jmatta

Attach them, plug it in and forget about it until spring. Is it ever going to be spring? This has been a long, cold and snowy winter in northern Illinois.

Looks like you did the Oettle's or Pedro bypass. I have it on my '02 S with Fabspeed secondary bypass pipes and love the sound. Nice deep idle, pleasant cruising sound, but GT3 ripped sound at full throttle starting around 3800 rpm. One of these days when the Chicago winter relents, I'll get a sound byte.

Ben (Pelican 911 poster mb911) is working on one. For now, I recommend the Oettle or Pedro mod to the stock muffler.

You are likely hitting the inside...5mm spacers may do the trick and still keep your wheels from sticking out too far. See if anyone can lend you a spacer just to try.

I just put 18x8 et 50 front and 18x10 et 42 rear on my '98 base. (with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s). I had to tie the hand brake cables to the longitudinal axle (as per Porsche's bulletin) as it was touching the rear tires - did you have to do that too on your '02 S? Yes, noticed it immediately. I used some heavy duty black cable ties to pull them to the control arm...problem solved. soopster, I think if you looks around, you can get Carrera lightweights (replicas) for less than than that (made in Italy). One source that comes to mind is Wheel Dynamics.

Porsche didn't make a 996 S, only a 4S. 996's all had a front wheel offset of 50mm.

Glad you found your answer...BTW, exploring is a good thing; you can get answers to questions you never thought of asking.

The 10" rears will work with a spacers of 10mm to 12mm...the fronts, with an offset of 37 won't work no matter what (I'm trying to figure out what these wheels came off of ?) For what it's worth, I run 18x8 et 50 front and 18x10 et 47 rear on my '02 S without issue (car is lowered).

If you do the Evo intake mod, be careful with the oil on the filter...most come pre-oiled. In any case, wrap it in some newspaper just to be certain it doesn't contain any excess. Complaints about spoiled MAF sensors are sometimes the result of over-oiled air filters.

Bill, please spend some time reading the posts by Charles Navarro and Jake Rabe (LN Engineering and Flat 6, respectively). They have spent years tearing down the M96 engines to inspect wear and damage. Do you really think Porsche would admit to design flaws? Charles and Jake have spent thousands of their own dollars to come up with solutions to improve these engines. The have hundreds of oil analysis samples that prove fuel intrusion begins at the 6 to 7k mile point. I know I am a "parrot" repeating their claims, however, with all the evidence they possess, why would I not believe their recommendations? The way Porsche has handled this matter, they are the last source I would trust. You can continue to change your oil at the frequency you're comfortable with. However, when someone seeking information for their car asks questions, I like to suggest they go to the websites, read the data/commentary and make their own educated decision.

The stock ride height sits at least an inch too tall (look at those fender gaps!). When you lower the car, it will automatically increase the negative camber all the way around. This enhances corning ability, but will increase wear on the inner part of the tires. I lowered my S by about an inch and a half, running -1.5 camber front and -2.5 rear. Only you can decide if the trade off is worth it.

Do yourself a favor and change the oil every 5 to 6k miles. The M96 motor is prone to fuel intrusion into the motor oil which causes breakdown, hence lack of proper lubricating qualities. There are better oils than Mobil 1; the post referenced has some suggestions.

Short list of mods I'd recommend: Evo Hi-Flow Air Intake: Worth the sound alone, doubt it adds HP, if any. H&R Sport Springs: Stock stance is way too high, lower center of gravity = better handling Good tires: Contact patch very important; unless you use simply as commuter vehicle Sport muffler: It's a Porsche, should have some sports car sound (mod yours, it's cheap) Stereo: It's a top down sports car, who needs it? That's what iPods are for. I'd leave the engine alone, unless you'd like Flat 6 to rebuild it to 2.9 specs. Too much to go wrong when adding boost.

Bill, I appreciate your comments. It is the information on this board, as well as others, that educate us on the details of our cars that some have to find out the hard way, unfortunately. The M96 engines have some design flaws that have caused a percentage (low, mind you) of engines to grenade long before their useful life. Charles Navarro and Jake Raby have spent considerable time and money researching these inherit flaws to determine their cause and to find fixes that will insure longevity. I am not an engineer (poor banker, instead), but I read their write ups with great interest and will take steps so that my Box S isn't the next victim. There are numerous debates on which oil is best/worse for our engines. Until you have a failure and teardown, you don't know the culprit behind the failure. The guys at Flat 6 have dissected many M96 engines and base their recommendations on their findings. It may be contrary to question the almighty Porsche engineers, but in this case, the bean counters won and the engineers lost. One of the primary issues with the M96 engine, other than design weaknesses, is the way the piston rings seal against the cylinders. This allows for fuel intrusion into the motor oil which causes break downs. I don't care how good the oil is; when mixed with fuel, it won't be good for long. Anyone who has some time on their hands and would like to do some reading on the topic, refer to this link, as well as the Flat 6 and LN websites. http://www.ppbb.com/boards/ppbbphp/showfla...part=1&vc=1

Dougfern, you need to go to the home page and click on the Cayenne forum. Your post in the 986 Boxster area won't result in any answers.

Very well stated, Mike. There are many posts regarding this topic and I highly suggest to go to the aforementioned websites and read the information and data derived from hundreds of oil analysis results reviewed by the "experts". I think it will motivate you to follow a more frequent change schedule. Here is one example of a post commented by Charles... http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?t=397949

:huh: The experts? Porsche recommends 15K or one year for this model year. You meet the one year mark...not many miles at 2,500. With today's synthetic oils, it is not environmentally friendly, nor is there a benefit to change engine oil less than the manufacturers (Porsche) specifications. Bill B) I totally disagree. If you read the information at www.flat6innovations.com and LN Engineering, one major deciding factor in M96 engine failure is fuel contamination in the oil after about 7k miles. This causes a break down and is a factor to premature failure. Porsche intially recommended 15k mile oil changes, but later retracted. It's your car, but more frequent changes, as preventitive maintenance, is cheap insurance in my book.

Last oil change? If it were 8k miles ago, I would definitely change it...the experts recommend no more than 6 to 7k miles between changes. Mine gets done once a year, which equates to around 2500 miles.

Traffic must be really bad in Jersey that you NEED air horns. Why not buy a tank instead?

I agree with the above...later motors take some work to be compatible; just replace with another 2.5 and you should be good to go and spend the least amount of $'s. Depending upon damage, you may want to look into a Jake Raby rebuild to 2.9 ltrs. Visit www.flat6innovations.com for details.

I use the 3M product as well, but feel the Wurth is better suited to the leather dash. Thanks for your input concours guy!

Though I have a B&M short shift, I agree this is a "must do" modification. When I drive cars with the stock shifter, I am amazed that the driver can be comfortable with the long throws. For those who have had trouble, either it's not your cup of tea or the install was not done correctly. Even my 18 year old son (who did some autocrossing last year in the Box) found it to be comfortable and engaging.

Wurth Citrus Degreaser...you cannot buy a better product. Check with any experienced concours guy...

Way too much weight in exactly the wrong place., for starters.

I have H&R Sports on my '02 S; lowered the car about 1.5" from stock. I believe the Gemballa's are about the same, but for two or three times the cost (probably made by H&R anyway).