Props to JIC Cross, Auto Talent (West LA), and Johnson's Alignment (Torrance)
03-01-2008, 04:04 AM
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Props to JIC Cross, Auto Talent (West LA), and Johnson's Alignment (Torrance)
Having had my P-car for a few years (2002 Artic Silver 996 C2), I decided it was finally time to get the ball rolling with some mods. Just recently bought a set of the JIC Cross suspension off of another board member for a very reasonable price. Having read all the fanfare around the PSS9 for those who wanted coilovers that were good for a daily driver and around the ROW M030 and X74 kits for those that wanted to stay OEM, I made the decision to go with the X74 kit. I wanted something that I could take to the track and not regret for being too soft.
Of course my first stop online was Carnewal since it looked like most people had gotten their kits there and that, most likely, this was not a regularly stocked item in the states. First realization was that the Euro is killing the Dollar. After conversion, prices today are much higher than prices posted by board members not too long ago. At over $3k for the X74, I decided to broaden my search. After some hunting, came across another 6speeder that had bought the JIC Cross Suspension, but had decided on selling his car prior to installing the coilovers. I'll have to say it was one of those rare finds where I had to make the plunge and try something different. JIC was well established in the Japanese aftermarket and it was worth a try seeing how there were many 993 owners that were also running JIC. At a spring rate of 7kg/mm front (391 lb/in)/10kg/mm rear (559 lb/in), it didn't sound as harsh as many posts I have read had led me to believe. Not sure if other kits also come with this, but the JIC have pillowball upper mounts and adjustable dampening setting on all four corners and adjustable camber plates on the top of the fronts. I am running a few clicks (7-8) from full hard.
I was shooting for a track day (Speed Ventures at Streets of Willow, counter-clockwise) on short notice and called up Auto Talent and they were able to get me scheduled. It was all through the Private Message function on this board so I was able to schedule something with them after-hours, which was very cool. Thank you Simon! Install took about 5 hours and I added on an oil change too just to be on the safe side. Once everything was completed, they called to let me know things were done and it was all handled much faster than I would have expected from any other shop. (I don't understand how a Porsche dealer can take an entire day to get even the most basic stuff done.) I was a first-time customer this time around, but they have definitely turned me into a repeat customer as I will be going back there again soon. Simon/Zolte/Sam really took care of me and even provided me a recommendation with printed directions on where I could go to get an alignment and corner balance. I couldn't have asked for better service. With a day left before going to the track, I needed a tow hook also and they had one in stock that they let go for a very good deal as well. This thing is very solidly constructed (looks like anondized billet alumnium) and screws into the factory tow hook position in the front of the car. I got the red one. I would show some pictures, but the car is filthy right now.
I'm not trying to say that one shop is better than the other because I'm sure there are a few other great shops out there in the LA area and probably many more mediocre ones; but if it isn't obvious, if you happen to be near Sepulveda and Santa Monica Blvd in West LA, you should consider Auto Talent. Fast, friendly, and very experienced service. I'm glad I found them on this board. After seeing the cars they had worked on and work they had in progress, I could see that there was no job too big or too small that they could not handle.
Johnson's Alignment in Torrance was also able to get me in on short notice and the price was very very reasonable for an alignment and corner balance. Steve really knows his stuff and provided a follow-up call when complete confirming camber settings. I heard that these folks were very involved with the Porsche community and was pleasantly surprised to see them working on a few race-prepped 911's when I arrived. All said and done, the work was completed in half a day (this was during a business day) and I picked up my car during my lunch break. I paid $245 for an alignment w/ corner balance + 1 additional hour for labor an adjusting camber for the front from very negative back to -.5 for "aggressive street" use. Thank you Johnson's.
