Upgrade Guide for a Driver Focused Porsche

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Welcome to Renthousiast Radio, the podcast where Will and Derek navigate the winding roads of Porsche Obsession.

Exploring the good and the bad of Porsche ownership.

Grab your favorite beverage, pull up a chair and join us.

Renthousiast Radio, because life's too short not to talk about Porsches.

Welcome to Renthousiast Radio.

I'm Will and I'm Derek.

Y antes de...

Normalmente, antes de empezar nuestro episodio, Derek y yo vamos a entrar.

Y antes de empezar recordar, hablamos un poco sobre el tema y cómo vamos a posicionarlo.

Y lo que queremos...

¿Cómo queremos hacerlo sexo o interesante a los escuchadores?

Y en este episodio, era como...

Hablamos sobre cómo posicionarlo.

Así que creo...

Y voy a entrar en un segundo.

Pero creo que esta conversación será una conversación muy interesante,

una conversación orgánica que tendremos en exactamente lo que hablamos hoy.

Y creo que el tema es realmente sobre cómo hacer que el Porsche se fíjese más.

Hemos hecho un episodio de modificación.

No sé, no sé...

¡Oh, Dios mío!

¿Verdad? No estoy seguro.

Pero en eso, cuando hablábamos...

Y fue la última semana.

Ok.

No lo sabía, fue hace un tiempo.

Esa fue un largo tiempo.

Era más de una cosa de dos y dos.

Y quizá una amiga de Vantor en el cuarto, sobre si o si no.

En esta conversación, vamos a hablar de nuestra experiencia

en encargar estos carros a través de muchas generaciones.

Vamos a hablar de lo que hemos encontrado en hacer estos carros más carros.

Focussed.

Derek.

Am I on point there?

Yeah, absolutely.

I especially like that you shared with the audience that you and I get together

and talk about how we can make it sexy for the audience.

I think that's the most important with this podcast.

Keep it sexy.

Yep, keep it sexy.

Two middle-aged dudes on camera.

Thank God for the Spotify folks, you know, they don't have to look at our faces.

Not sexy.

It's true.

We're keeping it sexy.

Hey listen, our female audience has went from one to three percent.

So we're doing something right.

That's right, three percent.

That's right.

Yes, you are on point.

You know, it's one of those things where you want a Porsche.

You get a Porsche.

You're so excited.

It's going to get delivered before the cars you've had at your house.

You are looking at all of the Porsche aftermarket providers and looking at

all the cool things you can do to the car.

You're reading on the forums.

The rentless must-do checklist, but you're also reading on the forums

all the things that, you know, really need to be addressed or look

really cool and you should do it.

You don't know where to start.

It's exciting.

It's expensive.

And so Will and I were kind of talking about, well, listen,

if, you know, Will's about to be the recipient potentially of a new car.

I'm looking for another car.

When we get them, what are the things you look at?

You know, what are the things that, if you're going to drive it,

if you are a claimed driver and you're going to drive those cars,

what should you look at first to kind of bring the most out of the car

in its original state before you start going off the deep end with

everything else?

So, we are going to talk about that today.

It actually dovetails nicely, Will, into your recent Renthusias

video on your YouTube channel about your 997.

You got it back with all of your mods that you did to it.

Some were necessary.

Some were really value add.

So, everyone go check that out.

Also check out my YouTube, 11 after 9.

And please pick it up sharing all this with your podcast friends

and driving groups on the audio side on Apple podcasts and Spotify

and everywhere you guys get your podcasts.

Will, you want to set the tone a little bit about

when you get your first car that your mindset coming into it?

Yeah, I fell into this trap back in 18 when I picked up my 993,

which was my first call at real Porsche.

It got me into the community, got me into the culture, got me into,

you know, how people dial these cars in and make them their own.

And, you know, what it is, is in my case, I was just so excited

and so grateful and so like I couldn't, I was pinching myself

like how could I finally afford, in my case,

the car that was hot, the 911 that was hot when I was in high school,

which was that 993.

You know, as soon as the car arrived, I started coming up with all sorts of plans

about how I was going to make the car better and make the car mine.

And, quite frankly, I went too far with it

and it was not exactly a well thought out process.

It was one of these things where, well, I can do it, so I will do it.

Y, en retrospect, I wasted a lot of money

and I just didn't really know what I was doing.

I get a lot of messages and you're starting to get them too, Derek,

on people are listening to us for whatever reason.

People have been watching me for whatever reason on my YouTube channel

and so for whatever reason they think I know what I'm talking about

and that's a whole different topic because maybe I don't.

But at any rate, they're getting their first Porsche

and they're so excited

and the car hasn't even landed at their house,

they're going to need a transport or whatever

and they're already planning all these things

that they're going to do to it to make it better

and make it theirs.

And I just think back to my experience,

that's a big mistake.

Number one, you don't know what you're doing,

but number two, we all get new car fever.

You and I were just talking about this.

New car fever is the car lands and man,

you're going to, and I am the worst about this.

Love this car so much.

I'm going to keep it forever.

Well, why is it a mistake to go very deep, very fast?

It could be that once a new car fever wears off,

you find that the car is not the right one for you

and you want to bounce into another model.

So, that is what comes to my mind right out of the gate.

What's been your experience?

Yeah, and also kind of pulling off that point

just to consider that a lot of people will start to,

they'll have new rims ordered,

they'll have their suspension,

their coilovers ordered.

So, when the car gets there,

it immediately goes to the shop to get quote unquote sorted.

And I think there's different ways to look at the car

when you sort the car.

You can definitely bring it to your shop when you get it,

which is important,

but bring it to an indie or a Porsche dealer

that understands what the car should drive like stock,

if the car is in fact stock that you're getting

or fairly original.

