C4S Grand Tourer mod suggestions

Hey all, Just got my first 911 - a 6M '04 C4S in White I came from the dark side (Corvette C5) because I wanted, well a 911. I live in Manhattan and bought it because I wanted a good Grand Touring car (I leave the city frequently on the weekends, 200-600 mile trips are the norm). Any advice anyone has on turning this into a car made for the long haul (the Mrs. often joins, and she finds the ride and road noise a bit harsher than she would like) would be MUCH appreciated. Honestly at 70MPH it's interior noise is louder than the Vette which is surprising, but after taking 1 corner I would never go back. I have P-Zero's on the car, new brakes, 60k miles, and the suspension, clutch, and trans all checked out by a Porsche specialist. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Cheers, Logan

Hey all, I am about to embark on a cross-country road trip from NYC to San Francisco in October. Maintenance was recently done so I know my brakes, tires, fluids are good to go. I also got the car wrapped in a clear bra to protect the paint as much as possible. What i want to ask you guys are: As always, thanks in advance!

Welcome congrats on the 4s. I wish I found a white 4s when I was shopping. Pics please. Loud. as in tire noise? If I remember, there were complaints about p zero's being loud tires. I have a 4s, and consider my cabin quiet and I run 19's and lowered. I'm guessing its tire choice.

Sounds like fun. I did Fla to NY when I got my car. My only concern is the lack of a spare tire. So check the spare repair kit and compressor. I also carry a tire plug kit. It s just my phobia as those tires are not available as standard sizes are. I also carry a quart of oil. I have never used either item, LOL.

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Quote: Several things, first, I don't believe IMO you can turn this car into a "Grande Touring" vehicle. But there are several things you could do to make it less harsh as you put it. Get softer suspension, this will of course reduce handling, change out the P Zeros, get new seats, have it aligned to a "neutral" toe in the rear. Remember this car's blood is racing not touring, Porsche tried that with the 928, and now the Panamera. I also have a C4S and don't really find it all that loud when driving on the highway, but I drive a F150 as a DD.

+1 to spare kit - I did a 1,700 mile top down trip last Sept. from OC - Vegas, Zion, Sedona, Grand Canyon and back. It was a blast. On my way from Zion I made a key mistake of not stopping at the McDonald in search of a better place and realized that the next restaurant was 200+ mile and at 9 PM that's not good. So here are few other things Good music (Sirius works), water, health bars, safety knife and fill up the tank when you are down to the last quarter plus check the oil. Enjoy it'll be a blast

Thanks Trisgale, Digging your 03, it's very clean, and attached is a pic of my 04. I am hoping it's the tires, there is a distinct whirring sound coming from the rear at speed but that may just be tire wear? I will search around for the best quiet alternative. Also when I say Grand Tourer I just mean, I will be driving this car a lot. I know I bought a "race" car and don't intend to ruin that, just looking to make it a tick more on the long distance side of the road than the high-performance side. Looking to build a Caterham soon for that kind of thing. Thanks all,

just out of Nam, used 70 Plymouth Duster, 6 banger.. D.C. to Sacramento in 4 days..driving at least 12+ hrs a day,70+..stop to sleep..no problems..took #80 all the way..i know 2 days of driving thru Nebraska, damn that's a long state,,never turned the wheel once.. good luck

Congrats on the purchase! You'll love the C4S. My wife and I take our C4S on long trips too, and I find it quite comfortable on the highway. That being said, I agree with the others' comments on the Pirellis. They are loud. I prefer Michelins. I find that they improve noise and ride quality. A 996 will never be quiet at highway speed, but the noise level can be lowered.

To your first question: if tires are good and brake pads ok, then just carry 2 quarts of engine oil and that's it; well maybe make sure you have checked the windshield wiper reservoir and topped off if needed... It's a car and an above average one in reliability. Don't fret the trip. Enjoy it.

For long trips IMHO, lumbar support is a must if you don't already have that option on your car. 997 ssk can do wonders too to make rowing more enjoyable.

man, nothin like a road trip...and in a porsche...the only thing a vw bus might have on you is the instant nap possibility, other thathat....well, priceless..............................! ENJOY...!

