John V

I have 7mm in front, 15mm in the back and my heart is still beating. The price of the lug bolts nearly stopped it though.

I think “S’s” have them (5mm or 7mm) all the way around..

Regards, PK

On what wheel size and offset is this? I've noticed that 15mm + 18mm is a popular combination in Europe for the Boxster (sold as pair by companies such as TechArt and DesignTek), but I'm not sure if if they will fit my particular wheels. By the way, that's 15mm spacers, so 30mm axle extension.

Atle

The spacers you bought will not work with the wheels you have. They are too big. The rear 18mm spacer is meant for fitting a Carrera offset (65mm) wheel to a boxster. 65-18 = 47mm, which is perfect for a 10" wide rear wheel.

Not sure what the 15mm spacers are for... they may technically fit up front but the wheel is going to stick out too far and look, IMO, kind of funny.

Why did you buy spacers? The wheels you have already fit properly.

If you are looking for a set of track wheels, I have a set of Complete Custom Wheels (CCWs) that are about as light as you can get for a Boxster that I'm looking to sell.

I got an email from the dealer last week saying the were offering above market value for boxster trade-ins because of demand.

That's a common tactic to get people into the dealership. Doesn't say anything for any car's demand or value, unfortunately.

Not to mention, the steering wheel lock might activate if the car is turned off?!?! Guess you'd better leave it in ACC whiles you're coasting 80mph downhill with no engine braking - so you can listen to the stereo, right? :rolleyes:

I don't think any of us are suggesting that this is a good idea.

In my brain it still seems more logical that a car uses less fuel while coasting at idle than it does in gear. I mean, if you check any of the hypermiler websites, they always emphasis coasting as much as possible to increase fuel efficiency.

But this discussion obviously pertains to coming down gentle/occasional slopes, not coming down a mountain in New Mexico/Colorado as I would never attempt that coasting.

It depends on too many factors. If the hill is sufficiently steep that the car can hold a given MPH with engine braking, the car will use less fuel than if you push in the clutch and let the engine idle. The engine uses no fuel when engine braking. It uses fuel when idling. Period.

I guess the real point the hypermilers are always trying to make is that if you plan ahead and COAST TO A STOP instead of braking at the last minute, you save gas.

Yes but remember they are not coasting with the engine idling, they are shutting the engine OFF. The idea is that you're not wasting any inertia.

The original poster didn't say anything about turning the engine off and presumably he's not letting the car pick up speed so that it's exceeding any safe speed limit.

In my brain it still seems more logical that a car uses less fuel while coasting at idle than it does in gear. I mean, if you check any of the hypermiler websites, they always emphasis coasting as much as possible to increase fuel efficiency.

But this discussion obviously pertains to coming down gentle/occasional slopes, not coming down a mountain in New Mexico/Colorado as I would never attempt that coasting.

It depends on too many factors. If the hill is sufficiently steep that the car can hold a given MPH with engine braking, the car will use less fuel than if you push in the clutch and let the engine idle. The engine uses no fuel when engine braking. It uses fuel when idling. Period.

I understand your point, but the difference in speed wasn't more than a few m.p.h. I was trying to keep it at around 70-75, and true, the car accelerated in both cases due to gravity. There were points where the car was going faster when coasting, and points where it was going faster when in gear. Overall, the speed was fairly constant.

Your earlier post stated:

Leaving the car in 5th gear, I saw low to mid 60s. Coasting, low 90s. I've done this twice, switched the order the second time, and got a similar reading.

Which is it?

I'm not sure I understand what's going on here. My observations have been different. If I coast down a hill, clutch in but also a gear selected, I typically accelerate down the hill due to gravity, and make up quite a lot of ground using fuel at idle. There's a hill on the way to the track where I have to keep touching the brake to keep from hitting 90+ since there's occasionally a trooper at the bottom waiting for people like me. :D

For curiosity's sake, I've reset the fuel mileage reading on the computer on two consecutive days going down that hill. The difference I saw was impossible according to John V's comments. The difference was about 30 m.p.g. on the whole of the hill. It's about two minutes to go down it, and the reset was at what appears to be close to the same spot. Leaving the car in 5th gear, I saw low to mid 60s. Coasting, low 90s. I've done this twice, switched the order the second time, and got a similar reading. I try to keep about the same speed going down the hill. The car in 5th gear is running a few thousand RPM, and coasting is about one thousand. I understand the logic for both arguments, but my completely unscientific testing is pointing hard to the opposite of John V's argument.