And have them bring that to the best possible case

and be in that shape.

Because you want to experience that car

as it came off the line from Porsche as Porsche intended.

And after you drive it for a while,

and I think you and I both agree on this, Will,

drive the car for a while and find out what the car is

before you start to change it and make it yours,

because it might be that you really love it

as it was intended from the factory

and if you did make mods,

maybe that would make that less attractive to you

and you would fall out of love with it.

But you'll never know if your mods make you love the car

or not unless you know where it started from.

And so, it's always been your advice,

I've heard for a long time on this podcast,

drive the car for a while before you do anything

and get the sense of the car

and then decide where you want to go from

or go from there.

This is a weird time of year.

It's actually kind of a depressing time in New England

while I'm not going to lie.

I mean, outside of the time change,

it's dark when you wake up,

it's dark before you get home from work.

I woke up this morning to 30 degrees.

It's a weird time right now

because it hasn't snowed yet.

It's snowing in the higher elevations right now.

So like all the mountains in New Hampshire

and Maine and Vermont have snow.

But the lower elevations where I am don't,

but you know any day salt's going to be on the road.

So this is like a weird time

where we're kind of like putting our cars away.

We're getting our last drives

and like every morning we wake up, we're like,

do you think I can get a drive in today

before the salt hits the roads?

So my mind starts to think about,

I'm not really getting something

and things I can do to my cars

for next season that I can address

for drivability reasons.

So one question that I really get quite a bit

and I just want to throw this out there

because I do think it's on a lot of people's minds.

People don't really understand

when they should use PPF on a car,

when they should use ceramic on a car,

when they should just detail a car

and to what extent,

because if they're buying it from a dealer

or the dealer's like, yeah, we can do this,

we can throw all these packages on, let's get this done

and I think I want to drive it

and I want to protect it, what do I do?

Do you want to weigh in on that at all

because you have extensive experience

with PPF and ceramic?

I mean,

I feel that ceramic is a little bit of snake oil.

So, you know, it is probably,

it is a great product

for the detailing crowd out there.

It does make washing the car a lot easier.

The water beads, it goes right off of it

when you hit it with a pressure washer and some soap.

I mean, does it make it gleam more, I guess maybe.

I just, for me and my use case,

ceramic doesn't do much for me

because I'm a PPF guy and why is that?

Because, you know, I go driving in my cars

following my friends on, you know, back country roads.

Derek, you were with us

which, by the way, you're going to be really jealous.

We are going driving this weekend

for five of us.

I'm taking the 997.

You got Derek taking his 993.

Sean taking his 993.

Now, the dude's bringing his GT4.

So, I'm actually...

Well, did you just hear me say

that I'm falling into a seasonal depression up here

because I have to put my car away

and then you throw that at me?

What kind of a friend are you?

Yeah, dude, well, I'm going to say this

that you did give me pause for thought.

I jumped on my phone while I was listening to you talk

and I checked on the salt.

So, it did snow up in the higher elevations up there.

It should melt by the time we go up.

But salt was a really big, really good catch.

Thank you for that.

But at any rate, when I...

Yeah, dude, when I go driving,

what's happening is I'm getting little stones

and such thrown at the car.

And, you know, if I care about the paint,

for me PPF is essential

because PPF will actually shield the paint

from stones getting peppered, patina.

And ceramic just isn't going to do that.

And I just...

What'll happen is my guy who puts PPF on,

I think he'll just throw some ceramic over top of the PPF.

And that's fine, but I really don't ask for it.

And those are my two cents.

They're on ceramic versus PPF.

Can I put my pocket protector in for you?

Yeah, dude.

And I'm going to disagree.

I think you've talked about,

oh, it protects the paint.

No, it doesn't.

From flying debris.

Oh, no.

No, you're right.

No, no, you're right.

No, it doesn't.

No.

And not at all.

You know how I know that, Will,

and I'll probably...

I'll try to take a picture of this

and put it on the YouTube video.

The front of my 1972, 9-11,

which is ceramic coated,

I have giant paint chips on the front hood

after driving behind you Hoonigans

down in North Carolina

because, yeah, those rocks get kicked up

and it took a lot of very old paint with it.

So this is how I think of it.

If you are just meeting a girl

and you're starting to date her,

that's your brand new car.

Get a good detail.

Get it color corrected or buffed.

Get the interior done.

Make it look as beautiful as possible

and leave it there and drive it for a while.

And that's if you're dating a girl.

If you think this girl might be for you

and you're thinking about buying that ring,

get the ceramic done,

but you don't think you're going to marry her,

you can get that car ceramic.

And what ceramic really does

is it seals the paint,

all those pores in the paint

that catch the dirt and the iron

and all of the detritus from the road.

It puts a very hard coating on it,

so you're right.

So when you're detailing it,

it cleans a lot easier.

Bird crap comes off it a lot easier.

Hopefully sap if you are stupid enough

to park under the occasional tree.

If you can put a ring on that finger,

you get a PPF.

Because PPF gives you a literal layer

over your paint.

It's going to protect from

to a small extent,

to maybe a medium extent,

some impact resistance from road debris.

And the question is,

how much do you do?

Because if you PPF a whole car,

it is big money,

you know, 6, 7, 8 grand,

maybe 9 grand depending on your car.

Or do you just get the front clip done

where you do the front hood,

the front mirrors and always with Porsche,

you have to do in front of the rear wheels

because you have the coke body shape of the car.

Those catch a lot of rocks,

especially from your own front wheels.

And so that's why a lot of times

Porsche from the factory has

some manner of rock protection

on those front,

sorry, the rear haunches.

