Three months with RUF, facts and assessments
02-23-2004, 03:35 PM
#1
Race Director
Thread Starter
Three months with RUF, facts and assessments
Hi All,
The RUF is such a rare car, it is very hard to get objective information on them. Also, RUF owners LOVE their car and generally have nothing but accolades for the car. As such, a RUF is widely perceived to be the pinnacle of Porsche tuning. I am sure that reputation is well-earned through years of superb automotive achievements.
I now have my RUF for about three months, and had gone through some miles and some maintenance/mod matters. Here is as objective a take as I can make on the RUF.
I have to preface that mine is a BTR-2 conversion, so not an original RUF. Also, the amount of $$ the PO wanted to spend on RUF might have caused a few of my comments below. If some of these observations do not apply to an original RUF, I stand corrected by other RUF owners. In addition, some items reflect my personal taste and I'd clearly point those out. So here goes:
SUSPENSIONS:
My RUF came with OEM Boge shocks with RUF lowering springs and RUF sway bars. The car came with the front 1.25" higher than the rear. Though it rode superbly, I was surprised that the RUF suspension package does not come with full coil-overs and better shocks. My set-up had rusted some, so I decided to change out the whole system. With Bob's help, I got PSS9s and TRG bars installed. The car is now at ROW ride height throughout and rides MUCH better. If RUF thought their set-up is good enough for handling, I respectively disagree.
BRAKES:
The RUF came with 322 mm rotors. That is definitely NOT BBK territory. Bob thought I could use bigger brakes. I believe the brakes are definitely good enough for street use, but not 100% sure about extreme track use. I think RUF could do better, but they are 95% there. I ma very happy with how the brakes performed thus far.
WHEELS:
RUF uses OZ 18" wheels. They are probably heavy by today's standards. They are also the flat-face design. I personally love the deep-dish look, but that's personal preference. The black wheels draw a lot of attention (which I actually do not prefer), but it is a RUF package, and I'm happy with that.
SHIFTER:
RUF comes with a short shift kit. The shaft and throws are both a hair long for my taste, but it shifts beautifully. I'm not sure a shorter throw/shaft will make the car more enjoyable to drive.
TRANSMISSON:
The RUF comes with it's own transmission geared to optimize the power band. It is a beautiful piece of work, as the shifts are almost seamless, and there's virtually no turbo-lag. However, when Bob changed my transmission fluid, he commented on how bad the fluid was. Seeing that the transmission was installed 25k miles ago, and RUF just did the 30k miles service before the car left Germany, I was a little surprised. After the fluid change (Mobile 1), the shifts are now like buttah, and the shifts out to neutral is now effortless.
CLUTCH:
When I got the car, the clutch was sluggish and very stiff. Bob lubed the linkage and it got better. He flushed the clutch lines and now the clutch is heavenly. Again he thought the clutch fluid that came out was horrible. Another area to be aware of, be it a RUF, or any other car. I love the clutch now. The best clutch I've ever experinecd was ina 993 Turbo S I drove last year. The RUF clutch is in that territory at this point.
PEDALS:
the RUF came with Tech Art padel sets, and they are lovely. When the car first arrived, the brake pedal was very high comapred to the gas pedal position, so it was impossible to heel/toe. Bob adjusted both and they are now perfect.
SEATS:
I just LOVE those Recaro A-8s. Best seats I've ever had, in any car, bar none. Would buy the car just for the seats alone.
ENGINE:
This is a master piece. EXTREMELY strong and torquey. makes my M5 seem lame (now that's a tall order). Bob has a bigger inter-cooler, but I'm really happy with what this engine does. The layout is very different than a regular TT, but what a lovely car to drive. The power is addictive, and knowing this engine has titanium innerds makes me feel secure with its durability. The PO was incorrect, RUF did not put in K&N filter (and I'm happy about that, read too many threads about the re-oiled K&Ns and the fouled MAFS)
EXHAUST:
Lovely pipes. Great look and sound. I'm not into loud exhaust, so this is the limit for me.
LOOKS:
You have seen pics. The 993 body is an irreplaceable classic. Throw in the turbo-S tail, the RS skirts, the carbon-bibre mirrors, the black OZ wheels, and the unique gold-package, this is a real looker. I'm sometimes uncomfortable with the attention it draws.
OVERALL:
The beauty of a RUF is that they put together a great, balanced, system. They do not necessarily have the highest HP , or the highest boost, but the entire car is so well mated together that the sum exceeds the total of its parts. To this I whole-heartedly agree. While I may sound picky on a few issues listed above, this car IS the best car I've ever known. But even then, I'm not blinded by the marquee and tell you all's perfect, so a little tweek here or there will nudge this awesome machine that much closer to perfection. I love this car and am extremely grateful that I own it. It is a unique and priviledged experience.
So now you know a little more about the RUF BTR. I hope eveyone here has a chance to own/drive one of these cars. It is a total blast.
Enjoy.
