Wheels / Tyes and Headlights

[Keith993c2]

Time to spend a bit of cash and would be grateful for some advice on the following.

Wheels - have got cup sport alloys and am thinking about a refurb. what are peoples thoughts and recommendations as to where to go and what sort of price i should pay. Also in the market for a new set of tyres, so is the wheel refurb best done before changing the tyres / after or no real difference?

Tyres - looking to replace my Michelin Pilot Sports with the same and am wondering where i should go for this with regard to price and care taken. The last place i had it done they chipped my alloy with the tyre bar and then completely denied it!!

Headlights - would like to replace / upgrade but am confused as to what i really need to do. The existing lenses / units are now looking quite tired so am i better of replacing the entire unit or should just a bulb change suffice?

many thanks.

 

[Guards Red]

Hi Keith,

if you want a proper job on your wheels you'll need the tyres removing, so best to get this done before buying new ones. Who ever you get them done by can remove the old ones and chuck them when they do the refurb. One of the highest loads a tyre gets is when it's first inflated to locate the bead or conversely when the tyre machine breaks it, so this is best done only once. Lots of people will refurb the wheels for you, I've heard good things about these guys:

http://www.lepsons.com/

50 to 75 pounds each should do it. Properly done they bead blast the old ones and paint from scratch, a better job than just painting the outer part of the wheel.

As for tyres, it depends on where you are as to where best to get them. I just bought some new rears for my 993, Pilot Sport N2's for 145 pounds each.

Finally, the headlights, best to buy new lenses. If you take the unit out, the old lens can be unclipped and a new one clipped on. About 50 pounds each. Should make the headlights look like new.

 

[PORKA]

I had my 18" wheels completly refurbed this year @ cost of 375 with tyres already on but taken off then refitted with new valves and balanced no problems.
Tyres I go to Elites in Rainham, they advertise in the PCGB mag and I found them always very good no marks or chips at all, been there for many years, cheapest around.
Headlights you can clean the glass and reflectors (be careful on the reflectors) and I fitted Xenon bulbs, seems better or you can go for a full upgrade at lot more expense.
[8D]
1994 993 Carrera 2 Polar Silver

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Keith,

So much depends on where you are - your profile doesn't mention it.

You have the choice with wheel refurbs - whether you get a cosmetic touch-up done with the tyre still on the wheel (and, maybe, still on the car) or whether you get the wheel refurbished properly whereby the tyre is removed, all the existing paint and lacquer is removed and the wheel refinished as new including any kerb rash ansd similar damage being repaired. Surprisingly, there isn't a massive difference in price between the two. A roadside repair will probably cost you £30-£40 per wheel and the full refurb more like £50 - £70 per wheel - depending on the type of wheel.

From reports I've seen on the various forums Wicked Wheels seem pretty good for the roadside quick fix and, from first hand experience, Pristine Wheels near Milton Keynes are top notch for the full refurb. There are others also recommended such as Lepsons (in Kent I think) and Diamond Styling (tell them Mel Spear sent you!!).

Since the tyres have to come off for a proper refurb it's better to take them off before hand and put the new ones on after.

The best place - bar none - for Michelin tyres has got to be Costco, but you'll need an account or know somebody who has one.

I can't advise on the headlight issue since my experience is with the 964 but improving the light source by whatever means is not going to give the full benefit if the lenses and reflectors are not at their best. Aside from that HIDs are considered to be the best upgrade or the "extra light" halogen varieties from the vast array of manufacturers are a cheaper albeit somewhat less effective solution.

Hope that helps.

Regards

Dave

 

[Mark Elder]

ORIGINAL: PORKA

...I fitted Xenon bulbs, seems better or you can go for a full upgrade at lot more expense.
[8D]
1994 993 Carrera 2 Polar Silver

"seems better" tells a story...You can just change the bulbs but I went for the kit at the top of this list
http://www.hids4u.co.uk/store/home.php?cat=13
(unfortunately when it was still at 200 quid! - year ago)

But it was worth every penny - completely transforms night driving[]. It's actually a 993 on the front of their manual (I seem to remember it's someone's car from on this forum)

 

[Keith993c2]

thanks for that guards red will investigate.

re the tyres... i thought they had to be N1 rated. I notice you said yours were N2 at £145. where did you get these from?

re the headlights - is this a job which i could do on my own or does it need the professionals? ie does the unit unclip easily?

regards and thank you

keith

ps i live in cambridge

 

[Keith993c2]

thanks dave

sorry i forgot to mention that i live in cambridge.

any advice on tyres or wheel refurbs locally would be gratefully received.

wheel refurb at the local opc (Lancaster Harston) £80 plus VAT!!

best regards, keith

 

[sidned]

re the headlights - is this a job which i could do on my own or does it need the professionals? ie does the unit unclip easily?