But if you're going to spend the money on PPF,

you should ceramic coat over it.

And for that reason,

because that plastic that you're putting down

has pores too.

I think of it like scotch tape well,

like if you put scotch tape

and you drop it and it lands face down

and it picks up little fibers

from your desk or the floor,

that's kind of like your PPF over time.

And so if you can lock in a really hard

ceramic coating over it,

makes it easier to clean,

keeps it from getting crapped up.

And if you do it to your wheels,

it helps with brake dust.

And if you do it to your windshield,

it also helps with cleaning your windshield too.

That's kind of my take on that.

I bought this F85 X5M BMW,

which is a super natural.

They call it a sports activity vehicle

and what it was is

it was the M5 Competition

powertrain and so forth

thrown into an X5 chassis

and or body.

And whatever about all that,

but I did go for the whole like,

oh my God, I love this thing

with ceramic coated.

Dude, the ceramic coating

began to fail very quickly,

although it was a three year product

or whatever the hell it was,

on the vertical panels.

And so, you know,

it stopped beating off

and you know,

that just turned me off

a whole idea

because I was really hoping to get

at least at ease.

It was carbon black,

I think they call it,

dark, dark, dark, dark blue.

But anyway,

I was unimpressed.

I mean, I'm not going to sit here

and say I have passionate

anti feelings about ceramic,

but I'm just not interested.

I PPFed my entire 993

and I PPFed my entire GT Ford.

So you're right,

you're talking about like

four to six grand depending.

My 993 was really well done,

by the way.

I don't think there's a template

where he had to hand cut much of it.

But, I mean, fine,

like he puts ceramic on it.

I mean, I'm still getting

micro etching, okay,

on top of the PPF.

It just is what it is.

It's too bad.

But I will say this,

it's funny.

You know, the weekend

you and I went driving

with my friends before Luft.

I had the entire car PPFed

with the exception of

the turbo brake ducts.

So these are like little,

they're taken from

the 993 turbo

and I think the C4S

and they replaced

the fog lights on the C2.

So the fog lights over the years

with those C2s will yellow.

And it's just really

disrupted the front end.

Whereas these scoops have like,

it's a really neat design.

It's designed to let air flow

into the brakes, I think.

But it also has these

really interesting little fog lights

that are LED and they look cool.

But whatever,

I didn't get around.

I bought the turbo in takes

after I had the full car PPFed

and I really meant to,

I had the brakes

at the ducts painted

to match the car.

And I really meant to take those

pieces out and have them PPFed

and I didn't.

So the front end of the car

is immaculate after all those stones

thrown at it.

Totally fine.

The ducts, so those plastic pieces

are now chipped to hell.

I'm gonna have to take them off

and have them painted.

So, I mean,

and I'm talking about big chips.

It is real.

And so, you know,

if you're a driver,

I would strongly look at

at least the front clip

of the PPF,

ceramic coating.

Ok, cool.

If you're into it,

that's awesome.

I just don't really spend my money on it.

So, those would be

my final thoughts on it.

I will say the final thought

I have on ceramic coating

is there's a ton of products

out there

and just like anything,

some are better than others

and every detailer will claim

that they have the best.

And it is also extremely dependent

on the operator

in terms of who puts it on

and how they put it on.

A lot don't let it cure.

A lot don't,

you know, might skip a step.

Generally,

I wouldn't,

I would go to an independent person

to have it done.

I wouldn't do it at a dealer

unless it was a Porsche dealer

that knew what they were doing.

But that for me,

that's going to someone

who does this every day,

day in and day out

and they stand behind their product.

Because I do think ceramic works.

It's just not protective

in terms of from impacts.

And so,

shifting gears will,

the other thing that I look at

and this is dependent

on your age of Porsche is,

still staying on the outside

of the car is,

do you,

would you consider changing

your headlights?

And by that I mean,

I have a 1972 out there

in the dark.

The headlights are absolute crap.

They look great.

They're the old yellow headlights.

You know,

they look very vintage

and very period.

But from a driving standpoint,

I can't see anything at night.

I have to drive around

with my high beams on

and even then it's very poor.

And so,

I'm going to probably go

with a greater halogen bulb.

I don't think I'm going to

swap out to the LEDs,

but something else that I consider

on those old cars.

How about you?

How often are you driving at night?

I like to drive my cars.

I really do.

And sometimes I'll go for a drive

after dinner

and I'll come home when it's dark.

Or I'll drop the kids off

or I'll pick the kids up

from soccer practice

when it's dark in them.

Because I don't care

if my kids get in the car

with cleats on,

whatever.

I'll just vacuum it.

So believe it or not,

more than you think.

Well, I'll roll

with my brights on at all times

because quite frankly,

I think the brights on at all

times in the older cars,

at least,

they're not even as bright

as some of these

like new truck headlights

that just hammer you.

It's like, is this guy's

brights on or no?

So I don't care about that.

You know,

I'll touch on like

the cosmetic improvement

you can make with headlights

to certain generations.

But I'll say this,

here I am Mr. Driver.

I don't really drive a lot

at night here

in North Carolina

because we have a deer problem.

And I've actually hit two deer

over the course of my life.

And the last,

and in fact,

I was on a rally

a couple of years ago

during the day.

Dude had a beautiful longhood.

You know,

it was customized

to some degree

and he was a gorgeous car

and he had,

he was driving

in his driving group

and a deer jumped out

of the woods,

hit his A-pillar

and rolled over

the top of the car.

It smashed the A-pillar.

So enjoy that.

Yeah.

So in other words,

like I don't know, man,

during the summer

I will drive at night,

but you know,

it's, I don't know,

sun's going down

by like 8.30 or 9.

So by that point in time

I'm ready to chill anyway.

