Lotus Emira vs Porsche 718 GTS 4.0

[gatorfast]

What exactly is the cayman/boxster holding back now a days? You can get one with a 400hp NA engine and even one with the GT3 RS stuffed in it lol

[Clark_Kent]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

What exactly is the cayman/boxster holding back now a days? You can get one with a 400hp NA engine and even one with the GT3 RS stuffed in it lol

Quite a bit actually. Porsche neutering the 4.0 GTS and GT4 has been an open secret for some time now. Their halo car, the 911 must be protected at all costs. That 4.0 mill in the GTS and GT4 is rated at 394 and 414 hp, respectively. With only a DME flash, no hardware, on 93 octane pump gas the power output increases 50-60 hp on the GTS and 30-40 hp on the GT4...to the wheels. That's a significant jump in power for a naturally aspirated powerplant at that displacement with no hardware. And what has been explained to me by a couple of tuners and the creator of the OTS maps, is there is still a little meat left on the bone on that OTS map.

It's a night and day difference over stock and there is power everywhere in the powerband. Car is a little monster on street. I approve.

[slilley]

Originally Posted by Clark_Kent

Porsche neutering the 4.0 GTS and GT4 has been an open secret for some time now. Their halo car, the 911 must be protected at all costs. That 4.0 mill in the GTS and GT4 is rated at 394 and 414 hp, respectively. With only a DME flash, no hardware, on 93 octane pump gas the power output increases 50-60 hp on the GTS and 30-40 hp on the GT4...to the wheels. That's a significant jump in power for a naturally aspirated powerplant at that displacement with no hardware. And what has been explained to me by a couple of tuners and the creator of the OTS maps, is there is still a little meat left on the bone on that OTS map.

Former 911 owner and current 4.0 GTS owner (with a tune) here. I do not agree with the "neutering" comment above, at least as far as the 4.0 engine is concerned. Yes, in previous generations, Porsche has always held back somewhat when it came to the Boxster and Cayman engine performance. But with this generation, that's no longer true. Yes, there's like a 10hp difference thanks to engine mapping between the GT4 and the 4.0 GTS engine, but the difference in performance between the tuned and untuned engine is not significant. Of course, a tuner will tell you that the difference is significant - they are trying to sell their products! But as an owner who tracks my car, where you have the opportunity to drag race other tuned and untuned cars - I can tell you that the difference between the two isn't significant. Porsche isn't neutering the 4.0 engine in the cars...it's a wonderful engine.

Taking things to the next step, perhaps as the 718 swan song, Porsche took their greatest engine from the 911 GT3 and stuck it directly in the GT4 RS and Boxster Spyder RS. That 4.0 engine is totally different than the one in my car, and it makes another 100hp over my car.

As for the previous comments about the 911 and Cayman/Boxster being virtually the same cars - that's total BS too. There's lots of part sharing within the product lines by every manufacturer, which I've seen first-hand at BMW/Mini, VW/Audi, Mazda, and yes, Porsche. You can take two cars from any manufacturer and they will often have strong similarities. At Porsche, the current 911 has grown into more of a GT car, and is a lot larger than current Boxster/Cayman. While they share similar DNA, they drive differently too - at least on the track where you can really push them.

[BlkGS]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

What exactly is the cayman/boxster holding back now a days? You can get one with a 400hp NA engine and even one with the GT3 RS stuffed in it lol

Coxster owners will never be satisfied because they'll always feel inferior to 911 drivers. You give them a car that can turn faster laps than the equivalent 911 and they're still not satisfied because it's a ego thing. They're upset that the 911 is placed above Coxster in the lineup.

You can't reason with them. You just have to accept they'll never be happy.

[HDMI]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I see both cars and wonder why one doesn't buy an F-Type V8. Big fuck off engine, looks incredible and cheaper than these two by a mile. You'd need VERY good local roads to chase the handling advantage of the Emira or GT4.

Jag is too heavy, and it doesn't come with a manual.

[ShocknAwe]

Originally Posted by HDMI

Jag is too heavy, and it doesn't come with a manual.

Manual car is required for some of us.

[Pauly Wauly]

Originally Posted by ShocknAwe

Manual car is required for some of us.

...Especially as a fun weekend toy