Matt Lane

Here we are after 5 years of ownership. In 2006, prices for excellent low mileage 993’s were just starting (barely) to move after 10 years of holding strong. It took a long time of saving and active search to find the right one. Of all places, it appeared about an hour’s drive away and already imported from the U.S. into Canada.

At 16,000 miles, the owner was afraid to drive it much and planned to keep it original. Hmmm…

I have finally gotten around to completing my vision for what a perfect street 993 would be (for me). I learned a lot on the way from friends here on RL, and I hope I can return the favor if anyone has questions about any of the work that was done.

Besides some “before” shots, since we all know what a 993 looks like, I’ll primarily post some the of detail shots from the Rennsport PCA charity concours last month. I doubt she’ll ever be as clean again - first in class for a car that sees 10-15 track days a year and as much street use as I can fit in...

I’ll also post some thoughts on the various mods, parts used, and how results turned out.

Best,

Matt

Matt Lane

Here we go! Before:

Matt Lane

And After:

Bill Verburg

Nice! Refresh our memory about the wheels

Matt Lane

A few more:

curve lover

^^ Lightweight / RS door panels without stereo speakers. Radio delete??? Hardcore!
Matt--- Great work for a great cause; congratulations on the big win.
I bow in your general direction

Ed Hughes

That is quite tasty. I'm starting the same journey. I'm on the fence about the body kit for Sapphire, but somehow, it emerges from the fog in my head. You've got me thinking about gold wheels now...

Matt Lane

And these:

Matt Lane

Bill, you were actually a big help in sorting things out for me when I was trying to decide what fitments would work. Thank you for being so generous with your time and expertise. It's appreciated.

If you don't do this kind of thing often, it can be a bit daunting and you want to get it right the first time!

They are BBS E88's with 8108 centers

7.5+1.0 ET 57 front
8.5+1.5 ET 63 rear

When compared to stock 8ET52 and 10ET65:

The 8.5ET57 fronts would be 12.7mm wider total, sitting 1.35mm further outboard and 11.35mm further inboard.

The 10ET63 rears would sit 2mm further outboard.

I sourced the wheels from Joel Reiser, he was also helpful with the fitment.

Plan is to run 285/235, but I am currently enjoying the Dunlop Direzzas which are available in 265/225.

Best,

Matt

ABCar

Seriously nice. I like the gold BBS wheels...don't ask me why!
Good work Matt!

Bill Verburg

That looks like a great fitment
are you sure the fronts aren't 0288120 / 1.0 / 7.5? When I was looking at BBS that was the best front fit ET52.5 bead width 8.5", overall 9.375" ***and nobody even mentioned the 8.5+1.5 ET 63 rears

993Cups used 8.5 ET52, I have 8.5 ET54 and BBS RSGT are 8.5 ET56, all are great fits for 225-245 tires

If you are shopping tires Continental EC/DW 245/35 and 280/30 would be my choice for a street wet track tire. The Direzza's are great too, I have them on my '76 hotrod

**************

Matt Lane

Good question. I'd be glad to email you my purchase invoice, but the quoted size was what seemed like the best alternative at the time when you, I and Joel Reiser were looking into it (December 2009).

I have to admit, shopping for these was not exactly easy since clear information on alternative fitments and combinations was not readily available, and few people have the experience to know exactly what fits anyway. I am pleased with how it worked out though.

Best,

Matt

Matt Lane

Jager, Ed, Andy,

Thanks for the kind words.

Once you get the right exhaust system, the speaker and radio delete is an obvious choice!

As for the gold - what's the alternative really, silver?



Best,

Matt

Matt Lane

Observations, Part I

Roughly in chronological order since acquisition:

Suspension:

When I bought the car, 1 of the rear shocks was leaking. The PO had purchased Bilstein HD’s and M033 springs from Gert in Belgium – these came with the car. I drove the car on the original suspension for the first summer while planning next steps.

I decided to unload the M033 springs and go for the Euro M030 (stiffer) springs and larger factory sways (Turbo, I believe), both from Gert as well.

I had the suspension installed, and alignment and corner balance done at a reputable local race shop. This shop has a great reputation, and I was too green to know what I wanted other than a good street/track compromise alignment. Statement of the obvious: get the specs of exactly what is being done, before and after.

During the installation, I got a call from the shop saying that “The Car’s Been Hit”.

WTF!!!

Perhaps a little English to French miscommunication, but in fact one of the shock tower tops had been bent from an impact. The front and rest of the car showed no evidence of damage or repair, so it was determined that it must have been run over the Mother of All Potholes, a tall railroad crossing or other such.

Installation completed, the car handled like a dream. Bad news, the alignment was out of (any) spec and my rear tires were smoked on the inside at 3K miles.

Other observations: the Bilstein HD/M030 is really a compromise setup. Unduly harsh on bad roads, and way too soft for the track.

If I had to do it again, I’d really make a call on whether you want to do street or track. Even then, there are probably better alternatives even for combination use.

On the alignment front, I am currently at 1.8 degrees front and 2.0 degrees rear negative camber. On street tires (Dunlop Direzza Star Spec) I am hoping for somewhat acceptable wear with a combination of street and track.

RS Strut Brace:

Bought from Steve Weiner, great egg that he is. Super easy install. Did seem to tighten things up a bit. Not expensive, and an easy project.

Fabspeed Supercups:

An acquired taste. Loud as hell. I happen to like them a lot. A few observations.

1. As above, they’re ****ing loud. The good news is that they break in to a somewhat subdued cacophony over time. Roughly commensurate with one’s hearing loss.

2. My set (brand new from Fabspeed) do not fit properly. While adjustable, I cannot get them adjusted straight. My motor mounts are fine. They just don’t fit right.

I will get around to fixing them at some point, but the first and foremost rule of aftermarket parts applies:

NO MATTER HOW REPUTABLE the maker, aftermarket almost never fits exactly like OE. If they say it does, they’re lying. Sorry.

Back to the Cups – great sound. If they fit properly, I’d be ecstatic.

RS Door Panels:

These are from Appbiz, purchased from fellow Rennlister Jdistefa (Matt). They are leather (looks great) and have the upgraded leather handle and anodized trim bits. Nice quality, but fitment is not 100%. I am pleased with the overall look, but it’s not OE - the window and mirror switches are not perfectly aligned and the edge shape and fasteners are not perfect.

I have heard good things about Autos International, but their order department was beyond useless. I have heard that one of their best has their own gig (Tony?) but I have no direct experience.

That’s it for now. More “Been There, Done That” experience to follow over the next day or so when I get a spare moment.

Best,

Matt

Bill Verburg

I'm sure they fit fine, I'm just naturally curious and wonder as I looked at those wheels too. I spent a month going back and forth w/ BBS about the various fits that they recommend. I found from dealing w/ 4 different well known wheel manufacturer/suppliers that there are a wide range of opinions as to what constitutes a good fit. From having a wide range of wheels on my own car and spending hours under it w/ various devices to measure I've formed my own opinions that are often at variance w/ the dealers opinion. I really wonder how many of the dealers have done that. I'm sure Joel has too.

I'd love to see the invoice if it has the specs. I'll send a PM w/ my e-mail