[Graustark]

I was talking to my friend the other night. He had a 986 Boxster S, and then a 987 Cayman S. (He has since sold both.)

He said the Boxster was noisier per the soft top, whereas the Cayman was quieter. He knows I can be picky about sound and felt the soft top wind noise might bug me. Of course, that car was made ~10 years ago and there have been changes with newer models.

As I understand it, newer Boxsters (e.g. 718) have magnesium strips layered into the soft top, helping deflect road / wind noise.

The Cayman, OTOH, has the hard top, which you would still figure would be quieter. However, the Cayman apparently will funnel engine noise into the cabin more easily, since the mid-engine is kind of in the cabin with you, more so than with the Boxster.

So now I am having to decide which kind of noise I am OK with and which kind is bothersome. I imagine I'll have to simply have to test drive both before ordering a 718 to my spec. Ultimately it comes down to how I experience it... but...

What are y'all's own impressions of road & cabin noise? Anyone been able to compare back-to-back, say, when having a loaner or using a friend's different Boxster / Cayman 718?

I appreciate any of y'all's 2¢!

 

[rsmith]

I've only had my boxster since October and it's winter here in Colorado so I've only got 1700 miles on the car with a mix of top up and down driving. Definitely more road noise than what I would expect from the Cayman when the top is up. But I have to say I really only notice it when stopped as you hear it from behind your head on the sides vs above your head when cars go past. Notice wind noise way way less when moving, it's almost as if the noise is going up over the top vs into the car if that make some level of sense. I do get some whistling though which I think is coming from the seals and I plan to ask my dealer about that come the first service a little later this year as I didn't expect that or notice it when I first got the car.

I've read the convertible Vettes are quieter than the coupes due to soft top insulation, so I wonder if the Vettes have thicker tops than the Boxsters. Only drove the coupe Vettes so I can personally comment on their tops. I also spent more time test driving the Boxster than the Cayman once my wife and I decided to get our first convertible so keep that in mind for my comments.

 

[Basaltbox]

Had a 986 Boxster S for 15 years and never an issue.

 

[GregW]

Noise has never been an issue for me--except with the top down. I do have the soundaktor disconnected.

 

[johan]

I was talking to my friend the other night. He had a 986 Boxster S, and then a 987 Cayman S. (He has since sold both.)

He said the Boxster was noisier per the soft top, whereas the Cayman was quieter. He knows I can be picky about sound and felt the soft top wind noise might bug me. Of course, that car was made ~10 years ago and there have been changes with newer models.

As I understand it, newer Boxsters (e.g. 718) have magnesium strips layered into the soft top, helping deflect road / wind noise.

The Cayman, OTOH, has the hard top, which you would still figure would be quieter. However, the Cayman apparently will funnel engine noise into the cabin more easily, since the mid-engine is kind of in the cabin with you, more so than with the Boxster.

So now I am having to decide which kind of noise I am OK with and which kind is bothersome. I imagine I'll have to simply have to test drive both before ordering a 718 to my spec. Ultimately it comes down to how I experience it... but...

What are y'all's own impressions of road & cabin noise? Anyone been able to compare back-to-back, say, when having a loaner or using a friend's different Boxster / Cayman 718?

I appreciate any of y'all's 2¢!

I went from 718 BS > CS > BGTS and i must say that with the Aktor of Boxster and cabin noise aint bad at all.
Wind noice compared to CS is higher but not much, +150 km/h for longer periods aint any probs at all.


The biggest issue is road noise !
19" is the way to go in that case

 

[cipher]

We have the base Boxster and I am honestly amazed at how quiet it is or at least how well it insulates you from noises and the top itself is very quiet. No rattles or squeaks. To me it’s very coupe like with the top up.

 

[cyprussun]

I was talking to my friend the other night. He had a 986 Boxster S, and then a 987 Cayman S. (He has since sold both.)

He said the Boxster was noisier per the soft top, whereas the Cayman was quieter. He knows I can be picky about sound and felt the soft top wind noise might bug me. Of course, that car was made ~10 years ago and there have been changes with newer models.

As I understand it, newer Boxsters (e.g. 718) have magnesium strips layered into the soft top, helping deflect road / wind noise.

The Cayman, OTOH, has the hard top, which you would still figure would be quieter. However, the Cayman apparently will funnel engine noise into the cabin more easily, since the mid-engine is kind of in the cabin with you, more so than with the Boxster.

So now I am having to decide which kind of noise I am OK with and which kind is bothersome. I imagine I'll have to simply have to test drive both before ordering a 718 to my spec. Ultimately it comes down to how I experience it... but...

What are y'all's own impressions of road & cabin noise? Anyone been able to compare back-to-back, say, when having a loaner or using a friend's different Boxster / Cayman 718?

I appreciate any of y'all's 2¢!

I trialed both Boxster and Cayman back to back, I bought a Cayman!!!

 

[jimmuller]

Interesting. When I was buying the dealer said there was no appreciable difference in noise between the B (with the top up of course) and C. I'll take his word for it, I guess.


Neither engine noise nor wind noise in my C is a problem. The engine can be sensed as right behind my back but it never seems amplified by being in an enclosed space. Road noise depends on the road surface. Concrete roads are especially noisy. (What did you say? I can't hear you over the road noise.)

 

[JazzCatGab]

I've got 2 cents! Not a lot of experience, but a fundamental opinion. Sounds like you all want the top-down experience and that implicitly will have some associated noise. But please remember, whatever you get, that noise is part and parcel of most truly high performance cars where the engineering focus is on performance. I've just rolled over about 500 miles on my new base Cayman. I've disconnected the Soundaktor because I want the unadulterated noises of the machinery just behind my back. I am so attuned to the mechanical noises still that I have yet to turn on my radio! I'm sure I will want a little road music one day, but it hasn't come yet.

 

[RGM718]

They are real sports cars. Choose based on what you prefer for the driving experience.

 

[alf_17]

I had my younger brother along with me on my first test drive of a 718 Boxster, and as it was a rainy day it was top up the entire drive.
My brother is very pedantic when it comes to noise in a car due to him having problems with tinnitus.
But around half way through the drive I mention that I think the noise level is quite impressive for a soft top car (I had an MX-5 before which was a lot noisier), after which he looks stunned and states that he had entirely forgot it was a soft top car we were driving.
I never tested the Cayman though so I cannot compare the two, when I went to the Porsche dealer it was to get a roadster.

 

[Graustark]

Oh, BTW, one more tiny thing he mentioned is that getting Vogelscheiße (bird droppings) was irritating more so per the canvas top. Has this been hard to clean for any Boxster owners?

 

[johan]

Oh, BTW, one more tiny thing he mentioned is that getting Vogelscheiße (bird droppings) was irritating more so per the canvas top. Has this been hard to clean for any Boxster owners?

If i get any i Clean it the same day as i get them.
I use a Kärcher or some other high pressure cleaner.
If its really bad i soak it with soap first.


After i have been force to do that 7 - 8 times i use impregnation solution on the top (mainly Porsches)

 

[GregW]

I don't get many bird droppings. The top is waterproof and the dried sh*t comes off cleanly with the horsehair brush.

 

[Bill in VA]

I am the original owner of a '99 986 and I have since purchased a 718 Cayman. Yes the Cayman is quieter as one might expect from a hardtop but not enough to impact a decision to buy a convertible vs hardtop. In the now over 20 years and 100,000+ miles of driving the 986, what noise there is was never a distraction. I still have the original top on the 986. I am sure the newer soft tops are quieter but I would never make a decision on convertible vs hardtop based on the slight difference in that noise. Buy what you really want and enjoy it.