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Good work Andrew. I would suggest talking with your indy to get the car dialed in now that you've removed the awd system. My indy recommended adding a GT2 rear sway bar when I went 2wd. Not sure if you track the car but another benefit/side effect of 2wd is you are less likely to overheat your steering. This was problem for me after 3-4 track sessions with awd intact.
Good work Andrew. I would suggest talking with your indy to get the car dialed in now that you've removed the awd system. My indy recommended adding a GT2 rear sway bar when I went 2wd. Not sure if you track the car but another benefit/side effect of 2wd is you are less likely to overheat your steering. This was problem for me after 3-4 track sessions with awd intact.
Thanks for the thought! Off to my indy tomorrow to discuss full suspension refresh, and will absolutely ask about the GT2 sway bar. Highly considering PSS10s and Powerflex bushings all around, but judging some of the bills I've seen, I may be exploring other options.
Very interesting description, any gues if 997.1 has the same process for 4-to-2 conversion? Which is even more interesting - is there an easy way to make a 4wd carrera s out of a c2s by combining some sort of a kit...
997 AWD system is much different as far as I know and this process would not work. As for converting a C2 to a C4, it would not be possible without extensive modifications to the chassis of the car to make room for the AWD components. Also, the cost of acquiring the parts required for the conversion would be prohibitive (read: significantly cheaper to sell the C2 and replace with a C4).
Thank you to everyone who posted on this thread, great instructions and photos assisted me in removing the front diff from my 2002 C4. I was starting to get "rough" noise up front when accelerating while cornering (for some reason left turns worse than right turns) then the occasional click/grind rotational noise up front on a slow speed right hand turn (neighborhood speeds). Thought it might initially be a wheel bearing but with everything I was reading I settled in on it being a bearing or something else in the diff up front. I'll be doing a rebuild at my leisure of the front diff so wanted the car to be functional while I took my time with that repair. Only other point of interest might be that it's a tiptronic transmission... I'm not seeing any special instructions for this conversion with the tip transmission, seems like it should be ok as is?
I do hear a little more of a different noise when accelerating through a corner, possibly transmission location and coming from the drive shaft being disconnected and missing? Andrewck notes possibly more noise in his post above as well. The car is different without the front being driven through corners. Not sure yet if I like it as I'm used to the AWD kicking in in the corners. As i'm planning on going back to AWD I won't be doing any suspension work to account for the C2 although if this was going to be a permanent mod I can see the need for some adjustments for sure.
Any feedback on the "extra" noise or tips on issues I should anticipate with doing this with a Tip transmission are appreciated.
The process is affects on the car are the same whether it is a Tip or manual. Did you simply remove the cardan shaft, or did you remove the entire front diff and disassemble your axles? If you just removed the cardan shaft, you're still going to hear noises in the front diff because it is still being rotated when you drive, it just doesn't have any power being sent to it.
I don't normally hang out over here in 996 land but I have a 997 I am getting ready to do the AWD delete. From the forum members I talked to it sounds like the job is very similar.
Thank you SO much for this post. And pardon me if the question is redundant - Just 1 question. Is your car manuel just to double check ? If not, is the process any different for a automatic transmission? Since I have the automatic transmission on my 96000 mile C4S I want to be double sure it will work out just fine if I remove everything on the Front diff and axels…THANK YOU again!
Thank you to everyone who posted on this thread, great instructions and photos assisted me in removing the front diff from my 2002 C4. I was starting to get "rough" noise up front when accelerating while cornering (for some reason left turns worse than right turns) then the occasional click/grind rotational noise up front on a slow speed right hand turn (neighborhood speeds). Thought it might initially be a wheel bearing but with everything I was reading I settled in on it being a bearing or something else in the diff up front. I'll be doing a rebuild at my leisure of the front diff so wanted the car to be functional while I took my time with that repair. Only other point of interest might be that it's a tiptronic transmission... I'm not seeing any special instructions for this conversion with the tip transmission, seems like it should be ok as is?
I do hear a little more of a different noise when accelerating through a corner, possibly transmission location and coming from the drive shaft being disconnected and missing? Andrewck notes possibly more noise in his post above as well. The car is different without the front being driven through corners. Not sure yet if I like it as I'm used to the AWD kicking in in the corners. As i'm planning on going back to AWD I won't be doing any suspension work to account for the C2 although if this was going to be a permanent mod I can see the need for some adjustments for sure.
Any feedback on the "extra" noise or tips on issues I should anticipate with doing this with a Tip transmission are appreciated.
