-= rs350; a very thorough review (dyno) =-
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Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 821
From: San Diego
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Can't believe it's already been 8 months already! Guess it's time for an update.
Let's get the boring stuff out of the way:
I've logged over 7000 miles on the car since the install, and the car has not skipped a beat. Not a single hiccup, no extra maintenance, no strange leaks, and still no headache from the exhaust. Just perfect. I wake up every morning, hop into the car, fire it up and 25 minutes later pulling into the garage with a stupid grin on my face even after 8 months.
My MPG has gone up from 18.0 to just over 20.0. This is overall average with both highway and city, fairly clear roads in the morning and rush hour traffic in the afternoon.
A lot of people complain about exhaust drone depending on the setup and brand they end up buying. I'm very happy to report not having any droning with my Milltek cat-back exhaust. Idling, there's a noticeably lower, louder rumble and the car just barks above 5k and all the way to redline. Great setup for the daily driver.
Now the more interesting stuff:
The bad news is even after me soliciting on the board to do some comparative driving against other n/a setups, I haven't gotten any bites. However, here's what I've been able to determine.
1. the car is definitely faster than stock. not just butt dyno fast. My review first revealed a substantial increase from stock, but beyond that, I've had the opportunity to make some pulls against other Cayman S from a roll, and the RS350 is the clear winner, usually by 4-5 car lengths.
Against other cars that I use to pull dead even with, lightly modified E46 M3s, I've been able to handily walk away from since the RS350.
Recently, I was able to pull dead even with a 6 speed manual E92 M3. In fact, from a roll, I would easily jump 2 cars because of the weight difference, and it wouldn't be until a certain not-to-be-disclosed speed, does it start to catch up.
2. while the dyno charts clearly show a substantial increase in torque across the mid range, it is most noticeable during day to day driving. Being able to quickly pull ahead of someone in lower gears, and not having to downshift to pass on the free way is something that I use on a daily basis.
3. for the price I paid by piecing used and new parts together ($3500), this was a steal! The big thing for me is we're not talking about upgrades that you'd only be able to use on the track, or in the twisties. This is power that is useable every day, to and from work. The added sound is just icing on the cake = )
What now?
We all know 99% of the people out there will already have their hands full with the stock Cayman S. Most of us on the board will want a little bit more. For me, I think the RS350 is a GREAT setup. For the amount of $ I paid, it was absolutely worth every penny for the added enjoyment I get out of the car on a daily basis. Given the same option, would I have gone with the RS350 setup again? ABSOLUTELY. Does that mean I'm done? Probably not.
If what you want is a Cayman S that behaves like the day you bought it with a little bit more grunt without breaking the piggy bank, this is the hands down way to do it. However, if you know you want earth shattering power that can spin the globe backwards and have the $10k+ to spend, then you may want to skip this step and explore other options like built motors and/or force induction because going beyond this, you're looking at spending that much $ anyways, with far less HP to show for it.
Let's get the boring stuff out of the way:
I've logged over 7000 miles on the car since the install, and the car has not skipped a beat. Not a single hiccup, no extra maintenance, no strange leaks, and still no headache from the exhaust. Just perfect. I wake up every morning, hop into the car, fire it up and 25 minutes later pulling into the garage with a stupid grin on my face even after 8 months.
My MPG has gone up from 18.0 to just over 20.0. This is overall average with both highway and city, fairly clear roads in the morning and rush hour traffic in the afternoon.
A lot of people complain about exhaust drone depending on the setup and brand they end up buying. I'm very happy to report not having any droning with my Milltek cat-back exhaust. Idling, there's a noticeably lower, louder rumble and the car just barks above 5k and all the way to redline. Great setup for the daily driver.
Now the more interesting stuff:
The bad news is even after me soliciting on the board to do some comparative driving against other n/a setups, I haven't gotten any bites. However, here's what I've been able to determine.
1. the car is definitely faster than stock. not just butt dyno fast. My review first revealed a substantial increase from stock, but beyond that, I've had the opportunity to make some pulls against other Cayman S from a roll, and the RS350 is the clear winner, usually by 4-5 car lengths.
Against other cars that I use to pull dead even with, lightly modified E46 M3s, I've been able to handily walk away from since the RS350.
Recently, I was able to pull dead even with a 6 speed manual E92 M3. In fact, from a roll, I would easily jump 2 cars because of the weight difference, and it wouldn't be until a certain not-to-be-disclosed speed, does it start to catch up.
2. while the dyno charts clearly show a substantial increase in torque across the mid range, it is most noticeable during day to day driving. Being able to quickly pull ahead of someone in lower gears, and not having to downshift to pass on the free way is something that I use on a daily basis.
3. for the price I paid by piecing used and new parts together ($3500), this was a steal! The big thing for me is we're not talking about upgrades that you'd only be able to use on the track, or in the twisties. This is power that is useable every day, to and from work. The added sound is just icing on the cake = )
What now?
We all know 99% of the people out there will already have their hands full with the stock Cayman S. Most of us on the board will want a little bit more. For me, I think the RS350 is a GREAT setup. For the amount of $ I paid, it was absolutely worth every penny for the added enjoyment I get out of the car on a daily basis. Given the same option, would I have gone with the RS350 setup again? ABSOLUTELY. Does that mean I'm done? Probably not.
If what you want is a Cayman S that behaves like the day you bought it with a little bit more grunt without breaking the piggy bank, this is the hands down way to do it. However, if you know you want earth shattering power that can spin the globe backwards and have the $10k+ to spend, then you may want to skip this step and explore other options like built motors and/or force induction because going beyond this, you're looking at spending that much $ anyways, with far less HP to show for it.
Thread Starter
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Registered User
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 821
From: San Diego
Rep Power: 62
no, i did not. i do plan to do so when my clutch gives out. but spending the $ on labor to take apart the transmission to replace the LWFW before the clutch is due for replacement only to do it again later doesn't seem too efficient. plus i'm skeptical how much of an improvement it'd make given that it'd cost($1100 parts + $800 or more for labor) more than 50% of how much I had already spent on the RS350 kit ($3500). But since I didn't do it personally, I can't really comment on it = )
if you did do the LWFW with your RS350, would you care to share your experiences?
if you did do the LWFW with your RS350, would you care to share your experiences?
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 222
From: California
Rep Power: 28
I've got a 986 right now, but have been considering switching up to a 987... and that RS350 definitely sounds like the icing on the cake...
Thread Starter
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Registered User
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 821
From: San Diego
Rep Power: 62
always love to meet other enthusiasts and place a face to a name. shoot me a PM or e-mail with your e-mail address and i'll get in touch with you.
I work in La Jolla area and can always use an extended lunch break to talk cars.
I work in La Jolla area and can always use an extended lunch break to talk cars.
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 222
From: California
Rep Power: 28
haha, what a coincidence... I'm in La Jolla too... I've gotta get some rear tires, though looks like a get together will definitely have to be in store soon!
Registered User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 168
From: Chicago, IL
Rep Power: 27
no, i did not. i do plan to do so when my clutch gives out. but spending the $ on labor to take apart the transmission to replace the LWFW before the clutch is due for replacement only to do it again later doesn't seem too efficient. plus i'm skeptical how much of an improvement it'd make given that it'd cost($1100 parts + $800 or more for labor) more than 50% of how much I had already spent on the RS350 kit ($3500). But since I didn't do it personally, I can't really comment on it = )
if you did do the LWFW with your RS350, would you care to share your experiences?
if you did do the LWFW with your RS350, would you care to share your experiences?
-Kevin