[dlake]

I just bought my wife a 2017 Cayman (8,000 miles CPO) because she thinks they are cute. Ok, whatever. I drive a Tesla Model S which I love.

This is the first Porsche we've owned, and my question is, should the Cayman be slow off the line? It's an automatic (unfortunately for me, but my wife didn't want a manual transmission), and it almost seems like the automatic clutch takes time to engage. Our BMW 428i is even better off the line. Cayman handles even better than my Model S. Of course, the Cayman weighs 2,000 lbs less! LOL.
Comments?

 

[Uz718]

I just bought my wife a 2017 Cayman (8,000 miles CPO) because she thinks they are cute. Ok, whatever. I drive a Tesla Model S which I love.

This is the first Porsche we've owned, and my question is, should the Cayman be slow off the line? It's an automatic (unfortunately for me, but my wife didn't want a manual transmission), and it almost seems like the automatic clutch takes time to engage. Our BMW 428i is even better off the line. Cayman handles even better than my Model S. Of course, the Cayman weighs 2,000 lbs less! LOL.
Comments?

Have you got sports chrono?

 

[dlake]

Dunno. Probably not. It's just a base Cayman. Wife said she didn't care if it went fast. I just bought the car, haven't even given it to her yet. It's a Christmas present.
How to tell if it's got sports chrono?

 

[Porsche2018]

Dash wart......


https://www.porsche.com/internation...dels/718-cayman/chassis/sport-chrono-package/

 

[Baka1969]

 

[GregW]

It's slow off the line (without big throttle movements in 'normal' mode) to stop you from smashing into the ass of the Prius in front of you.

Push the Sport button or use bigger throttle movements and it goes! Right off the line, of course, it does lack immediate torque compared to an electric motor.

 

[Uz718]

Yeah the sport button helps with this but genuinely just floor it....

 

[RGM718]

PDK, Chrono in S or S+, Launch Control...............of course it stlll reaches max torque at 1950 RsPM vs 1RPM like an electric motor.

 

[dlake]

Thanks. I don't think it has sports chrono. After I give the car to her at Christmas time, I will have become more familiar with it.

 

[Grasshopper]

There is a delay between the selection of Drive (in any double clutch system) and drive being engaged - it's not a direct connection as with a manual box. You can feel it when you move the lever to Drive. There's a small time lag between selection and engagement. The idea is that you select Drive in anticipation of moving off - or wait till you hear it engage. I don't think it's a good idea to push it into Drive and immediately slam the throttle down. That's what the Audi dealer told me when I bought Audi's S-Tronic version of double clutch, and it makes sense when you consider what's happening mechanically. You wouldn't rev the engine on a manual box car in neutral and then try to engage gear. Provided the PDk's engaged the response should be immediate.

 

[autobahn]

in normal mode, when you mash the throttle, it doesn't give you all the power straight on.

Trust me, the car with launch control turned on launches like a rocket and gets up to 60 in a flash.

 

[Viffermike]

@dlake : welcome to the forum! Now, onto the issue at hand:

This has been discussed in multiple other threads in varying degrees of detail and varying points of view. The nutshell version: The 'Normal' drive mode is intended to be a 'soft' mode with emphasis on linear responsiveness, comfort, ease of operation, and fuel economy. Most cars -- Porsches and otherwise -- with ECU-governed turbocharged engines that have a flat torque curve are programmed -- 'tuned', if you will -- to behave this way in 'Normal' mode. Part of the reason for this is as @GregW states: to keep the uninitiated and/or unskilled from ramming the vehicle in front of them, or committing any one of a number of other mishaps, because the car's so powerful low in the rev range.

Thing is, even 'just a base [718] Cayman' with PDK can do 0-60 in under 4 seconds, with or without the Sport Chrono and Launch Control.

Switching the drive mode to 'Sport' (look for a button marked with this word on the center console) completely changes how the car behaves in reaction to driver input. Shift points are higher, the throttle is more sensitive, the exhaust 'burbles' more, etc. That's where the beast lies.

Your wife's "base" car can outrun almost any Lamborghini or Ferrari built in the 1990s.

 

[sevencyclist]

I just bought my wife a 2017 Cayman (8,000 miles CPO) because she thinks they are cute. Ok, whatever. I drive a Tesla Model S which I love.

This is the first Porsche we've owned, and my question is, should the Cayman be slow off the line? It's an automatic (unfortunately for me, but my wife didn't want a manual transmission), and it almost seems like the automatic clutch takes time to engage. Our BMW 428i is even better off the line. Cayman handles even better than my Model S. Of course, the Cayman weighs 2,000 lbs less! LOL.
Comments?

I agree with and can confirm that Tesla will out-accelerate Cayman anyday. I can always get in my wife's Tesla to experience speed.

That is why I opted for base Cayman manual transmission since I was going for the driving experience and not just absolute speed. Driving pleasure is more than just being the fastest 0-60. The handling is a big part of Cayman appeal.

 

[GGG]

I agree with and can confirm that Tesla will out-accelerate Cayman anyday.

I think a Tesla looses out on higher speeds.

 

[sevencyclist]

I think a Tesla looses out on higher speeds.

