rfoxdvm

After a couple of weeks to settle in with the "new" 1989 3.2, I have a few questions. I have thoroughly tried searching, to no avail, so thanks in advance for all the help, once again.

First - the clutch pedal appears to have all of its action very high - by the time I have pushed in an inch or two, the clutch is completely disengaged. What is the remaining 4 inches for? Can I adjust the entire pedal down as long as I am certain I'm getting full disengagement? The pedal is awkwardly high compared with throttle and brake - my left knee almost makes contact with the steering wheel when covering the clutch.

Second - the stainless steel heat exchanger from Pelican - is it worth it? Sounds like a great upgrade, may be one of the first things I do. I've read about the risks of exhaust getting into the cabin if it is rusted, and that is concerning me. My cabin does smell a little bit like oil and exhaust, but only mildly.

Third - Fuchs wheel replicas. Boy, I have read lots and lots of arguments about this. If I find TUV approved non-gravity cast wheels, then is this so bad? I have no plans to track the car at this point. I figure they can't be any worse than the aftermarket 17" cast wheels that came on the car already, and are far better looking.

Thanks,
Rob

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Rob,

A few thoughts,.....

1) Your car has a hydraulically actuated clutch which means its not adjustable. When the take-up point reaches the end (high pedal), that usually means the disc is worn to limits and the car needs a new clutch.

2) If you are referring to the SSI products, these can offer a substantial performance boost, IF,...... IF, a good sport muffler is used and the appropriate software changes are made.

3) Wheel weight affects many things that include ride quality, acceleration, and braking. Porsche's Fuchs wheels are some of the strongest lightest wheels ever installed on a production car and few of the cast replicas even come close. Personally speaking, I'm very careful about what wheels I will use since I do not wish to make detrimental changes to my cars. You get what you pay for.

Hope this helps,

rfoxdvm

Thanks, Steve. Regarding the wheels, you have to understand that some 17" cast cup sport 2 knockoff wheels came on the car. The 16" cast Fuchs replicas are going to be lighter than the 17s. I'm having trouble finding appropriate wheels, and don't feel great about putting 25 year old wheels of unknown history on the car.

rfoxdvm

Looking up wheel weights online, I am getting that 16x7 original forged Fuchs weighed 18 lbs, and 16x8 weighed 19 lbs. They may be strong, but that is not very light for a 16" wheel. The cast replicas I am looking at are the same weight.

Thanks for the advice on the clutch pedal. If I am not getting any clutch slip, is there any way of telling if my clutch is about to need replacement? That's a big repair / expense for a car I just got!

Rob

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

I have a different recollection about weight,....

My experience with cast wheels is that many of them do not balance well. Caveat Emptor on those things. The Fuchs are a well known option and quite durable.

Not really,.......that should have been found in a proper PPI. Just drive it until it begins to slip.

User 4221

Or, if it rubber-centered, drive it until the rubber disintegrates.

You will know by the loud clanking on throttle tip-in and coming off-throttle.

whalebird

Go with the real Fuchs. The forged Fuchs are an integral part of the older 911's character and performance. Furthermore, they will increase (or help secure) the value of the car come time to sell, especially if it has improperly fitting cast wheels now.
SSI's are an outstanding product coupled with a high quality muffler - easily one of the best upgrades on a 3.2. As Steve mentioned above, just be sure to do the support modifications. This is a pricey project, but money well spent. Just be sure to check your local emissions standards as this exhaust system probably will not pass testing (if they do test in your area).

rfoxdvm

What is the consensus on Braid wheels? They are forged, are regarded as high quality, and are 5 lbs lighter per corner than the 911 Fuchs (and 2-3 lbs lighter than the 951 Fuchs). To me, in pictures, they appear to be much more similar replicas than the cast variety.

Thanks,
Rob

rusnak

I don't know a thing about Braid wheels, so no comment.

But I would think that if you're spending the kind of money to buy SSIs and a sport muffler, you'd probably want real 9"x16" Fuchs out back. If they are true, then they probably haven't been hit. I don't know if 951 Fuchs will fit. I *think* that the only 9x16s were for the 930 but I might be wrong about that.

dshepp806

As to your clutch pedal concerns,.. I know the Bentley shows a spec for the clutch master cylinder push rod (if it has been changed) as "Master cylinder flange to center of clevis pin hole.............
........................................................................ ..................................................158mm (+/-1mm).

also a section on adjusting pedal travel (adjustable stop) ..."Pedal top rest position to pedal at bottom of travel": looks to be 150 mm (no less than 140mm)

Other than that, spring tension (force to operate clutch and help return it)...is adjustable (but probably not related).

Just throwing some Bentley stuff out there. Steve could certainly speak to wear "feel" (as he did) much moreso than me. Mine has always seemed a bit higher than I felt it should be, for me,.. even with a fresh clutch on board. Think I need to go get some measurements that I just recco'd.

No doubt: REAL FUCHS ONLY!!!!!!!!! (that's just me).

BEST!

Doyle

Pavegeno928

My clutch was the same way when I bought it at 67k miles. I worried the whole time that it was just going to go on me. However, at 110k miles, it started sticking when releasing and just was not feeling good in lots of stop and go city driving. That's when I changed it.

I had some different 17" wheels on the car when I bought mine. I saved up for a while and went with 16" Fuchs painted white (from the build sticker for my car to return it to stock) and put Michelin Pilot Sport Exaltos on the car which were the original tire from the Porsche tire guidleine pamphlet I got at a dealership a few years back. Don't think the latest tire pamphlet goes back to the 87-89s anymore but I'd be happy to scan/send it to you if you are loooking to get back to stock tires. I did notice a bit less grip going to the higher profile original 16s from the lower profile 17s, but the ride was much better all around. I got the wheels from Wheel Enhancements and was very satisfied with them. Yes, they are reconditioned Fuchs, but I'd challenge you to be able to tell that they weren't brand new.

Good luck with your "new" car. My wife drives an 08 Cayman and though it is better mechanically in every respect and outperforms my 88 911, it is "too" easy to drive and lacks the soul of our air cooled, rear engine, oily smelling jewels. Enjoy!

Geno

rfoxdvm

Thanks for all the input.

Geno, funny story... I don't know if you saw my other posts, but I just sold my 2010 Cayman. I said the same thing... too easy to drive. The Cayman is just about perfect, but the 911 is much more interactive, much more effort required, especially at sane speeds.

Rob

Pavegeno928

Didn't know that Rob...how funny!

Helios59

I'd heard SSIs got you more bang for the buck with SCs than 3.2 cars...is this correct?

rfoxdvm

Performance-wise, I think they advertise that the later cars have more benefit (?). But I was considering them due to worrying about the stock ones rusting allowing exhaust into the cabin. Is that not really a concern? After my post it doesn't seem like anyone is all that concerned.