Just when I thought my spending tear would finally come to an end, I realized that I needed four new tires because the Pirelli Rosso's I had were so worn that I would probably not pass tech inspection for the track. Against my better judgment, I ordered the BF Goodrich T/A KD's from Velocity Motoring in Orange County (Santa Ana). They are predominantly a BMW/Audi Wheel/Tire distributor, but they handle one-off Porsche requests every now and then. They use the same mounting and balancing hardware that most of the bigger shops use (Corghi Artiglio Master / Hunter Balancer) so you can rest assured that your wheels will not be scratched. The tires I got are directional / assymetrical / non N-rated tires with 200 treadwear that looked to be sticky enough for the track and fun to drive in the street. Supposedly they are not good in the wet, but it rarely rans in the spring/summer months in SoCal, so I am not too worried. In addition, the sidewalls are much much more firm than the Pirelli's which I now consider trash and will probably not order again. The rear Pirelli's cost $360 each and lasted me less than a year (~10k miles). I would rather get a cheaper tire that gives me better performance that lasts me a few months less than go Pirelli again. I would have gotten the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position (also non N-rated), but their distributor was out of stock. Also, why the F do Michelin PS2's not come in our OEM tire size in the rear (285/30/18)?
I had gone to Velocity Motoring before when I had an Audi A4 and they always took care of me when getting tires ordered, mounted, and balanced very fast). They also have Muffler Bypass Pipes that they recently started selling at a much more reasonable price ($199) than the Fabspeed muffler bypass. Sound is awesome and quality of the pipes are very well done. Butt dyno says there is a mild mid-to-high range power lift. I picked up a set for the track. Do a search on eBay for porsche muffler bypass and you might come across one of their auctions.
SpeedVentures, as always, ran a very organized track day at Streets of Willow (2/29/2008). After running a few laps, found out that the brake switch on my brake pedal went out. This meant car had no brake lights showing even though the brakes worked fine and it ended my day a little early. I am happy that I was able to test the set-up on the track and see how things went. I will have to say for both street and track, for the money, the JIC coilovers are a great value and you should consider them also if you are considering PSS9s or the X74. Installed, the entire job will run over $3k for any coilover kit (parts + install labor + alignment/corner balance) so that is something to keep in mind unless you install the suspension yourself which, unless you are a total gearhead and have time to spare, I don't recommend.
Some near future mod plans...I plan to put in the Tequipment rollbar (which I picked up off another board member who drove this to me because I didn't have the means to go pick it up -- thank you MHemperly), H&R sways (GT3 sways are a rip-off given the current Euro conversion after checking at Sunset and DPS Motorsports), and TRG drop links.
All in all, very happy with the time and financial investment I have made. Definitely many gut feel decisions had to be made along the way but glad I took my car to great shops and am very pleased to have walked away with an awesome handling car and some track time as well.
BTW, I am leaving the spare tire in the trunk for weight balancing.
Of course my first stop online was Carnewal since it looked like most people had gotten their kits there and that, most likely, this was not a regularly stocked item in the states. First realization was that the Euro is killing the Dollar. After conversion, prices today are much higher than prices posted by board members not too long ago. At over $3k for the X74, I decided to broaden my search. After some hunting, came across another 6speeder that had bought the JIC Cross Suspension, but had decided on selling his car prior to installing the coilovers. I'll have to say it was one of those rare finds where I had to make the plunge and try something different. JIC was well established in the Japanese aftermarket and it was worth a try seeing how there were many 993 owners that were also running JIC. At a spring rate of 7kg/mm front (391 lb/in)/10kg/mm rear (559 lb/in), it didn't sound as harsh as many posts I have read had led me to believe. Not sure if other kits also come with this, but the JIC have pillowball upper mounts and adjustable dampening setting on all four corners and adjustable camber plates on the top of the fronts. I am running a few clicks (7-8) from full hard.
I was shooting for a track day (Speed Ventures at Streets of Willow, counter-clockwise) on short notice and called up Auto Talent and they were able to get me scheduled. It was all through the Private Message function on this board so I was able to schedule something with them after-hours, which was very cool. Thank you Simon! Install took about 5 hours and I added on an oil change too just to be on the safe side. Once everything was completed, they called to let me know things were done and it was all handled much faster than I would have expected from any other shop. (I don't understand how a Porsche dealer can take an entire day to get even the most basic stuff done.) I was a first-time customer this time around, but they have definitely turned me into a repeat customer as I will be going back there again soon. Simon/Zolte/Sam really took care of me and even provided me a recommendation with printed directions on where I could go to get an alignment and corner balance. I couldn't have asked for better service. With a day left before going to the track, I needed a tow hook also and they had one in stock that they let go for a very good deal as well. This thing is very solidly constructed (looks like anondized billet alumnium) and screws into the factory tow hook position in the front of the car. I got the red one. I would show some pictures, but the car is filthy right now.
