gandrade1

:oops: Hi guys I took my CDR 220 to install the aux cables for the IPOD (I have a 01 Boxster). While the installation worked fine, I can not seem to be able to get the CDR back into the dash. It feels like there is no wire stuck, but it will not go in.

Now I have to hold not only the IPOD on my lap, but the headunit... :angry:

Any opinions welcome...

Gustavo

OK, so looked at real litronic lights and couldn't swallow the $1300. I have had HID retrofits in a lot of my cars before but have had mixed results with them. I generally buy a projector housing for the car then put hid in that and even then they are not that great.

I bought this kit from CQ Light:

H7, 5000k http://www.cqlight.ca/index.php?cPath=32_45

They are plug and play lights ment for a H7 halogen headlight. The install was really easy. As a matter of fact the easiest I have done in any car. The headlights pop out with the tool in your bag in the spare tire in about 30 seconds then plug in the HID light, zip tie the ballast in the headlight hole to something so it doesn't flop around then re-install the headlamps. You will need to drill a hole in the plastic cover on the back of the headlamps for the hid wiring to go through. Two wires for the bulb it's self and power and ground that plugs into the stock wiring harness. No cutting or soldering involved. The kit comes with power leads with spade connectors on it already that just slip into the stock bulb socket no probs.

The stock halogen lights have the european code light cut off like this. ____/ if you have ever driven close to a wall you will notice it. I took before and after pics. The cut off was exactly the same with no glare or light wandering away. The cut off on the stock lights is really good and cuts the hid off just like the stock bulb so you only get light were the factory light intends it to be unlike most cars. Generally hid retrofits in stock housings have light all over the place which was the case for me a few times. This is NOT the case with Porsche lights, lucky us.

Just incase you wondered about HID retrofits, you can now see they are just as good as stock. You get the light of HID without 1300 bux. Remember real litronic are better, self leveling etc. so they are worth the money. For $200 you get more light output than stock, the nice HID color, and no downside typical with HID retrofits.

I think that Porsche did a really good job on the stock headlights as they have good cut off from the factory. With a lot more light output from HID lights, they still control the light very well and get it right on the road with no glare.

Bottom line, really good for the cost, and really look nice too.

Hi Jim,

Sorry for the ignorance, but do you have any pics of where you drilled the hole to run the wires through...I am planning on doing the mod this weekend, but I am not really a skilled DIYer.

Thanks,

Gustavo

Thanks guys for all the input....

Based on the reviews I found on Consumer Reports I actually settled for the A/S Continental ContiExtremeContact. Accordingly to the review they score in snow and ice handling as well as the control (snow) tires they used. As a trade off the handling in dry conditions is only good, which is ok for me during this months anyway. I got them installed last Saturday, high speed balancing and new valves included - $470 at Mavis Tires. Additionally, these score well at TireRack, which seems a pretty reliable feedback considered how many miles the reviews are based on. They feel OK but a little on the softy side though.

I will let you guys know as I go through the winter.

Thanks again :renntech:

Gustavo

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the link - its great stuff....

I already bought a set of 16'' to install the winter (or all season) tires on. I am now trying to decide between all weather and snow tires. The intended message of my comments above (apparently not very clear - sorry) is - I am willing to sacrifice snow traction to get a better dry handling and thats why I am considering All seasons over winter tires. I am not going to drive the car on unplowned roads or under heavy snow...

So I am researching to see how efficiently the all season can deal with light snow and ice...FAIR winter capabilities is enough for me, but I defonetly want a safe ride on dry (but cold) conditions.

Thanks,

Gustavo

Grab a quick copy of the November Consumer Reports

Hancock rates a 50 where the top rated all season rates an 85. But look at the article because there are reasonably priced tires that have characteristics that are different from other similarly numerically rated tires. The key is matching the tires strengths to your needs and seeing if you can live with its weaknesses. Every tire is a compromise. There is no perfect tire.

Thanks, Mike.

I bought the magazine...While the article is really helpful it does not post a ranking for Winter Tires. Do you think there is a huge difference in the winter capabilities of All-Season and dedicated winter tires...

I am looking for something that will allow for reasonable snow traction...but I wont be driving in heavy snow or unplowed roads and I don't want to sacrifice dry cornering or stability much...

Thanks,

Gustavo

Not entirely realevent but I have heard good things about hankooks. I have a friend that swears by them (doesn't drive a porsche, but he does like to drive fast, so that's something), and also consumer reports placed the Hankook Icebears in their top three for winter tires.

Just my 2 cents

J

Thanks J,

Very helpful.

