ericinboca

Are you down on coolant? What does your oil on the dipstick look like? Oil or a chocolate milkshake?

Wow - wish i knew for sure. But weird electrical issues make me think of a bad ground - if it were mine, I would look at the ground points. Unfortunately, I am not sure if one shares elments of each of your issues, and there are something like 14 ground points. I would start, though, with the ones on the front support frame and then number 8, which is in the rear near the ECU. This is, admittedly, something of a stab in the dark.

On this model, was the fuse box mounted on the left in the driver's footwell in the way of the downtube?

Do you mean the hinges? The thing that attaches to the body and the lid, and to which the gas pressure spring is attached? If so, for the front: 996 511 151 01 (left) 996 511 152 01 (right) Rear: 986 512 151 01 (left) 986 512 152 01 (right) I mean the actual "silver levers" that you "pull upwards located on the driver's side that release the hood and the rear luggage compartment. Mine are all scratched up from shoes hitting them, and some of the paint is chipped off.... looks crappy which is why I want to replace them. Ah - I wasn't even close. I found these for '00: 996 551 511 03 handle lacquered /LLV00 996 551 511 03 v01 silver 996 551 512 03 handle lacquered /LLH00 996 551 512 03 v01 silver 996 551 511 04 handle lacquered /RLV00 996 551 511 04 v01 silver 996 551 512 04 handle lacquered /RLH00 996 551 512 04 v01 silver I'm not sure I know what all this means, but I would think it is the "04" silver ones. Not sure if I am helping much. Sorry. Maybe someone else can decipher the part numbers.

Do you mean the hinges? The thing that attaches to the body and the lid, and to which the gas pressure spring is attached? If so, for the front: 996 511 151 01 (left) 996 511 152 01 (right) Rear: 986 512 151 01 (left) 986 512 152 01 (right)

So many things can affect the life expectancy of the coilovers. It is possible they could last more than 110K, but with 110K, it might be time for new ones. The PSS9s are nice because you can adjust them to your liking, although getting to the selector means you need to either raise the car or lay on the ground to reach them. But, if you spend some time experimenting, you can dial it in the way you like it and then leave it. I would look at the bushings, spherical bearings and the coilover mounts. All of these pieces have rubber in them that has a huge impact on how much road noise is transmitted into the car. The rubber can deteriorate over time. Even with all new bits, a brand new car is still likely to be smoother and quieter. Just simple engineering advances and less fatigue and movement in the frame.

I'm not sure the 02 has the same set up under the dash as my 04 986S - but I had a wierd won't start experience once. I would get some dash lights and some power options worked, but not all, and I had no crank. I check everything, and was about to give up, when I found that the harness that plugs into the back of the key switch had come apart. I pushed these back together, and it started. Worth a look.

I use a G-force 5 point harness in my 986S track car with Sparco seats and a HANS device. I see a lot of G force at the track. They are reputable. I've been happy with it. One more item on this. I do wish I hade gotten the option to tension the lap belt belt by pulling "in" versus pulling "out". Follow what I mean?? In my configuration, the buckles are in a slightly awkward place and it is hard to tighten by pulling the belt "out". I set them where I want them, and the Sparco seat is on sliders, so I buckle the lap, and then slide the seat forward to the proper tension, so it is no big deal.

I use a G-force 5 point harness in my 986S track car with Sparco seats and a HANS device. I see a lot of G force at the track. They are reputable. I've been happy with it.

I have a 2004 986S that I use as a dedicated track car. Thus far, I have only upgraded suspension bits. I am considering stripping the car and installing a full cage at the end of this season. I am hesistant to make engine changes....but....I am interested in eliminating the catalytic converters. I have been told the following and am looking for thoughts on these items: * the catalytic converters integrated into the headers rob the 986 of power (Note on an 04, there is a primary set integrated into the headers, and a secondary set after - the primaries have the sensors, not the secondaries) * you can reprogram the ECU using a PST2 to RoW, and eliminate the CATs, as the RoW configuration does not look for cats * the s-car-go headers give good flow and good HP gains I don't know if any of this is correct, and am looking to see what you guys know. Also, it would appear that this would be a simple change - new headers and a ECU change - and it would not trigger wierdness elsewhere that would require endless tweaks. Naive thinking??

