deschodt

I own a base 2013. It's fantastic. Yes a tad lower on torque than the S but torquey enough to slide in 2nd gear - good enough for me. I drove both and found the base engine more eager to rev, the S more powerful down low but slightly lazier. Could have been different options enabled at the time, so don't quot eme on this - just saying base is a ton of fun ! Sports mode can be added, SPE (exhasut) can be added. Base is 350 hp BTW, not 370. I prefer stick shift on a sports car for involvement but the PDK is slightly faster...

Would anyone know why the gear indicator on a manual car behaves differently from car to car, depending on model year or possibly options or software revision ? Mine only displays the selected gear *AFTER* I release the clutch pedal (useless) Yet many report their car indicated the selected gear as soon as the lever is engaged, and before the clutch pedal is released (useful). Mostly this would be useful when downshifting from 7th and ensuring you're not accidentally grabbing 3rd of 4th instead of 5-6. Responses are split 50-50, I'd love to know if this is a hack or software update, or tied to sports chrono (possibility)? I have sports mode on my car but not chrono... So far this seems to be the only correlation but it is not a logical one, it's just a gear indicator...

I recently sold my 06 Cayman S - in perfect working order - to a friend who moved to TX.. He failed the emission test required to register it with: Catalyst - (Not Ready) 2nd Air System - (Not ready) Evaporative Control System - (Not ready) O2 Sensor - (Not ready) "Not ready", as in no error code either... I understand this can happen if the battery was disconnected and you simply have to drive it some more... The odd part is I don't recall disconnecting the battery recently, nor does it make sense for the shipper to have disconnected it, but....who knows, I *may* have done it to reinstall sprintbooster a few hundred miles back in which case I'm going senile... The car is bone stock, no software, and in great state of tune, no errors stored (durametric checked a while back). Can anyone highlight the *exact* reset procedure, if it is available to us ? I think you have to drive at specific speeds for a while or something funny.. Worst case is that somethign the dealer can help with or is it just a "drive it some more" thing? Again, no CEL, no codes... just "not ready" on some components.

Old thread, but as a recent adopter of the *new* Sprint booster I thought I'd chime in. Some what is said above is true, but I am not sure it still applies. Yes, the original SB was a little like an ON-OFF switch, which is why I returned it ! The new model is a 3 position unit with a remote, OFF - 50% and 100% - no idea what those correspond to exactly but clearly the 100% mode is less aggressive than before and the 50% mode is just about perfect... Personally I'd buy the SB if *ALL* it did was kill the lag, and it does. The Throttle boost thing is a bonus at this point. The lack of lag makes a modern porsche feel like a well tuned long-hood 911S, for those who know what I mean. Instant reponse, like good carburators ! THAT has been lacking in most modern cars for a while now... The 50% map is definitely not "pedal to the metal" and not jerky at all, nor do I believe it damages anything, it's more like it picks up the slack in the non-existent accelerator cable ;-) I played back and forth between off and 50% during my commute, you cannot really tell once you are in motion, it's very subtle and therefore I'd be flabbergasted if that somehow lunched my engine or transmission. Mostly you can tell when taking off from idle. No lag, slightly more response... It's very nice for $300 or less... It feels like 50hp extra in the same manner a nicely tuned carburated car feels snappier than an E-gas car. Doesn't mean it is more powerful, but feel is important, is it not, or we'd all be driving corvettes... Can't put it in clearer terms... I understand it's also got a good return policy, so I suggest trying the new model (switchable) before forming an opinion based on theories ;-)

Not snake oil at all, but it does not work quite as you describe... The new model has 3 positions Off: It does nothing Green: 50%: no more lag, but it does remap the throttle signal to something like sports chrono Red: 100% : no more lag, even more aggressive map. Too aggressive and binary for me.... It translates the pedal signal on the fly. There is no denying it does what it says it does.... It's only useful for those of us who didn't get Sports chrono or hate the lag, or both. I love mine... I hated the original one (one mode), but the 3 modes on is perfect at 50% !

