[Dominik]

Thanks to all for this forum, it's great!



I've recently bought a 968 a small problem being that I live in Taiwan and parts, spares and upgrades are hard to come by. It's all been mail order so far (tape box, autoscroll down window, Led lighting for dashboard)



Q1: Can I put 18" wheels on? The guy could only find 8J rims and said they would be ok for both front and back? Is this possible? Somehow doesn't feel right.



Q2: My muffler is rattling. I guess it's time to repalce it. I know Flash is partial to RS Barn as are many people on here. has any one tried or heard of results from some of the European side of the pond? I'll be shipping it either way so it doesn't matter so much if it comes from NA or Europe.



Q3: There is a funny 'burned' smell when I drive a bit more aggresively for a while. It seems to be eminating from the rear break area. Is this normal or could it be associated with the type of break pads used? Or worse yet coming from the transmission?



Q4: My trip meter is stuck. I read somewhere here that this happends sometimes when you reset it. Is there any way to make it work again? I'm sure this is wonderful state for hoding the car's value up but I would like to see it work.



Thanks in advance for any answers. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/biggrin.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[flash]

there are plenty of 18s that fit - search around here and you will find threads with pics of them



there are other cat-back systems out there - they just don't have the same results in performance, and not one of the others we know of will back up any claims they make with charts or any kind of proof



not sure about the smell - is it a tip?



the trip meter generally requires a small gear being replaced - not a terribly difficult job, but somewhat time consuming and tedious, as the gauge cluster needs to be removed to do it

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[ether_joe]

welcome Dominik!





IMHO the 'Carrera III' wheels are the swankiest 18's for our car:





although the Ruf Speedlines are uber-cool if you can find them:







post pics of your new car!! Did you find it in Taiwan or did you get it shipped over?

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[Darryl]

Are you sure it's the muffler? Check your exhaust hangers - there are at least two - middle and rear - and I think maybe a third right after the down pipe??? At any rate, my "rattling" was a non-existent middle hanger. I replaced both the middle and the rear hangers to quiet things down. The rubber wears out and the exhaust pipe vibrates on the metal hanger. Easy to do if the car is in the air.



Not sure about the smell either, but my first guess is it's normal unless you've got a mechanical issue. This is a hot car (no pun intended) and I frequently smell "hot engine" type smells after long drives or hard driving. There is much more mechanical experience on here than I have, but unless it's your tranny (smell from the rear) or something busted, you're probably just not used to it. I'm familiar with brake smells and clutch smells so aside from that, it may be difficult to pinpoint.



As flash mentioned, trip meter isn't a big deal but it isn't for the faint at heart. Contrary to some people's instructions, you do not need to remove the steerling wheel. Sure it helps, but there's the airbag issue that you can avoid. Disconnect the battery to ensure not buggering up the instrument cluster when re-assembling. I haven't done my 968 yet, but the 944 was fairly straightforward.



- Darryl

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[bob blackwell]

Welcome to the wonderful world of 968 Ownership dominik! Yes, you can put 18 inch wheels & tires on the car, I have used them on my 968 in the sizes: 8 1/2x18 front and 10x18 in the rear. If you give me an email address I will send you a photo fo the car with them installed. they look great to me. Reference the muffler rattle - I just had my rear muffler removed and extended two pipes straight out to the rear, the center muffler is still in place and it sounds good to me. Deeper tone and louder, like a Sport Car should sound. Any muffler shop can do it and it only cost about $85 here in New Mexico. The smell from the rear after hard driving could very well be the brake pads. I have used PBS Metalmaster pads for years and get them from Paragon Products. (www.paragon-products.com) they are inexpensive, work well, do not squeal or create as much brake dust as the original pads do. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[Dominik]

Thanks for the quick responses,



Yes, it's a tip, and yes the smell is coming from the back. I had a Porsche mechanic check it out and it was the first time I saw the underside of the car. It looked ok accept for couple of minor oil leaks and need of new front berings. I'll get all the fluids changed.



I'll take a look at the clamps tomorrow.



I guess my questions about the rims was: Would it be ok to have the four rims the same and all be 8J width? They are replica Turbo's and they are quite cheap. I know I could get stuff shipped in but the money gets stupid big in a hurry so I would prefer to shop locally. There are some BBS rims around but they are not that cheap for what is available.



Yes, I bought the car here. I've been living here for a while. There are few of them around, probably couple of dozen in the whole country. The 911 family is much more popular, of course.



Don't know if the attached image will work and show up or you will have to download it.



Thank you guys again!

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[bob blackwell]

Good looking 968 dominik! Yes, you can run 8 inch wide wheels all around with no problem. I did that on my 968 for a while using 8x16 inch wheels and it drove fine. I liked the ability to rotate the front and rear wheels & tires to equalize the wear on them. It didn't make the steering feel harder or anything like that. Good luck, Bob Blackwell.

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[S_Cal968]

Hi DominiK - Welcome... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />



Porsche used wider tires in the back for more traction for both acceleration and cornering. Sure you can run a thinner tire, but will sacrifice performance.



On a side note; what are the roads like in Taiwan? Are there areas where you can stomp on it and enjoy your car!?

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[ether_joe]

ooh, looks like a real clean car. . . *sniff* I really gotta detail mine!

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[TheMirror]

Dude I just waxed my whitey '68 with Zumol cleaner wax and it looks amazingly better.....except now I can see the dings more clearly.



Ah heck, its a fair tradeoff!



Cheers,



-Mirror

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[rhudeboye]

Welcome Dominik.



Your sig reads 1st car in 12 yrs. Is that correct? That’s like prison!



The cheaper after market rims are normally heavy if you're concerned at all about weight.



enjoy the car. Worth the wait I'm sure. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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