My impressions of 718 Boxster S versus e89 z4 2.8

[stuartinzg]

the Zed is never balanced and has this kind of slightly numb nervousness.

no that would be the electric steering and runflats

Oddly enough when you get it right there isn't this numb nervousness even on RFT tyres so back at ya.

Have to agree. Even after 13k miles I feel like I'm learning my car. The slow turn in, coupled with rocketship launching from corners seems to be the better approach.

The car can feel very nervous and twitchy, but I enjoy the difficulty in driving it fast.

[techathy]

no that would be the electric steering and runflats

Oddly enough when you get it right there isn't this numb nervousness even on RFT tyres so back at ya.

Have to agree. Even after 13k miles I feel like I'm learning my car. The slow turn in, coupled with rocketship launching from corners seems to be the better approach.

The car can feel very nervous and twitchy, but I enjoy the difficulty in driving it fast.

Doesn't help sars took the front part of that quote off so it lost its context:

The Z4 is much more picky about how you drive it, get it wrong and the Zed is never balanced and has this kind of slightly numb nervousness.

[extaz]

Very interesting thread. (except when it got swerved into a which looks better debate)
Sounds like the 2.8 handles very well, better than the 335. I don't think the 335 is much like a Boxster/ Cayman.

As far as nervousness, I have had cars like that. It is usually due to tires and inflation in my experience. My 335 is very stable even at high speeds on crappy roads. It is quite a bit heavier on the front end tho. I do play with the tire pressures somewhat and find they are sensitive to ambient temperature changes, which can be extreme if you change to a cooler mountain elevation or have a day that goes from 70f in the a. m. to 90f mid day.

I have not (yet) encountered any handling vices but it is not a real easy car to drive and corner fast. It has a learning curve (pun?) as others have said. This makes it challenging and involving in a different way than a Porsche. Sometimes I sense that the adaptive suspension which tries to continually optimize the shock settings is not ready or is not keeping up and this is making the handling more difficult to figure out and may cause a wallow on the first hard turn. Sometimes I am taken by surprise by how much the DSC reduces power and speed to avoid a skid, just when I would like more. I don't like to turn it off completely on a public road.

The Porsche is also easier to place because of the low short hood and prominent fenders.

All in all the E89 provides a great addictive roadster experience and its versatility makes it the perfect car for me now.

The comments by owners in this thread are appreciated. The automotive magazine and Blog writers are stuck on trite, shallow stereotyped comments as they promote this weeks latest and greatest new thing.

[Nictrix]

What 335??
Do you mean 35is?

[extaz]

What 335??
Do you mean 35is?

The thread is about comparing the Z4 2.8 with a Boxster 718S. The difference that I was referring to was the weight on the front end of the 2.8 compared to the 335 cars with the N54 turbos. The 2.8 is around 300 pounds lighter and is closer to the Boxster weight. All of this weight difference is at the front of the Z. I assume the 2.8 at about 3100 pounds is more like a Boxster than the 3500 pound 335i and 335is. Hope this makes sense.
Glad to see the comments that the 2.8 is so comparable and that the E89 rear suspension is so good.

[Nictrix]

What 335??
Do you mean 35is?

The thread is about comparing the Z4 2.8 with a Boxster 718S. The difference that I was referring to was the weight on the front end of the 2.8 compared to the 335 cars with the N54 turbos. The 2.8 is around 300 pounds lighter and is closer to the Boxster weight. All of this weight difference is at the front of the Z. I assume the 2.8 at about 3100 pounds is more like a Boxster than the 3500 pound 335i and 335is. Hope this makes sense.
Glad to see the comments that the 2.8 is so comparable and that the E89 rear suspension is so good.

Nope still doesnt make sense.
Why bring a 335 saloon car into the equation?

[extaz]

What 335??

Why bring a 335 saloon car into the equation?

We are in a z4 forum so I thought 335 would read Z4 335i or 335is and mean the cars with the N54 twin Turbo. I was wrong. Too vague

[Nictrix]

We are in a z4 forum so I thought 335 would read Z4 335i or 335is and mean the cars with the N54 twin Turbo. I was wrong. Too vague

That was why I asked if you meant 35is. The 335 is a completely different car as in a 3 series with N54 engine.

[Squiddie]

The e89 is much more squirrely than any of the Boxsters with PSM.

The stupid runflat tires are one reason.

It also helps to have wider front tires. I actually run a square tire set. The 225mm are idiotic and the wheel arcs are big enough for 255mm.