Highlander

Get someone to push down on the hood just below the emblem as you pull the emergency release cable. That should help reduce the tension on the latch and make it easier to open.

Good Luck,

Graeme

I have the opportunity to get 18" rims with Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires at a reasonable price. I own a 98 Boxster with standard (16"??) rims. These 18" rims are part numbers 987 362 136 00 / HLB 8Jx18 ET 57 and 987 362 138 00 / HLB 9Jx18 ET 43

Would they fit on my Boxster? Do I need anything extra (spacers, etc) or is it just a simple swap?

TIA!

Stock 18" fitment on the 986 is 225/40-18 on 8Jx18 ET 50 and 265/35-18 on 9Jx18 ET 52. However, I am running 9Jx17 ET 43 on the rear of my car and they fit fine.

The tire sizes for the 987 are a little taller than the 986 to allow the use of practical sidewall heights with 19" wheels.

The 18" 987 wheels should fit your car without any rubbing. If they do rub, it will be very minor and can be fixed by adding a 2 or 3mm spacer.

Please post pictures and whether you needed spacers or not here if you go ahead.

Good luck,

Graeme

All, my 97 boxster has 40k miles but my suspension feels very rough passing bumps, etc. Will changing shocks help with this problem? Somebody told me shocks needed to be replaced only if you car bounced all over the place...which is not the case with mine, just stiffness. I test drove an 02 boxster last week and it felt soooo much more comfortable. What do you think, will new shocks or springs help?

What you are feeling is another symptom of worn out shocks. As the shocks wear, their ability to dampen out bumps reduces, causing a very harsh ride. Replacing them will almost certainly improve your ride considerably.

Graeme

I was facing the same dilemma a few months back. I talked with my Independent Shop owner and he suggested I put the factory pads on. He said that it's not like a Ford where they put pads on that are 'just good enough' to get by. Also that it would take a lot of time to be able to get my driving up to the point where I could match the OEM pads performance. So I put them on and other than the brake dust I couldn't be happier. The best part? After about 2k miles, I had a defective pad and both rears were replaced no questions asked.

I'm in 100% agreement here. The OEM pads may be a little more expensive - especially if you use board sponsor Sunset Imports - but they work very well, are quiet and are relatively low dust.

There is a great writeup on Boxster brake replacement put together by Trygve Isaacson here:

http://www.bombaydigital.com/boxster/projects/brakes/

Good Luck,

Graeme

It's pretty easy to do yourself

http://www.bombaydigital.com/boxster/projects/brakes/

If you can't do it yourself, either use the dealer or an independent that works on Porsche's.

Good Luck,

Graeme

Getting ready for a couple TSD rallies. I've never done one before. I know the speedo is not accurate. I'm planning on taking it to the deal for calibration. Am I wasting my money/time? Is there something I should know before I go?

Thanks,

David

Hmmm, I wasn't aware there was any calibration that could be done. My speedometer consistently reads ~3mph high. If the dealer manages to successfully calibrate your speedo, please report back.

Good Luck,

Graeme

hi all

just a quick question. dose anyone know if the calipers are brembo monoblock as standard and also if anyone has techinical specs on the calipers like dimension bolt hole distance ect. any info would be great as this is for a college project!

cheers guys

Kash

Yes they are Brembo and yes, they are monoblock. If this is a college project, call your local dealer and ask them if you can observe a brake job and take some measurements. I'm sure they'll help you out.

Good Luck,

Graeme

Changed to a new set of tires and my steering is no longer centered.. not sure how this can happen but figured a 4 wheel alignment will resolve it.

The cost charged by the dealership is ridiculous so I went round hunting for a specialist to do it. One came across as a recommendation.

He charges almost 3.5 times that of others and claims all kind of experience behind him. Amongst the things he claims, he said alignment is not just about camber, toe and caster. He said there're things like Akerman Angle (when steering is at full lock, 1 wheel is at a different angle than the other) and a whole lot of others stuff that I can't remember.

I figured his machine only gives the standard camber/caster/toe readings so how is he going to figure out what the best Akerman Angle amongst others? Is this guy fOS or for real.

He went on to say that after an alignment, the car is best left on the jack for an hour to let things 'settle' down before taking another measurement to verify the final specs....hmmm....

Then again, some of the other things he said appears to be on target. Like using a pyrometer to measure the tire temp across the inner/outer surface to ensure proper camber.

In principal, he is absolutely accurate - if you are aligning a formula car where all those things are adjustable. On your Boxster, you can set toe and camber. That's it. Ackerman and caster are what you get. There is no way to adjust either on our cars. Find your local SCCA autocrossers and get a recommendation from them.