So you know,

I think

it's not a huge concern

for me.

I think maybe

if somebody's more

safety conscious

or they're planning

on driving a lot at night

maybe you take a look at that.

I have a little bit

of a mental block.

It's kind of like,

you know,

wheel and tire fitment.

For me,

whatever,

after all these years

it's still a mystery.

Some guys can just

rattle the numbers off.

I don't get it.

Offset.

Tire size.

It's kind of like that

with me

and what are called

H4 headlights

that you can put on

like the

the G-body cars,

the G-series,

you know,

the upright headlights.

So as they come

from the factory

oftentimes you have

what's called sugar scoops

which are awesome

from a period

correct standpoint

but they don't look

as cool.

So

Derek,

since you are so

proficient with the facts

and figures

maybe you can weigh in

but I do know that I'll

like for instance

I'm hopefully

closing in on a pretty

cool target

and you know

I will be putting

H4s on the car.

Yep.

I think it changes

the look.

The sugar scoops

they kind of go over

the top of the

front headlights

so you just

really just have these

circles where the H4s

have more of an

exposed lens.

They have H1s,

H4s.

I think that's

a very

driver focused

upgrade

that is important

for the car.

I think it makes

look cooler

but it's also like a

functional upgrade

which is exactly

what we're talking

about today.

Moving on Will

let's talk about

sound

and character of the car

when it comes

to upgrades

that you might do

not

just to do them

but when it makes

sense to

look at

cross pipes

valved exhausts

permanent exhausts

the sound of your car

and what makes a difference

maybe intake mods

like the famous

Porsche Motorsport

sound

intake

and things like that

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I'm just sitting here

listening to you man

I mean there would be

a time in my life

where I would say

it's 100% essential

that's the first thing

you would do

blah blah blah blah

I um

On my 997.2

the Carrera S

that I have

the manual car

that particular generation

with that motor doesn't

make a lot of cool noises

so exhaust for me

was like at the top

of the list of things

to do once I dealt

with some of the repairs

the 993

I don't know

the stage 3

fister exhaust

is just

it's next level

in terms of what

it can get out of the car

for me that's essential as well

I mean

I

when I'm hunting

a newer Porsche

where PSE

Porsche Sport Exhaust

is available on the car

I'm looking hard

for one with PSE

so I mean as I'm talking

about it I guess

there aren't many

Porsches that I would leave

the stock exhaust

or that I would hope

to have the stock exhaust

note on

now I have not

I mean I have a GT4

so I'll talk about

that in a moment

but I imagine the GT cars

they scream

I mean that's

that's a whole

different conversation

but I think those cars

come right from the factory

my GT4 has PSE on it

my 991.2 has PSE on it

I had a 981 Spyder

2016 Boxer Spyder

and I

that had PSE

the PSE plus the top down

best sound I've ever

heard in my life

so I mean

I'm an exhaust guy

I think you gotta

I wanna go back

to a point we made

and I think you're

gonna agree with me

let's just pick a number

buy your car

drive it 2,000 miles

before you start digging into

all these things

because

you're gonna break things

and you wanna handle

the things you break

sensors or whatever the hell

else you're gonna break

before you start buying exhaust

but yes

I would put exhaust at the top

of my list

yeah

I put six months on it

drive it for six months

really give it time

and live with it

let it breathe

I'll never forget

when I bought my

first real Porsche 944

I was searching for

an exhaust

of course I didn't have

exhaust so I was looking at

auto zone

to get an auto zone exhaust

to put it on

because I didn't know

any better

did you put in the

license for it too

of course man

you got a role

we talked about

the detachable faceplate

stereo last week

so within the first

two weeks

the window regulator

failed

and I couldn't put

my window up or down

and I didn't know how

to do it myself

at that point

and so I brought it

to a shop

and I think the car

cost me whatever it was

so there you go

and so yes

live with it

make sure you break everything

that's going to break

and then you start doing the upgrades

as far as exhaust

you said PSE

poor sport exhaust

that is an option

that is from the factory

it can be added later

at great cost

to cars

not worth it

not worth

prohibitive

in terms of expense

$5,000 or $6,000

usually because

it's a valved exhaust

and it runs to a button

in the console

you have to program

and you have to run wiring

and all that stuff

I find when I'm looking for a Porsche

Will

if it doesn't have PSE

I'm almost not interested

unless it's a car

that I know

that I can easily mod

with an aftermarket exhaust

like a fister exhaust

it's that good

I love the fact

that when I start

the car up here

or when I come home

I can turn it off

and when I'm out

ripping on the roads

I can turn it on

I love that switchable exhaust

I think

here's my advice

when it comes to exhaust

I do think that they're

very important

not for performance

Porsche has rung out

the performance on these cars

where if you add an exhaust

and they claim whatever horsepower

I don't know

but I will say this

from a sound standpoint

from an overall enjoyment standpoint

I think it's very important

for a driver focused car

that being said

my only advice on exhaust

is don't go too far too fast

and by that I mean

it's very easy

to look at Darren Fister's website

and be like

I'm gonna go for a stage 2

or a stage 3

oh

and then I'm gonna get a

a cross pipe

and that essentially

eliminates all of the baffling

before the exhaust

so then you get everything put on

and the car turns into a NASCAR

because you jumped over a couple steps

like the nice thing about exhaust

generally is you can add pieces

as you go along

and so

you can even start at a stage 1 Fister

I know you wouldn't do that well

but you can start

at a stage 1

or a stage 2

and if you think it needs to be a little louder

send it back to Darren

and he'll make it that

but

it's hard to go back

if you've gone too far

when it comes to exhaust

so I would say

just don't jump

whole hog into that

intake

is another

a thing you can do

your air box

a Porsche for your 993

had the motorsport package

where the air box had like

holes in it

and it would like allow

the sound of the intake

to be more prevalent to the driver

a lot of people did that

a lot of people just take

a sawzall

or a circular saw

and just poke holes

in their air box

and do the same thing

that's not a performance thing

that's a sound thing

I've never done that

have you ever done that

on your air box?