That's a pretty good summary right there ;-)

Yes, that is option #2... It's $900 and it also tunes your ECU differently so you take your chances with warranty too... Option #1 for a quick throttle feel, totally risk free is : sprint booster That's a dongle, removable, goes on your gas pedal and supposedly gives it the sports chrono feel, for something like $250. I've ordered one, will report results... I always try the cheaper approach first ;-)

Care to elaborate on that ? I'm curious...(not sarcastic, curious) Did you mean between those 2 choices or in general ? I had a 2003 996 (3.6) which I really liked but let go after my kid was born - not the usual kid excuse, just that I did not use it much anymore and it was depreciating like a rock... I was hoping to get a Cayman S in the future for somethign different.. What makes the 996 a better car in your mind then? (or was it jus tin this case) In my mind, the Cayman S had the better interior (seats especially), looks very good, and I love the balance of the car afforded by the mid-mounted engine (I've had boxsters).. Is that 3.4 a bad motor or something, or was it because of the GIAC thing (if so I understand) ? Seems to me the choice would be between a used 05 997 or a used 06-08 Cayman S in the same range...

Not sure if it is public knowledge yet or not, but I did not know... A friend visited the factory recently and saw the reflector between the tail lights was back on the 4S ! The guide pretended not to hear the question asking for confirmation and told him to "look around and seek confirmation with his own eyes" ;-) He said it's smaller than before, like 2" thick but looks very very good...

For the record, I've read on other boards that a Recaro young sport would fit, and who does not like a recaro seat ? Well, it does not... Not even close ! I'm not returning it because I can swap with my wife's car seat (an eddie bauer, which fits the 996) and because it' s a really nice seat overall, but just so you know, don't buy one for the 996 !

That could be. I just never heard it before. Ya know, I bet I know why. I recently hooked up my iPod to the Aux connection on my Becker. Often I'll start the car up with the radio in Aux and then start my iPod. Before that, I'd the radio would always be playing as I push the clutch down and start the car. :) yeah, stupid switch.... At least on the boxster is was reversed (active when depressed) and you could tie wrap it in "active" position and never hear it again. On the 996 it's active when not depressed, so you really cannot do anything ! Click, click... ;-)

That could be. I just never heard it before. Ya know, I bet I know why. I recently hooked up my iPod to the Aux connection on my Becker. Often I'll start the car up with the radio in Aux and then start my iPod. Before that, I'd the radio would always be playing as I push the clutch down and start the car. :) yeah, stupid switch.... At least on the boxster is was reversed (active when depressed) and you could tie wrap it in "active" position and never hear it again. On the 996 it's active when not depressed extended, so you really cannot do anything ! Click, click... ;-)

Actually I remember reading that Tiptronics have a lot less issues with the RMS because the shaft is more supported in the tip's gearbox or something....

Thought about it, but I think that limits you to 265 rears...

>Wouldn't want to bend a rim--35 profile tires place the rim mighty close to the road! Yes they do ! ;-) Like I said I had to buy 2 after trying repeatedly to balance my rears ... $1400 I think ! This is probably the last car that I buy with such a low profile tire... I do quite a bit of track events, and I enjoy sharpess over comfort, but in my opinion 30 profiles cross the line. 40 is as low as I am comfortable with these days, and not much of a performance hit... Nothing wrong with a little sidewall flex here and there, it's more predictable anyway ;-)