CP
The RUF is such a rare car, it is very hard to get objective information on them. Also, RUF owners LOVE their car and generally have nothing but accolades for the car. As such, a RUF is widely perceived to be the pinnacle of Porsche tuning. I am sure that reputation is well-earned through years of superb automotive achievements.
I now have my RUF for about three months, and had gone through some miles and some maintenance/mod matters. Here is as objective a take as I can make on the RUF.
I have to preface that mine is a BTR-2 conversion, so not an original RUF. Also, the amount of $$ the PO wanted to spend on RUF might have caused a few of my comments below. If some of these observations do not apply to an original RUF, I stand corrected by other RUF owners. In addition, some items reflect my personal taste and I'd clearly point those out. So here goes:
SUSPENSIONS:
My RUF came with OEM Boge shocks with RUF lowering springs and RUF sway bars. The car came with the front 1.25" higher than the rear. Though it rode superbly, I was surprised that the RUF suspension package does not come with full coil-overs and better shocks. My set-up had rusted some, so I decided to change out the whole system. With Bob's help, I got PSS9s and TRG bars installed. The car is now at ROW ride height throughout and rides MUCH better. If RUF thought their set-up is good enough for handling, I respectively disagree.
BRAKES:
The RUF came with 322 mm rotors. That is definitely NOT BBK territory. Bob thought I could use bigger brakes. I believe the brakes are definitely good enough for street use, but not 100% sure about extreme track use. I think RUF could do better, but they are 95% there. I ma very happy with how the brakes performed thus far.
WHEELS:
RUF uses OZ 18" wheels. They are probably heavy by today's standards. They are also the flat-face design. I personally love the deep-dish look, but that's personal preference. The black wheels draw a lot of attention (which I actually do not prefer), but it is a RUF package, and I'm happy with that.
SHIFTER:
RUF comes with a short shift kit. The shaft and throws are both a hair long for my taste, but it shifts beautifully. I'm not sure a shorter throw/shaft will make the car more enjoyable to drive.
TRANSMISSON:
The RUF comes with it's own transmission geared to optimize the power band. It is a beautiful piece of work, as the shifts are almost seamless, and there's virtually no turbo-lag. However, when Bob changed my transmission fluid, he commented on how bad the fluid was. Seeing that the transmission was installed 25k miles ago, and RUF just did the 30k miles service before the car left Germany, I was a little surprised. After the fluid change (Mobile 1), the shifts are now like buttah, and the shifts out to neutral is now effortless.
CLUTCH:
When I got the car, the clutch was sluggish and very stiff. Bob lubed the linkage and it got better. He flushed the clutch lines and now the clutch is heavenly. Again he thought the clutch fluid that came out was horrible. Another area to be aware of, be it a RUF, or any other car. I love the clutch now. The best clutch I've ever experinecd was ina 993 Turbo S I drove last year. The RUF clutch is in that territory at this point.
PEDALS:
the RUF came with Tech Art padel sets, and they are lovely. When the car first arrived, the brake pedal was very high comapred to the gas pedal position, so it was impossible to heel/toe. Bob adjusted both and they are now perfect.
SEATS:
I just LOVE those Recaro A-8s. Best seats I've ever had, in any car, bar none. Would buy the car just for the seats alone.
ENGINE:
This is a master piece. EXTREMELY strong and torquey. makes my M5 seem lame (now that's a tall order). Bob has a bigger inter-cooler, but I'm really happy with what this engine does. The layout is very different than a regular TT, but what a lovely car to drive. The power is addictive, and knowing this engine has titanium innerds makes me feel secure with its durability. The PO was incorrect, RUF did not put in K&N filter (and I'm happy about that, read too many threads about the re-oiled K&Ns and the fouled MAFS)
EXHAUST:
Lovely pipes. Great look and sound. I'm not into loud exhaust, so this is the limit for me.
LOOKS:
You have seen pics. The 993 body is an irreplaceable classic. Throw in the turbo-S tail, the RS skirts, the carbon-bibre mirrors, the black OZ wheels, and the unique gold-package, this is a real looker. I'm sometimes uncomfortable with the attention it draws.
OVERALL:
The beauty of a RUF is that they put together a great, balanced, system. They do not necessarily have the highest HP , or the highest boost, but the entire car is so well mated together that the sum exceeds the total of its parts. To this I whole-heartedly agree. While I may sound picky on a few issues listed above, this car IS the best car I've ever known. But even then, I'm not blinded by the marquee and tell you all's perfect, so a little tweek here or there will nudge this awesome machine that much closer to perfection. I love this car and am extremely grateful that I own it. It is a unique and priviledged experience.
So now you know a little more about the RUF BTR. I hope eveyone here has a chance to own/drive one of these cars. It is a total blast.
Enjoy.
CP
02-23-2004, 04:09 PM
#2
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Great write up CP,
Regarding the coilovers, Ruf does have them now. They are essentially the PSS9s revalved by Ruf with rear sways. I was contemplating these but went with the PSS9s because of the lifetime warranty.
