gandrade1

can anyone recommend a good car cam mount?

I emailed Brey-Krause since the 986 mount http://www.bkauto.com/porsche/r9011.php does not fit the wider cross section on our roll-bar. They said they were working on adjusting it to the 987. I have seen some good results on 986 track-videos with that camera mount. Maybe you want to email them as well and more interest will speed up the availability?

What type of Camera do you guys use?

I would like to get something I can use in my everyday life and take it to the track...

I have a 986.

Best,

Gus

Gus,

It's pretty normal to do some tire damage your first few DE's as you learn car control and smooth lines. +5psi in each tire will help reduce shoulder damage during this time. The instructors in our area usually recommend running street tires for your whole first season. They are more forgiving of rookie mistakes and are a lot less likely to flat spot in a full brake spin. Track tires have higher grip levels and are much softer compounds. It would be a shame to destroy a fresh set of victroracers your first day out on them with one big spin.

If you want a second set for track days get some cheapies and expect to maul them a little for a while. When you are outrunning all the guys on street tires then go for the Victroracers for higher grip and even faster times.

Thanks, Topless

Great advice.

I will use up my Contis for now.

Best,

Gus

what is the 4th stalk and what hack are you talking about? Please explain in noobspeak so i can understand:) lol

bmohr

That would help me too!

Sorry for the ignorance...

Gus

Look what I found, woder if it dependable.

http://www.tradekey.com/selloffer_view/id/1100235.htm

http://www.ucartool.com/PIWIS_PC.asp

http://www.tradekey.com/ks-porsche-tester/

What is the average price for these equipments? I can't see it on the website.

Thanks,

Gus

17 in wheels could be had for fairly cheap and would be a good choice for track tires.

keep your 18 in for street.

this is if you have room for extra set of wheels and you plan on doing a few DE a year. if you only go once or twice a year, you may want to just use the street tires bc your savings will be limited.

i don't see myself going more than 2x year so i'm just keeping one set of wheels for now and keep an eye out for almost new street tires at bargain prices. for example, i bot 4 Pilot Sports in 18" for $550 the other day. 2 of them are new and others barely worn. there are good deals out there since most will not wait for used tires when they need fresh rubber.

Thanks djantlive,

I will be doing 4 to 5 events per year...I guess that can mount to a lot of wear on the street tires, but I am not sure about the cost effectiveness of having a dedicated track set. I have no idea how many trackdays each type would last and still be safe.

Any idea on the offset/size of the 17'' wheels if I decide to go aftermarket?

Best,

Gus

eagle day sells just the leather boot(available in diff color)for about $85.00. TP also said U might be able to find some at Gert Stills.

Hi Juniinc,

How are you?

As promised I posted my experience with my first DE training this weekend under a new topic DE Experience. With some questions - just for a change...Hahahaahah

Coming back to the Knob/Boot issue, I check eagleday.com, but it seems they only sell the entired set (boot+knob) for the Boxster, for $235. I could not find Gert Stills.

Any other idea?

Thank you very much,

Gus

Hi guys,

I did my first DE event this past weekend at Pocono (North Course) - what a great experience! By the end of the second day I actually started to have a better understanding of (or at least scratch the surface on) how the car reacts to my inputs in the corners and how to tackle the turns in a more smooth, safer and faster fashion. 996 guys out there - watch out! :jump:

My instructor was courteous, extremely knowledgeable and patient enough to show me over and over again where I was missing the line in a particular corner. The event was very well organized and the environment, conducive to learning -thumbs up to the NNJR PCA!

All that said my 01 Boxster also handled the event very well. However, I started noticing added wear to my (then) new Continental SportContact 2 tires. By the end of the event the tires were peeling off a bit. That led me to consider getting dedicated track wheels and tires. I intend to do 3 to 4 more events this year and keep up the pace, or increase a bit, for the years to come.

Is it really worth it to go for track wheels and tires? What size and offset of wheels should I go for and where do I get them? I did some web search but came out empty handed and a little confused by all the adjustments and trade-offs between offsets and wheels widths out there! Plus some guys consider 2.5 grant cheap for a set of wheels :( . Well, thats not my case...

I heard some people favor 17''s because they are more cost effective and handle really wheel when used with Kuhmo Victoracers tires which, by the way, are not available in 18''s.

If I decide to go for 18''s I might as well wear out my Conti's and then get track tires on these size and a 17'' wheel/tire set for the streets (or lack thereof) of the Garden State!

Any opinion will be greatly appreciated.

Best,

Gus

Thanks, guys.

I will take a look once I get back home - I am in Pocono for my first DE event. I will let you guys know how that goes as well.

Best,

Gus

Great feedback, guys!

Do u guys have any idea whether I can buy only that plastic frame that goes around the boot (in the bottom) from Porsche?

