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Mike in CA

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Everything posted by Mike in CA

  1. Mike in CA
    Karl, you seem to have a pretty good handle on this topic from the posts I’ve seen so I’d welcome your thoughts, and of course, input from anyone else as well. I’m running an ROW M030 setup with a dedicated set of 225-285 Michelin Sport cups on 18” Carrera wheels for autocrossing. My alignment specs are factory stock with the exception of 1 degree negative camber in front. The suspension and tire upgrades moved me out of Stock into Improved class. My GT3 seats, by themselves however, put me up another notch into Production class where further suspension mods are allowed. So, I’m trying to decide if there is any point in changing to a more elaborate coil-over setup with adjustable shocks, bars etc. The advantage gained by lowering the car with one of these setups is going to be limited by the fact that I don’t want to give up normal use on the street. I figure I can go another ½” to ¾” lower without too much risk but probably not much more than that. Would a PSS9 set-up with GT3 adjustable bars be a meaningful step up from what I have currently? Should I be looking at one of the more expensive proprietary suspensions like the JRZ, or would that be a waste of money for what is basically a street car? What other options should I be considering? (Yeah, another driving school is planned, but we’re talking about the car here. :rolleyes: )
  2. Mike in CA
    Don, The vinyl sunvisors hold up to the denatured alcohol just fine, because they don't absorb it and are basically indestructable anyway. Although I've never tried it, I'd be really afraid to use it on leather. It is a solvent after all. It would almost certainly soak into the leather and would probably break down and bleach out the leather dyes, at the very least. Not what you want to see on a $300 sun visor. :eek:
  3. Mike in CA
    Keith, Where did you buy your Harness Truss? I just bought the BK R1030 harness bar from OG Racing, a Brey Krause distributor, for my '99 coupe. I inquired about the Harness Truss at the time and they told me that it would not work in my car specifically because of the adjustable slider in the B-pillar. I pointed out to them that the Brey Krause web site said that the Harness Truss "fits all 911 coupes '69 to present", but they told me that was incorrect.....that the 993 was the last model the Truss worked in. In light of your installation concerns I wonder if you got some bad info......or maybe I did. :huh:
  4. Mike in CA
    Loren, Sorry......didn't mean to step on your lines....... :cheers:
  5. Mike in CA
    I left the velcro in my car when I removed the seats because I didn't see any way to get it off without damaging the carpet or leaving a mark. Besides in my car, black velcro in a black interior was hardly noticeable. Getting the seats out is pretty straighforward. The one thing that may not be obvious is that you have to pry off the plastic piece that covers the hinge in the center. Loosen the set screw on the hinge post which will allow you to slide the hinge to one side or the other, giving enough clearance to remove the seats. As to the visors, I used denatured alcohol (ethyl alcohol, NOT isopropyl alcohol commonly known as rubbing alcohol), available at any hardware store. Remove the visor from the car. "Paint" the sticker with the denatured alcohol, being careful not to get any on the vanity mirror hinges as it will dissolve the glue which holds them in place. Use a Q-tip or small paint brush to apply more alcohol along the edge of the sticker. After a while it will begin to wrinkle so you can start to peel it up. As you peel it, very slowly, apply more alcohol with the Q-tip to the junction between the sticker and the visor. If you are careful, you should be able to get the sticker off in one piece. There may be some residue left on the visor. A towel dipped in alcohol, and some gentle rubbing, should get rid of the rest. Treat the visor with some vinyl preservative and reinstall. This process isn't hard, it just takes time and some patience.
  6. Mike in CA
    Doug, Obviously you're pretty easy on brakes as you've had no problems running DE's with the stock pads. Bleeding the system with the Super Blue ATE fluid would be fine. If you want to step up a notch on the pads without going to a racing pad that might be noisier and work less well in street driving you might consider the Pagid Type S sport pad. I have them on my car. They work as well or better than the stock pads for street use, with very minimal squealing, and offer significantly better fade resistance for hard driving or track use. I got mine from TRG for about $275.
  7. Mike in CA
    RJ, brake fluid absorbs moisture from the atmosphere. Over time, as the moisture content of the brake fluid increases, the boiling point decreases, which can lead to brake fade or failure. Maybe you haven't overheated your brakes to the point where this has occured (yet), but the older your fluid the better the chance this could happen. Also consider that old fluid is more likely to become contaminated with dirt and other particulate matter, which can lead to damage of delicate seals and other parts of the brake system. Finally, brake fluid contains anti-scuff and anti-corrosion compounds which become less effective over time. For a car driven normally only on the street, once every two years is OK for changing fluid. Cars that see heavier duty, lots of mountain driving for example, should change once a year. And for cars driven in occasional competitive events, 6 months is probably a maximum interval. It's cheap insurance to bleed the brakes. Get yourself a Motive Power Bleeder (about $45) and it's an easy one person job.
  8. Mike in CA
    Thanks, Loren. :D
  9. Mike in CA
    Good advice Karl. I'll do that. Thanks. :thumbup:
  10. Mike in CA
    I installed my Brey Krause harness bar and 6 point Schroth belts today. The installation was pretty straightforward, with just a couple of the usual minor glitches that always crop up in a project like this. I actually spent the most time trying to fabricate my own insulation and carpet piece so I wouldn't have to cut up the factory carpet. I finally realized it was going to look like cr*p, so I went ahead and modified the factory carpet to work. It looks good, but I'll have to buy a new one if some future buyer decides they don't want the bar in the car. The whole assembly is sturdy and well made, and there are no new creaks, groans, rattles etc after the installation. The entire bar can easily be removed from the car if needed, except for the part that spans the shock towers. This piece appears to be very strong and probably adds additional rigidity, like a shock tower brace. I won't bore you with all the installation details, but I'd be glad to share info with anyone who is contemplating this project as well as pics that I took during the installation. Here are a few photos of the finished product.