One of these days.
Regarding the coilovers, Ruf does have them now. They are essentially the PSS9s revalved by Ruf with rear sways. I was contemplating these but went with the PSS9s because of the lifetime warranty.
One of these days.
02-26-2004, 04:15 PM
#4
Race Director
Thread Starter
Ok,
More words on the RUF brakes, as Bob is doing my brakes right now.
He called and said that the standard RUF brakes consisited of Big Reds up front, but OEM C2 rears. He thought that is way unbalanced towards the fronts, and the wear patterns affirmed his believe. He also spoke with Brembo and they agree with him (Repeat after me: In Viperbob we trust
). So in order to cure this imbalance, I'll upsize the rears. That means I've gotta get new rear calipers, and mine have the RUF logos on them. 
Luckily, Brembo can supply black calipers with RUF logos afixed, as RUF gets parts from Brembo as well. So all is now good. 
In another week, I will have more brake than I'd ever need.
My point being, as to continue the theme of this thread, while RUF is an awesome ride, it takes masters like Bob to perfect the car. When I picked our lot 9+ years ago to build our dream home, little did I realized that it's in such a 'prime' location. Being one mile form Bob is a great thing.
CP
More words on the RUF brakes, as Bob is doing my brakes right now.
He called and said that the standard RUF brakes consisited of Big Reds up front, but OEM C2 rears. He thought that is way unbalanced towards the fronts, and the wear patterns affirmed his believe. He also spoke with Brembo and they agree with him (Repeat after me: In Viperbob we trust
). So in order to cure this imbalance, I'll upsize the rears. That means I've gotta get new rear calipers, and mine have the RUF logos on them. Luckily, Brembo can supply black calipers with RUF logos afixed, as RUF gets parts from Brembo as well. So all is now good. In another week, I will have more brake than I'd ever need.My point being, as to continue the theme of this thread, while RUF is an awesome ride, it takes masters like Bob to perfect the car. When I picked our lot 9+ years ago to build our dream home, little did I realized that it's in such a 'prime' location. Being one mile form Bob is a great thing.
CP
02-26-2004, 08:13 PM
#6
Race Director
Thread Starter
Danny,
Bob is bad for my children's inheritence, but great for my peace of mind.
In fact he just sent me an e-mail with some 'interesting' pics. The result: I'm doing new wheel bearings and rotor plate bolts. A Man gotta do what a man gotta do.
In defense of RUF. They put together the BTR package in 1997/98, so the state-of-the-art was obviousley not what we have today. However, since this car was converted in August 2000, and the PO is a good personal friend of Alois RUF, I'd expect RUF to modify their standard package and got him the best thing going in 2000. Don't think it was the case.
Also, I fully realize I have an 8.5 years old car, spending it's entire prior-life in the snowy German mountains, so I'm not lamenting the items needing fixing. I'm only too happy and grateful to have Bob, who is supremely knowkledgable, thorough, and attentive, to help me remedy these deficiencies.
CP
Bob is bad for my children's inheritence, but great for my peace of mind.
In fact he just sent me an e-mail with some 'interesting' pics. The result: I'm doing new wheel bearings and rotor plate bolts. A Man gotta do what a man gotta do.
In defense of RUF. They put together the BTR package in 1997/98, so the state-of-the-art was obviousley not what we have today. However, since this car was converted in August 2000, and the PO is a good personal friend of Alois RUF, I'd expect RUF to modify their standard package and got him the best thing going in 2000. Don't think it was the case.
Also, I fully realize I have an 8.5 years old car, spending it's entire prior-life in the snowy German mountains, so I'm not lamenting the items needing fixing. I'm only too happy and grateful to have Bob, who is supremely knowkledgable, thorough, and attentive, to help me remedy these deficiencies.
CP
02-26-2004, 09:24 PM
#7
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On Pong's car, Bob found this on one side after taking off the rotor
And this on the other side (sorry a little out of focus)
Both bolt heads have been sheared off, and hard to tell from the photo, but the plate holding in the wheel bearing is bent out from the upright... All in all though, not too difficult of a repair. Plate and bolts are in stock at the Porsche dealer, and a new wheel bearing is on the way. Then I get to use my BIG air gun as the axle nut is torqued to something like 425 lb / ft.
And this on the other side (sorry a little out of focus)
Both bolt heads have been sheared off, and hard to tell from the photo, but the plate holding in the wheel bearing is bent out from the upright... All in all though, not too difficult of a repair. Plate and bolts are in stock at the Porsche dealer, and a new wheel bearing is on the way. Then I get to use my BIG air gun as the axle nut is torqued to something like 425 lb / ft.
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02-26-2004, 10:06 PM
#8
Rennlist Member
Originally posted by viperbob
On Pong's car, Bob found this on one side after taking off the rotor
On Pong's car, Bob found this on one side after taking off the rotor