Gustavo

Gustavo:

I meant that you can use the Falken All-Season tires for the winter, whenever the temperature falls below 45 to 50 degrees. Below 45 degrees, summer tires are dangerous. In the early spring, go back to your favorite summer high performance tires.

When the weather gets warm enough again in NY, I go back to the summer tires (currently Michelin Pilot Sport Ribs, but may try Bridgestone RE050A Pole Positions next). The most hassle-free way to do this (and to not delay switching over) is to have two sets of rims. One for all season and one for summers. Saves $$ and wear and tear from the installers beating up the rims.

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks, Maurice.

I actually purchased the set of OEM 16's with the intent to use it for the winter only. For the summer I have a set of 18 Carrera Wheels, with ContiSports but also want to try the Pole Positions next.

Regarding the winter set. I have done some reasearch on the Hankooks and they seem fairly positive, but I have not yet heard from any Porsche owner who has had those.

Hopefully, I will hear soon. Otherwise I will be the first one to issue an opinion.

Thanks,

Gustavo

Thanks Maurice,

I will check these out...I was however thinking about dedicated winter tires rather than all-season ones. I don't want to go all the way to the pure snow ones, because of the poor handling in dry conditions and noise...

Thanks,

Gustavo

Hi guys,

I am choosing the winter tires for my 986 with 16'' wheels and my options seems very limited. I had settled on the Dunlop M3s, but apparently Dunlop no longer carries the 205/55/16 size, accordingly to a TireRack representative. The choices I now have at tire rack are all 'low performance' ice and snow tires, namely: Bridgestone Blizzak WS-60, Dunlop Graspic DS-2 and Michelin X-Ice.

I also came across to what seems to be very nice specs on Hankook tires and very good value, but I am not sure if anyone has had experience with these - DiscountTires. Please, note these are rated V and match perfectly the factory specs....

I am hesitant, since I have never thought of Hankooks as an option for my cars before, but again I have never owned dedicated winter tires.

Any opinion would be helpful,

Thanks,

Gustavo

Calculating the correct size:

Example: 265/35 -18

265 is the width in millimeters.......not the tread width per se, but the maximum overall width of the

tire when mounted on the median recommended rim width and inflated to the correct operating pressure.

This might be at the tread.....or it might be at the sidewall......but it will be the widest part....depends on the tire.

35 is the "aspect ratio".........that is the measurement of the unladen sidewall from the rim to the tread.

A 35 aspect ratio is computed by taking 35% of the width number (265 in this case).

18 is, of course, the rim diameter.

The formula for overall height is as follows:

Width (265) x aspect ratio (35%) x 2 (2 sidewalls in the overall diameter), divided by 25.4 (converts to inches)

+ the rim diameter (already in inches) = the overall height in inches.

For instance, a 205/55-16, a 225/50-16 and a 245/45-16 are all basically the same height but are progressively

wider as the first number (the ovarall width) goes up. they stay the same height because the aspect ratio number

is coming down as the width goes up. By the same token you could increase the rim diameter without changing the

width or the overall diameter simply by factoring in a lower number aspect ratio.

Thank you very much 986Fan...this is very interesting - I knew about the width and the rim diameter, but not about the aspect RATIO. In other words, I thought it was a fixed number, not a proportion.

Thats great!

The unique bolt pattern on the Porsche wheels means that you are unlikely to find cheap aftermarket wheels. That being said, a set of 16" OEM wheels is pretty cheap (a few hundred $ total).

I have used two different snow tires on my 16" wheels, Blizzak MZ-01 and Dunlop Winter Sport M3. The former gets excellent traction in the snow but drives like garbage on dry roads. The Blizzaks just cannot get stuck. They can pretty much drive up the side of a block of ice. The latter drives very well on dry roads and is competent in the snow. Their ice performance is not so great and they do slip a bit in the snow. If you only deal with occasional light snow these would be great tires.

The ideal in New England would be somewhere in between IMO.

Hi Stephan,

Did you find the Dunlops on 205/55/16 for the front and 225/50/16 for the rear exactly as Porsche's specs? I can't find the ones for the front at TireRack, all I can find is 205/45/16 for the front, which I am assuming is too 'low'...

Thanks,

Gustavo

Thanks guys,

I checked wheelenhancement for OEM 16''s - $600! If anyone identifies a good deal, please let me know...

I could not find aftermarket either.

Thanks,

Gustavo

1. Remove the plastic rivet on the wheel liner (near the sidemarker).

Can I follow the instructions here to remove the from bumber on my 986?

Thanks,

Gustavo

Hi guys,

I am starting to explore the idea of buying aftermarket wheels rather than the OEM 16s for my winter set... Does anyone know the offset of the wheels I should be looking at? Any idea of good places to look for.

