Yesterday I had a 2 hour private track session at Knockhill circuit, Fife, with professional European Le Mans Series (ELMS) JWM GTE team driver Rory Butcher. The purpose was to compare the track performance of my 718 CS PDK, with my previous Cayman R manual. Rory had previously tutored me at Knockhill in 2014 with my CR so it was fitting that he accompanied me also in the new 718 CS. This was my first opportunity to fully explore the capabilities of my car on a track I know extremely well. Fortunately, the weather was dry all day, albeit a chilly one with temps reaching only 9c.
The main purpose was to appraise the handling dynamics of the 718 CS as I have specced it, and to extract maximum performance from the car. Sport Plus mode selected on the steering wheel dial, and manual gear shifting via the paddles were used throughout the test. The PSM button also selected to Sport mode with minimal intervention.
The 718 CS takes to the track like a duck to water. The combination of revised progressive rate springs, -20mm lowered adaptive dampening, thicker anti-roll bars, stiffer rear subframe, GT4 rear control arms, wider track, torque vectoring with LSD, quicker steering rack, bigger brakes, and dynamic engine mounts, all work together in concert to make the 718 CS a formidable track performer. It has more grip, more power, better high-speed braking, and to my surprise, displays the same levels of "playfulness" through the medium and high speed corners has I had enjoyed with my CR on this undulating and technical track. Acceleration out of low speed corners and at the hairpin was particularly impressive. Absolutely no turbo lag being apparent whatsoever. The gearing of the new PDK on the 718 CS is slightly shorter than on the manual, and this ideally suited the short 1.6 mile Knockhill circuit perfectly. Lap time comparisons between the two cars showed the 718 CS PDK to be 2 to 3 seconds a lap faster than my CR manual......and this is on a short track. Considering that my CR had Cup 2 tyres fitted, compared to the P-Zero N1 on the 718 CS, this is an especially impressive performance. Whilst on the subject of P-Zeros, I discovered that the new N1 Pirellis faded after two hot laps. They gripped well for a start, then after the second hot lap became inconsistent and slidey. The chassis of the 718 CS works the tyres very hard on a hot lap and the P-Zeros just can't hack it. It would interesting to see how the new Michelin PS4S perform by comparison.
Question, is the 718 CS PDK as much fun to drive on the track as the CR manual? In my experience from yesterday, ABSOLUTELY! It has the same playfulness and drivability as the CR when pressing on through the corners. In fact I would say the 718 is even more playful, with the slightly longer wheelbase giving the driver a better feel for what is happening at the rear end, and with a grippier front end to hook into the corners. In my opinion, the humble "S" version of the Cayman, when specced appropriately, sets a new incredibly high bar for dynamic capability on a mainstream Porsche. If this is how the 718 CS is, expect the forthcoming 718 GTS and 718 GT4 to be astonishing performers. Finally, Rory Butcher had a couple of hot laps driving my car at the end of the session, he was 2 seconds faster than me after only two laps! His verdict? "Brilliant! I like it!. I couldn't have put it better myself.
Brian
