*sigh* Time to set things straight again, just like the Z06 vs. Cayman S thread a few days ago....
Lucas, AGAIN, just because a car has no LSD doesn't mean its a POS. A car does not need a LSD in the first place if it has an excellent chassis that can put all the power down reliably! (The Lotus Elise is actually
SLOWER with a LSD installed, but it benefits Auto-X'ers so Lotus provided one.) Porsche deliberately kept an LSD out of the Cayman S to preserve the performance gap. And it obviously does not suffer that bad seeing its 'Ring time is between the 997 and 997S.
*READ* The Cayman S is faster than the 997 around a 'Ring, but slower than a 997S!
Nurburgring Lap Times:
7:28 --- 166.652 km/h -- Porsche Carrera GT
7:32 -- 164.071 km/h – Pagani Zonda F
7:32.52 163.882 km/h -- Gemballa Porsche GTR 600 EVO
7:34 --- 163.586 km/h – Koenigsegg CCR
7:38 --- 162.307 km/h -- Corvette C6 Z06
7:40 --- 161.217 km/h – Bugatti 16/4 Veyron
7:40 --- 161.217 km/h -- Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren
7:42 -- 160.519 km/h – Ford GT
7:42 --- 160.519 km/h -- Mosler MT900S Photon
7:50 --- 157.787 km/h -- BMW E46 M3 CSL
7:52 --- 157.119 km/h -- BMW E60 M5
7:59 --- 154.822 km/h -- Porsche 997 Carrera S
8:11 --- 150.462 km/h -- Porsche Cayman
Quote:
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Originally Posted by SpicyMcHaggis
for the record, and i'm surprised noone brought this up before, the reason the Cayman S was faster around the 'Ring was because it was completely performance optioned (Sport Chrono, PASM, and PCCBs) whereas the 911 was a normal Carrera with steel rotors, no PASM, and no Sport Chrono...
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The above statement is incorrect. Porsche took the fully optioned Cayman S and a fully optioned 997S to the 'Ring so they would have the very best times to print in their brochures.
Now onto the M3 vs Cayman discussion...
They are apples and oranges to compare. The M3 is a sports COUPE. The Cayman S is a sports CAR. One is designed to perfectly mix sports car with practicality, the other is designed to be a balls out sports car. OBVIOUSLY one will be better suited for the job of going fast (Cayman). That isnt to say the M3 is a shitty car, but a better matchup would probably be the upcoming Z4M Coupe against the Cayman S.
And of course with any discussion, the cars looks come into play. Some hate the Cayman, some hate the M3. I love the looks of both. The Cayman, especially in person looks MEAN. Such a taut and muscular rear 3/4 view. To each his own for that argument.
Now onto performance. Both engines are SUBLIME. Porsche's F-6 has been slowly perfected for 40 years. Same with BMW's I-6. They are both wonderful powerplants. The 6-spd gearboxes in both are sublime as well, each providing perfectly spaced ratios, smooth and positive gear engagement, etc. The M3 does have a LSD to help put down power, but as stated above, the Cayman does without it and is just fine.
Handling goes to the Cayman, simply because of its lower weight and *perfect* mid-engine chassis. All of Porsche's cars drive as if they were literally on rails, and anyone who has not driven one and tries to argue against that is just retarded.
The Cayman is definitely the better performer. If you want a sports car, buy a Cayman S. Now you ask, why the hell did i buy my 2006 M3 ZCP no more than 2 weeks ago if im such an advocate of the C6 Z06 and Cayman S?
PRACTICALITY! I needed a full-size trunk, and the ability to carry 3 people comfortably, or 4 people in a pinch. This is absolutely not possible in a Cayman or a Z06. However, i wasn't going to settle for a Ford Taurus. I wanted a serious performance car.
The M3 is the perfect middle ground between a sports car and a sedan. It obviously leans HEAVILY towards the sports car side, but it is nonetheless a perfect inbetween car.
-Zach