I have a 01 (base) Boxster.

Thanks,

Gustavo

Anyone ?

Hi guys,

I am starting to explore the idea of buying aftermarket wheels rather than the OEM 16s for my winter set... Does anyone know the offset of the wheels I should be looking at? Any idea of good places to look for.

I have a 01 (base) Boxster.

Thanks,

Gustavo

I love it in the picture, but I am not sure it is a color I would love to see everyday....Just my opinion...

The optionals are amazing though

You'll need keys to do it, but they are generic VW/Audi/Porsche radio removal keys and look like this:

and go into the slots in the bottom corners of the radio. Once in, insert a screwdriver to pull with. Once out, push the blue tabs on the side to release the keys before re-insterting radio. Most installers have 'em and I'm sure for a few $ they'll let you borrow them for a minute or to just to get the h/u released.

If you bought the rear kit from PNP, he usually includes a set of keys at no charge.

NOTE - if you have an '03-04 Boxster, you'll be hooking up the speakers to the amp anyways and really don't need to remove the h/u except to gain a little more working room.... thought I'd add that JIC.

Thank you very much Cassiebox,

I am gonna get the generic VW keys, since I actually fabricated the kit myself and hooking it up to the HU (I have a 01 Boxster).

I will let you know how it goes.

Gustavo

Hi guys,

I am adding the rear speaker kit this weekend and I just realized the Becker office in NJ are closed for the entire weekend starting today at 4PM.

Can I remove the Becker radio using a regular removal tool or does it have to be the Becker specific one?

Thank you so much,

Gustavo

:renntech:

I want to upgrate my audio system (mostly for better quality bass) in my '99 C2 Cabriolet. I am not looking for a loud, license plate rattling bass, but something that will not get distorted when I am driving with the top down at 30 MPH (like it does now)

I have searched through most of the forums and can't seem to find any solutions. I have the CDR-220 head unit. Is it possible to keep this head unit and replace the speakers in the factory grilles and get a noticeable improvement? If so, what speakers should I replace, what size are they, and what brand is recommended?

Thanks in advance

Check this out - Audio Upgrade forum

Hope it helps,

Gustavo

Looks good....Congrats

Did you replace any of the wiring in order to hook up the new amp or was it a plug and play install?

Do you have the original HU? Is it a CDR 220?

I also replaced my dash speakers and am planning to replace the AMP soon....I have a CDR 220 and was wondering whether I can just re-route the connections to the current HAES amp to the new AMP of my choice.

Thanks,

Gustavo

One of the local owners bought aftermarket speaker brackets that were cut out of sheet plastic. They were for 2 instead of 4 speakers. I traced the shape on a piece of paper, but this was so long ago I don't remember what I did with the tracing.

Thanks Tool Pants,

I am also installing two speakers and not 4...I will try to scale up the picture you attached and see if I can get somewhere.

I have one question: I was thinking about using wood to build the frame. Do you think plastic is better? What type of stores would sell plastic sheets? Is Home Depot an alternative?

Thanks again,

Gustavo

I am trying to fabricate my own rear speaker kit...and was wondering if anyone has, by any chance, the template of the panels that "attach" the speakers to the rear storage compartment...

Thank you so much.

Gustavo

I was offered a Sparco Evo XL Race Seat for avery decent price. I was wondering whether it would fit my 01 Boxster.

Thanks,

Gustavo

I attached a link to the Sparco seats dimensions below...The seat I am looking at is the 8th from top to bottom...

Seat Dimensions

Thank you Becker for producing such a reliable quality unit and helping the suckers who now live with it.

Can't speak for anyone else, of course, but I have been very happy with my CDR220. I know its no $1000 after market blaster, but, then, I'm no audiophile. 30 years of jet engines have saved me a lot of money on high-end stereo gear.

I'm also happy with the support Becker America has given me. They may have raised the price, but I paid only about $12 for the Aux input cable .... and they threw in instructions on programming the radio for it, along with a free set of removal tools. Twice I have had cause to call them directly and both times got quick & helpful advice / information.

I hardwired a third party adaptor to power the ipod and ran the connector wire back through the center console. The same wire/plug takes the output signal to the the Aux input cable. Nice and neat. (thank you Orient Express for a great DIY).

Could anyone please point me to Orient Express' DIY Article...

Thank you so much,

Gustavo Andrade

rboutin you have a PM.

Hi guys,

I am also think about replacing my HAES 4x40W (same as Randy)...Can anyone provide me with a diagram?

Thank you so much,

Gustavo