Hello from the spiritual home of the hot hatch

[talkingfish]

Welcome and good luck with the restore! I have done exactly the same with my Williams 1 - taken 3 1/2 years and many £££££££££'s but car is now pretty much spot on! The car is features in this month's "Performance French Cars" magazine if you want to check it out - otherwise look through the pictures thread for Williams 1 number 0425.

If you need any help or advice, I am sure we will all be able to offer help and support! :D

[C3 WLM]

thanks! Will have a look at the tread, make sure I pick up the mag, and you may regret the offer of advice!

Its such a fine line between perfection and usability!

[Brealbags]

We do get GT's in but not as many as everyone would like. I think we lose them to the specialists which is a HUGE problem for us . Even though we know more about them and have the proper information and equipment :(


Its strange how if you park a normal 996/997 next to a GT3 of the same model, they look the same bar the bodykit

But get inside one and you only have to start the engine, the immediate 'feel' is so so much different :D

There is nothing else on the road today which comes close to it

[stevie_b]

I think we lose them to the specialists which is a HUGE problem for us . Even though we know more about them and have the proper information and equipment :(

I think when it comes to servicing out of the OPC network part of the problem is access to the aftermarket parts that address some of the known weaknesses. For example, when your front discs crack around all the drill holes you want to get a set of Alcons on there, not another set of OE discs, at considerable expense, that are just going to go the same way again in a few thousand miles.

[Brealbags]

Iv never seen a set of discs crack around the cooling holes while iv worked here. I have seen pictures though. I would assume that them particular discs have been subject to extreme and prolonged thermal load. Better off with ceramics in that case

Its also very rare I see any of the aftermarket discs fitted either, probably because they always go to the specialists eh

I'm not saying they don't have their flaws however, more corrosion than cracking IMO but that would be down to lack of use.

We normally do our best to match any quote given by an independent and can offer discount for older vehicles. From browsing the Porsche forums though it seems that a very small number go to OPC's

[MatrixGuy]

Welcome mate, sorry for the lateness!!

[Brealbags]

I'd also just like to add that it's unadviseable to put any aftermarket discs on a Porsche. The way the cooling works from standard is unique and has been engineered to a very high standard

Normal alloys draw air into the wheel to cool the brakes, Porsche alloys pull air from under the car and draw it out. This system works with undertray cooling ducts and the way in which the brakes internal structure works

[stevie_b]

I would assume that them particular discs have been subject to extreme and prolonged thermal load. Better off with ceramics in that case

Yes, they would certainly have been subject to extreme thermal load, but then that is not that unusual as these cars are often used on track - see how many in the car park at the 'Ring! Certainly most of the cars I viewed had cracking around the holes to a greater or lesser extent (including some that the owners said had never been on track, but I'm not sure that this would have truthfully been the case). Similarly the ceramics don't fare that well under such extremes either - you only need to look around in the car park at a track day to see the cars with yellow calipers (ceramics) that are now running steel discs. I'm not sure that the steels are any longer lasting or better performing, but if you are wearing them out every 20k miles or whatever then a grand a set for steels is a big difference to 6k or whatever for a new pair of ceramics!

I think the OPC service prices are quite reasonable, especially when on a 24k miles/2 year schedule, but due to track use these cars often need things replacing more regularly than normal (e.g. the diff plates wear out reasonably quickly and are another fairly 'big ticket' expense) so people are either going to want to upgrade parts to something longer lasting (Alcons, cup diff plates) and/or don't want to pay the OPC labour charge for the more time consuming jobs. I forget what Parr, JZM, etc. are charging per hour at the moment, but I expect that it would be less than an OPC.