macsak

daly city is in the bay area, right?

if it is, post on www.babblers.org for the bay area boxsters

www.ppbb.com is the largest boxster board, you could also post on rennteam, pelican parts, and rennlist

it's always great to see peple getting together and helping each other out with their cars

aloha

steve

hi guys pretty new to the boxster scene but have done some stuff to the car and was wondering if anyone would be interested in a work on car day in Daly City.... I have a buddy of mine with a miata who is planning to do a tech day (that's what they call em on the miata forums) sometime in june and was wondering if anyone wanted to join in.... the place is actually where i work...its a professional office building with tons of open space to work on the cars.... no one's there on saturday or sunday and there is tall bushes so no one of the street can see us.... its a great central place... next to in and out and krispy kreme, walgreens, mc donalds, kragen and stuff like that.... we could all chip in for some pizza and drinks and get to know eachother and help eachother out..... let me know what's a good date if anyone is interested....

read mike focke's boxster buying guide, and read renntech.org and ppbb.com religiously, and you will ahve more than enough information and help than you need

i wouldn't worry at all about driving all year round (with proper tires, of course)

aloha

steve

Its a great daily driver and a pleasure to drive, the biggest thing you'll have to worry about is where to park it.

Unfortunately it attracts a lot of attention and jealous bastards can do anything. I parked my cayenne in a fully open area and some lil ***** came and kicked my quarter panel :censored:

The 01' S useto be the daily driver and its always a pleasure hitting 4000 rpm :)

Porsches, can live with em, cant park them :)

your last line with the part nos. says "35:9 rack and pinion" is this your typo, or are you looking at sterring parts?

like i said before, it would be great to change the rear end gear

aloha

steve

OK, how about this one........

From a post over on the Boxster Racing Board:

"Savowood, your 2.7 has a five speed with a 3.56:1 final drive...the five speed in the 2.5 Boxster has a 3.89:1 final drive...I'd bet (but I don't know for certain) that the ring and pinion from the 2.5 five speed would fit..."

Another racer confirmed that the R&P from the 2.5 would fit. A jump to a 3.89:1 FDR would definitely impact the acceleration positively. I would think it better for AX, and most of the tracks that DE's are run on as well, while still maintaining good "street-ability." I took a look and dCautomotive shows 2 part numbers for the 2.5L 35:9 rack and pinion: 012409143CA @ $668.89 and 012409143CQ @ 805.86. Not sure what the difference might be.

Opinions?

Do you know if the 550 Anniversary short shifter can be installed to a 2001 986 S without any modification, as a straight swap?

the "short shifter" in the 550 SE is just a cut down regular shift arm, not like the B & M SSK

aloha

steve

How hard is it to move the a/c to the lowest console position? search for cupholderectomy

Where can I get an arctic silver non smokers tray or how can I paint it myself? www.bumperplugs.com

How do you remove the lowest shelf in the center console? search for GT3 console delete

Should the storage compartment have a spring? (refer to picture) no spring

aloha

steve

GT3 seats sit lower

also do a search for the "tall man's seat bracket"

it was designed with help from robert (augora hills) who is 6'9"

also look for the GT3 console delete that should give you some added knee room

aloha

steve

What about GT3 seats...do they sit lower...giving more head room??

i have a 550 SE, and i am pretty sure that the lever is cut rather than having an SSK

aloha

steve

erics-

IIRC, the 550 did come w/ an SSK that was both a B&M type plus it had a shortened shaft - but I could be wrong. If it only has the shortened shaft, then just put in a B&M short shifter and use a dremel cut off wheel to shorten the shaft about 1-1.5"s and then shape the top of it to match the OEM.