I'm generally not one to argue with Porsche, and definitely am not arguing with you either, but in this case, let me state that: - on 44R, the car is downright bouncy, the tires have zero give and I feel like I'm riding on balloons.. That's the highest pressure I've heard of too, for that kind of size - On 44R, the pressure quickly rises to 50+ after a couple of laps, and I think that's getting downright dangerous. Most track guys reduce those pressures greatly and then beat the crap out of the car for laps and laps, so it can't be that bad for performance ! before I realized this, I noticed that my tires were going away after 15 minutes or so. So clearly, 44 is not good for performance any way you look at it... - The 987 with similar(ish) tire sizes in 18" lists 32/36 as the pressure. The 993 was also lower... the 996 in 18" is the first time that ludicrous 44 ever appeared that I know of ? Except maybe your space saver tire ? ;-) - I've read that those high pressures were not so much for handling as they were to protect the rim from potholes...I can believe that as my car came to me with 2 bent rear wheels... - a 30 sidewall is *very* stiff... It took me 10 minutes too long to notice my 40 sidewall tire was flat on the 987. I drove my 996 on 30 profiles on a flat rear tire for 40 miles (straight, admittedly) without noticing it was flat, or getting flat, from the handling. I think a 30 sidewall is plenty stiff no matter what ;-) It's almost a run flat !!! - Final data point, that's the biggest gap Front to rear I've ever seen on a 911.. Most 911s over the years have been happier with say a4 psi gap front to rear, this is 8 !!! Just throwing that out there, for the sake of discussion ;-) PS: Could be wrong on this but I believe I've read that 44 produced an abnormal wear pattern as well

I inherited Pirelli P-zeros when I bought my 03 C2. I had nothing against Pirelli...until I drove the car more than 5 minutes, and in truth, maybe it's unfair from me, maybe those particular tires were a bad batch, heat cycled wrong, whatever... But I never quite liked my 996's road feel until yesterday... I thought the tires were incredibly loud, road noise and "doinks" reverberating inside the cockpit whenever the rear tires drove over a road reflector, harsh (even before the ROW 030), and most annoyingly, took a flat spot just from sitting overnight... and did I mention loud ??? I finally picked up a nail and drove on the tire long enough to do some damage (can't feel a flat on those low profiles unless you're on a twisty road, or maybe it was my subconscious making sure I destroyed the infamous "squirelli" tire) ! I was not replacing just the rears to be stuck with more Pirellis, so I picked up a set of 4 Michelin Pilot sport N-something. Not cheap, ($1500 dealer installed) but last time I went cheap I got a set from tire rack and one was out of round, so my car was stuck for a week waiting for an exchange!!! Wow... Initially it was so-so until I remembered the dealer probably went with 36F/44R Hindenburg pressures again. Once I went down to more normal pressures (34/38), what a difference! Quieter, softer ride, more shock absorbtion, already better grip (and they're not even worn in) - I enjoy the ride a lot more ! I gotta say that the 996 is quite the resonance chamber, though. Any expansion joint or grooved asphalt and the whole cabin reverberates "doink" sounds like crazy... I wonder if it's just mine, but it did it before the ROW030 too. Maybe it's the extreme low profile tires, I ran 18s on previous porsches (40 profiles), but never 30s... I'm starting to think a 30 profile is just plain too harsh for my tastes, generally speaking, and not all that much better on track! Anyway, if you're on those pirellis and never tried anything else, do yourself a favor and try another brand! My car is 10x better now (and the Pirellis were not even worn out when deep sixed).

Great ! I've been meaning to do the interior of my older 911 (an 83) with alcantara. Could you describe some more how you glue it, what glue, any tips that might be useful ? I want to do my dash, door panels and headliner (though the headliner I will buy already precut, I think)

Hey, it wasn't an attack on you or anything... The thread was about "how you do that mod", and your contribution of "I don't like it" did not exactly bring anything to the table... Thanks anyway.

Well, this wasn't so much a thread on the aesthetics, but on how to do it and how it looks when done. If you don't like it, nobody's making you do it ;-) Personally, I like the look because I've has porsches from the 356->911-993-996 and until the 996, all of them had that straight dash look with no console. It's kind of a 911 trademark look... I'm used to it that way. And I did it because I was too confined with the console, leg room wise, especially since the steering wheel has no tilt adjustment (to move higher) and the seat very little lowering adjustment, so the wheel was in the way on my legs... I would not do it on a 987/997 since those have adjustment at the wheel...