...Otherwise I could try to buy any beaten up Boxster knob/boot on Ebay and try to somehow glue the new (Momo) boot to the frame I remove from the old Ebay boot. I intend to keep the OEM knob/boot that is coming out of my car, because when I upgrade the car (one day) I intend to convert it back to the OEM shifter and knob.

Best,

Gus

Hi Juniinc,

I had selected exactly the carbon fiber Momo that you pointed out and what they call the Endurance boot.

But I read that Momos don't fit the Boxster unless a lot is modified. Will that change when the shifter is replaced by the B&M?

This is the set I chose:

Knob

Boot

Mounting Ring

Best,

Gus

Hi guys,

I am getting ready to do the B&M short shift install in my 01 Boxster and I noticed that my shift knob and boot are a little worn-out.

I was wondering if you guys have any suggestions on what I could get to replace the OEM one. I know from Chris_NH that there is a very nice aluminum shift knob from Porsche, which he has in his car (option # Y06, part number x97). Unfortunately there isn't anyone available on Ebay right now and a new one will cost around $350 from Sunset!

My car is a 5-speed which makes it a little harder to find anything.

Thanks,

Gus

.... If you want perfection I'd recommend you do the same. I'll document it all in case anybody wants to just wait and do it the right way. :-)

I found Loren's DIY and had already bought my paint when I decided I "wanted perfection" .... so I bought a complete set of handles & black mounting frame on ebay for approximately $40.

Old handles out, new handles in .... perfection.

Man...you guys seem to find everything on Ebay, I wish I were that lucky.

Everytime I search for something I end up convinced to order the part directly from a dealer or a webstore out of Ebay, spending way more money than necessary.

Any Ebay stores you guys look at in particular?

Cheers,

Gus

:renntech:

Which bulbs did you get with the ebay HID setup, 6500K or 8000K, and why?

Check this topic out HID Conversion

I got the 5000K (white)

Welcome to Renntech...

Best,

Gus

Ilike the idea, but I don't see where they make a PnP cable for any Porsche....

Here's the link to the PNP harness for the THA 475 PNP amp

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Ite...015&tp=6348

And here's the extension to run the wiring to the front or rear trunk area...

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Ite...amp;i=023THA25M

These two harnesses and one of the THApnp Blaupunkt amps are all you need... No wiring, no splicing, no running new wires... Everything just plugs into existing wiring from your factory head unit, usually the Becker CDR220.

The only thing I'm not sure of is how you run the extension harness through the firewall... Anybody know??? Also, you may be able to mount this amp in behind or under one of the seats.

Man... now the amp looks even better...

I will probably pursue this in the near future, since I have already replaced the dash and door speakers and installed a rear speaker kit (which I fabricated). Right now I have gone a little over my budget on mods and I am doing the B&M short shifter install next.

One very....simplistic (maybe stupid) question...from someone who understands very little about audio - Anyway you can just place this amp in the OEM place and simply plug the OEM connectors/wires that come from the cabin (Becker) into the new amp? You currently have the 4X40 HAES, don't you?

Just wondering...

If you document your DIY it will be a great help for future attempts, like I intend to do.

Best of luck,

Gus

Boxster there is a green plastic plate just below the connector on a 5 speed, and we are told to remove it, I asume for clearance reasons.

Got to love Porsche plastic.

Is this green part easy to identify?

Any other peculiarity I need to be aware of? I am doing the instal on my 01 Boxster (5 speed)?

Thanks,

Gus

Yes, it will be the only green part you see (unless you find a very old french fry ;) )

Neither Tool Pants nor I have ever been able to figure out why some cars have it and some don't - and what it used for (other than keeping french frys and the like out of the shifter).

HAHAHAHHAHA....

Thanks, Loren

Will give this thing a try.

Best,

Gus

Boxster there is a green plastic plate just below the connector on a 5 speed, and we are told to remove it, I asume for clearance reasons.

Got to love Porsche plastic.

Is this green part easy to identify?

Any other peculiarity I need to be aware of? I am doing the instal on my 01 Boxster (5 speed)?

Thanks,

Gus

I put my B-M in by just disconnecting the cables at the shift tower and then just snapping them back on(Porsche Method) and not messing with adjusting the cables at all. It was a breeze, works perfectly. Thanks Tool Pants.

BTW I've seen a lot of discussion re billet shift ends, worth it, needed?

I am doing the B&M install tomorrow night and would not like to mess with cable adjustments...

Do you have any pictures or additional instructions on how the 'Porsche Method' works?

Is there any TSB that will cover that

Thanks,

Gus

AAAAmazing!!!!

+1 for the clear side markers... Cheap and 10 minutes to do.

