TL's Black 911 50
04-27-2014, 01:48 AM
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TL's Black 911 50
Hey everyone,
I'm guessing I'm like most folks in that I enjoy reading a good intro thread and riding along on someone's car journey. Now that my 50th is in the garage, I figure that it's my turn to contribute.
Years ago when I had a 2004 C4S I was a constant lurker and occasional poster here. I loved that car, but it wasn't my daily driver, and I found myself driving it less and less as it became nothing more than a garage queen. So I got rid of my 911 and my DD and consolidated with a compromise, something I could drive every day without feeling guilty -- an Audi S4. Since then, I've enjoyed my last couple S cars, but the longing to get back into a real sports car has been building.
When Porsche unveiled the 50th this past summer, it immediately struck a chord with me. It spoke to me -- memories of working on my stepdad's old 911s with him when I was a kid, pure nostalgia. And with the Powerkit and other options standard, it really is an incredible deal (speaking relatively, of course). I fought it for a few months but eventually put down a deposit and got on a waitlist, where I sat helplessly for a while, worried all 1963 were finding other forever homes. Eventually, in December, I found a dealership in a different city with an allocation for a March build. I jumped ship, spec'd it out, and the rest is history. PK (my stepdad's initials/nickname; he passed away a few years ago) arrived stateside earlier this month, and I flew up to Dallas with the wife a couple weeks ago to drive him down. On to the specs:
50th Anniversary No. 1432
Black; Black/Silver Houndstooth
7MT
PDCC with SPASM
Porsche Entry and Drive
Park Assist - Front and Rear
BOSE; Sirius/XM; Online Services; Smoking Package
(No sunroof)
I'm going to try not to tinker with this car (solemn promise to wife after going overboard in the past), but I did throw RSS 7mm spacers on the front. I ordered 15s for the rear after seeing member jlanka had no trouble with them on his Sport Technos (which I had assumed, perhaps mistakenly, to have the same offset in the rear as the similarly 11.5" 50th wheels), but I had too much poke when I slapped them on -- wheel a bit outside the fender, and the huge rounded PZero shoulders way outside. (Incidentally, I've always found the rounded rear tires on 991s to be a bit jarring when appearing next to the neutral, not-quite-stretched fronts.) But Sharkwerks is happy to swap them out for me, so I'm going to go 7mm all around. I've also installed the obligatory clear LED sidemarkers (thanks, Eric @ Bumper Plugs).
Perhaps of some interest to folks on here is that I opted for a nano coating. I planned to go with CQuartz, but the detail shop sold me on their next/top tier product, Modesta Ark Barrier BC-05, a hydrophobic coating that is intended to protect paint while also requiring less washing. So far I'm impressed. It is glossy as hell.
They also installed Huper Optik Ceramic 40 all around, and I had them treat the interior with Opti-Guard before my wife could spill Dr. Pepper on the houndstooth (no drinks in the car rule notwithstanding). On to the pics:
Here is a crappy cell phone pic from when I picked it up at the detailer's, but it gives you an idea of the gloss under the lights:
I'm guessing I'm like most folks in that I enjoy reading a good intro thread and riding along on someone's car journey. Now that my 50th is in the garage, I figure that it's my turn to contribute.
Years ago when I had a 2004 C4S I was a constant lurker and occasional poster here. I loved that car, but it wasn't my daily driver, and I found myself driving it less and less as it became nothing more than a garage queen. So I got rid of my 911 and my DD and consolidated with a compromise, something I could drive every day without feeling guilty -- an Audi S4. Since then, I've enjoyed my last couple S cars, but the longing to get back into a real sports car has been building.
