The radiator duct is notched for the lines.
Now the engine oil and PDK fluid are refilled. For engine oil we used Redline 5W50 Full Synthetic. This is a higher performance ester-based oil. Unlike other racing oils, Redline has detergents to keep contaminates suspended making it suitable for the street. The high-performance base stock has natural multi-grade properties so little viscosity enhancers are needed. These additives can reduce the lubricity and raise the oils ash content which can lead to more deposits.
For the PDK transmission, we used Redlines DTCF fluid that is formulated especially for wet twin-clutch transmissions like the Porsche PDK. Redline DTCF is a full synthetic that has superior high-temperature performance.
The fluids for the Cayman are filled through this hatch in the rear compartment. You have to be a little careful not to spill stuff on the carpet! As a note, the engine oil capacity has increased by around 3 quarts and the PDK fluid by a quart due to the larger pans and coolers.
Now our car has greatly improved cooling for the engine coolant, engine oil, transmission, and power steering fluid. We basically have the cooling system of a POC Spec Cayman race car. Our car should now have enough cooling to stay out of limp mode no matter how tough the conditions are. We will also avoid cornering induced oil starvation with are taller baffled and higher capacity oil pan.
With all of our engine power and reliability mods in place, we are ready to make the trip to M-Engineering to have our ECU tuned with the Cobb Access Port. We will soon see how we stack up against the GT4!
Read all the build details of Project Cayman here.
Sources
Bilt Racing Service
LN Engineering
Redline Oil
10 comments
Do you know if both the BRS side mount cooler and the BGB cooler can be installed? Or do they both cool the same (clutch?) oil?
One cools the tranny and the other the differential. Since we are not running a LSD yet, I didn’t think we needed a cooler after talking to guys who race these cars.
If you were to run an LSD, which LSD, and what cooler would you be exploring to use?
Probably a Setrab with an electric pump.
How did the intake manifold fit? It doesn’t seem like there is enough room for the larger oil heat exchanger. Also how far does the oil pan hang down front to rear?
Perfectly.
Great series on a great car. I’d love to see some before and after temperature data of the engine oil, pdk, and coolant system after all this work. I’d like to lower my own temperatures but it’s hard to know how much needs to be done to achieve reasonable temperatures.
We didn’t take any before but these cars are known to go into limp mode in just a few laps with a fast driver due to the PDK overheating. Ford Factory driver, Billy Johnson drove the car for a full session on a hot day with no issues, tuning a 1:57 at Buttonwillow.
Now that it’s been a couple years, how is the cooling on the 987. 2 working out on the track? I’m considering buying a 987.2 Cayman S and my only major concerns are the cooling and reliability of the PDK on the track (which I feel is related to keeping it cool)
Very well, is good even in hot weather.