2016 SharkWerks Cayman GT4 - Regear, LSD, Performance Kit

The 2016 GT Silver R&D SharkWerks Cayman GT4 came up North from LA's Autogallery and with roughly ~350 miles later all our plans were set into motion. As amazing a chassis as the GT4 is, the engine, response & gearing was not quite what we were used to on previous "GT" cars from Porsche.



James is non-too impressed with those long factory gears in the GT4:





Up on the lift she goes and for a change we're leaving the factory PSE as is. James gets straight to work on the transmission removal:


A few pieces later:


The transmission and number 1 complaint with journalists is out:


One tall-geared GT4 transmission about to get Sharkafied:


The SharkWerks light weight flywheel kit is installed (saves 13 pounds vs the stock flywheel) for improved response/acceleration especially in the lower 1st & 2nd gears:


The entire clutch assembly is replaced (Sharkwerks on the left and stock on the right):



Together with GT Gears & BRM we have settled on a solution that changes 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears to shorter, closer ratios (approx difference is 14% in 3rd, 18% in 4th, and 16% in 5th). This allows shifting to 3rd gear sooner when needed, or staying in 2nd til the normal shift point and jumping to a better position in the powerband in 3rd, and staying in 3rd gear in more situations (ie mid-low speed corners) with improved acceleration. By shortening 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears, you have closer ratios and stay in the powerband longer through typical top speeds. We also utilise a Guard LSD unit with 50/50 locking factor. 4 plates per side for a total of 8 plates. Moderate pre-load to make it manageable on the street and have good lifespan of internals, but still gives really good bite when driven hard on the track or backroads:


Back in goes the "Sharkafied" regeared transmission with shorter gear ratios


With the transmission back in a few extra ponies can be had from sport headers without getting too ruckus in terms of sound:


Also for a more aggressive look (and a tiny weight saving) we replace the factory 91mm tips with the SharkWerks 97mm X-tips:


And installed:


Over to the intake side and carrying on from our old RS350 kit on the first-gen Cayman we're utilizing the IPD Competition Plenum and larger throttle body kit. Most noticeable is the roll-on throttle response:


Stock throttle body on the right (74mm) and larger 997 GT3 82mm on the left:


And installed:


We always like to run BMC:


You can see the stock filter was quite dirty considering the low mileage so regular replacements will be required:


The improved intake & exhaust hardware is then finely tuned with our EVOMSit software specific to our GT4 set up:


RS models usually have more aggressive aero and for our Sharkafied GT4 we chose to run a few pieces from RSS & Salter Aero. The taller Salter Aero wing uprights on the right vs the stock on the left:


The rear carbon fiber ducktail:


Front RSS carbon canards for additional balance with the raised uprights:


In the GT4 corner with two more friends about to get SHARKAFIED:


And now ready to go play with a re-geared transmission & an additional 40hp!



On set for drivetribe video (see below)


SharkWerks GT4 on DRIVETRIBE



On-set for EVO Magazine feature: