adsach

My experience was the opposite. On my 2002, when it arrived off the ship, there was a small bit of canvas vibration and the top easily closed all the way by the top motor. After 2-3 weeks the motor stopped the top with a 1/2inch gap and the top was taut and silent. It has been stable ever since. I now have to hook carefully to draw the top closed. If there is a vibration at 60-70 with top up, is there a whistle or thrumming sound at 60-70 with top down? If something changes at that speed with top down, it may be a fender gap/airflow issue. My car used to whistle at those speeds (more noticeable to passenger) until they changed out the foam seals on the side view mirror. Not an expert, just my 2 cents of experience, Ad Sach P.S. I believe there are top tension adjustments. I am also surprised with the 'nothing that could be done' response.

re:>>3. Through all my tooling around i must have changed some configuration with my security/alarm or something, everytime I close my door I get a quick honk .... what is that and how do i turn it off ?<< The honk says a door or lid is not fully closed. This is almost always the lid to the storage compartment between the seats is not fully closed. EVERYONE does this with a new Boxster, that and try to put the key into the right side of the steering column-LOL! Ad Sach

MOST boxster are built in Valmet - possibly slightly better quality than the German models, but too close to call.

what does the 2-button do?

no part number on the part number catalog - that's funny!

The Bahntech unit definitely stops the movement as well as preventing the initial movement over a certain speed. 42kph not 42mph - you are correct. I will consider myself warned against operating the top while cornering. The extra freedom that comes from not having to pull off the road and preventatively put up the top every time the weather threatens is great. Thanks for reminding me that with freedom comes resposibility.

Heated seats is a major plus in all climates. PSM depends on your experience and needs. Do you plan to garage your car in winter? Have you regularly driven a Viper, GT2 or track car? Can you do 3 perfect bootleg turns in a row? Do you 4-wheel drift at high speed on purpose? If you answered yes to ALL the questions above you may not need PSM If any of those questions is a NO, PSM will probably save your bacon a few times a year. I leave it on at the track and it really doesn't get in the way. Ad Sach

My Bahntech is speed limitted to 42? MPH. I easily drive under 40MPH when pulling in to work in the parking lot - however CORNERING in the parking lot inspires me to drive a little faster and I was exceeding the speed of the Bahntech unit so it would stop. I had no idea I was actually cornering at over 40 - I really need to get back out on the track (Watkins Glen here I come!) Thanks for your support!

Falsa alarm - Most of my top stopping episodes happened in the parking lot at work. Further experiments show that it was cornering in the parkingat excessive speed. It seems that I am able to keep speed down in a straight line, but I couldn't resist the corners. I need a bumper sticker "I accelerate for curves"

my first response - duh! I'll unplug the Autotop and see. Additional info - the top movement seems to stop when CORNERING and raising the top. I have no idea why lateral Gs affect the situation, but I'll run a few tests and see if it 100% reproducible.

re "you can hear a clicking sound inside the appropriate door, so I know they are trying to do their job, but being disabled somehow." since this is a new car to you, let's review the basics. It doesn't cost anything so if it helps, GREAT :jump: (mine is a 2002 so let's hope it applies) A short tap on the up button tells the window to go FULL UP or FULL DOWN. Holding the button down tells the window to go up or down until I release. In this case, holding the button down a little extra time to 'make sure it works', ensures it doesn't work. The full up position is LEARNED after each time the battery is plugged and unplugged. This is done by holding the up button down for a full cycle, continuing to hold down for 3-4 seconds, holding down through a complete cycle, and repeating 2-3 times. Tool Pants knows his stuff, so if he recommends a window latch switch that is a very likely possibility. If it were me, I would try to put my windows through a relearning cycle. As I said before, it doesn't cost anything so if it helps, great :clapping: If not, I might just be an idiot :oops:

I've had a bahntech autotop on my car for about a year now months http://www.bahntech.com/products/AutoTop/p...ertible_top.asp I've had the car back from the dealer/bodyshop for 2 weeks. Some of the panel gaps, including the drivers side of the clamshell are visibly off so she goes back to the shop next wednesday. I never had problems with the top before the body work. Now about one time out of three when putting the top up, the autotop stops moving the top when the top 'looks' done, but before the light goes out. Pushing the button a second time the autotop completes the cycle. Everything works fine when putting the top down. As I said, the body panels including the clamshell for the top are due for adjustment next week. Is this likely to fix the problem or are we looking at an electrical problem?

HEADERS - that's what I missed the first time around! 40HP sounds about right for the 2.7L.

Hi Chris, I'm now twice your age, but at 23 I was a computer professional living in Mountain View, CA driving an x1/9 convertible. Too bad we didn't have internet back then, I really enjoy the connection we make online. I encourage you to go on a Porsche drive/Boxster drive. Something good happens on a sunny afternoon when we enjoy our cars together. As they say in PCA - its not just the cars, it's the people.

mr TheLion, I don't see a muffler chip and Evo as able to take you from 181.7 to 264.5 HP, and I don't know the adjustment factors on the Dyno Chart. Do you have dyno numbers that compare RWHP to RWHP?

re: Anyone try snow with all season M+S rated tires? No. Why would I? Winter tires (Blizzaks) are better than M+S in the winter. Summer Tires(ES100) are better than M+S in the summer. M+S are worthless on the track and not high speed rated. My logic is: If I'm going to be changing tires twice a year anyway, I might as well buy specialized tires for winter. They don't wear out very fast, so the higher cost is worth it to me. IMO - If you are interested in lower cost winter driving compromises, it makes more sense to get a winter beater and garage your Boxster.

It happens - that's why I don't use the locking lug bolts anymore.

I hope the dealer bought her dinner first. That is one scary photo!

Suspension Info is something I pickup hanging out at PPBB for a year - unfortunately when I copied it to my palm I didn't copy a link to give credit. Problem something originally provided by Trygve, Loren or one of those other TRULY knowledgeable guys. The folks over on the Boxster Racing board seem to know their stuff when it comes to suspension and power mods - anything I know about modifications is second hand. I run a stock S w/M030 and 18" wheels like it came from the factory. And the car is still way better a car than I am a driver. 2 more track days next weekend-so I'll try my best to catch up to her potential. ;)

re: >>is the m030 actually a strut made by porsche or is it the "kit" including strut, spring, rod, link stab bar? and how did you get your boxster with the us version in it?<< m030 is the Porsche order code for 'Sport Chassis rigidly tuned'. On my 02S this was a $690 factory option. I believe it is: 1) Front and rear Sway bars Standard S 23.6 / 18.5mm 3.5 / 2.5mm 1.094 /1.000 M030 S 24.0 / 19.0mm 3.8 / 2.7mm 1.211 / 1.145 *Stiffness rating shows that the M030 front bar is 21.1% stiffer on the 'S' model and the rear is 14.5% stiffer. 2)Progressive and stiffer Coils springs - several different numbers and color codes I am pretty sure the shocks, control arms, wheel bearings are the same. - FWIW the rear axle control arms are longer and the wheel bearings are doubled on the S vs base boxster.