When Porsche unveiled the 50th this past summer, it immediately struck a chord with me. It spoke to me -- memories of working on my stepdad's old 911s with him when I was a kid, pure nostalgia. And with the Powerkit and other options standard, it really is an incredible deal (speaking relatively, of course). I fought it for a few months but eventually put down a deposit and got on a waitlist, where I sat helplessly for a while, worried all 1963 were finding other forever homes. Eventually, in December, I found a dealership in a different city with an allocation for a March build. I jumped ship, spec'd it out, and the rest is history. PK (my stepdad's initials/nickname; he passed away a few years ago) arrived stateside earlier this month, and I flew up to Dallas with the wife a couple weeks ago to drive him down. On to the specs:
50th Anniversary No. 1432
Black; Black/Silver Houndstooth
7MT
PDCC with SPASM
Porsche Entry and Drive
Park Assist - Front and Rear
BOSE; Sirius/XM; Online Services; Smoking Package
(No sunroof)
I'm going to try not to tinker with this car (solemn promise to wife after going overboard in the past), but I did throw RSS 7mm spacers on the front. I ordered 15s for the rear after seeing member jlanka had no trouble with them on his Sport Technos (which I had assumed, perhaps mistakenly, to have the same offset in the rear as the similarly 11.5" 50th wheels), but I had too much poke when I slapped them on -- wheel a bit outside the fender, and the huge rounded PZero shoulders way outside. (Incidentally, I've always found the rounded rear tires on 991s to be a bit jarring when appearing next to the neutral, not-quite-stretched fronts.) But Sharkwerks is happy to swap them out for me, so I'm going to go 7mm all around. I've also installed the obligatory clear LED sidemarkers (thanks, Eric @ Bumper Plugs).
Perhaps of some interest to folks on here is that I opted for a nano coating. I planned to go with CQuartz, but the detail shop sold me on their next/top tier product, Modesta Ark Barrier BC-05, a hydrophobic coating that is intended to protect paint while also requiring less washing. So far I'm impressed. It is glossy as hell.
They also installed Huper Optik Ceramic 40 all around, and I had them treat the interior with Opti-Guard before my wife could spill Dr. Pepper on the houndstooth (no drinks in the car rule notwithstanding). On to the pics:
Here is a crappy cell phone pic from when I picked it up at the detailer's, but it gives you an idea of the gloss under the lights:
04-27-2014, 02:49 AM
#3
Beautiful. The front to rear tire to rim fit has to do with the weight differential and the way they want the car to handle and feel. Its always best to order the car the way you want it and leave it that way. Especially a keeper as well optioned as this. Congratulations!
04-27-2014, 09:50 AM
#6
Awesome! No modifying? I have the same deal with my wife. Tint, coating, spacers, LED side markers... It looks like you are off to a good start. 
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04-27-2014, 10:44 AM
#8
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Many thanks, everyone.
I think I learn something every time I read a Chuck post! That's interesting -- I hadn't thought they would consider tire to rim fit, but that was naive of me. They're Porsche engineers, after all.
I found the timeless Porsche slogan at Suncoast.
Old habits are hard to break. How are you planning to explain the AWE? Hard to sneak that one through!
Old habits are hard to break. How are you planning to explain the AWE? Hard to sneak that one through!
04-27-2014, 11:08 AM
#9
Your build has a very classic look to it. Love the interior.
04-27-2014, 11:43 AM
#10
A lot of guys think there is just one right tire size for any given rim width. In reality the situation is more like what we have with tire pressure, where as long as you stay within a certain range its possible to tune the way the car feels and responds without really having a major effect on total traction. The guys at Porsche could go on for hours about things like this but for us drivers its pretty simple, and easy to understand especially if you just look at your tire/wheel and imagine how it moves during cornering. The fronts are relatively narrow with sidewalls nearly slanting inwards, almost as if they're pre-loaded for cornering. This tells you the fronts won't be very forgiving and will transition from grip to slide (and back again) relatively quickly. Just what you want for letting you know where the traction is, and isn't. When guys mount wider wheels because they look cool they also wind up with a car with razor-sharp twitchy handling relative to what they had before. (Everything is relative.) The rears have the sidewalls like you noticed almost sticking out. Because of this the sidewalls are going to have the effect of taking some of the cornering load and storing it as the sidewalls flex under load. Its a more forgiving setup because even though this means that when the tire does slide it can slide more (as it releases some of that stored energy) it also means it gives the driver more feedback as its loading up and getting ready to let go and slide. I'm actually kind of surprised you even noticed this. But since you did, now you know why it is the way it is: just more brilliant Porsche engineering.
