I was curious if any of you have compared the noise/road and engine noise levels of the Cayman and 997.
I currently own some 356's and a 997s and find the noise level in the 997 annoying. Any feedback would be appreciated as I really like the Cayman and am thinking of changing.
Thanks,
Ricardo

 

Drive one a bit. You can definitely hear the motor as with any true sports car but I don't think it is excessive. If you need "DEAD QUIET" a little professional soundproofing and the right tires would make it nearly as quiet as a Rolls.

 

it is annoyingly loud....and i have other "sports" cars.....none wear me out from noise like the cayman...it is the number 1 reason i dont drive it much....im not old either the other mid engine car is a 650 hp turbo nsx...its loud too, but doesnt wear you out like the p-car

 

The engine sound in 987 CaymanS is louder.
but i'm not sure if that is what you define "noise".

For noise/road, it depends on tires, suspension and some other factors.

 

I have changed tires a couple of times from sport pilots to p zeros to 18" sport pilots but it makes little difference. I do not think the engine noise is as bad as the road or tire noise. Just looking for solutions or alternatives

 

Ricardo the resonance and engine noise is more of an issue in a Cayman than in a 997. It's right behind you so... Get something with 18s and maybe a Conti tire (they're quieter). Stay away from any Pirelli they are so noisy.

 

The Boxster seems quieter. I guess because the engine is not enclosed inside a can.

At highway speed I get mostly tire noise. On a smooth road it is surprisingly quiet with 19 Bridgstone. I understand that the best for noise in a performance tire is the PS2s.

 

+1 on a fresh set of Michelin PS2s running quiet. Also alignment specs make a pretty big difference in tire roar. Fairly neutral camber and zero toe make for better tire wear and a quiet ride.

 

I would think that some capitalist would come up with a nice little fix for most of this noise.

Notice that most mid engined hard top sports cars have the engine compartment separated from the passenger compartment with a window.

While I haven't looked real close, it seems that you could make a trim piece to go around the area ahead of engine cover and make a removable piece of lexan or Plexiglas to fit. This would give sound waves something to bounce off of and would probably cut sound level in half. My bet is it would then be one of the quiter Porsches.

 

Hey sloopy, you sound like the capitalist for the job!! Not a bad idea and I have seen big differences in sound levels in airplanes by using thicker plexiglass or relatively light sound barriers that make big differences.

 

Thanks, but I hung up my tools a long time a go.

I use to run and own an FBO but switched ocupations in 96. One of the things that I did at my shop was upgrades and sound reduction.

I would be happy to comunicate this olddddd knowlege to anyone who wanted to start such a project and would like some extra input.

 

Lots of good solutions out there. No reason to live with excessive cabin noise if you want it quiet.
http://www.cascadeaudio.com/car_nois...r_barriers.htm

 

Thanks for that website, have you used any of these products?

 

they did, it is called a stereo.

 

I have not. One of my friends has been doing high end car audio for a long time. The first step in any of his installations is reducing cabin noise and road noise with a combination of sound barriers and sound absorbers. The difference is like night and day. On that website there is a Z06 being treated to make the car more streetable (they are unbearably loud in the cabin). You can do this yourself with a little patience but a pro installer uses spectrum analysis and sound meters to measure the interior noise and get stunning results.