The Good news - The Boxster is as good in the snow as most other cars. The Bad News - Heavy snow will rip up your mud flaps and undercar plastics trays. Rocks imbedded in snow will drastically increase your stone chips. Potholes hide very effectively under a layer of snow. The Worst news - even PSM doesn't work very well under 10 MPH in heavy snow. In general, I seem to find that traction in slush is BETTER over 30MPH than under 30MPH. Over 30MPH it feels like I imagine rally car driving to feel. Under 30MPH it is sometimes more like steering a sailboat. I have successfully driven 10-15 miles in 5 inch snow, with comfortable traction at speeds in the 30-60MPH range, only to slide into a snow bank at 3 MPH taking off from a light. This happened 3 times last winter. One of those times, I did a slow motion slide 7 feet into my mailbox and left a shoe sized dent. As Alienz said - there are days you'd rather drive a beater. IMO - On other days, you NEED to drive your Boxster. If you do decide to drive in a snowy winter: I won't do chains because, it turns out that a lot of WINTER driving is not SNOW driving, and you really need winter tires to handle cold and clear road conditions. Also, I can't imagine going 100 MPH with chains on. I suspect chains would permanently damage the belts on an ultra-high performance tire. My Ultra-High performance summer tires start losing grip when the ambient temperature falls below 50 degrees. Somewhere about 40 degrees, the grip on my winter tires are better than my summer tires. If you do decide to drive TOP DOWN in a snowy winter: Plan ahead. The top cannot be put down OR PUT UP when the plastic window is below 40+ degrees without a significant risk of cracking the window. There are times when a 27 degree morning will sneak up on you. I keep an electric blanket folded around my plastic window in the down position when there is a risk of frost. Somedays you may have to drive top down until the rear window warms up. God bless seat heaters. Conversely, you can't put the top down on a (relatively) balmy 36 degree day until you have warmed the interior of the car. Somedays you may have to drive top UP until the rear window warms up. This can take 15-20 minutes and drastically change the character of a 20 minute drive. Using a Boxster as a convertible in the winter takes planning and preparation - but it can be just as rewarding as catching snowflakes on your tongue. Ad Sach (lessons learned in my first winter with snow)

Driving my 02 Boxster S for 1 year in Scottsdale, AZ vs 1 year in Albany, NY I am of the opinion that the main difference in engine compartment temperature occurs when the car is parked. After a vigorous drive in 105+ degree heat, the engine compartment fan can run for over an hour parked in the garage. The temperature gauge in the dash never budged above normal, including a triple digit DE day and several high speed runs(140+). During NY winter, I was surprised to find how little the existing engine cover warms to the touch once the insulating foam is removed. I can't say my opinion is well enough informed to order plastic, but it doesn't seem that the ambient temperature affects the engine compartment temperature as much as one would expect. I don't understand the comment about Lexan and extensive bending. In my experience (30 years ago), Lexan bends a whole lot easier than Acrylic. My concern would be that Lexan might develop visible stress lines radiating from the attachment points. On my motorcycle windscreen, Lexan stress lines were 1/2-3/4 inch long. This was 30 years ago, so this may no longer be an issue with 'modern' polycarbonates. Second, it may have been that I overtorqued the attachment bolts to start the stress lines. Thirdly, the forces on a Boxster engine cover should be much less than 100 MPH winds. As for the Poll, personally not interested. I like the looks of old fashioned engines. Massive air intake structures on the modern engines are so boring that I hardly even glance under an engine cover anymore. Ok - I glance, but I don't stare and call my friends over to discuss what I see anymore. I went to a concourse over the weekend, and gazed again at the older engines - so it's not me. it's the engines. It all adds up to not really caring to show the top of my engine to the world.

I had good success this last winter using an electric blanket to keep the plastic window warm in top down, freezing weather :D Next winter, I'd like to change the power source from the cigarette lighter to the socket near the drivers shoulder harness designed for the the hard top rear window heater. Do you have a recommendation for a plug to fit this power socket? I'm not good enough with a soldering iron for this much wattage, so a crimp connector, or pre-wired plug is preferrable.

Going stir crazy on that Island? :) I don't know how to do it, but I advise you take care to get a good seal afterwards. The mirror gaps are a popular source of wind whistle.

I'd go Boxster to Boxster only, since the corner weights are different for Carrera. ROW 030 off a Boxster is just fine (and reportedly quite nice) on a US Boxster. I have US M030 on my 986S and am quite satisfied with it's ability to pass all lower numbered Porsches in a curve. The PSS9 suspension seems to be the recent favorite after market - Be warned there are many reports of the euro version of the PSS9 rubbing and euro versions sold in the USA as US versions. Ad Sach