no

and I've never like

seen or listened to

side by side

one without

one and one with one

so I can't really weigh in

in terms of like

the impact it actually has

I mean my

senses is probably not dramatic

because I do know guys

they have that

it's done

and I'm not

you know

pretty familiar with the 993

for example I don't really hear

a big difference

but I could be totally wrong

I don't want to sit here

and take a stand

and say it doesn't matter

there are valved exhausts

on the market

that you can look at

Seoul has won

a bunch of different

valved exhausts

that you can switch on and off

with like a little fob

or whatever

you know

those are definitely

more expensive

because they have actuators

and you have to tie them in

to power

you know

I just think Darren does such a great job

with his exhaust

that if you're going to

if you want a relatively

I'm not going to say inexpensive

but I'm going to say

reasonable

way to get into exhaust

the FD Motorsports exhaust

are absolutely fantastic

so that's the way I would go

for the sound and character

portion of this podcast

I would say that

I mean I will take a stand

the people that are taking their cars

to a Porsche dealer

to have a PSE system

retrofitted

under a car

a non PSE car

like to me

that's nuts

and I'm not too scared to

you know I'll spend some money

on my cars

to get them where I want

there's just no return on that

and when I see people

in my Facebook group

talking about that

it's kind of like

oh dude

you better keep that car

until you step into the grave

because my god

even on an expensive car

80 grand

I mean you're getting into 6, 7

maybe even 9,000 dollars

to do that

there's a meaningful percentage

of the car's value

just on that

whereas you can go find one

that has it stock

and pay 84

so anyway

that's my kind of take on that

yeah

unless like you said

unless this is a forever car

for you

and this is something

you absolutely want

then the considerations

might change

let's talk about shifting

well

let's talk about shifting feel

let's talk about your

your connection to the car

outside of the steering wheel

is through the shifter

and the pedals

and we'll talk about that in a minute

but

are you a proponent

of getting a car

and changing how it shifts

yes

immediately

despite all our advice

to not do anything immediately

yeah

I mean in my experience

as long as you have

like done your research

and you know

that there's a good product

out there that doesn't

hang up or doesn't

you know you want to find a product

that has reputation

in some cases

you can buy a Porsche

short shifter kit

from the dealer

I just

I have enough experience

to know that 90% of the time

enhances the driving experience

my 991.2

I did drive it for a goodly

portion of time

before I put the short shifter kit on it

and it was fun

for what it was

but man those throws are long

so you know

I would say this

I think that doing that

is a pretty safe bet

regardless of your experience

with the car

I agree

I agree to a certain extent

for sure

I think it depends on the age

of the car

like I know people would

sometimes do a short shift kit

on

356

because you want to talk

about long throws

when I had my 356

to get into third gear

you like literally

it's like throwing a baseball

it's like

and you almost throw

your shoulder out

because it's so far away

yeah

but

it added

it was of its time

it added to the driving

of the car

and so I felt like

alright

that's part of it

and if I took that away

it wouldn't be the same

I have a short shift

I did not put it on

on my 70s 911

I'm glad I have it

for sure

because I do like to drive it fast

but I don't think

I don't think it necessarily captures

the originality of the car

so you just realize it

if you do a short shift kit

it might add to drivability

if you're a driver of the car

no doubt

that's what this podcast is about

but as a touch point to the car

that does take away

some of that originality

of what Porsche

attended from the factory

and so

you lose that

for good or for bad

which is again

why you might want to drive it for a while

the 911 transmission

the 915 transmission

I've talked about this

it's a bit of an art

to work it correctly

to make it give you that reward

I've run

I won't mention the product

because I'm not about the business of

giving away free promos

but

I've run a specific product

on a 911

and a 915

and without question

it brings it

to a more modern feel

it has what they call

a detent in it

which brings that gear

that gear

the shaft back to the center

when you take your hand off of it

which those transmissions

as I were

well the 911

it's been a long time

since I driven it

but the 915

I've done quite a bit

and those

they will not just

automatically return to center

from the factory so

that would be my two cents on those

one thing I will say

that you can do right away

if you get a brand new car

that's from the brand new car to you I mean

from the 80s or the 90s

is I think it's absolutely okay

to immediately upgrade

the original components in a shifter

those cars have like a plastic ball

that sits at the bottom of the shifter

that degrades over time

I mean literally

turns to dust

and your shifting can be sloppy

it doesn't feel direct

it feels very vague

it also might add

especially in those 915 transmissions

to that famous like

uncertainty from first into second

where you really have to wait at the gate

before it pops in

so for those reasons

you can 100% in your garage

upgrade

the cables

or with a replacements OEM

or especially the stuff at the bottom

of the shifter is easy to get to

and that makes a world of difference

and that's something you do right away

which keeps your originality

yeah I agree

I mean I would say replacing the bushings

is an essential thing to do

with the older cars at least

I mean they become dust

I've seen it over and over and over

mmhmm

yeah they cracked

a little plastic balls

like will literally crack in half

and you won't know

because it happens over time

the other thing that I will say

just in terms of touch points in the car

you won't believe

people are like

oh my

the clutch doesn't feel right

I'm gonna have a new clutch

I'm just a little bit adjusted

you know

those older forces

if you pull up the carpets

there's a wood board

that is protecting

the pedal cluster

it's like literally wood

in the passengers seat

side and the driver's side

if you take out that wood board

you wouldn't believe the amount of crap

that gets stuck in the little springs

and the connecting points

on the clutch

just again in your garage

taking that out

and cleaning your pedals

and oiling them

makes a world of difference

la diferencia en términos de cómo siente el carro, cómo coge el carro.

