Some 993 Questions

[jabb]

I have a Friend that got his First Porsche about 6 years ago it was a 3 year lease on a Boxster. From there he went to a Lease on a 996 Cab. That lease recently expired and he feels a need to buy an Aircooled car. When it came to the End of the 996 he could not justify the Buy out price and said he felt the car was like a Ford Taurus. So we are searching for a 993 Low Mileage Cab. I feel I have done a good thing here recruiting him over to the Air Cooled side. I Have done some phone calls to cars for sale and I have not got past the Phone Interviews with some of these Wankers to make me want to go and look at the cars. One Low Mileage car that we were thinking about going to see revealed tittle / Mileage verifiication issues. The car we are going to see on Saturday
hopefully will be a nice car. Here are my Questions about the 993...

1) Does the 95 993 have any type of Traction control or Stability control systems.

2) Does it have Dual Air Bags Standard ?

3) This car has Big Red Brakes was that a Factory option or an aftermarket solution .

Thanks

[AFJuvat]

Easy questions:

1. The C4 had TC. A standard 993 did not.

2. Yes

3. 993 Brakes were made by brembo. Big reds however, are aftermarket.


A few other things to look for:

1995 had a standard intake, 1996+ had varioram. Varioram is good.

Motor sound package is a good option, adds a bit more horsepower. The first real visual clue for motor sound is the chromed lip on the airbox.

AFJuvat

[88911coupe]

Another point to consider is the 96 cars went with OBDII vs. OBDI on 95. Apparently the secondary air injectors get clogged with burned oil (valve guide isssues...will Porsche EVER fix this!?) and cause the Check Engine Light to come on. This will prevent the car's passing inspection in many (most?) states. Keep in mind that the 95 cars have the identical problem however the OBDI does not result in the CEL coming on so it's sort of invisible to the inspectors. Also, some tweekers like the 95 b/c you can fool around with the OBDI settings/chips but supposedly not with the OBDII on the 96 model. Awesome cars...my next will be a 993 unless I break down and get a 930.

[adscab]

Although I do not know if Big Reds were an option in 95, they are not aftermarket. They are manufactured by Brembo and were OE on 993TT and C4S. They were options on the C2S and later 993's.

Varioram bumped HP from 272 to around 285. Not a huge bump and apparently that discrepancy can be made up with a chip. The 96's cannot be chipped as it is soldered into the ECU while the 95's are a plug and play. The motorsound option does not add HP. It is really good for a little more sound.

They are great cars. A little more raw than the 996, a little more refined and comfortable than the 964 and before.

[Bill Verburg]

Although I do not know if Big Reds were an option in 95, they are not aftermarket. They are manufactured by Brembo and were OE on 993TT and C4S. They were options on the C2S and later 993's.

They have never been a factory option other than through Sounderwunschprogram or as part of a package i.e. C4S, tt, RS etc.

They are(or at least have been) available aftermarket through Brembo's various marketing arms.

As noted in part one they have never been a separate option even on C2S, various colors of the stock calipers however are often confused w/ Big Reds.

Varioram bumped HP from 272 to around 285. Not a huge bump and apparently that discrepancy can be made up with a ch

True, but the benefit w/ vram is more in the broader torque curve, area under the HP and torque curve is noticably increased

96's cannot be chipped as it is soldered into the ECU while the 95's are a plug and play.

The7yncan if the DME is changed to a '97 or '98 version.

The motorsound option does not add HP. It is really good for a little more sound.

Agreed

993 Brakes were made by brembo. Big reds however, are aftermarket

Both are made by Brembo. Both are available after market. AFAIK only the Big Reds are available as new aftermarket(at least for the time being)

See this thread for tips on identifying Big Reds

[kach22i]

Last summer the magazine Excellence had a buying guide. It told what to look out for.............something about valves going bad early (35,000 miles-ish).

[Bill Verburg]

35k is a bit pessimistic but the 3.2 and 3.6 engines increasingly suffer form valve guide wear earlier than one would want.

The SAI CEL issue is a major headache which has kept me out of any OBD2 version.

[CanuckRS]

My 95 has the LSD with ABD option....it's a form of traction control in which if wheelspin is detected up to 70mph, the brakes would be applied to the wheel that's spinning to help gain traction...

[rcwaldo]

Originally posted by CanuckRS
My 95 has the LSD with ABD option....it's a form of traction control in which if wheelspin is detected up to 70mph, the brakes would be applied to the wheel that's spinning to help gain traction...

My 1995 993 C2 has the ABD option, which always piggy-backed the LSD option. Its a low-speed, iteration of TC.

Big Reds are standard fitment on 96-97 TT's and C4S'. Optional on C2S'..

Chris

[qcwang]

Originally posted by jabb
I feel I have done a good thing here recruiting him over to the Air Cooled side.

Good job Obi-Wan!!


Water Cooled side





Air Cooled side

[qcwang]

Actually, maybe it should be switched!!

Water Cooled side


Air Cooled side

[Bill Verburg]

Big Reds are .....Optional on C2S'..

Absolutely not!!!

[Rick Lee]

Big Reds are a direct bolt-on option for any 993. I did it. If you don't find a motorsound car, just drill the air box. I did it, it's free and it sounds awesome, especially on V-ram cars when it kicks in.

[Bill Verburg]

Bolt yes! option no!

definition option: factory installed part(s)

[Rick Lee]

I mean if you "opt" to spring for them once you get a 993.

[adscab]

Thanks for the clarification Bill.