  11. Mike in CA
    Ok here's the solution to the seat belt light issue. 1. Get in your car 2. Drive to the nearest self service auto salvage yard. 3. Look for an Audi or VW with seat belts in your interior color. 4. Cut the seat belt buckle out of an '84 Audi. (just what I chose, many years are identical) 5. Pay your $3.00 6. Drive home and clean up the buckle. 7. Install in driver's side receptacle. 8. Enjoy the fact that when you're using your 6 point harness the seatbelt warning light on the dash is off. :D
  12. Mike in CA
    Will do. Thanks again!
  13. Mike in CA
    Loren, What's the proper torque for the three mounting bolts at the top of the rear shock towers? I'm installing my harness bar tomorrow! :jump: Many TIA.
  14. Mike in CA
    Thanks for the info Jeff. In light of the issue re: the legality of the 6 pt harness for street use, and just to take the path of least resistance (pun intended) I'm going to leave the stock belts in place and find a spare buckle to use when I track the car to eliminate the distraction of the belt warning light. But I appreciate your help. :thumbup:
  15. Mike in CA
    I was originaly planning to remove everything but got sidetracked by the DOT legality issue. As it stands now, that sounds like a great idea so at least I won't have to be distracted by that dashboard light during driving events. I wonder if any old seat belt buckle would work or if a Porsche specific one is required? Where would I find a seat belt buckle....wrecking yard? Loren, if you have a part number for a Porsche seat belt buckle I will be in awe. :notworthy:
  16. Mike in CA
    Gary, What you describe sounds completely normal across the board based on observations with my own car. The pressure at operating temperature is a bit higher than the nominal 3.5 bar mentioned in the manual, but with a new engine and a fresh fill of factory oil that would be expected. Don't worry and congrats on the new car. :thumbup:
  17. Mike in CA
    Thanks RJ! The fact that the Kinesis wheels would take the Porsche centers was one thing I liked about them. You'll love the Michelin Sport Cups. That's what I'm running on the Carrera wheels. I've run two events on them now and on a 1 minute autocross course (depending on layout) they're good for at least a couple of seconds over my S03's which had pretty darn good grip for a street tire on the track. The S03's and your Fikse wheels will be a great combo for the street. Enjoy! :thumbup:
  18. Mike in CA
    Obviously the Boxster is made of the same good stuff as the 996! :cheers:
  19. Mike in CA
    RJ, I was removing my race tires (on the Carrera wheels) this morning and thought I'd take this shot to illustrate my point about lifting both wheels on one side. Unfortunately the contrast isn't too good in this pic, but both tires clear the ground by 2-3 inches. That you can do this from the rear jack point without having to raise the car to an unsafe height is a testament to the stiffness of the 996 body shell.
  20. Mike in CA
    Thanks Loren! That diagram helps a lot, but I'm not sure I feel competent (or lucky) enough to start shorting out jumpers with the ignition on to see if the seatbelt lights go out! :eek: Unless someone has specific info on which switches to wire shut (looks like there are two) or whether something more than simply running a jumper between the two wires is required, I'll probably give up on this project. I don't want to be the guinea pig on this one!
  21. Mike in CA
    Tool Pants, Don't suppose you would know what that resistor should be rated at...... :rolleyes:
  22. Mike in CA
    Interesting point about the airbag. Can anyone confirm the legality of using 6 point belts on the road? This whole thing about removing the stock belts was just a thought, but would be a moot point if it's not legal. <_<
  23. Mike in CA
    Yes, that's correct Loren. I don't want to lose airbag function, but want the computer to think the seatbelt is buckled even when it's not.
  24. Mike in CA
    I’ve had all four wheels off the ground a couple of times, but I have to admit it makes me a little goosey, and I don’t do it unless I absolutely have to. I just have this nightmare scenario in my head about the car falling off the jacks :oops: while I’m horsing it around….I should probably see someone about this professionally. :( The method I described works great for two wheels because most of the weight is at the rear of the car and the stiffness of the body means you don’t have to lift the rear wheel off the ground very far to get the front wheel to clear too. It will work for getting all four wheels off the ground, using the sequence you described, as long as you make very sure the car is stable on the jacks and place the jackstands in the hardened area that Loren describes in his post, preferably with some kind of protection for the body. Of course the ideal place for the stands is right at the jacking point, but that’s pretty hard to do since the jack is already there and lifting under the engine also scares me. Thanks to Loren for the upgrade on the Pelican pad re: aerokit cars. Not having an aerokit, I wouldn’t have thought of that!
  25. Mike in CA
    Is there a hack for the seat belt light? I’m considering removing the stock driver side seat belts once I install my 6 point harness. One drawback to this is that the seat belt light will be on all the time. Is there a way to bridge the connection for the seat belt light so that the car will think the seat belt is buckled up, even though there is no seat belt? I could play around with this, but thought someone might have an answer that would save me the trouble.
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