Y eso es un ámbito fácil que puedes hacer right away

para la habilidad de coger.

Sí, sí, acuerdo.

Es un mundo interesante en el box de petales.

Se llama.

En el box de petales.

Um, Will, tiros.

Estamos hablando de tiros en gripe.

Um, ¿dois tener un brazo favorito de tiros?

¿Lo has puesto en tus carros?

Ah, el pilotsport 4S es Michelin.

All day long.

Michelin.

Best.

Always Michelin.

I mean, I've had, um, my God, cup twos, P-Zeros.

Uh, my 992 Carrer T came from the factory with P-Zeros and they were.

I don't want to smash products.

I mean, because when you get those types of tires super hot, they're second to none.

But cold or damp, I mean, I'll overstay that they can kill you.

They just aren't great.

Whereas this pilot sport 4S has just seem to be even cold in the morning.

You're leaving the hotel to go drive.

I mean, it just, I've had him save my ass.

So that would be my favorite.

I don't like the others, at least for cold weather driving.

And I've had a couple of cars that showed up with all season.

So like my GT4, it sucks because it's got.

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Ya volví con las compras.

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Fácil.

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¿Yes?

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My GT4, it sucks because it's got brand new all season tires on it.

It's like, who puts all seasons on a GT4 when you live in the south bad call.

But it's announced like, God dang it, I got to replace these 1500 bucks.

Don't really want to do it because I got good tires.

So the all season stuff is just it's not for me either.

Or maybe maybe you need a year round based on where you live.

Well, so that's a great point.

Well, no, it's I mean, listen, it's a solid point.

So here's my take on this.

I am a huge Michelin guy in high school and college.

I worked at Sears tire and battery and I have firsthand knowledge, you know,

going back decades, but firsthand knowledge of just the difference between

some of the build qualities of the different tires.

Michelins are the most expensive, but they are in my mind, the best tire.

From a build quality, from a longevity standpoint, from a drivability standpoint,

from a feel standpoint, I love the Michelin.

So the PS4S's are fantastic.

You don't have to go to the cup twos with Michelins.

So the cup twos are like they're super sticky track kind of focused tires

and a lot of people with normal everyday cars will put those on.

The tread wear rating on those is crazy in that you will blow through

a pair of those in a couple of thousand miles because they're so sticky.

Those couple of thousand miles will be amazing.

And those roads down North Carolina, holy crap, you could drive upside down.

I think I had those on my spider.

I think I had those on my spider and it was, it was, I mean, it was,

that car was great, but it almost got boring in the, in the curves up,

up in the mountains because it was so effortless, you know.

But anyway, yeah, yeah, tires are, are crucial.

I don't know that there's much else to say, but just be careful

with those other ones, those ones I mentioned because when they're

colder damp it's, you lose all the grip.

Well, I don't know if I, if you heard me,

but I worked in a tire shop, so I can talk for three hours on tires.

Yeah, Will, so I can, no, just kidding.

I stayed away from it.

I don't know.

I think that, I think that became your long illustrious career as a propeller head.

Yeah, that's right.

That's exactly right.

Well, listen, so Michelin's definitely a tire.

I will say this because I don't like Pirelli's either.

I had them on my 991.

I was not a fan at all, except I do have Pirelli's.

If you have an old Long Hood 911, the CN 36s, this is a shout out to those.

They look period correct, but they drive like modern tires.

They wear fantastically.

They're expensive as hell, but they are a great tire because I don't like the

look of a modern tire on a classic 911 or a classic car.

I don't think it looks right.

I think you, having the style of Rettistine does a nice job of this too.

They have great tires that look period correct.

Rettistine's a great company.

Um, I think that you, the only other two things I'll say with tires in terms

of drivability, look at your date codes because old tires get hard.

They might not crack, but they, the rubber will get hard and then they'll

become dangerous, especially in those cold mornings as you talk about.

And my final point on tires is that I think you can in certain

cars have one tire to do it all.

I think if you're down in the south or you're driving a GT car, you

have to put on summer tires.

I think on certain 911s, uh, definitely.

But I'm okay with going with a Michelin that is a high performance

all season tire because I like to drive in the shoulder seasons early spring,

late fall, like right now, like if I, if I was going to go out in 30

degree weather, well, I'd wait for it to be 40, but you go out and

you drive slow, but you want a tire that's a little bit more elastic

at colder temperatures because those summer tires get real hard under 40

degrees.

And so I would say all seasons are okay if you live in a place like I do.

Um, cool.

Two more, two more, uh, points.

And then we'll, we're going to wrap this up.

Will, I want to ask you about your opinion when it comes to suspension

because you just got back your 997 after doing some work on that.

How important is PASM, which is a factory option for Porsche.

How important is PASM and how important is it over time to

look to replace your suspension on these cars with 80, 90,000 miles?

I mean, I will say this.

I mean, in my little playbook, and I think it's, again, I don't want to,

I've owned a lot of these cars and so it's like, I can shortcut

some of the decision making beyond what's going to break.

You know, like we talked about this earlier, like you got to,

you got to kind of push on the car and see what happens.

But to me, short shift kit and the suspension are like two essentials.

Um, I, something occurred to me as I was listening to you talk

and I'm going to try to articulate this.

To me, age and mileage of the car are like threshold questions

when it comes to doing some of these changes.

