Why do I need an S and what year

[yelojkt]

Thanks sasha very well stated. You have now solidified that I will get an S. I will live with days on end of getting bounced around on city streets to enjoy the performance of the stiffer suspension on the open road, on-ramps and the track.

[ekam]

According to Mikefocke's website...

Under 2003 changes:
Base model gets same suspension as 2002 S model.

[Steve Tinker]

Regarding suspension "harshness", I found that tyre type and pressure are critical to comfort & roadholding - more so than the technical differences between base & S suspension.
Top quality tyres like Michelin Pilot PP2's with relatively soft sidewalls ride far superior on a Boxster compared to cheaper stiffer walled tyres like Khumo or Goodyear.
On the technical side of the S equation, don't rule out the value of the bigger brakes (Brembo monoblocks) and cross drilled rotors, coupled with an extra coolant radiator in the nose plus a bigger water/oil heat exchanger.
These mods alone are worth a lot of kudus & smack of upgraded "sports car" type performance above the base model......

[mikefocke]

I'm surprised someone hasn't mentioned some:

cost of tires on larger diameter wheels

frequency of CV joint boot failures on 6 speed cars (versus 5-speed or TIP)

[JTP]

Originally Posted by mikefocke

I'm surprised someone hasn't mentioned some:

cost of tires on larger diameter wheels

frequency of CV joint boot failures on 6 speed cars (versus 5-speed or TIP)

Why do 6 speeds have a higher CVJ boot failure?

[Perfectlap]

my previous car was a Miata. I changed the shocks/springs twice (KYBs were awesome for that car, Tokis not so much), shock mounts in the rear for more travel, BBS wheels, exhaust, ceramic headers, intake, full aero package, low profile headlights, glass top, MP3 CD player (a big deal in 1998) and a prsitine hard top.
Selling that car was a dumb move but having two roadsters seemed excessive. I should have kept it as an autocrosser. At any rate that car had the shifter kart for the road feel about it that the Boxster does not have. The Boxster feels more like a full sized sports car, that sits higher and dupes you into thinking you aren't really going so fast. The Miata really let you know how fast you were going because it was a tin can. I'm sure the Lotus has a similar feel. To tell you the truth I had a lot more fun driving one of the newer Mini Coopers than the Boxster S.
You just don't interact with the gear box in the same way with the Porsche.
But for power over 200 HP and real world practicality the Boxster still sets the bar amongst roadsters. The S2000 was a most excellent car as well but looked a little generic to me and seat position was kinda awkward for me. I knew a guy who raced in some junior formulas against one of the big F1 stars and when I arrived with the Boxster S he was more excited than I was. He said this car does everything perfectly and would have been his first choice but settled on an S2000 instead because he feared the upkeep of a car that would be tracked/autox'd.

I'd wait for the 3.4 Boxsters to come down in price. Which given the way this economy is moving shouldn't be that long. I'm not crazy about 987 styling but there is no debating the egineering and reliability improvements. If I could retrofit real retractcable soft top (minust the motor) using ball bearings and a manual pull to a Boxster Spyder I'd be all over that.

[Steve Tinker]

Originally Posted by JTP

Why do 6 speeds have a higher CVJ boot failure?

I believe the drive shafts are mounted at a more acute angle on the six speeder compared with the 5 speed.
Mine had to be replaced at 40,000 miles because 2 were already split and 2 had started de-laminating.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by Steve Tinker

I believe the drive shafts are mounted at a more acute angle on the six speeder compared with the 5 speed.
Mine had to be replaced at 40,000 miles because 2 were already split and 2 had started de-laminating.

Thanks Steve, that's interesting. I've had to replace two of mine at around 40k miles also. I never considered the 6-spd transaxle would put the axles at a different angle than others.