I like it. I'm thinking next year I will put a full cage in my track dedicated 986S. Are you going to reuse your stock dash or build up something new?

I second this. I don't use the dampers front or back.

The pistons are two different sizes - one larger, one smaller, of course. I'm not sure, but I think your pistons in an 06 are the same as the ones in my 04. I measured mine to figure out what size to get, but after doing that, I realized that the PET - at least for my model - had the size of the seals/boots listed - and that size corresponded to the piston size.

I was under the impression from the previous post that piston/seal sets aren't available? You can get them. I just replaced all the pistons, bore seals and boots on my 986S track car. See the later post.

also here http://www.paragon-products.com/Brembo_Cal..._Kits_s/538.htm

If you can't the thing out of the piston, you can order a single piston, along with seals and boots.

Pagid is an excellent brand for Porsche.

Have you had it on the track since you added the aero front end? I'm curious to know if it has had any effect on the balance. Regardless - it looks bada**.

I can't come up with a theory on how improper installation would cause the pads to wear prematurely. You either get them in, or you don't. I'd check a couple of items. 1. I know you said your driving style is gentler than before. Be sure you are not unconciously riding the brake. 2. Did the dealer install a brand of pad that should get more longevity than you experienced? Not all pads last as long as others. 3. Are all the brake components working properly, allowing the pistons to easily return to the cylinders and not "sticking" - meaning they ride against the rotor some even after you release the pedal. Sticking pads could be due to something wrong in the lines, pistons, cylinders, master cylinder, the fluid, etc. Did both sets of fronts wear out fast, all four corners wear out fast, or just one wheel?

Fixed - it was the CDI. Thanks for the tip and for the diagnostic. It fired up the first time after install. We took the module to ecudoctors.com He repaired it for $220 and gave us a 5 year warranty. We will see how it goes.

There is a plunger switch in the center console that is pressed shut when you raise the parking brake a few clicks. The switch has a two line wire that plugs into it. You could unplug that and jump it, but then your dash readout would say your parking brake is on all the time. I supposed you could rig something up with a different type of manual switch that you close when you want to open/close the top.

Jim - Hard to say without seeing it. I would want to be sure all the suspension components supporting the wheel carrier and hub, (as well as the hub) including the bearings, are in proper shape. But, a first guess would be that the caliper pistons are not extending and retracting properly. The push out in a cocked fashion. That can be due to a worn out bore seal or from the piston being scored - possibly both. Could also be some sort of build up of crud in the cylinder. You can rebuild the calipers you have with new pistons, bore seals and dust boots. It is not too hard. I just did this to my track 986S calipers. Was about $380 including a couple of liters of fluid. You need to get the pistons out though, to be sure you order the right size bore seals and dust boots. The first bit of the piston is not the same size as the back part that is sealed by the bore seal. You can take them apart and inspect and reinstall all if they are not bad, as long as you do not damage the bore seal when you remove. The seal and boots are not too expensive - the pistons are the bulk of the cost. Job requires a very thorough brake bleeding - but I would flush if you are going to do this. (I also bead blasted my calipers and repainted while I had them off.) I can give more details on how to do a rebuild if needed. You didn't say if this was a track car. VERY often braking issues on a track car occur because of differnet levels of grip in the four corners, often due to using -- say a new tire on the left front, and on the right front, one with several heat cycles -- in this example, the left one will do more braking and wear those pads out faster. But the symptons you describe don't really match this.

