PDK for partly this reason. I would use gears 1 and 2 and a bit of 3 and jump straight to 6 for day to day. The base 981 cayman with the manual actually had slightly shorter gears than the S/GTS/GT4 but they were still too long. PDK made up for it to a degree.

[u/IVIustangGT]

Did they ever fix the strut tower geometry and bracing with the new GT4? That was a serious design flaw on the previous generation. I knew of people blowing out strut towers on curbing or slight bumps on track days. Hell, even heard of it happening on a single bad pot hole impact.

The further inboard strut tower design on the 981 GT4 caused the load path to direct compression force into a worse location causing failures.

There were a few companies that made aftermarket cups that you essentially add material thickness to the strut tower, but never really knew/saw of anyone who had those installed.

Beautiful car nonetheless, but was always just a big design flaw in my mind...

[u/RocketGuy3]

I may be biased, but I really don't understand the hate the gearing on this car gets. Yes, it's a bit less than ideal for the street if you're putting around the city, but it has it's advantages. When you're passing someone on the freeway, being able to drop into 2nd gear, hear the engine sing as it rev matches, and ROAR ahead is pretty sweet, and gives you more torque and fun than a typical 3rd gear pass.

And then there's the more important fact: on the track, where this car was designed to play, the gearing is excellent, partly for reasons I described above. You actually have uses for 2nd gear on low-to-mid speed corners and can exit with more ferocity than you probably would with more street-friendly gearing. It might mean an extra shift compared to a car whose third gear would be used through the corner and the following straight, but fuck it, shifting is fun.

By the time you're in 3rd gear, the ratios are all pretty close and aggressive (in fact 5th and 6th might be too short). So it's really just a long 1st and 2nd gear for the most part, and again, that has it's advantages.

[u/KCBassCadet]

Matt knows these cars really well, I think it's a good service he provides to us (and Porsche) to explain how this stacks up against other products they offer.

Also...$118k is pretty steep for a Cayman. What is a 992 C2S without ceramics going for now?