So a brand new or a newer car, like I'm probably not going to

get into the suspension.

So for example, a 991.2, the S that I have, it has the PASM,

lowering suspension on it and also because it's an S, I think,

or maybe it was just an option, but it came 20 millimeters lower

from the factory.

I'm not going to touch that, but the 997.2 that has 85,000 miles

on it was running the original suspension.

It was tired as hell.

Like I don't need it.

You don't need to.

There's no soul searching that has to happen there.

To me, it's like it's an older car, a higher mileage.

So let's dig into it.

But yeah, I think suspension is another go to like, let's

break the car, let's see what happens.

But once we get it sorted, like get into it, especially with a 993

or an SC or a 32 with stock suspension.

I mean, dude, it's like it's on stilts from a bare minimum.

You got to get that car down to look, you know, more sports purpose.

Oh, from a height standpoint, yes.

Yeah, height standpoint, I'm sorry.

And then, you know, it clearly flattens out the car.

It clearly makes it feel more confidence inspiring.

So that's a lot of words to say, my friend.

It's a to me, it's an essential thing to look at.

Yeah, especially if you're going around corners and it feels wallowy.

It tends to lean a little too much.

You know, it's they've just given up the ghost and you don't.

The problem with suspension I find is that it's so slow and

progressive when it fails over the course of years that you don't

notice the drivability difference.

And unless you were to get in someone else's car and when you do

replace it, it's like, oh, my God, it's kind of get like I hear

getting a hip replace.

It's like, why didn't I do this sooner?

Why did I wait so long?

So it's, you know, a consideration that's a weird analogy.

I have not gotten my 997 back just yet.

I shot a video a week or so ago where I went and kind of I visited

my child at the shop, took it for a short drive around the block.

But the car actually needed to be taken out to Durham, North Carolina

to have an alignment done and the corner balancing.

So I know that you talked about corner balance importance here in your list.

Maybe that's a related topic to the suspension.

I haven't really done a lot of corner balancing.

Can you describe that for the audience?

No, I can't.

Why don't you?

No, I mean, it's a mystery.

You need to have the driver in the car and make sure I think

that the distribution, the weight distribution is as equal as you

can get it, right?

Is that correct?

Yeah.

Yeah, that's exactly it.

Now you, you want to make sure that the car sits with the driving weight

because if you have a 200 pound passenger in the, in the seat, it's

going to handle differently than if it does, if it's aligned statically.

You know, for some cars, it's really just a matter of millimeters

in terms of like, does it really make a difference?

But for other cars, very much so, especially if you're doing

any track work or you're doing any really sporty driving, you know,

sometimes that makes all the difference in the world.

So it's just, it's like a, it's like a much better or more advanced

kind of alignment type of, type of feel when it comes to the car.

That's like super kindergarten, but it is also black magic

and I don't fully understand it myself.

I am a huge alignment dork and you know, I have found over the years

that a, a, I will get super annoyed if it's pulling one direction

and the other, I'll get super annoyed if the steering wheel is cocked over.

So alignment is crucial for me just from an enjoyment perspective.

I mean, it can really start to irritate me, but I'm OCD, but also a proper

alignment setup can dramatically impact the precision of the car, the

performance driving abilities.

And so that's food for thought for folks out there.

I mean, you know, I can't sit here and tell you what the exact

camber and tow, the towing that you want on a 997, I can't tell you

that, but I will say this.

Go find the information you're looking for and, and take that into account

if you're going to get into suspension.

No.

Yeah.

Absolutely.

Um, all right.

Final, final point, um, because we're going a little long here outside

of shifting outside of pedals.

It's your steering wheel and, uh, have you been in a situation

where you change your steering wheel?

You feel like that's an important driver focus change.

Uh, or is that just more of an aesthetic thing for you?

Well, in the earlier cars, I, I really liked to run a

Momo Prototipo.

I think it fits the character of the car.

I don't know that it, I mean, I can't sit here and give you the, all

the reasons it's a better performer.

I mean, I believe the diameter might be smaller than the factory

wheel, in which case it gives you the better, the more a quicker input.

Um, the downside of the Prototipo is that it's essentially a cheese

grater.

So if you do have a bad day, unfortunately, if your face goes

into the wheel, it's not going to be great.

Um, no, that said, I have run, uh, I put a 996 wheel on a 993

I had years ago and I did feel like that.

I don't know if it was a thicker grip, but I do feel like, you know,

that kind of improved my enjoyment of the car.

Um, my 991 has the, um, I guess the sport steering wheel from

the factory with the thicker grip.

I just, I like that from a com comfort and ergonomic standpoint as well.

So I'm not an anti steering wheel swap guy.

I will say this as I'm matured in the hobby, I tend to, with

the earlier cars at least, I tend to lead the steering wheel period correct.

Just because I feel like that's where I'm at in my journey.

So I don't just go willy-nilly into swapping out steering wheels.

But I will say this, I hate the 997 steering wheel I have.

I understand.

Yeah, I hate the way it looks.

And I actually, the top is a rubbery too.

I think the dude used it for eight years to climb in and out of the

car.

So the top will actually move a little bit, not unsafely, but it does.

It's kind of annoying, but I'm not going to put the 991 wheel in

there that you can put in there.

I feel like it just deviates from what the car is about.

It puts a more, it's too modern of a touch in that car.

It's not, doesn't fit it.

That's an interesting point.

Um, uh, so I agree with you, uh, the momos are great.

I, I have that in my 72.

I love the smaller diameter cause I feel like it's, it's just,

you feel a little bit more connected.

It's a little bit more race car.

I really do enjoy the smaller diameter steering wheel.