I'm not trying to say that one shop is better than the other because I'm sure there are a few other great shops out there in the LA area and probably many more mediocre ones; but if it isn't obvious, if you happen to be near Sepulveda and Santa Monica Blvd in West LA, you should consider Auto Talent. Fast, friendly, and very experienced service. I'm glad I found them on this board. After seeing the cars they had worked on and work they had in progress, I could see that there was no job too big or too small that they could not handle.
Johnson's Alignment in Torrance was also able to get me in on short notice and the price was very very reasonable for an alignment and corner balance. Steve really knows his stuff and provided a follow-up call when complete confirming camber settings. I heard that these folks were very involved with the Porsche community and was pleasantly surprised to see them working on a few race-prepped 911's when I arrived. All said and done, the work was completed in half a day (this was during a business day) and I picked up my car during my lunch break. I paid $245 for an alignment w/ corner balance + 1 additional hour for labor an adjusting camber for the front from very negative back to -.5 for "aggressive street" use. Thank you Johnson's.
Just when I thought my spending tear would finally come to an end, I realized that I needed four new tires because the Pirelli Rosso's I had were so worn that I would probably not pass tech inspection for the track. Against my better judgment, I ordered the BF Goodrich T/A KD's from Velocity Motoring in Orange County (Santa Ana). They are predominantly a BMW/Audi Wheel/Tire distributor, but they handle one-off Porsche requests every now and then. They use the same mounting and balancing hardware that most of the bigger shops use (Corghi Artiglio Master / Hunter Balancer) so you can rest assured that your wheels will not be scratched. The tires I got are directional / assymetrical / non N-rated tires with 200 treadwear that looked to be sticky enough for the track and fun to drive in the street. Supposedly they are not good in the wet, but it rarely rans in the spring/summer months in SoCal, so I am not too worried. In addition, the sidewalls are much much more firm than the Pirelli's which I now consider trash and will probably not order again. The rear Pirelli's cost $360 each and lasted me less than a year (~10k miles). I would rather get a cheaper tire that gives me better performance that lasts me a few months less than go Pirelli again. I would have gotten the Bridgestone Potenza RE050A Pole Position (also non N-rated), but their distributor was out of stock. Also, why the F do Michelin PS2's not come in our OEM tire size in the rear (285/30/18)?
I had gone to Velocity Motoring before when I had an Audi A4 and they always took care of me when getting tires ordered, mounted, and balanced very fast). They also have Muffler Bypass Pipes that they recently started selling at a much more reasonable price ($199) than the Fabspeed muffler bypass. Sound is awesome and quality of the pipes are very well done. Butt dyno says there is a mild mid-to-high range power lift. I picked up a set for the track. Do a search on eBay for porsche muffler bypass and you might come across one of their auctions.
SpeedVentures, as always, ran a very organized track day at Streets of Willow (2/29/2008). After running a few laps, found out that the brake switch on my brake pedal went out. This meant car had no brake lights showing even though the brakes worked fine and it ended my day a little early. I am happy that I was able to test the set-up on the track and see how things went. I will have to say for both street and track, for the money, the JIC coilovers are a great value and you should consider them also if you are considering PSS9s or the X74. Installed, the entire job will run over $3k for any coilover kit (parts + install labor + alignment/corner balance) so that is something to keep in mind unless you install the suspension yourself which, unless you are a total gearhead and have time to spare, I don't recommend.
Some near future mod plans...I plan to put in the Tequipment rollbar (which I picked up off another board member who drove this to me because I didn't have the means to go pick it up -- thank you MHemperly), H&R sways (GT3 sways are a rip-off given the current Euro conversion after checking at Sunset and DPS Motorsports), and TRG drop links.
All in all, very happy with the time and financial investment I have made. Definitely many gut feel decisions had to be made along the way but glad I took my car to great shops and am very pleased to have walked away with an awesome handling car and some track time as well.
BTW, I am leaving the spare tire in the trunk for weight balancing.
03-03-2008, 04:16 AM
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