Good Luck,

Graeme

I could tolerate the stiff suspension, but not the set of tires every 5000 miles. 10K, ok...but not 5k. I do make frequent "Spirited" runs. OK, so ROW M030 it is. Any thoughts on the alignment specs once I get the new suspension installed? Strictly by book, or is there a better set of street/track settings ?

Andy

Find someone who will do custom alignments. You do not want the "it's within factory specs" kind of cr@p.

Front:

Toe - as close to 0 as you can get.

Camber - Max negative, but matched left to right. Probably around -1 degrees is all you'll get with the ROW suspension. If you find your front tires wearing heavily on the inside edge, try flipping them on the rims before the tread has totally gone. If you still find they wear too fast, reduce the camber.

Rear:

Toe - 1/8" total toe-in a

Camber - 0.5 degrees more camber than you got up front. eg, if you get -0.8 degrees up front, set the rears to -1.3.

This is a nice aggressive street setting. If you find the car tramlining badly - ie following the ruts in the road left by heavy traffic - try adding a little toe-in.

Good Luck,

Graeme

Any idea how either of you guys would compare this setup to ROW M030 ? Pss2 ?

I'm deciding on a route to take with this right now, and was all set on ROW M030 until I read this. I don't track my car regularly, but I bought it to "play" with and fully expect to do some track time and/or autox with it this year. On the other hand, we do like to take weekend runs in it as well. I try to stay away from highway hauls (b-o-r-i-n-g) but sometimes you just can't.

Andy

What is your tolerance for buckboard stiff suspensions and replacing tires? The only reason to get a coilover suspension is to gain the camber we need to the track and to stiffen everything up so it improves the handling. To run adequate camber for track or autocross (-2-2.5 degrees), you will go through a set of tires in less than 5k miles!

For a predominantly street driven car that sees the track and Ax course only occasionally, it's hard to recommend anything other than the ROW M030. Even "spirited" runs in the canyons would be more than satisfied with the ROW setup.

Of course, as always, this is IMHO.

Graeme

Technically, the stock suspension on a Boxster is a coilover since the shock assembly mounts through the spring. However, the term "Coilover" is typically used when a suspension has adjustable ride height. Normally this is achieved with a threaded shock body like the PSS9 and H&R Coilover systems.

You don't mention your location. Here in the US, a popular upgrade is to install an ROW M030 (Rest of World, Sport tuned) suspension. If you are not located in the US and your car does not have the M030 suspension, that is probably your best bet. If you go that route, I would also recommend upgrading your swaybars to the M030 bars too.

If you drive your car 100% on the street, I would recommend simply replacing your suspension with either OEM or aftermarket stock replacement parts. Bilstein has a couple of standard shock replacements as well as their PSS9 system you mentioned. I would be hard pressed to recommend a coilover system unless you are autocrossing or tracking our car. Even at their softest settings, you may find the ride a little harsh.

Good Luck,

Graeme

I drove my car for about a week with the MAF disconnected while a replacement was shipped. It was summer so it was quite warm. Other than the glowing check engine light I didn't notice any difference. I'm pretty sure I would not have passed emissions, but it did not effect driveability at all.

Graeme

By the way thank you for all the great links and info. In addition, what is the minimum contribution one can make? If I had not post my question here I think the job of doing the boot would have been much more difficult specially without the book to use for guidance.

Ben

There is no set amount. Just contribute what you feel is fair based on the help you have received. Once you do, you will receive the prestigious title of "Contributing Member" :)

Graeme

I have a '99 Boxster with about 94k miles and it is time for new struts in the rear, probably it is best to replace all the way around.

Does anyone have suggestions as to a good/stiffer strut that I can use for better cornering performance? I also am not sure if I may need to get new springs to compliment the stiffer strut. Don't have lots of $$ to spend, so any advice is most welcome. If I can get 80% of what I am looking for with just the new struts then I'll be a very satisfied driver!

Definitely replace all 4 corners. Does you car have the M030 "Sport Tuned Suspension"? If not, then that is probably your best bet. Great prices from board sponsor Sunset Imports

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...amp;code=sunset

Give 'em a call and tell them you heard about them on RennTech. If you go that route and can rustle up the $$, upgrade to the M030 swaybars too.

Another option is the ROW M030 (ROW stands for Rest of World). This lowers the car around 1/2" and stiffens things up a little more than the US 030. A complete kit can be purchased from Carnewal in Belgium for around US$1200 http://www.carnewal-europe.com/cpx_p86003.htm

Good Luck,

Graeme

Hats off to Graeme for the great guide/instructions and the folks at Renntech for keeping this board going and posting all the useful info.

