So I'm looking to buy a new toy.

I looked around and have been reading up on specifically 2 cars the Z06 and the Cayman and I can't seem to make up my mind. money is not the issue what I'm really talking about is performance on a track. I have heard and maybe it is a far fetched that the Cayman S is a better track car then a GT3. This has been shot down but in practice the mid engine car is more balance so I see why people will clam this to be true.

So Cayman drivers I need your help. Please tell me a little about owning a cayman. The good the bad and the ugly.

Thanks for the help.

 

hmm Chevrolet or Porsche do i need to say more lol. Personally i love my cayman s. I put PSS9 coilovers on it and it handles like mad. I don't care how much horsepower you have i would never buy an american car. They aren't made the way they used to. Thats just my 2 cents.

 

I know what you mean but the Z06 is an exception to the American car rule LOL

 

American beer vs. European wine, you choose.

 

On a track those are two very different cars, the ZO6 is gonna flatten a Cayman S even on a short track. That said, the Cayman is a very rewarding car to drive and makes you feel like an allstar. As far as a daily driver or street car, I went with the Cayman mostly because I could really push it and use 7-8/10ths without killing myself or losing my license.

I really liked the ZO6 but, you push that car and you are hitting the brakes on an on ramp at the top of second gear. Its wildly fun cause its brutally fast, but you simply cannot redline through the gears without literally going 160mph in 4th. I couldn't restrain myself. Also, I was looking when they first came out and the pricing BS and the top delaminations so that helped me steer clear of the general. I would still like to have one, but the Cayman is a fantastic car and in no way a compromise.

Bottom line, you can't go wrong with either. Contrary to the stereotype, the Vette is a reliable and well built car.

 

If you want some really good info about tracking the Cayman, you should go to the Cayman Club website. The fellow who started the website has a modded Cayman with perhaps 350 hp, and he has no trouble staying with Z06s and 997TTs on most tracks. He is an excellent driver, but the Cayman doesn't need much help to become an excellent track car. It is a shame Porsche holds it back. Also, the new CS with DFI and PDK will probably be a track star. As you probably know, there are journalists who are calling it the best sports car you can buy.

 

We are putting some wheels on a Cayman so I asked the owner is I could take it for a drive. The owner said not to go easy on so I didn't... WOW What a car... I was impressed on how neutral the car feels going into turns and the power was really nice...

I would have to say you can't go wrong ether way. Good luck.

 

I think that sums it up nicely. A Z06 is without a doubt faster, but it just isn't a communicative car. Breakaway characteristics are suspect, to say the least.

You'll be faster in the Z06, you'll be happier with a Cayman.

 

A Cayman S is a very sophisticated sports car that always makes you look good, street or track. A good set of tires and some driving skill and you can run with the big dogs at all but the longest, most wide open tracks. Driving this car is refreshing.

A Z06 is a race car with plates. It is really hot and loud inside when you wind it up, suspension is bone jarring on the street, steering feels pretty vague, and it is a fire breathing torque monster. A real handful to hang on to if you are brave enough or foolish enough to turn off traction control. A top driver can turn some fierce laps in this thing. Closer in performance to a GT3RS than a Cayman S. A novice will take a lot of trips to spin city...or worse. Faster laps than a Cayman S in the hands of a pro, slower laps in the hands of a Joe. It is a pure dedicated track monster. If you drive NASCAR you will love the Z06. Driving this car on the street is just tiring. You are holding it back the whole time. No fun after about 15 minutes.

Just one drivers opinion. Others will disagree. I have driven both and owned neither.

 

I have to disagree. The Z may not be as refined as a Porsche but it is not a bad daily driver. When weather permits I drive the Z everyday. It is very easy to drive in traffic and is a comfortable car. You do have to control your right foot a little because it does have more power than one needs on public roads. Take the traction control off and it can become a handful in a hurry.

A stock Z is also a very good track car. I ran it Road America with all of the nannies on and ran a very respectable 2:39. I will admit that if someone plans on a lot of track usage they will need to upgrade the brakes and the seat. Seats are comfy for daily driving but do not provide any support for the track.

I have not driven a Cayman S - so I can not compare.

 

It really depends on your use, your driving level, and just personal preference. I have had both C5 and C6 ZO6 cars, and now a Cayman S, with a lot of track time with all of them. I'm not doing as much track stuff now, and I find the Cayman a very pleasing all around car. If you are, or, plan to become, a capable driver with the ZO6, it is a great track car. It's fine as a daily driver too, but as others have said, it is difficult to utilize much of its potential on public roads. If you invest in the required time and training, the ZO6, like any high hp rear drive car, will make you a better driver, and is very rewarding when you do things right. After years of driving cars like that, the Cayman on track, is just way underpowered, and its handling, comparatively, requires so much less attention, it can be boring. The plus side of this, for the majority of folks who buy them, the Cayman's handling is about as idiot proof as a car can be, and with only average driving ability, most drivers wil be safe in it. Regarding quality, I have no real issues with the Vette. The seat is unsatisfactory for serious track use. This "communication" thing is, in my opinion, overplayed quite a bit. Does the Vette transmit a level of feel to the driver through its steering and suspension comparable to the Porsche? No. But, I never found that to slow me down. You just have to drive them and make a decision; very different cars.

 

I agree. The 'vette is scary fast with all that entails. The Cayman S is weak sauce by comparison. Not that the Cayman S is not a wonderful car. Its more sophisticated, is lighter and therefore more nimble. A poor driver will die more quickly in the 'vette than the Cayman. But a good driver will be faster in the 'vette.

But that's just on the track. I am not a tracktard first. I am a street 'tard and therefore i would always choose the Cayman over the Z06. No chick ever looked at a Cayman driver and said, "shame about the small d**k" but they do it all the time to Corvette guys.

 

Id rather have the Z06 hands down, but its not a car I would want to be trying to daily drive, at least with my driving environment. It out handles an out powers the cayman in every way except luxury.

 

Having owned both, my perception is a bit different. While the maximum mechanical grip of the ZO6 is at least equal to the Cayman, the dynamics of a specific section of road or track would yield different results in each car. In shorter transitions, uphill, or off camber turns, the Cayman is going to be more secure, at least in my driving style. Most of my track driving is at VIR. I am going faster at the top of the uphill esses section in my Cayman S, than I was in the ZO6 (both cars stock, street tires). But, you can use 100% of the Cayman's power in that section, and exiting Turn 10, but not so with the Vette. But, on a relatively large, or increasing radius turn, where you can get into the throttle early and hard, the ZO6 leaves the Cayman far behind.

 

Cayman S is hands down a better handling car. power is a different story, but as far as handling, the Cayman S is one of the best handling cars ever made, if not the best.
IMO, the cayman S is the more fun car, but buy what you like.