One easy way to tell if your 550 has a SSK is to pull up the knob boot and take a peak. Factory 'regular' shifters are plastic and have white bushings on either end. The SSKs are metal (usually blue or black) and have metal bushings on the end w/ a plastic insert. Here are some pix to help:

OEM - Plastic (minus the green adjusting tool shown on top

SSK

Hope this helps!

i've always wished for lower (higher numerically) rear ends to be available for the boxster and boxster s

i don't need the ability to reach 72 MPH in second gear and over 100 MPH in third, i would, like to get a few more tenths off the line and some more grunt in the low end

an aftermarket opportunity, but so far, no options

aloha

steve

I'm wondering a couple of things and would appreciate input from anyone out there who might have some experience along these lines:

a) how difficult is it to upgrade a MY03 base Boxster with the 6 speed "S" trans? ......and/or

B) what, if any, modifications can be done to the 5 speed, to shift the gearing a bit more biased toward the acceleration side. I don't seem to be able to find any CR gear sets or anything out there for the 5 speed. Lots of guys are AXing and racing Boxsters....they can't ALL be "S" models. :-)

and Please, no need to reply with the obvious "...get an S ", I'm aware of that route thank you.

what's seafoam?

aloha

steve

I have this up on rennlist but thought some of you might not go there.

Just did the cleaning through the vacuum line.

I let it sit for 7-8 min and used about 1/2 the can. The car just sucked it right up.

Not that much smoke, I guess it's because I rev the ***** out of her every day.

There is 1 improvement that I saw.

1. Engine running just a little smother. Back fat jiggle and RPM's confirm this.

I have used Techron and never saw this kind of improvement

My idle oil pressure went down 1-2 ticks. From 1.8 to 1.6 Not really sure why that is???

I'll have to see if fuel mileage improves after I finish the full tank of gas I have.

In the end I’m happy with the initial results

:thumbup:

it looks really great, but it kind of highlights the condition of the seats :)

aloha

steve

ps- are those 550 SE tailights?

i don't understand why you eliminated the amber on the rear and left the amber on the front- i like the clears most of the time, but on OB the ambers do look pretty good

Ok, finally had time to snap some photos of my 1997 Boxster, It recently under went some bodywork to repair the spiderweb cracks in the rear bumper and dings-galore around then entire car and painted bumperettes and received LOTS of clear coat... Still need to go back to the paint shop in a week for it to be color-sand then buffed once more cause the trunk has some funny clearcoat paint stuff going on.

I also had the interior peices painted Body color for a subtle upgrade from the soft-touch stock interior texture. Hope you likes!

it's been done

look up adrenalyzer

or adrenaliser

or something like that :)

aloha

steve

Hey, I paid good money for that engine thing back there. Since I don't get to see it I might as well hear it.

jh

Here's an idea for the entrepreneur (I thought of this while replacing my aging top with the GAHH glass top on my '99). Make a replacement heat shield with a clear window in the middle (Lexan maybe?) so that you can always see the engine through the rear window. I bet you can sell a ton of these. I always thought that Porsche never played up the appearance of the mid-engines enough, like Ferrari and others did.

it is a part from the GT3

an end piece and some carpeting that replace the 2 cubbyholes at the bottom of your console

carnewal, sunset porsche or suncoast porsche should be able to get it for you

perhaps the plug guy carries it too

aloha

steve

I'm sorry to be so ignorant, but what is this console "delete kit"??

Is this something you spend poop lot of money on, or is it a simple DIY?

I just wanna get rid of that stack of crap below my radio, and hopefully without purchasing some silly "kit".

Btw, mine is a Box '98.

-- peer

sat night, while driving to a friend's house, i waved at and got a thumbs up back from a brand new (paper plates) 997 GT3!

and then driving up another road, i had a Ford GT in front of me, i was able to merge in before him, but i slowed down to let him go first, he rewarded me by puching the throttle!

we chased each other up the road a bit, then he slowed down for some stoplights

he yelled at me "nice car"

i responded "i like yours better"

a great start to my night :)

aloha

steve

2004 550 SE

Great thread! Thanks for having the guts to come out and say what most of us are thinking but wouldn't say! Kudos!

I have the same experiences it seems most of you do too. It's rare to get a wave or a look back but I still often make the effort. Funny enough, the nicest person so far was a younger guy in a new 996 Cabriolet which is probably worth 4 times what my Boxster is.

After riding street motorcycles for 15 years, I have seen the one hand wave go away as well. Used to be if you passed another motorcyclist you'd get a nod, wave, etc from almost everyone. Now, even in the same genre of bikes you only get the wave about 30% of the time.

I guess that's why Renntech's Forum is so awesome, it's basically a big wave and a helpful conversation with hundreds of enthusiasts for the most dynamic vehicles made.

there are 2 types of over-revs

the first type is when you hit the fuel cutoff when shifting too late

this prevents you from damaging your engine

the second type is when you downshift incorrectly, for example shift into 2nd from 5th

you need to get the clutch in ASAP, for there is nothing to help you in this situation

the ECU records the number of each type of over-revs (occurrances and number of engine revolutions affected)

the results will show up when you attach the diagnostics unit to the OBD-II port

aloha

steve

As far as I know you cannot over-rev a 996 (or any modern car with a rev limiter) the way you describe. When the rev limiter engages (long before you enter the real danger zone) power is cut and revs drop. I am not 100% sure but I think the 996 revs up to 7250. The only way to over-rev the car is to change to a lower gear instead of a higher one.

OK interesting

I'm having difficulty visualising. I guess drawings would be better. I'll try and find some.

If anyone can suggest any that would be great.

i can send you pictures

oh, wait, i see an atttachment system

i am quite busy at the moment (lecture early tomorrow to 4th graders about drug abuse)

but i promise to post them in the next few days

aloha

steve

I can see that the air filter is different and is a 987 part but there are no other parts on the intake using 987 parts or am I wrong?

Seems like the 550 filter should fit a normal 986 boxster or 986 S

the 550 SE has the cylindrical, 987/S type filter

the 986/S have a flat, trapezoidal shaped filter (or was that a rhombus?)

aloha

steve

i have a 550 SE, and the intake and air filter are definetely from a 987S

the tubing and the snorkel (i think) are different too

there may be some ECU differences, but the only other difference in the driveline is the exhaust tips

so youwould have to assume that the 6 HP difference is from the intake

aloha

steve

i also have a 550 SE :)

you can search the archives here, at babblers.org, orppbb.com for many reviews of aftermarket pedals

my main installation tip is that the brake pedal is very hard

get a new drill bit from home dept, and place tape on the brake area so you can mark where to drill

make sure the area on the underside of the pedal is clear so you can place the nut there (there are fins on the underside of the pedal)

use needlenose pliers to hold the nut while you are screwing from the top

aloha

steve

I have a 2004 S (550 Anniversity Edition) and would like to replace my factory pedals. I am looking at Rennline and Ultimate Pedals. Does anyone have any comments, recommendations, experience with either of these products, installation problems, etc.? Thanks!

sorry i'm not catching what these valves do

the holidays must be dulling my thought processes :)

aloha

steve

Hey guys, I just bought these electric bypass valves and will be doing a write up along with dyno tests over the next couple weeks. I bought the valves and will have them installed within a week or two. I contacted PorscheDoc and got the low down on doing some dyno runs. So everything is falling into place. I bought dual 2 inch valves from Charles (http://www.badlanzhpe.com/index.html) and they are the best value out there if you want sound and maybe some top end (we will find out when I dyno them). I spent a total of $270 and that is a drop in the bucket compared to a $1000 muffler, and it will be louder and resonance free... if I want it to be. Any feedback will helpful. Let me know what you think.

Expect Updates!

a boxster is set up to initially understeer, as are most cars

it is possible to use the boxsters limited power to induce power on oversteer (but probably no drifting is possible)

or to just balance the car with the throttle (be careful, the boxster is also prone to snap oversteer if you let off the gas in a turn too)

most 225/45s will fit very easily

aloha

steve

whatever brand you get, 225/45/17 will reduce understeer, it is the recommended non-OEM size

aloha

steve

Looks like Nexen doesn't make a size 205/50-17 to go on the front of my 02 Boxster base. What would be better alternative, 215/45-17 or 225/45-17? Or should I stick with the stock size and pick a different brand of tire?

Exactly to the point. Is a Boxster more likely to over- or understeer? In my short ownership experience, I have noticed a tendency to oversteer in turns, under aggressive power application. But that is different than properly setting up to enter and exit a turn at the highest speed.

Also, if it turns out that a Boxster would benefit from more tire meat in the front, would 225's fit ok on stock 17" rims?

