I drove my cousins 993TT the other day and man that thing is a beast! Fast is an understatement. My question is what is the difference between a C4S clutch and a TT clutch?

I know one thing the TT clutch felt like a Japanese cars clutch, very easy, soft in a good way...


TIA

 

Maybe your clutch is worn? When new the clutch is as you describe it in 993's. When the clutch gets worn it gets progressively harder.

 

The Turbo has a power assisted clutch tied into the power steering. For those of you with a strong stomach, take a look at the diff.


993 Master cylinder leading back to the slave cylinder. Nice, simple and direct.





And the Turbo clutch system....

 

I’ve always owned & appreciated German cars and their engineering; I’ve been up against it whenever I’ve been wrenching away at my cars. I am very familiar with the two primary maxims:

1. Why use only three bolts when we can use seven?
2. Ziss vill not break, zerfore you vill not need to access it!


As a person that keeps his cars until they turn into a pile of iron oxide or otherwise are dispatched into automotive oblivion, I am always concerned about the extreme long-term reliability of all the subsystems in any car.

This hydraulic actuation circuit is the type of complexity that I was expressing concern about in regards to the long-term reliability of a NA 993 vs. a TT. It’s not necessarily that anything is *absolutely* going to wear out or break, but there is definitely a lot more to potentially go wrong over an extended period of time.

As much as a NA 993 is a great car, I really want to buy a TT for the obvious reasons. However, this is the type of thing that makes me reconsider how wise that decision is...

Glenn

 

BigGlenn,

Calabasas, eeh? You're right around the corner from Agoura, where I work.

You're right about the extra complexity in the TT, but apparantly the extra engineering in the TT systems makes it pretty bullet-proof. My own experience, the experience of the previous owners (via the old service records), and the threads on this forum all tend to confirm that the things that go wrong are generic issues with 993s. These include the leaky steering rack, the fan resistors, and the hydraulic clutch slave cylinders. The turbos themselves (properly driven and maintained) appear to have life of around 75,000 miles, and then cost $700 or so to rebuild the pair (back to stock... who would ever do THAT?).

I can appreciate your concern. The reality suggests that its not really an issue. How is the search going?

 

Been here, discussed that. Over engineered yes, reason to not buy a car. Not unless someone is looking for a reason not to buy, not to go fast, not enjoy the last of a line of cars that has been the pinnacle of Porsche's line for 3 generations.

If complexity is an issue, then a horse may be a solution.

 

A horse must be several orders of magnitude more complex than a car. Try making one from scratch Maybe a bicycle...

 

Graham,

They just cloned a horse. So they have the basic building blocks. Just got to put them together. I can't make two Porsche's out of just one. Damn wouldn't that be cool...

 

C'mon, hydraulic booster is mutch less complex or failure-prone than almost any other vital component in the car -- ignition, valve lifter subsystem, power steering, ABS, etc.

No reason to panic because of that -- I think.

Older models had spring-assisted clutch pedal, am I correct???

 

Bob, maybe we should recind your "team lunatic" moniker if you can't make 2 tt's from one. Kim probably has enough parts in his garage to make 6 from his 2. Any nut should be able to clone their car. Like in biotech, all it cost is a few bucks and some concerted effort.

 

Ah yes, the bicycle. I only ride a track bike (velodrome) due to its lack of complexity. I mean, who on earth would trust those pinnacles of complexity such as derailleurs, freewheeling sprocket packs & friction brakes? Only those more fearless than I…

I can see your point about trying to talk one’s self out of buying one, but this is definitely NOT the case here. Over-engineered is certainly desirable, however unnecessary complexity is not (and I am NOT inferring that towards the TT in any way whatsoever). I would never be one to second-guess the engineers; I'm sure that there were plenty of logical engineering reasons to build the clutch system that way. To paraphrase you, I DO want the pinnacle of (and last of) the breed.

The concensus seems to be very positive about the TT’s, and I am starting to look around for the “right one”…

Seeing that diagram just gave me a little pause to think about things – I’m not panicking; just showing a bit of trepidation that will be overcome by sheer lust.

I have always tried to describe to others that Porsche 911’s (and older Mercedes) are somewhat like an airplane: As long as the airframe (chassis) is solid, various parts may need to be replaced with time & use, but it can last indefinitely if taken care of properly. I have profound respect for the engineering & build quality that comes out of Germany.

Glenn