HI Just to be clear. You removed your front DIFF and have a automatic transmission? No parts required when everything is removed? Before I remove everything I just want to be 100% sure nothing is required on the removal. Thank you.
Last edited by Boat1dean; 08-12-2021 at 09:15 AM.
Reason: Clarification
Well I'm genuinely impressed with those of you who were able to expand the c-clip and just tap the race to remove it from the axle shaft. I spent 4 hours playing with it on Saturday, and another 3 on Sunday. No luck! Screwdrivers of all sizes, pliers, snap ring pliers - no matter what I did the clip wouldn't move inboard or stay expanded long enough for me to disassemble. I finally gave in to brute force, placing the axle in a vice, expanding one side of the clip and beating the living daylights out of the race with a hammer. With that kind of persuasion, the race started to move back and finally broke free. Elegant? Not in the least bit. Effective. It sure was.
With the race out, the stub axles were easy to clean up and reassemble. As others have said, it's amazing how compact the AWD system really is and it's an amazing piece of engineering. I ended up reinstalling all the braces underneath the car, and taking the additional step of removing the front differential mounting bolts and hardware associated with the system.
I cannot give an accurate review of the car in RWD, as I haven't really gotten on it yet. First impressions (just driving around town and on highway) are:
I can feel the weight gone from the front. Steering still feels tight, but the car feels like it's floating more at highway speeds and through corners
I feel the transmission more. Not sure if I need to re-tighten the transmission bolts, if the trans needs to settle now that it's not connected to anything upfront, or I'm just overly sensitive, but I'm much more aware of my shifts. Shifts feel slightly clunkier...hard to explain and I'm keeping an eye on it
The car still grips like hell. Porsches are just amazing (and overengineered) machines. The car still feels so planted at moderate speeds and it's not unruly by any means (you C2 owners can attest to this). I intentionally lifted the throttle on an empty onramp and the rear end felt planted. Where the AWD car wouldn't change feel at all doing that, the RWD car has a slight "sway" to it. Not dangerous or unnerving, but you can feel the weight shift of the back end more. Running 295s in back, I think it's going to take a lot to really break the back end loose.
I'll report back after I drive the car for a month and can push it more. Happy so far as I'm looking for a more visceral feeling and to really connect with the car by stripping out as many driving aids as possible. With the conversion done, I'm one step closer to that goal!
Cheers,
Andrew
Hey Andrew, reviving an old thread as I’m curious how you have been enjoying the RWD conversion. My front diff has a slow leak and I’m not confronted with either rebuilding it or just having the shop take it out altogether. From what I’ve heard, a lot of people like the RWD feeling so I’m tempted to just have it removed. Any additional comments you may have would be appreciated!
I’m not Andrew but I can comment on two things in this thread:
First, weight savings is around 85 pounds. The C4 cars weigh something like 105-110 more but some of that is the Viscous portion of the transmission that can’t be removed, frame bracing, and some other slight differences.
I have driven for 1.5 years without the AWD system. I honestly miss aspects of the AWD but there are some pluses to RWD. The C2 feels a little quicker in a straight line, lighter on its feet and the Mpgs do seem a little better.
For Turns I might give a slight nod to the C4.
There was something about leaving from a stop with the C4 that just always felt awesome though. 996s in general feel planted but the C4 has an extra dose of that compared to the C2. Also I’ve barely driven in the snow in either configuration but the AWD was slightly better in my brief experience.
I had to deform a front shaft and sold off my front diff to someone in need near me so there’s no going back without tracking down the parts.
Hey Andrew, reviving an old thread as I’m curious how you have been enjoying the RWD conversion. My front diff has a slow leak and I’m not confronted with either rebuilding it or just having the shop take it out altogether. From what I’ve heard, a lot of people like the RWD feeling so I’m tempted to just have it removed. Any additional comments you may have would be appreciated!
I don’t miss AWD for a second. Just took the car up in the Colorado mountains and on some curves it feels alive. AWD always made the steering a bit anemic IMO. I am not a track guy, and not looking for the fastest car on the road. The RWD conversion made the car exactly what I think it should be.
All that being said, I am looking to sell the car since I’ve got a couple of other projects in queue.
I feel strongly that PSM was much more intrusive when the FWD crap was still intact on my 996. My front diff has been hanging from a rafter in my garage for at least half a decade now...and there it will stay, unless I get a wacky project idea.
10-31-2018, 01:40 PM
