sanjeev

Loren Thanks. This is great info. I wasn't aware that Porsche rotors could be machined, but it makes sense that as long as there is enough residual thickness above the minimum, then it should be OK. Makes it easier to replace pads and freshen the rotor surface to allow for a proper bed-in of the contact surfaces. Thanks, - Sanjeev

Hello, Wanted to check how far worn my front and rear brakes are. Car is a 2012 991 Carrera S. Does anyone have the specs for the minimum front and rear rotor thicknesses? Thanks, - Sanjeev

Thanks all. This is good info. Sounds like there are no issues once we stick to factory wheels (offsets). - sanjeev

Hi, Has anyone used 305 wide rear tires on the narrow body C2 cars without fitment or rubbing issues? I am looking to get a second set of wheels/tires, and find quite a variation in the aftermarket wheel specs. If so, could you share what tires/wheel combination works? I am especially interested in the wheel width and offset(s) used. Also, please state if any wheel spacers were used. Thanks Sanjeev

Yes, I agree that this adaptation logic is involved. I have confirmed that during driving (on open roads, with more ability to tip into the throttle) the PDK adapts its shift points to higher rpms. It is actually uncannily good at this! However, in city/slow-traffic driving, where one is invariably limited by the car right in front of you(!), I do think the shift logic adapts to shift points that are overly low. I suspect this is a trade-off made in the interest of eke-ing out as much fuel economy as possible. For someone who has driven for years with a habit of trying to keep the revs under driving load conditions above 1400~1500rpms, though, it is still a bit uncomfortable. I plan to drive an "S" to see how the Sport mode works under these conditions. If it avoids the "lugging" preference, I may install it anyway. If anyone has an "S" PDK, would you mind taking note of how the shifts occur under light throttle in Sport mode, and post your observations? Thanks all, - Sanjeev

MWS, thanks for your note. Interesting that you note the same sympton on an S model. Is this with the transmission in Normal, or in Sport mode? Reason I ask is that I was considering upgrading to the Sport Mode (available as an add on) if this would make the transmission shift logic less prone to lugging (or alternatively, more eager to downshift). Yes, I have somewhat adopted the manual override via the shift switches procedure too. However, i still think this should be a simple logic fix for the automatic mode. Sanjeev

Hi, I have a 2009 C2 w/PDK (non-S, therefore no Sport mode switch), and have observed that the normal shift strategy is to shift up to higher gears quickly under light throttle (such as regular in-town, in-traffic driving). Often, under these conditions, the engine will try to continue driving all the way down to ~1000 rpm in 2 and 3, resulting in a momentary lugging feel and sound on throttle tip-in. Dealer has checked and updated PDK s/w - no fault codes, and otherwise the car checks out and drives as normal. In other words, according to Porsche programming, this is operating as designed. Question - Has anyone else experienced this behavior, and if so, is there anything to be concerned about? In my previous Porsches (all manuals), I generally kept the revs above ~1500 rpm, even in light-throttle use. clearly this logic could just as easily be programmed in to the current PDK ECU. Does this mean that by design, the modern Porsche engines are OK with being driven (lightly) all the way down to ~1000 rpm? Related Question - Does anyone else feel like there is an excessive amount of engine idle vibration transmitted into the body (and felt through the seats) when sitting at a standstill in D or M? Thanks for any info - I'm trying to determine if this is considered normal, or should I be talking to the dealer. - Sanjeev

Usually the wiring looms are integrated across various functions throughout the car, so I would not expect that you could pull any single speaker pair through. Sounds like your easiest path would be to access and do continuity tests across the existing (ends of) speaker wires, to identify them. It is likely that you could then splice in your new speakers' pigtails to these, once identified. Generally, I've found the modern german cars to use acceptable spkr wiring (twisted copper, 16 and 18-ga). If you are serious about end-to-end quality, I would suggest running new 14-gauge, high-strand-count (audiophile?) twisted-pair wire for the Front Doors, Subwoofer, Front dash locations (first), powering those from your outboard amplifier(s). If you want to reuse the HU internal amp, using it to drive the rear speakers over existing spkr wiring is OK (low-level fill) . Locations - other than the HU in the dash, look for the factory amplifier in the trunk just behind the spare on the "firewall". All the existing in-car speaker wiring shold terminate in one or the other of these locations. Hope this helps.

I was referring to the CDR23 pinout diagram I posted earlier (primarily). You can also review a pinout diagram for the trunk-mounted M680 BOSE amplifier (attached). However once you gain access to the pins from the plug-in harness adapter, it is simple enough to inspect and test each pair to identify the connected speakers. Hope this helps. Good Luck. - Sanjeev PS: After reading multiple audio-installation DIYs, I decided to ground the HU directly to the chassis (instead of using the GND wire in the factory CDR23 plug A). Better to avoid ground loop induced noise, I'm told. (Curiously, I didn't experience any significant or noticeable noise either way, YMMV.)

