AndyT

Figured that thanks ! Really nice picture , first I've seen comparing the parts

Felix

Do you reckon there's enough telescoping available in the front drive shafts to remove them from the diff without taking the upright off the control arm? It looks like they protrude into the drive flanges by an inch or so.

jmayzurk

If you remove the mount for the front diff, the whole assembly will move around quite freely, so yes, it's possible to separate the driveshafts from the output hubs on the diff.

That said, getting the driveshafts out of the car is a different matter. Space up there is really tight, so although I suspect it's possible, it's probably a real PITA.

993inNC

Why can't the CV joints be left in, but with no guts.....just the housings?

jmayzurk

That would work if you were willing to disassemble your driveshafts. It would amount to slightly more unsprung mass, but not a substantial amount.

Jay993turbo

The front CV joint are 1 piece with the ABS sensor wheels attached to them. In thoery I can see what you mean by disconnecting the outer cv and leaving just the end on the hub. But the kit from VB comes with new sensor wheels and new bolts. Plus I don't think I would do it that way with those things inside the front suspension spinning around at high speed. Can those front axles even be dissasembled like that?

graeme36s

Congrats on your new 993GT2

Felix

After reading the shop manual it does include separating the control arm from the upright to remove the front driveshafts...

993inNC

Yes I know, my question was more of a comment as apposed to a inquiry question for the sake of conversation. I used to rebuild CV's as a job years ago The CV's are very easy to disassemble and really shouldn't add any noticeable weight (given the fact that you're pulling out close to 100#'s +). The axle should be removable without even cracking the hub nut (from the inside).....but don't quote me on that, I haven't looked into things enough yet The price of admission for the conversion parts seems a bit much considering what you're doing and getting, my .02 cents

Jay993turbo

It's worth it though, you should do it. I did this conversion myself as jmayzurk did. So I avoided labor charges..etc. You don't save as much weight as you would think but hey, it's weight saved. The car handles much better IMHO.

Wilder

I've thought about doing the conversion to my C4S but I'm still on the fence. There are some very good secondary reasons why I choose an AWD but the primary is that there is a lot of info pointing to great performance on the track.

Audi cleaned up with the Quattro system on touring events before the FIA banned them (maybe they were doing too well) and I've come across volumes of information revering the Porsche AWD system on the track.

After tweaking my suspension and alignment a few times and choosing a good set of wheels and tires, I now have a very neutral car that neither oversteers or understeers and grips through tight turns like a ****. This past weekend I AXed the car and came within half a second of a 7GT3 RS and a 6GT3 (we were all on street tires). I'd like to take credit for being a great driver but I'm just a newb and the GT3 drivers are certainly more experienced than I am, so it had to be the AWD and the setup.

I do miss the light feeling of my C2 cab and being able to put the car sideways while playing around, but aside from that and the fact that I'll loose some 100 lbs on a low powered car, please tell me why I should do this conversion? Just because the car feels more nimble doesn't mean it's going to perform better, or does it?

993inNC

Louis, the 993's awd.....isn't. Its VARIABLE and only under hard circumstances, otherwise its something like at 5% and requires a decel situation to fully kick in. You're Audi is a true awd. The 993's push like mad as 4S's.

and BTW, yes it does mean it'll perform better. I track my car enough and can tell you there is a marketable difference! The RS clone of Rob in Florida (AC993C2S) is a C2, has had MUCH weight removed, and is seriously FAST!!! I met him at Roebling Road Raceway a while back and although there were "faster" cars technically, I was the fastest thing out there. The car is light, nimble and very capable with nothing exotic other than weight loss. My understanding was that the fwd parts gone sheds more like 150 lbs, but still at half, thats still almost a complete passengers worth of weight out of the car. I agree that the result is worth the effort, but even doing the work myself, the cost of parts seems high. All I'd really need is the shift box.......that's not a grand worth of parts!

Jay993turbo

Think of it this way, your paying $10 per pound of weight saved

993inNC

Well hell, since you put it that way.........I'm in

Wilder

Yes, it's variable but I can assure you it was working well taking tight corners with heavy throtle during last week's AX and because of my alignment setup, it never oversteered but rather pulled me out of the corner evenly with the rear's push.

I realize that unless we go to turbos or superchargers there's only ~300HP that we can rely to crank out of an NA and that weight loss is the thing to do to maximize power. So the question is, will the ~100lb loss compensate for the loss of AWD with a good, neutral alignment setup? And trust me, there is a huge difference between a standard AWD car and one that has a neutral setup....