Where is my test going wrong? Is the hill too big for what this thread is trying to convey?

-Michael

Your test is invalid because you're not keeping an important parameter constant between the two tests: speed. If you use the brakes to hold yourself to the same speed coasting as would be provided by engine braking alone, your fuel mileage will be better using the engine braking.

The engine should use essentially zero fuel under engine braking conditions. I've yet to see a fuel injected car that fires the injectors in an engine-braking scenario (assuming the revs are above idle). The injectors are absolutely firing if the car is at idle or the idle circuit is engaged (< 1300 RPM or so).

J

Brake pads are one 'ellva lot cheaper than trans. and engines. If youy spent 25% of your time free wheeling up to stops, down hills and the like, that would be almost 25% less friction & load on your transe and engine every year.

Regards, Pk

P.S. Of course I'm not saying coasting down long hills rideing the breaks all the way.

Oh brother. :rolleyes:

So long as the engine isn't allowed to exceed redline there is nothing wrong with engine braking.

Maybe true, but brakes are still cheaper to replace, then engine wear.

You are assuming that engine braking causes excessive engine wear. It doesn't. If you don't lose the motor due to IMS failure it's likely to last you longer than you have the car.

Better to replace neither the engine nor the brakes prematurely, no? :P

John, but he (JeTexas) does not say "in conjunction with..."

So long as the engine isn't allowed to exceed redline there is nothing wrong with engine braking.

I'd say staying in gear uses more fuel

You would be wrong. It uses less fuel.

You're correct in saying that engine braking, in conjunction with the brakes, is the correct and safe way to go down a hill. It doesn't damage the engine whatsoever.

....when going DOWN HILL :

1) Staying in gear using engine braking

- or

2) Shifting into neutral and letting the engine idle, using foot-brake to control speed

DISCUSS! B)

Jules

Easy. Number one. With the car in gear and your foot off the throttle the engine management can fully shut off the fuel injectors. If you let the car idle, it goes into its idle circuit and operates the injectors at a low duty cycle.

Number two is dangerous anyway, so it's a moot point.

I did a front bearing today. You don't need the SIR tools. An $80 kit from china freight worked well:

I removed the spindle. it's easy to do if you have the Napa ball joint removal tool ($19)... and then you don't need to fool with spring compressors or any of that nonsense. Once the spindle is out, you can tab out the hub from the bearing. You're discarding the bearing, so no worries about the hammering damaging the bearing. Only took me about three hours from tools out to tools cleaned up. :)

I've got the clutch switch click too. So just for my clarification... is the clutch switch supposed to be audible? I can live with it if it is but I want to fix it if it isn't.

Yes, it is supposed to click.

I also have zip-tied my switch closed because the click was annoying. Just remember that you can now start the car without pressing the clutch. This can be a good or bad thing. Be careful.

Loren,

This is the last of my warning lights needing assessment. The spoiler warning lite comes on with the other warning lights at start-up, however, the lite remains on after the others go out. The lite only goes out when the car begins moving forward. Once out, it stays out. The spoiler, of course, is NOT up while the lite is on at start-up. One observation is that there is no lite "on" on the kick panel/fuse cover near one's left foot in either status of spoiler up or down.

Thanks again and I enjoy being a contributing member.

Ed

Totally normal. Read the owner's manual! :)

Would this be more difficult with an MY2000 egas car?

I'm interested in this as well. Is it as simple as dropping in the later 996 3.6 (997 3.8) engines into the eGas Boxsters? I recall you saying there is a bit more to do when the engine is going into a 2000-2001 Boxster - something about the CAN bus? Did Porsche change to the CAN bus at some point?

This is probably a few years off at best, but I would definitely consider dropping a 3.6/3.8 into my car at some point.

Also, Todd, where do you source your engines?

Thanks,

John

I am done. Hooray. But the top won't close. Looks to be 3" short. Tried my best to pull it down but no go. Otherwise it looks great. No bunching up or anything. I'll give it another shot when I get home tonight.

A big thanks to you Maurice and everyone on this forum. Great info here. This is my biggest DIY project yet.

Derek

We did it in the sun and still needed a couple guys to push down and forward on the outside while I got the hook engaged. Once it's up, leave it up for a few days to stretch.

Anyone know where that piece goes??

Thanks John.

I am almost finished. Got everything done except I still need to tape down the rear, then hook up the electrical defroster.