TIA

whatever brand you get, 225/45/17 will reduce understeer, it is the recommended non-OEM size

aloha

steve

Looks like Nexen doesn't make a size 205/50-17 to go on the front of my 02 Boxster base. What would be better alternative, 215/45-17 or 225/45-17? Or should I stick with the stock size and pick a different brand of tire?

not only will they fit, they have better handling characteristics (larger fronts reduce understeer)

aloha

steve

I agree, much quieter. AND much stickier! I'm loving these tires.

Hi there

I need to change my tires on the boxster but I could not find 205/50ZR17 for the front. would the 225/45x17 fit my car too.

thank you

i think that EPIQ Autosport is trying to sell those in the US

aloha

steve

Does anyone knows the total cost ?

Is it easy to remove after fit...?

:renntech:

last i heard, the Zeintec top is ~$5000 USD.

i imagine that it is easy to remove, it probably attaches the same way as a boxster hardtop - front latch and spinlocks. but you'd also need to put the clamshell and rear trunk panel back on, so it's not a 'hey, i'll just take the top off' thing.

i wasn't so hot on the Zeintec top before. previous prototype versions didn't look as good as the latest one. it does look pretty good, but the side window still looks out of place. if they made it to fit a 911 side window (with flat, not curved back) it would look better. the problem there being you would need to change out your window every time you wanted to use the Zeintec top. or else keep the windows down. :)

this version also looks like you remove the clamshell, where with previous versions the top just rested on the clamshell. it is much better looking now. but the rounded side window look still ruins it for me. plus a 986 can never really look like a Cayman because of the old body styling. 987s on the other hand would look pretty close i think.

the other company that makes a 'Cayman' top looks like they took a 911 hardtop from a 911 cab and just put it on a boxster.

there are 2 types of spacers

smaller ones are just like large washers, and require longer bolts so that they are retained by the same number of threads into the hub

larger spacers use your old bolts to bolt them to the hub, and have lugs on then that you use to put on your wheel, then you need new lug nuts to retain it

aloha

steve

Just got in 15mm Eibach spacers for my '04 C2. Purchased OEM 19" C2S wheels taken off a 2006 C2S. Fit great in back but are a little tucked in on the fronts (about 12mm). Loved the wheels so I ordered 15mm Eibach spacers. Followed their catalogue exactly and I got exactly what I ordered.

The problem: The longer knurled bolts go inside to outside from the wheel support to the wheel with the spacer in the middle and require a wheel nut. My wheel studs goes outside to inside. No wheel nut. Do I need to order wheel nuts or did I just order the wrong thing? Should I order longer wheel studs?

Thanks for your advice.

aloha ken

couyldyou please post pics and details of your subwoofer?

aloha

steve

The JL Audio Clean Sweep unit is pretty slick. You can google it. The unit basically converts the high level output (amplified signals) coming from the factory amplifier to line level (pre amplified) output. It also adds an additional input (for things like an IPod) that can be controlled with a seperate volume knob.

There are much cheaper devices that do this but the Clean sweep unit "smooths" out (as much as possible) any equalization that the amplifier may have added in. It does this by having you play a reference CD through your system and adjusting automatically. As an example, most stock car amplifiers will start cutting low end (Bass) signal as the volume increases beacuse the (usually) cheap factory speakers will start to distort. You wouldn't want that in a high end system.

I have played around with the unit in my 987 with the (non Bose) upgraded system and it works very well.

Keep in mind that the the problem isn't so much with adding amplification. Units like the Clean Sweep make that an easy task for a experienced installer. The problem is finding speakers that will make the expense worth it. The door mounted woofers just aren't good enough to use with anything else and they are too narrow to facilitate mounting aftermarket units without serious fabrication, cutting and, IMHO, screwing up the look of the door panel. I've seen custom lower door panels but that was and still is out of my price range.

I don't know if this is allowed but if you are looking; I have a very high quality custom subwoofer enclosure and subwoofer that mounts in the passenger footwell of a 986 or 987 Boxster that would work well with the Clean Sweep to augment the factory system. It takes up very little room (My wife never complained) and you'd be surprised what a little (or alot if you are younger) tight bass would do for the system. I can send you details and pics if you'd like....

Ken