Keith,

The headlight lenses are really easy to replace. Slide the unit out using the lever inside the luggage compartment (check the handbook if you are unfamiliar with this process) and you will see some clips that hold the lense to the case. Simply unclip these and the lense will come away. It's a good opportunity to clean inside the headlight unit itself, as it can get a bit grubby in there. Be careful though, as some of the components are painted silver and will come away if rubbed too hard.

Regards,
Darren

 

[Keith993c2]

thanks mark for the advice on the HID upgrades. is the kit something you can do yourself or does it need the professionals?

also, what do you get in the kit? would i still need to replace the lenses / seals etc as these are pretty tired or does the kit include these?

thanks for your help, keith

 

[Guards Red]

Hi Keith,

got my tyres from Bracknell Tyres which, as you might've guessed, is in Bracknell. I believe the N numbers progressivly get higher during the development of a particular tyre for Porsche, once they come up with an all new tyre the number goes back to 0. The lastest ones on a Cayman I had recently were N0's. I think the Michelin PS2's are at N2. Definitely no expert in this area, I try to make sure they have an N number and it's the same on all four tyres. The fronts on mine were N2's so when the rears needed replacing I asked for N2s for the back too.

HD are the best bang for buck change you can make to your 993, around a 150 pounds buys you a kit to uprate your (lets admit, rubbish) lights to xenon. Easily done if you have some basic electrical skills. Lot's of DIY's around on the net, including ones on PCGB's site.

The new lenses have seals fitted as I understand it. The handbook explains how to get the headlights out which is the easiest bulb change of any car I've ever had. Once out the lense is a doddle to change, just progressivily unclip it and clip on the new one.

Regards
GR

 

[Pickled Piper]

ORIGINAL: Dave Wilkinson



The best place - bar none - for Michelin tyres has got to be Costco, but you'll need an account or know somebody who has one.

Not necessary to be a member of Costco as your local Kwik Fit will price match them. Just give Costco a call to confirm pricing and then go into Kwik fit for a price match. Kwik fit will order in exactly what you need N rating etc. Saves me a 20 mile drive.

pp

 

[Pickled Piper]

ORIGINAL: Guards Red


HD are the best bang for buck change you can make to your 993, around a 150 pounds buys you a kit to uprate your (lets admit, rubbish) lights to xenon. Easily done if you have some basic electrical skills. Lot's of DIY's around on the net, including ones on PCGB's site.

The new lenses have seals fitted as I understand it. The handbook explains how to get the headlights out which is the easiest bulb change of any car I've ever had. Once out the lense is a doddle to change, just progressivily unclip it and clip on the new one.

Regards
GR

Totally agree with the above. Don't waste your money on fancy bulbs just go for a HID kit on your dipped beam. Headlamp lenses are about £50 to 60. Try Jasmine and also Euro carparts. Very easy to change and gives the car a fresher look. While you are in there you may as well do the bulb holder update. Details kindly provided by Maurice somewhere above.

pp

 

[LeoSayer]

I got my 18" hollow-spokes refurbished at www.wheelrefurbishing.com about a year ago and was happy with the quality of the work and the price was good, something like £210 for all 4 wheels. They are not too far from Cambridge and take the tyres off to do the refurb so they shouldn't charge you any more for fitting new tyres and balancing. You could buy new tyres online (eg from Elite Direct, Event Tyres, Blackcircles etc) and then get them delivered to the refurbisher.

Depending on the colour of your car, you could consider getting them painted a different colour, my car is Polar Silver and the wheels are now gunmetal grey, which look fantastic. If you want to keep them silver then make sure they can colour match the correct silver shade.