Couple of semantics first just to be sure we are all talking about the same things. There are tires many people call slicks that are DOT legal R compounds. While they are legal to drive on the road, most only have two grooves to be DOT legal (and to satisfy some sanctioning body requirements that racers use DOT legal tires) and are not suitable for rain conditions. I've also heard them refered to as semi slicks, cheaters, R-compounds. Real race slicks have no grooves at all. The tires classified as competition/track on tire rack are DOT legal R compounds. True race slicks and most R compounds not made for the rain, are not at all suitable in the wet. Liquids are not compressable like gasses, and you just ride right up on top of the water with no grooves and loose all contact. The two grooves in R compounds pretty much do nothing for wet. And, as RFM notes, the manual says not to use slicks. Note, however, almost all the P cars I see at DEs use R compounds. I use an R compound on my track dedicated 986S. (And have a set of street tires on an extra set of wheels I use in the rain.) Depending on the brand of R compound, you can probably get one for the same cost as a good street tire, but a slick is made of very soft rubber that, when hot, gives you more grip. So while the tire might cost the same, you will go through them much faster than street tires. Because of fast wear and the need to use them only when dry, you don't want these for everyday driving. I tow my track car, but that's not practical for all. I have see many Porsches drive to the track towing small tire trailers - trailers specifically made to hold four track tires, and then then change them out when they get there. I've also seen some, who have short distances to drive to the track, show up with their R compounds already on. I would not put slicks on the rear and streets on the front. The grip is going to be so different, you will have a lot of understeer. On the size, the R compounds are sized the same way at street tires. Check 'em out on tire rack. As for brands - everyone has their favorite. I use BF Goodrich G Force R-1s - they come as a stock size and are cheaper than some. The Michelin R compounds are very popular on the 996s I see. Hoosier enjoys the reputation for being the best - I don't know, never used them - wrong sizes for me. Kumho and Hankook are also popular and less expensive variations. Yokohama ADVAN R compound has some tread and I have seen a lotus run in the rain using those. I used them once - took a while for them to get hot. For tire pressures, most makers of R compound will publish a hot pressure target range. I start many pounds below that range, and bleed after the first couple of sessions as necessary, and eventually get the right starting pressure to have the optimal hot pressure in a session. I wouldn't be too quick to go to R compounds. You will learn more car control with street tires in the beginning. And the street tires can help you find the limits easier because they make noise - many R compounds do not squeal - they just let go when the limit is reached. When I go to a new track, I put on street tires to help me find the limits before swithcing over to R compounds.

The M030 suspension is a porsche suspension (i think made by Bilstein) so unless you buy it used, I think you would get it from a Porsche dealer. My 986S came with the 030. It was good. I liked it a lot for street driving. I soon turned my car into a track car though, and moved on to a first generation of H&R sport coilovers, which seemed about 25 percent stiffer than the 030. Balance was great. I now use PSS9 with springs a bit stiffer than what they come with. I got these to have some adjustability for the many different tracks I go to. These are good because you can dial in more and less stiffness, although the dial is located on the bottom and a little hard to get to for changes. If you have a Bilstein dealer local, and the Porsche guys can't get the 030 for some reason, talk to the Bilsteon people about your options. They will have something comparable to stock all the way up to track coilovers. You might want to take a look at your suspension bushings and mounts. If they are worn out, that can make for weird handling and extra noise. Look at the bushing where the control arms attached to the frame, and look at the mounts at the top of the coil overs. Check for cracked, dried out and missing chunks of rubber.

IMO and experiences.... Alignment settings depend on a lot of variables - the track configuration, the tire, your skill, ride height, stiffness, etc. The real way to determine proper track alignment is with tire temps if you are consistently turning hot laps and working the tires. But, I think what they did is a very good place to start as a combination street and track alignment. The extra negative camber will help keep the outside shoulders from wearing too fast; the slight toe-in in the rears will help keep the rear behind you where it belongs; and the toe-in in the front will keep the front end from wandering around on the straights. Assuming this is one of your first DEs, go have fun, learn, and don't give the alignment a second thought. Improved sways are a good choice for an upgrade, BTW.