Derek

One last thing, Derek, be careful with those defroster tabs! One of mine popped off when I slid the defroster cable onto it. I had to buy some conductive adhesive to reattach it to the defroster.

Maurice:

I took the top off last night. Tonight, I spent 2 hours just cleaning up the glue from the 2 sided tape. Man, that stuff sticks.

Anyhow, I just wanted to point out that my original top and setup are slightly different from the description in Mike Focke's writeup. Specifically, the middle bar (2nd from the front) plastic cover does not have a metal clip holding it down. Instead, it simply snaps into place. I had a hell of a time removing it and managed to break off a small corner on the cover plate. No biggie as it'll still perform its intended function. At first I tried to install the new top by not removing this cover plate, but no go. Can't get the back done if the middle of the top is already secured to the cover plate.

Correct. My car (2000 "S") didn't have that metal clip either. The top doesn't "snap" into that plate, though, it slides in as you remove the top from the car. The new top slides in - it's the first thing you do.

Oh, also, the Robbins top doesn't attach at the 3rd rail from the front. It only attaches at the front, the middle cover plate, then at the very back.

Correct. This is how they get away with having a glass rear window!

Question. Is it easier to do the very back first, then to the clamping rails, or vice versa?

I found it easiest to do the rear, then the clamp / sliding pieces on the sides, then the aluminum plates, then the front. But be SURE you get the edges of the top FLUSH with the aluminum plates, where they screw into the top frame. If not, the top will be loose near the front corners.

Good luck.

Hi there,

First post and it's a request for help!

I am looking to fit the following wheels on my 2001 Boxster S....

Front - 8J x 18 offset ET57 p/n 997.362.136.00 225/40

Rear - 10J x 18" offset ET58 p/n 997.362.140.01 265/35

What spacers, if any, would I need to fit them to my Boxster?

Thanks for any advice!

best regards

McBee

7mm spacer should work for the front. In the rear, you'll want a 10mm-12mm spacer.

The small rubber trim/gasket pieces are fitted at each corner of the front edge of the convertible top frame. Photos would help to make sure we are identifying them correctly.

Regards, Maurice.

Maurice,

Here is a (bad, blurry, BlackBerry) image of the part in question. Does this "clear" it up? I can't, for the life of me, remember where these came from!

Thanks,

John

John:

Congratulations! The top looks great. :clapping:

From the sound of it, you also deserve kudos for sticking with it.

The next one you do gets easier, I assure you! B)

Regards, Maurice.

Thanks gents. I will definitely never do another one!

Any comments on the tape not sticking? It stuck to the aluminum and to the plastic header like gangbusters but not to the top material!

Also I have one minor leak (very minor) above the driver's window. I think I need to remove the weatherstrip and "goop" it up on the backside. There was a lot of factory black good under them and we didn't replace it.

Lastly, I have two small rubber trim/gasket pieces that go on the front header which meets the windshield, but I can't figure out how they're oriented. I can't even find them in the PET. I can take pictures, but does anyone know what I'm talking about? :)

Read the post by khoov 54 "fueling problems at the pump" perhaps your problem is the same.

Check to see if fuse E6 is blown.

Well, it took all day. And we did have some issues. But it is done. No wrinkles, no fitment issues, no cables going outside the b-pillar trim, no misplaced seams, no leaks (so far!). :)

I have to say, I have done some "difficult" car work in the past. Rebuilt two rotary engines. Clutch replacement on FWD and RWD cars. Starters. Heater cores. Full suspension overhauls. Cut out and welded floorboards. Fuel pumps. Turbocharger installs. None of them compared to the frustration and difficulty of this install. First major issue, the plastic slider clamp pieces were brittle and broken before we even tried to remove them. Buy the clamping pieces ahead of time, and some replacement rivets. They are too cheap to take a chance with... just buy them.

Second problem, the double sided tape absolutely would not stick to the Robbins "European canvas" or whatever they call their "high end" material. We tried de-linting the fabric, cleaning it, nothing worked. The tape would not hold. I used the recommended 3M tape. I guess we did something wrong. Not sure.

Third problem, the front edge of the top was a bear to get lined up properly. The top material wanted to bunch up at the corners and prevent the leading edge of the weatherstrip (with its metal hooks) from seating properly. We had to trim (carefully!) some material to allow it to fit.

Needless to say, it is done, and again it fits brilliantly and looks the dog's bollocks. But I would never ever ever attempt this again. Too frustrating. $800 for labor to install it? Seems very much worth it to me, and I DIY everything.