My turn, my turn... ;-) I've had 2 Boxsters, 01 and 05, and moved "back" to an 03 996 partly because of baby room, partly because I wanted to try one. On the power side of things, I think a 996 will bury a 986S, there no arguing with engine displacement and the kick in the butt is felt a lot more... You lose a little of that boxster magic at turn in, but really, you can tell Porsche put their money in the 996. It feels solid and is a great performer on track. If you had a modern boxster (987) the 996 would be a step backwards in terms of interior and ergonomics, but coming from your model year, it's a total wash and you get 2 back seats for "stuff" and a quieter ride. Both cars are out of warranty and equally likely (or unlikely, if you are a glass half full type) to cost you money with bad RMS or grenading engines, but given that the cost of repairs is very similar between the 2 cars, I'd rather have a 996 motor after getting reamed by the dealer ;-) I totally agree that the boxster is probably a better driving car overall, but suffers greatly in terms of image. And they're a dime a dozen on the road, it seems. At the end of the day, you've had the boxster, try something new... if you get tired of it there's always the cayman next ;-) 80Kmi ? well, if the motor's dry and still running, chances are it'll stay that way. Either way, I'd suggest you purchase one of those $3000+ warranties that your closest dealer will honor, and stop worrying about a thing for 4 years... FActor it in your purchase price...

Purely for driver ed - track days... Period... Not really interested in the "polo gathering" or "Xmas gala" my region offers. Panorama is just toilet reading... Roundel (from BMW) puts it to shame.

I've had a couple of boxsters, so I won't knock them - great cars ! But IMO, the C4S is so much more car... It's rarer, it's got that huge wide butt, the sought after reflector uniting the taillights (993 style), it's probably the only 996 (with the GT3) that will remain a classic over time. It's got presence. The 987S is a great car but it's one of them boxsters... Fun to be sure, I had one, but not quite as special..

This has been covered many times... But yeah, some feel 44 is crazy high. Just try at the track and within 2 laps you're running 50+ PSI - enough pressure to power an air tool ;-) Some say use 40,38, even 36. Your call... Less bounce, but less protection for your 18" rims (on 30 profile they can bend in the first pothole - I should know, I had to buy 2 new rear rims) I *HATE* the ride of my 996 on the 18s" at factory pressures, and I think most of it is due to the tires. I had a 987 on the same 18" rears (maybe not as wide but no matter, Porsche recommended 36 PSI on this car!!! Go figure) and the car was way more compliant over bumps. At 44psi on pirellis, the 996 feels like it's riding on the rims! I'm about to replace the squirellis for something better (easily done) - bridgestone or michelin. Most likely bridgestone, since I always liked those ! Will let you know (and I won't be running 44 either)

I followed the throttle body cleanup instuctions to remedy an annoying "stall when cold" issue (maybe). The instructions make you remove the airbox and disconnect a bunch of things, but I found out that if you are lazy and your hands are smaller than oars, you don't need to work quite that hard. Either simply loosen the clamp and disconnect the rubber hose going to the throttle body and push it ouf of the way - you can clean the TB from there if you have small hands and that hose is not hard as a rock from aging, or, what I did, disconnect that hose from all 3 of its connections (2 on the airbox side, one on the TB side), while elaving everything else in place, it will pop back in quite nicely later to reinstall... Presto, 5 minutes job including the cleanup. The TB looked clean, until I pushed the butterfly valve - pretty nasty back there... Also bear in mind that butterfly valve is sprung quite strongly and *could* hypothetically pinch your fingers (just saying, not like it happened to me or anything ;-) Once done, the car idled at 1100 rpm, so I shut it down (2003) and did the reset thing anyway (key in ignition for a minute or so) and all was normal after that. The hardest part of this job is locating your screwdriver !