The wheels will be with a refurbisher for at least a few days so you need to consider logistics of getting the wheels to them, storing/driving your car somewhere and getting the wheels back. I've got a spare set of wheels and an estate car which made this easy.

 

[Pickled Piper]

Leosayer,

any chance of posting a picture of your car? Mine is Polar silver also and I have been thinking about having the wheels refurbed and also colour changed.

pp

 

[Mark Elder]

ORIGINAL: Keith993c2

thanks mark for the advice on the HID upgrades. is the kit something you can do yourself or does it need the professionals?

also, what do you get in the kit? would i still need to replace the lenses / seals etc as these are pretty tired or does the kit include these?

Keith, All you get in kit is 2 of each of these: blub, box of electronics (about size of a box of "household" matchs - perhaps a bit bigger) the wires that connect them together, grommet.

It's a very easy DIY - most complex bit is making a hole in the removable plastic door on the back of the headlight. I had to buy a drill bit for that - just because I wanted hole to be exactly right for the grommet that was fitted to the wires.

 

[sidned]

ORIGINAL: Keith993c2

thanks mark for the advice on the HID upgrades. is the kit something you can do yourself or does it need the professionals?

also, what do you get in the kit? would i still need to replace the lenses / seals etc as these are pretty tired or does the kit include these?

thanks for your help, keith

I bought my kit from Aceparts. If you ask for the slim kit it all fits inside the 993 headlight unit, so there is no need for any drilling and the light unit can still come out the same way it does now. It takes a few attempts before you work out how it all goes inside, but Alan from Aceparts is very helpful and helped me get it all in!

Darren

 

[Johnny C]

There's a few articles in the technical section on fitting HIDs. I did it with a kit from Aceparts, and I'm no mechanic. mention that you heard about him on this board. Alan has updated a post recently, he has a 993 himself so knows what he's talking about. it's the best £125 I spent on the car, it totally transforms the headlights. Alan (aceparts) also sells a 100W bulb for the main beam, don't fit HIDs to that as you can't flash your lights, and the dipped beam HID plus main beam is easily bright enough.

Tyres - I fitted Pirelli Zero Rossi's earlier this year. I had misgivings as I had a bad experience with the 5-6 years ago on mmy old 3.2. Without doubt, these newer ones are the best tyres I have ever had. They've got 11,000 miles on and are still not particularly worn. I drive on the motorway a lot, and up here you get lots of water and puddles on the M6 and M57, the PZero Rossi's are the only tyres I've had that I have 100% confidence in if I hit a puddle at 90, even new other tyres I've had (Bridgestone S02, Michelin Pilot Sports) I always got a wobble, even when new you knew you'd hit water. With the Pirellis it's as if the water wasn't there.

Maybe I had a bad set of Michelins, but they only lasted 4,000 miles, and that was all motorway driving, no track days or fun in the Welsh mountains.

I use Event tyres in Manchester, only a small operation but they're good and they're cheap. They don't use jacks to raise the car, they use those small inflatable tyres so can't damage the underside. I had to get them out to fit a tyre at the office, and they only charged £10 for the callout.

 

[sidned]

ORIGINAL: Johnny C

Tyres - I fitted Pirelli Zero Rossi's earlier this year. I had misgivings as I had a bad experience with the 5-6 years ago on mmy old 3.2. Without doubt, these newer ones are the best tyres I have ever had. They've got 11,000 miles on and are still not particularly worn. I drive on the motorway a lot, and up here you get lots of water and puddles on the M6 and M57, the PZero Rossi's are the only tyres I've had that I have 100% confidence in if I hit a puddle at 90, even new other tyres I've had (Bridgestone S02, Michelin Pilot Sports) I always got a wobble, even when new you knew you'd hit water. With the Pirellis it's as if the water wasn't there.

Maybe I had a bad set of Michelins, but they only lasted 4,000 miles, and that was all motorway driving, no track days or fun in the Welsh mountains.

Wow - someone who likes the Pirelli's! I thought I was the only one! I don't get a huge mileage out of them, but as you say, they inspire full confidence. They are a little stickier than most other tyres which is why they wear a little faster (usually!) but I'd rather trade a litle wear for top-notch grip. And they have a cool red "P Zero" on the side!

Darren

 

[LeoSayer]

PP, here are some pics taken in France just last week