DRPM

Yes, we separated the nut and inspected the parts....I got the greasy fingers to prove it too.

savyboy

I wish, but Porsche makes it very difficult to disseminate critical, life-saving info. Maybe someone else can access a color version. Don't know how long that PDF will stay up before the forum gets a take-down notice. Hard to comprehend why they choose to hide behind lawyers instead of supporting the owners.

Think about how much they spend on marketing videos to get you to buy a car, and how after the sale owner support materials are never produced or hidden behind the threat of leagal action? Begs some introspection and questions of what kind of manufacturer we really want to support with our purchases...

Post of the week nominee

911SLOW

Well said Pete, well said indeed.


Members only and please do not repost, print or save.

A must read for all (unlucky) CL owners.

Best,


John

https://rennlist.com/forums/porsche-...ssessment.html

GuyR

Regarding cages, also please be aware that a caged car driven without harnesses and/or a helmet can also be very dangerous as well.

I know of a street accident in a rear-only caged GT3 where the driver has permanent brain damage after their head hit the bars.

cbweaver1

^ +1. I know of another incident where a Porsche equiped with a full Club Sport cage caused head injury to the driver because they were driving the car on the street without a helmet. If you set up the car for optimal safety on track, which is ideal, you have to take the necessary precautions when driving said car on the street.

malmasri

Indeed

NJ-GT

It is unfortunate that so many people support this complex Center Lock system, and accept it for what it is. The more the support, the more Porsche will continue on the incorrect path. Porsche did it with the PDK shifter buttons, to later recognize their error and offer paddles, but this feature was not life threatening, and CL is life threatening.

Unfortunately, legal actions against the unnecessary complexity to just replace tires or wheels will not occur until an accident ends up with deadly results.

There have been many close calls on problems like Coolant fitting failures, Center Lock failures, and ABS Ice-Mode failures, most of them with significant money loses, but fortunately no deadly consequences.

Sadly, statistics would play on this sooner or later, you cannot spill slippery coolant to a car behind at 100+ mph, or lose your brakes at 100+ mph, or lose a wheel at 100+ mph and expect to walk away and others to walk away with a few body scratches and some significant money loses, eventually somebody is going to get physically or mentally hurt.

This is not the case of Porsche making a tail happy 930, or a Carrera GT with low grip tires and an ill alignment, these two cases were one-off.

The CL failures, coolant fitting failures and ABS failures have precedents, including claims covered under warranty, claims not covered under warranty, but claims nonetheless with the corresponding documentation that something got fixed. How can Porsche act invisibly to these life threatening design failures escapes my mind, especially with such a low number of cars with these defects.

So, if you drive a GT3/GT2/GT3RS/GT2RS/996turbo/997.1 Turbo and you enjoy tracking it, do yourself and others a favor: replace the slippery coolant with water, get the coolant fittings welded. Have your CL wheels changed by a Porsche dealer and don't change your own wheels as that would make you liable for lack of proof you have followed a proper procedure. Test your brakes before braking zones and be progressive on their application, brake hard at the beginning and release progressively, don't stomp on the brake pedal be gentle in its application, if ice mode gets you, release and re-apply brakes.

As months go by, we will get more news on these type of accidents, one thing is being lucky, another thing is to expect to be permanently lucky, the later is irresponsible.

Nizer

My thoughts exactly.

mdrums

I was thinking along the same lines. I wonder if Porsche Germany and/or PCNA monitors this thread on rennlist? Wonder what there true thoughts really are and how they view the center lock issue. I also wonder if there has been any impact at the dealer level due to center lock failures?

Crazy Canuck

Last summer I saw a 997 GT3.2 which suffered a centerlock failure at the driver's rear ... in a high speed right hand sweeper. Rim rolled under the car but thankfully it didn't launch the car into the air and roll it. PCCB rotor shattered when the car came down and spun but it didn't hit the nearby guardrail.

What is particularly interesting is that I've seen photos of the incident. The photographer was at that corner that day. The photos are absolutely unbelievable.

Last I heard no-one was taking responsibility for the issue and the owner of the car, the shop that put on the wheels, the Porsche dealer and Porsche Cars Canada all blamed others.

Me, I'll stick to my old school 5 bolt studs for my car.

Bob Rouleau

FWIW, I have seen two local failures of centerlocks. Both were the result of over-torquing the nut. This damages the hub. One was a non catastrophic failure - vibration alerted the driver. The other resulted in a lost wheel. It is important to check the hub for damage if the wheels have ever been torqued by a gorilla. Mine were. I saw a 6 foot mechanic do a handstand on the long-long toque wrench trying to undo the nut!!!!!

No hub or red nubbin damage I'm happy to say.

Edit: Make that three failures including the one Canuck refers to above, diagnosis on that one is unknown to me.

ChrisF

Pete:

Thank you so much for the pics and bulletin. As always, your info is extremely helpful to the community. This is really disconcerting despite the fact that some of us are extremely **** about the wheel on/off procedure (count me as one). It was bad enough thinking that my car might dump coolant everywhere. This is much worse. Even worse to think it will require a serious injury to possibly see some action from PCNA.

DJN

Back issues of the February 2012 issue of Excellence, the issue with "5 lugs or bust" (CL to 5 lug conversion for 997.2's), can be ordered on the Excellence website.....just sayin' !

Stay safe!

Cheers!
Doug N.

TRAKCAR

I'be requested that Orbit sends my CL maintenance records and sworn affidavit to my lawyers should I not survive it. My wife will be a wealthy widow.

Anyway, does not look good for her, never any sign of wear after now 20000 miles and many many track days, most at Sebring.

mooty

does it work on wide body cars such as RS