Bringing the animal out of a 993

[GTMSpyder]

Hi All,

First post here, so hopefully its in the right spirit...

I recently bought a '97 993 C4 which had been well looked after by its previous owner, but my intention is to make it much more focussed as a road car and I'll document each mod with my thoughts on their success. Im not going on the hunt for more power (at this stage), I just want to make the most of what it already has.

The car has had a few mods (mainly cosmetic) by its previous owners - RS bodykit, Speedline wheels, Danske mufflers, lowered and has had various bits of paint....(its unusual Pastel Yellow, not Speed Yellow).

So, first things first - it got a full service, with oil, filters, new disks and pads, transmission oils, new plug leads, plugs, etc. so I know where we are from a service perspective.

First impressions - lovely analogue driving experience. Brakes are great. Not particularly fast. The Danske mufflers will have to go - too much drone at normal cruising speeds. Interior needs a refresh. The steering is a little too damped and weights up quickly when you've got some load in a corner. The damping and chassis is a bit soft and squishy. The engine response is a little slow.

But I love this car and it has sooo much potential to tip the balance more onto the sporting side from comfort as it is now....to bring out its animal side from the old Hector that it is at the moment. Ive had some pretty focussed cars in the past - KTM XBOW, various track cars, and I'd like to get some of this feel into the 993 without turning it into a track car on the road and all the compromises that come with them, so the aircon stays, the heating stays, the carpets stay.....Ive also got a modified Esprit v8 and that will be the benchmark for steering and supension.

First jobs are:

Solid track rod ends
Swap front anti-roll bar
Light weight flywheel
Stiffer engine mounts
Front strut brace
Suspension bushes
Ohlins coil overs
Smaller steering wheel

I'll start to report on these over the next few days as the jobs get ticked off....

 

[cableguy]

Welcome and congrats on the purchase... great colour. :thumb:

Looking forward to your updates. Subscribed.

C.

 

[kurlykris]

Wecome to 911uk GTMSpyder :welcome:
She looks lovely, really nice colour :thumb:
Curious as to why you went for a C4 if you are looking to pep up the performance and handling :?: But I am biased to rear wheel drive only cars :grin:

Look forward to seeing what you do with her :thumbs:

 

[jonttt]

Will be interesting to read your exploits.....the best VFM 'mod" that you can do with your agenda is to get it over to Wayne a Chipwizards for a remap...it will effectively give you and engine performance health check as well as so many of these cars have air pressure valves which are not working etc...... that will give you the best baseline to go from performance wise, improve the sound and remove the torque dead spot with the factory map :wink:

 

[tyinsky]

That's a beautiful colour. Looks great with the wheels and wing too.

Add the short shift kit and golden rod to your list (if it's a manual). Makes a very noticeable difference to the feel.

 

[tob_today]

Well done on your purchase, and I'm looking forward to hearing your story as it unfolds. Very interesting colour. I'm a big fan of unusual colours. Would be good to see some more pics of the car and interior too. Before you start, then as you go

 

[Cameltoe & Heel]

Nice car, there's some well trodden paths in terms of upgrades for these cars out there. The C4 will feel different to a C2 for sure, same with the 964 too esp the steering.

Has the car had a recent geo?, if not have this done by a specialist like Chris @ Centre Gravity, that would be my first port of call.

Trev

 

[nickjonesn4]

Nice looking car, you will find its plenty quick enough once used to it. Also the joy of being able to pin the throttle for a few seconds without being in licence losing territory is real.

Loads of great mod options and people out there that can help, sounds like you know what you're doing, have fun!!

Cue the forum police who will have you believe there are only 4 specialists in the whole universe who know anything about 993s :grin:

 

[madalaa]

........ Actually there is only one ....... :thumb:

 

[GTMSpyder]

Wecome to 911uk GTMSpyder :.......

Curious as to why you went for a C4 if you are looking to pep up the performance and handling :?: But I am biased to rear wheel drive only cars :grin:
:

I hear you, but the easy answer is I looked at lots of 993s and 964s and fell in love with this one....heart ruled the head!

I have to admit the difference between a 993 c2 and c4 felt pretty small compared with 964 C2 and C4 (I drove all when I was looking for the car), probably because the 993 C4 is 2 wheel drive most of the time (only 5% drive to the front in normal driving) and the difference in steering feel is probably just from the inertia of the driveshafts. The 993 AWD system is much lighter than the 964s, so while it weighs 50kg the added traction in wet weather makes up for it....

 

[GTMSpyder]

Has the car had a recent geo?.....

Trev

Yep....Peter Tognola (Tognola Engineering) has given it a geo check and had to replace one of the rear arms because the eccentric bolt was siezed...

When I swap the springs and dampers (planning on Ohlins) I will get a full Centre Gravity set up.

Cue the forum police who will have you believe there are only 4 specialists in the whole universe who know anything about 993s:

Tognola Engineering are pretty local to me (Berkshire) and Peter has vast knowledge of 993s. He still has his own 993 (modified) and races his own old 2.0 911 (including the 'Ring Old Timer races), so he has real practical experience in setting up air cooled 911s to behave how you want them to. He's been involved in all the discussions on the mods Im planning and will probably do a lot of the work because Im finishing a building project at home and need to focus on that rather than spannering myself for now.

 

[GTMSpyder]

Would be good to see some more pics of the car and interior too. Before you start, then as you go

Sorry, I don't have many good (artistic!) photos yet.....here's a few basic ones.

The interior is tired and needs an update - I've bought a new carpet set from Stuttgart Classica but its a PITA to fit them!!

 

[TobesEtc]

...The Danske mufflers will have to go - too much drone at normal cruising speeds. ....

Welcome, and great choice! Thought I'd comment upon the drone at cruising speed. In my experience, that probably isn't the exhaust. It is likely to be the rear bulkhead resonating. It did it in mine and the drone drove me up the wall. Had sound-deadening fitting and it cut it completely, all I hear is the engine/exhaust now. (NB it is NOT sound insulation. It cuts vibration like the bulkhead resonating, it does not insulate from engine noise).

Interestingly, mine is also a C4, so maybe the driveshaft to the front transmits vibrations into the cabin more than a C2? Whatever the cause, sound-deadening will stop it.

Detailed post here:
http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=95754

So have a read of that before you buy an expensive new exhaust and find the same drone remains.

 

[cableguy]

Your car discussed in the following link, plus possible previous owner (last post):

http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=139337&highlight=pastel+yellow

C.

 

[GTMSpyder]

Your car discussed in the following link, plus possible previous owner (last post):

http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=139337&highlight=pastel+yellow

C.

Interesting thread.....

No question the car is not mint, but it is basically very, very sound and totally rust free. No leaks, no signs of accident damage whatsoever, no smoke, so great basis for a project. The colour maybe Marmite but I like it.

If you'd met the guy I bought it from a lot would be explained. Really lovely gent. He is 74 and a Porsche enthusiast through and through, but not being as flexible as he once was meant the 993 had to go because he got stuck in it in the garage!...He's not the kind of guy that would spend hours detailing it - it was used, so not pristine. He always took it to Martin Brown to service it and I spoke to Martin at length before buying it.

In reality he was very torn and didn't want to sell and had taken it off the market, but I think he realised I was an enthusiast and would look after it properly for a him! Since selling he's gone on to buy a 991 so he's still in the Porsche club...and being frameless windows he can put them down and still get out of the car!

I'll get the 993 up to scratch over the next year - probably with a respray (its had a "stone chip" respray on the front bumper and odd bits which aren't perfectly matched) and a retrim. But first and foremost, now its fully serviced and the maintenance items have been done, is to get it to drive how I want it to feel....