Probably. And the tests seems to show the Tesla slows down some with repeated heavy accelerations.

However, all I know is the Tesla is way ahead of Cayman by the time I reach the speed that I would be uncomfortable going at the local freeway.

My point is that Cayman is amazing for the way it can handle the corners better than most cars. I am not bothered by the raw speed off the block, and look forward to the fun of manual shifting and cornering for a more engaged experience.

 

[TEST DRyVer]

Ok, here's the protocol:
1- you're dead stop with the steering wheel facing straight
2- Press the PSM button next to the Sport button to turn off traction control
3- Press the Sport button
4- put your foot on the brake, HARD (make sure you're in regular drive and not paddle shift manual, at least till you get this down)
5- FLOOR the throttle all the way to the bottom of the floor, in one fast motion (if you ease on to the throttle, the semi-launch will not take effect)
6- the car will not over-rev if you floor the throttle, you'll see the tachometer stand still at a specific RPM all on its own (usually anywhere between 3,400rpm and 5,000rpm)
7- you wait 2 seconds after flooring the throttle to build boost
8- you release the brake quickly, in one quick motion
Then you're off! It's fairly quick, it's obviously not Tesla quick, but of course it's not meant to be. You don't need Sport Chrono to have launch control. Porsche only advertised a proper launch control in the Sport Chrono cars, but you'll get a very similar effect if you follow the steps above, with out Sport Chrono.
Enjoy! I have a manual, it also has a similar built in launch control, even though I don't have Sport Chrono. It's just not nearly as good as the PDK (automatic to you).
With the manual, you kind of have to slip the clutch when releasing or the engine will bog... But none of that is any concern to you, since you have PDK

 

[Grasshopper]

However, all I know is the Tesla is way ahead of Cayman by the time I reach the speed that I would be uncomfortable going at the local freeway.

That's because electric motors deliver full torque from zero rpm. Even if your Tesla doesn't reach 60mph as fast as a Cayman it can still be way ahead of the Cayman by the time it reaches 60mph because it gets off the line quicker. The distance traveled in a given time is given by the area under the speed/time graph and the electric car has a much faster getaway. That's why 0-60mph times are such a misleading measure of how "fast" a car is. Electric cars and 4WD cars are always quicker in reality than their acceleration figures indicate.

Thing is, even 'just a base [718] Cayman' with PDK can do 0-60 in under 4 seconds, with or without the Sport Chrono and Launch Control.

So why d'you think the road tests (and Porsche) list its 0-62mph times as 5.1/4.9 secs (Manual/PDK)?

 

[JazzCatGab]

So, TEST DRyVer, I will soon have the base Cayman but with Sports Chrono and a clutch. Would the process be: Put in Sport, clutch, floor the accelerator pedal and let it go to whatever RPM, and slip the clutch a little on launch?


Not that I would do such a thing, but you know inquiring minds!

 

[Viffermike]

So why d'you think the road tests (and Porsche) list its 0-62mph times as 5.1/4.9 secs (Manual/PDK)?

Because the vast majority of said road tests are nowhere near as standardized, and for as long a time, as the one used by the U.S. mag Car & Driver, which measured a 4.0-second 0-60 time on a base 718 Boxster with PDK and, in its original printed road test, stated that it achieved several 3.9-second runs.

Here's that test.

I've personally measured 4.4 seconds on my personal car.

Most road test procedures and methodologies by major auto journalism mags are either performed by drivers who don't know how to 'get the most' out of vehicles consistently -- not easy considering the breadth of powertrain-control modes and defeatable/non-defeatable 'nannies' that cars employ -- or don't baseline and/or adjust results based on scientific methods. C&D does, and has in basically the same way for more than 30 years.

As for Porsche's own results: Never, never, ever trust measured metrics from a car manufacturer. C'mon: You know this. The number often has as much to do with marketing and make/model positioning than actual performance capability.

 

[JakiChan]

@dlakeThe 'Normal' drive mode is intended to be a 'soft' mode with emphasis on linear responsiveness, comfort, ease of operation, and fuel economy.

And I love it for that. If I'm driving home in heavy traffic, on surface streets, lost in though then I don't need a high-strung car. But if that changes then in an instant, with the twist of a dial, BEAST MODE ENGAGED.

Probably. And the tests seems to show the Tesla slows down some with repeated heavy accelerations.

A LOT, actually. The reason that Tesla hasn't really posted a 'Ring time is that their battery pack can't take the thermal load from driving that hard for that long. "Ludicrous mode" is a party trick and it's cute and all, put that's why I'd rather have a Taycan. Porsche has made it clear that their EV is going to be an EV *and* a Porsche.

So why d'you think the road tests (and Porsche) list its 0-62mph times as 5.1/4.9 secs (Manual/PDK)?

They seem to have a historical precedent of sandbagging. Most of their cars test better than the "published" numbers.

So, TEST DRyVer, I will soon have the base Cayman but with Sports Chrono and a clutch. Would the process be: Put in Sport, clutch, floor the accelerator pedal and let it go to whatever RPM, and slip the clutch a little on launch?

Well, launch control as described is a PDK thing. Without PDK then yes, you'd do that, but you're not really getting any help from the computer. So don't floor it, just launch it like you would any manual car.