MrNvgtr

I just finished a big (for me) KW V3 suspension install along with purchasing and having Mr. James Dorociak custom rebuild some TechArt Championship wheels for me. The suspension install went well, but the 8.5" (front) x 10" (rear) wheels were a bit more complicated of an issue; turns out the fronts where a few too many millimeters too wide (offset issue), combined with maybe a slightly too large 235/40 tire, due to the way the wheels and gaskets come together. With a final alignment and corner balance, they just fit. In fact, the fronts fit perfectly. I think I just need to do a 225 size tire next round as I'm millimeters out from the wheel well liner screws. I actually removed one of the ones at the 9 o'clock position in the drivers side wheel well which rubbed at about 15 degrees of turn. It's more of a turning issue than an up/down clearance issue. The rears are fine with plenty of room. In fact, I toyed with the idea of going with a 1/2" deeper outside lip, but I think it would have been too tight/risky. So, I just went with a 6mm spacer to get it flush and called it a day. Long term, I'm going to take a look at what options I have with modifying the wheel well liners in order to get it another 1/3" lower like I really want it to be. Otherwise, I think it looks fine for now, and most importantly, it handles amazingly.

Finally, a huge thanks to James. He was very supportive of my situation given the wheel sizing being a bit off, due to the TechArt/OZ wheels being a bit out of the ordinary for him, and offered to remedy the situation whatever way needed. In the end, the fronts were scary perfect and the rears just slightly undersized, but it wasn't worth the effort/risk to fit the next size deeper (1/2") outer lip. I'm happy and that's all that matters. James was great to work with.

KW V3 Suspension



This is the kind of work James does. Everything you see was done following weeks of emails/phone calls deciding on the sizing and paint/coatings. The centers are an Audi color, although I wanted them satin finish with several clear coats. The outer rim halves are a clear anodize finish.











Initial suspension install and wheel fit. I had to take it home and drive it for a few days to ensure the suspension was all compressed. Scary.





Here's the car just days after getting the suspension dialed in.





Somewhere in there I fit in time to wash and wax. This is at the 2012 Gunnison Car Show in Gunnison, CO this weekend.







I even won 1st place in the "Modified Porsche" category, my first car prize of any kind. )

Vandit

Nice man, looks really sharp. That color and those wheels makes for a unique looking 964.

How big of a difference is handling w/ the new suspension? What else are you planning?

Babalouie

Nice! Love those techarts

sml

the 235/40 is perfect.

i'm not clear where it is rubbing. which wheel well liner screws? can you describe again, or take a photo please.

Mr.Alex

I think it looks great. Its odd that I just had 18x8's put up front with 225 tire and it looks nothing close poke wise are your wheel does.

sml

my suspension & tyre package upgrade results:

before: 17" CUP with stock suspension = 1.36secs lap

after: 18" OZ Alleggerita with JIC Cross suspension (450lb front & 600lb rear) = 1.26 secs lap

improvement = 10 seconds on a short track!

MrNvgtr

Thanks!

Vandit - I have the suspension on full "soft" as far as the rebound goes, but on full soft it's very nice compared to the stock C4 suspension. That, coupled with the ride height and tire wheels/tires, it's amazing. It is stiff enough for nice roads, yet compliant enough for those occasional bumps that it didn't feel like the car was going to crack in half. I was fortunate enough to test it's limits on the drive into the mountains to Gunnison and back from Colorado Springs and there was no letting go. I was going about 8/10's (my daughter was with me) through the tight canyon twisties, and it felt great. With that said, I'm going to set it at about mid-firm next time I feel like getting under there.

Well, I'm about tapped out on my 964 upgrades for now. I'd like to stay married. It'll be limited to incremental upgrades from here out for a while, or until the motor needs a rebuild. The things that come to mind are thicker anti-sway bars, front strut bar, and then some cosmetic things - new tan shift ****/center console, new gauge glass, and I'd love to zap that rotten engine insulation padding. The sky's the limit, but I can't do much more too soon.

Cosmos99

Looks great! Love the color of the car and the wheels.

FeralComprehension

Where did you set your ride heights at?

MrNvgtr

Sorry I haven't gotten a chance to take you that photo yet. I thought I explained it fairly clearly in my post, but I'll try again. It's the wheel well liner screw at approx 9 o'clock if you're looking into the drivers side wheel well. The screw just above where the seam exists between the front bumper and drivers side front fender. They're the most under-engineered trim screws I've ever seen. They're tall bulbous (round-topped) steel phillips head screws. They stick out about 3 mm from the plastic wheel well liner they're holding in place. That didn't completely eliminate my rubbing, but due to the highly polished nature of just that one screw head, I think I helped the situation a lot. There's just some light rubbing on the directly adjacent wheel well liner area around where that screw was. This is just from low speed 15 deg left turns on the drivers side only. I did some serious canyon carving over the weekend and it wasn't an issue at high speeds in the corners.


The ride height wasn't set based on any prescription, though solely based on photo research, I think it's approx RS-8 (+/- a few mm) in the front. I didn't have the luxury to set whatever ride height I wanted. This is currently the lowest I can get without serious rubbing issues. I will take measurements soon, but I will eventually get lower, so it's just temp for now. Absolutely no bump steer tendency at its current height either.

Wikkid911

Congratulations on your first Car Trophy. Not sure mine will ever get one worth having but yours looks like it deserved it.

paveltchour

Where can I get wheel caps like this? Two of mine fell out on the track, but I don't know where to get replacements...

Pesty

Love the wheels. Looks great

MrNvgtr

These are actually Frankensteined TechArt center caps with the Porsche emblem center cap integrated on top. I can't say for sure right now where to find the center caps for stock wheels, but I'm sure they're sold by the usual companies out there, or the dealership, and with a PCA discount, should be too much of a premium.