Unless you are going for originale, like the early 911s, uh,

356s with their huge, like bus steering wheels, there is

something very cool about those very thin, like wood steering wheels

or Bakelite steering wheels.

There's something beautiful cool about that.

Yeah, they're beautiful.

And they add to that original driving experience.

If you do outlaw your car a little bit, I think that

that's a fine upgrade to make, uh, from a drivability

standpoint, again, this podcast topic, I do think it adds to

drivability, depending on the car, like those 80s, late 70s,

80s cars or whatever steering wheels, I think they're

pretty cool on those.

Um, I did on my 981 Boxster, I just swapped in a 991 steering

wheel.

Uh, I think the interiors of the 981s are modern enough

that you can jump into the next generation and it's not a

big change.

My, my, I had like kind of a, just a sea of plastic on

my steering wheel and I didn't like it.

Um, but it's the same diameter and I'll be honest, it

wasn't as much of a change.

Like I wasn't like, oh my God, from a drivability

standpoint, this is crazy.

Uh, it was just kind of like an aesthetic change.

So that's not something I would say is important for, you

know, drivability.

However, I did get PWS, which is the Porsche factory, uh,

dealer, uh, programming software to futz with your car.

And I did change the actual profile of the driving feel of

my 981.

I took it from a base 981 to the GT3 steering.

Um, y it, it actually did make a huge difference in terms

of how the car drove.

And so this is not something you would do if you buy a car

and you want to do it for a drivability standpoint.

This is something you do when you have a car for a year

or two and you're like, I want to try a different flavor

of ice cream and see how it drives.

It's pretty cool, dude.

You can like, literally it's like changing.

It's like changing the music in your car.

It just is like a slightly different car.

It's the same car, but it's a little different.

Which is super cool.

Um, I was going to say just, you know, to put a bow on it in

the interest of time.

And again, I didn't mean to cut you off.

Um, I, uh, I think that you can run out.

Let's say you've owned your car for a year or two

years, whatever it is.

And you're like, man, I'm kind of bored.

Maybe I need to go buy a new car.

You can either go spend 50 or 100 grand on a new one.

Or you can just do some of these tweaks to enhance

the experience and really can be a game changer for you.

And it can renew your engagement with the car.

So not only are these things considerations to make as

you go down the path with your new DU Porsche, but it's

also a way to really kind of reinvigorate your

relationship with the car as dorky as that sounds.

No, I think that's an awesome point, dude.

Absolutely.

It would, something just ticked in my head when you

said how the guy got in and out with the steering

wheel and how it was a little worn because of that.

The final point I'll say about a mod you might

want to do right away for drivability.

You don't, I mean, okay.

You get bolster wear on your seats.

That's fine.

That's just a sign that the car has been used and loved.

But not a lot of people realize that the seat bottoms

and seat backs get worn down and crapped up over time

from people sitting them and you can get those

restuffed and it's like a brand new car.

It immediately makes the car feel different and better.

And so that's a consideration too.

If you have a car that's higher mileage.

For sure, for sure.

Well, Derek, I hate to run out on you, man.

I've got some things that are real life to go deal with.

So this has been a fun one.

I wish I could talk Porsche all day, my friend.

Have a wonderful day.

This was a great conversation.

I hope all of you out there enjoyed it.

Down in the comments, please add the things in the

musts that you would do to cars you think when

you get them right away for drivability standpoint

because I know we didn't touch on everything.

Or do you disagree with some of the stuff

we talked about?

Is it not necessary?

So from there, Will, we will talk next week, my friend.

All right.

Looking forward to it, Derek.

Thanks.

Later, buddy.

And that's a wrap for this episode of Renthousias Radio.

We hope you enjoyed diving deep into the world of

Porsches with us today.

And if you enjoyed today's show, be sure to check out

previous episodes and subscribe to Renthousias Radio

wherever you get your podcasts.

And don't forget to leave us a review.

Your feedback helps us improve and ensures we're

delivering the Porsche content you look forward to.

Catch you on the next episode of Renthousias Radio.

Mijo, me asustaste.

¿Qué se te quedó?

Nada, abuelita.

Ya volví con las compras.

¿Cómo conseguiste todo tan rápido?

Fácil.

Fui a Fred Meyer.

Tiene nuestros productos de siempre y a muy buen precio.

Incluso el queso cotija.

¿Y la harina masa?

Yes.

Clavos, tomatillos verdes, plátanos maduros.

Check, check y check.

En Fred Meyer, consigues tus productos de calidad

para las recetas familiares de estas fiestas

a precios bajos en cada paso.

Fred Meyer.

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El colegio es de una facilidad correccional

y es subjecto de monitorar y de recordar.

En 2022, empezé a hablar con las mujeres y hombres

dentro de América's Toughest Prisons.

Tengo la vida en 104.

He escuchado historias de guilte,

inocencia y todo en entre.

Te dije, eres el niño más joven en mi prisión.

Estás siendo una de mis prisiones.

Quiero que te fiques.

De los sellos a las convicciones de la muerte,

estas son las voces que nunca has escuchado.

¿Qué fue tu primera cosa que estabas intentando hacer?

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About this episode

Porsche 911

new car fever

coilovers

PPF

ceramic coating

detailing

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

Porsche

BMW X5M

BMW M5

Ford Gt Ford

Porsche 993 Turbo

fog lights

wheel and tire fitment

H4 headlights

G-body cars

G-series

valved exhausts

Porsche Motorsport

Fister exhaust

Porsche Sport Exhaust

Porsche 911 GT4

PSE

Porsche 981 Spyder

Porsche 944

window regulator

aftermarket exhaust

switchable exhaust

Porsche 356

bushings

Dodge Ram

Porsche Boxster

Porsche 911 GT3

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