Thanks - you are too kind... :cheers:

Graeme

This is the picture I find most interesting.

http://www.renntech.org/forums/index.php?a...ost&id=6081

With the JIC (branded Cross in the US) setup I installed on my car, I have more rear camber than I want. These guys have actually understood this is a problem with lowered Boxsters and have made allowance for it by giving you 3 camber settings on the rear upper strut mount. Now why can't JIC and Bilstein do the same?

I'm going to have to look into what it would take to get something like that fabbed up.

Graeme

Recently I have noticed a "slipping " feeling from the front driver side suspension / tire. It feels as if the tire wants to collapse inward!!! It only does it when making a left turn at slow speed (under 10mph ). Over 10 mph it feels fine and drives fine. It makes no noise and the front tires are good. Any thoughts?? :(

Stock suspension? Any funny noises?

Just replacing the wheels with 17's and picking a tire with a reasonably soft sidewall will soften the ride considerably.

Good Luck,

Graeme

Thanks again, just ordered the part from Harbor Freight.

Please report back on how well the HF tool worked.

thanks,

Graeme

I think a silver top on a black car would look good.

With good winter tires, Boxsters make adequate winter drivers. The biggest issue I would see is with the relatively low ground clearance.

Good Luck,

Graeme

i think it's all in your head. :lol:

i have the same reaction every time i change my oil. and every time i fill up my gas tank, for that matter! i really think that oil is oil is oil.

but if it works for you, by all means continue using it. btw, i think Porsche now recommends 0w-40.

Interesting anecdote about Royal Purple. As some of you may know, I have been autocrossing a friends 2005 Mini Cooper S this year. When the car was brand new, the owner changed the oil after 500 miles. He dyo'ed prior to changing the oil, then again immediatly after. The result? A 5hp gain... on a 168hp Mini! This reinforced results he had observed when he worked on Indy car team and Royal Purple joined as a sponsor. I'm now a total convert.

Graeme

THANKS!!! I see now that I have plenty of pad, so I didn't get ripped off,.... boy these Porsches put out a lot of brake dust! An hour and a half of spirited driving and I have to wash the car (I GET to wash the car :-) ...brake dust all around the back of the car.....anyway, thanks for the info....one more question, as the pads wears, is there a spring that keeps it close to the rotor, or does it gradually get farther from the rotor when brakes are not applied?

You are very welcome.

There is no spring that keeps the pads close to the rotor. When you release the brakes, the pads will stop there clamping force on the rotors but will stay just touching them. The rotor surface is not perfectly flat and kinda pushes the pads back just far enough that they do not bind. It's all self correcting so the pads always stay roughly the same distance from the rotor no matter how much the pads or rotor wear.

If you want to understand more about the principals behind disk brakes, check out this article:

How disk brakes work

It shows a "floating caliper" style of brake, but the basic principals are the same.

Have fun,

Graeme

Regarding my03 (non - S):

1) replacing the rotors to Zimmerman drilled and sloted, good idea, problems? (also what is the minimum rotor thickness for the front and rear's on a my03)

2) bulbs, sheesh the dealer wants $11.56 Cdn. for the turn signal bulb (PY21W)? Are they always that expensive? I see them on eBay for that much a pair... any caveats on these?

Thanks, Al

For #1, the minimum thickness is stamped on the rotor hat. You probably have to remove the wheel the read it. It will be embossed in the hat and might be quite hard to find. I have had issues with Zimmerman rotors warping on my '01S and resorted to buying Porsche OEM ones. However, the last set of OEM rotors I bought did not have the coated hat and they developed severe cracking between the holes. If you go with drilled and slotted, expect to replace them and your pads (the holes and slots act like a cheese-grater unless champfered properly.

#2, I just take the bulb to my local auto parts store and get the generic equivalent.

Good Luck,

Graeme

I just purchased a CPO 2001 Boxster S....while inspecting the break pads, I noticed that part of the red caliper cover/ housing is VERY close to the rotor, like 3/16" (4mm or so),is this normal? or is it an indication of break pad wear? Please advise

This is normal. Porsche does not use a "floating caliper" design. The gap between the caliper and rotor is fixed and not dependant on pad wear. What you need to look at (you'll probably need a flashlight) is the amount of material left on the pad.

If you look at this picture, you should be able to make out the brake pistons, the pad backing material and the actual friction material. The pads in this pics are at the limit of their useablility IMHO (my car, my brakes - yes I changed them out).

Unless someone has removed them (I have, they are not shown above) you have a pad wear sensor on all 8 pads on the car. When the pads wear to about the depth you see in the pic above, you will get a warning light on the dash. It will start to illuminate intermittantly at first, then stay on all the time. When it stays on, it;s time to order new brakes, of schedule your car for a brake job.

One last thing... :welcome:

Graeme