I used Pins A4, A5 and A8 to connect the HU. You can get a compatible ISO-DIN harness adapter from most car stereo stores (I used a BEST KIT BHA1784). Hope this helps - Sanjeev CDR23-connectors.pdf

Hi all, I am almost thru the replacement of a CDR23 / BOSE amplifier (2003 MOST bus) , and wanted to share some of my install notes. I have gained a lot of insight by reviewing previous posts, and hopefully, can add some more to the collective wisdom on this topic! Briefly, I was able to successfully interface a Nakamichi CD400 HU and ARC Audio Mini 4-ch amplifier to the factory wiring harness using an Autoleads PC2-95-4 connector. NO CUTTING/SPLICING of factory wiring was needed, which was a key consideration for me. Result - It works, and sounds noticeably better than stock (w/ the factory spkrs). However, the factory spkrs' deficiencies have now been highlighted, so me-thinks a decent set of Focals, Morels, Dynaudio or the like is the next order of business! Anyway, if anyone is interested in details, please see attached PDF. Note, this is NOT a full DIY tutorial - if you are not familiar w/car stereo installations, I would recommend letting a shop handle this. I purchased this amp from Rod Birch (Car Audio Innovations) and his advise and help was indispensible for me to get thru this project. Thanks, - Sanjeev Amp-HU-install.pdf PS: I would highly recommend Rod Birch - he is extremely knowledgeable about these cars and their ins/outs relative to stereo installs.

OK, here's my $0.02 FWIW I'm used to oil changed regularly at 5k intervals (Mobil 1, factory filters) on my cars (M3, 996 C2, Audi). However, given that all the factory recommendations at 10k or above these days on European cars, I've been doing some research to find out if this is overkill. (LN Engineering, Charles Navarro has some good info.) Last oil change, I ran 7500 miles (incl. ~10 hrs track use) on Mobil 1, then sent the used oil in to LN for Oil Analysis (My 2003 996 has ~59k). The results came back that the oil was fine, and the oil quality was still significantly ABOVE the recommended thresholds for almost all of the indicators, with no indication of any lubrication-related/wear-related engine issue. Now that I've established a baseline for this motor, I'll continue to track it further. Again, I'm not prescribing anything, but I suspect the factory recommendations at 10k intervals are probably OK. Hope this helps. - Sanjeev

Jason, My advice for summer (performance) tires in winter season temps (less than 40 deg or so) is DEFINITELY DON'T!!! Even in the DRY, summer tires won't grip well if the temp is at freezing or below. I once purchased an M3 in Jan, and had to drive around for a few days with the Michelin Pilots (Z-rated summer hi-perf). It was around freezing (sometimes below at night, so the roadways get cold), and driving around (EVEN IN THE DRY) was scary! The car would lose grip under mild throttle (in 3rd gear) tiptoeing around on-ramps. I think the answer to whether you need dedicated winter tires depends on several things: 1) where do you live (ie. how much snow do you see); 2) even if you don't PLAN to drive in the snow, what is the likelihood that you could get caught needing to drive home in snow/freezing rain/icy conditions. If any of the above are true, then you should seriously consider winter tires. having said that, if you live in mid-latitudes (milder winters), it is certainly reasonable to me to use all-seasons. All-seasons are a compromise (by design), so don't expect race-car grip during the summer (or any time), but they won't go away quite as dramatically as summer tires do below 40 deg. Hope this helps. - Sanjeev PS: I've used all-seasons quite happily on my M3 and 911 (996 C2, currently Mich Pilot A/S Plus)) for winter driving in the Boston-area for several years, without any real issues. I do try to avoid driving it during storms, but the roads are generally well-cleared within hrs of a storm around here, and I'm OK for the occasional light snow. IF I needed to depend on this car for any-time use including regular snow driving, however, I would definitely get winter tires.

Why? might I ask... Short of going to a full weld-in roll-cage, with pickups at the suspension points, I'm not sure there is any real benefit to the typical "strut brace" here. The 911 monocoque chassis is pretty stiff, and rear multi-link suspension practically eliminates the need for such an add-on - rear shocks do connect vertical loads to the chassis, but lateral stresses are handled by the subframe and upper links. The typical performance upgrade is to replace the (rubber bushing) stock toe and upper links with spherical links ("dog bones"). However, I believe this is really only suitable for track use - Porsche designed in the mechanical compliance to provide a stabilizing rear toe-steer effect under lateral loading, and provide some compliance for ride comfort. So buyer beware, if you choose to go this route! If you still want to, check out GMG Racing, etc. They have the shiny racecar spherical-jointed links that so many find sexy. - Sanjeev