Enjoy

The book everyone seems to recommend is The Used 911 Story, by Peter Zimmerman...Check out Rennlist he's always answering questions, seems like a really nice guy. Good Luck with your search..

Bob

Thanks, guys....

Got both The Used 911 Story and the 'The Gold Plated Porsche'. Should be getting them this week.

This is a long-term project so I will take my time and get informed. So please, if you have new ideas feel free to share them, most likely they will aid my research a lot.

All the best,

Gus

Hi Gus- No that's not the one.... The one I'm considering is the THA-475PNP. The model you linked is the THA-475 but it's not the newer plug and play (PNP) model. The PNP is much smaller and the wiring harness you can buy with it from Crutchfield makes installing it a 2 minute job minus running the wiring harness extenstion to your mounting location. I thought about mounting under or behind one of the seats. It looks like it's small enough to do.... That one you linked is way too big to fit in the factory location. If you look at the specs, if you tried to mount it in the factory location, you would have to adjust or make another mounting bracket, plus the height of that amp would not allow the hood to close completely... I measured and the max mounting height (if you mount sideways like the factory amp) is about 7 1/2 inches. Link to the PNP is below.

http://www.crutchfield.com/App/Product/Ite...475P&tp=115

Sorry...

You are 100% right and the unit you are looking at looks great, but a little pricey for the brand.

Best,

Gus

Eric (bumperplugs.com) is a Contributing Member here - so you can always PM him.

I think what he sells is the real deal.

Thanks Loren,

I called bumperplugs and they were very friendly - accordingly to the person answering the phone (who now I know was Eric himself), they sell the real B&M and the company started using black last November. B&M tends to do some cosmetic changes overtime.

Best,

Gus

Just to add...their price is unbeatable....

Specific track requirements:

§ Lime Rock: requires a visible roll bar in all open cars. This means 996 cabs cannot run unless they are fitted with a permanent roll bar.[/i]

Hope this helps,

Best

Gus

Is this really true? You can you manually pop up the 996 roll bars. Would this qualify?

Will

Hi Will,

I got that straight from the NNJR PCA website... Each track has its weirdness. For instance VIR won't allow Boxsters (986) to run without a BK roll-bar extension, even if the driver passes the broomstick test without it.

I would check with the safety chair of your local PCA.

Best,

Gus

Looks like how a B&M is packaged.

But it also looks like you have 2 extra bushings, which look black.

The housing for the shift lever looks black, not blue.

I see the tube of lubriplate grease that comes with a B&M.

Could be your crappy pictures and the flash.

Hi ToolPants you are right the housing is black, which triggered my doubt. Wasn't aware of the two additional brushings.

I got the part from bumperplugs.com. Any experience with them?

How do I make sure I have the real thing. Should I call B&M?

Thanks,

Gus

I've heard tracks won't let a convertible race without an SCCA approved roll cage. Do you guys know if some tracks will let you race with a hardtop on your convertible? Actually, would it even make it safer at all? Or, would you need a proper roll cage or roll bar?

Also, hardtops wouldn't add any stiffness, right? I would think the connections aren't load bearing.

I'm in the Santa Barbara area, btw.

Hi carDorque,

The hardtop doesn't make any difference in terms of safety... In fact, I believe you are not encouraged to use one at the track.

Check with your local PCA. I believe your car has a retractable rollbar, but if you can 'open' it during the inspection and pass the broomstick test you are OK for most tracks. Some tracks have specific regs...

This is what I could find in the NNJR PCA website:

Boxster and Cabriolet Owners Please Note:

Zone 1 has adopted a rule on open cars. "All open cars must have roll bars which conform to the following: With the occupant(s) firmly and correctly belted into the vehicle, the occupant(s) helmet must be below a straight line drawn between the top of the windshield and the top of the roll bar (Broomstick Test). It is further recommended that roll bar be padded in any area that may come in contact with the occupant(s) helmet." NNJR has adopted this rule.

This test will be strictly enforced!

Specific track requirements:

§ Lime Rock: requires a visible roll bar in all open cars. This means 996 cabs cannot run unless they are fitted with a permanent roll bar.

Hope this helps,

Best

Gus

There is a book on buying used 911s. Cannot remember the name, but find it and buy it. I'd search Amazon first. Then get a friend who knows 911s of that era. Join PCA. Hit their website and study the pertinent pages.

This a not a good car for an inexperienced guy to buy if you do not have expert help. They can look great and be dogs. And have huge prive tags for repairs.

Bruce Anderson's immortal advice is to buy the best Porsche you can afford.

Good luck.

Thanks guys...

I found several books at Amazon, but this one seemed very interesting The Used 911 Story, 8th Edition (Paperback).

I am a member of NNJR PCA, but I am not so sure how to leverage that to learn about earlier 911.

Best,

Gus