You could Dynamat the doors, floors and rear hatch area as well. Not sure if I've seen it done but possibly the inside of the wheel well liners. If your door seals are dry you could replace them. You could fit a smaller diameter wheel with higher profile tires too. Be sure to maintain the same overall diameter. Cars looks great though!

http://www.dfwautoclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8914 did a 6000 mile roadtrip in my GT3 dallas to Seattle and back. Had no problems. My advice. Take a plug kit, a portable 12v compressor, and 1-2 fix a flat cans as a last resort in case of a flat. Dont take oil. There is oil at every gas station on your way. If you want to take oil, double platic bag it to avoid a possible leak. The grand canyon is a grand dissapointment imo. Its over crowded and youll gaze out into it for about 10 minutes and be done. Not worth the hasstle. I went last year. I say go straight across to oregon and take hwy 1 all the way to SF. Much better than SD to SF

Cheers thanks guys - Going to get some new rubber fitted and look into the short shift kit (honestly I was surprised how sloppy the 996 shifted vs the C5 but mine could just be getting old as well.) Unfortunately I don't have the full electronic seats, they could use a refresh though I may go on the hunt...

Just came back from a road trip with the 991 GTS. One word - EPIC! You Tube

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Quote: Save yourself some $ for other mods and get an aftermarket inflatable lumbar system or just roll up a small towel to your liking and stuff it behind the back cushion. It liternally pulls out. 2 min process. Link to lumbar system and process: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...at-advice.html

Buy one each of these and keep them in your glove box: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DYNAPLUG-ULT...-/291779493574 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camping-Outd...3D381756055491 I bought 4 of these multi-tools. One for each of our three cars and one that I permanently put in my check-in suitcase for when I travel. Surprisingly and in lieu of their low price, the quality and construction is exceedingly good!

Nice call on the lumbar suggestion. IF you do go with sound deadener (Dynamat), the seats and carpet will need to come out to do it right. While it is apart, think about running wiring or doing anything else you might have in mind. Since my 996 is a car I plan on keeping forever, I do plan on sound deadening it in a couple years.

I have an 04 C4S. I also had a whirring sound coming from the back and it was $100 belt tensioner bearing on the tension wheel. easy replace and fix at the shop. you can tell if this is the problem as the whir increases in pitch under acceleration

Thanks Dad2n2, Great suggestion but the sound is linked more to speed than engine revs (aka 70mph throw it into neutral and coast, and it's still there). Thanks for the suggestion though

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Quote: the most likely the radial in the tire is my guess... other then that it would be a wheel bearing but i'd be surprised... how many miles?

66k with Pirelli P-zero's that have a lot of tread left in them

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Quote: dynamat will do wonders, but when you think about it its expensive for what it realy is (tar and foil) LOL my buddy has 70+ sw feet of that stuff in his Z06 and as loud as the camed, supercharged 900whp beast is, its pretty quiet inside. he did remove all his carpet and door pannes and seats and put down 3 layers of the stuff and then put the carpet back in.

Oliver the 911 Congrats on picking up a great looking C4s, love the white

Quote: Try and repack the tensioner bearings with Polyrex EM grease. ($5 at grainger) Dynamat Extreme is great stuff and highly recommend lining under the rear seats to minimize engine noise. That or turn on some jazz!

When I bought my C4S about 1.5 Years ago I also found the car loud, it slowly became more and more annoying to drive. At first I did't think much of it, I just thought that it's because it's a sports car and the tries are wide. I then replaced the tires thinking that was the issue and I was wrong, So finaly I replaced the wheel bearings and what a difference. The car is supper quiet, it honestly made the world of a difference. I recomend listting closely to see if the noise is coming from the wheel bearings at all. I tried all the other tests: 1. Jacking the car up and moving the wheel to see if there is any play, 2. Swerving side to side to see if the noise went away and neither test worked. Good Luck with teh car Love the color!

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Quote: Generally the wheel bearings have to be on it's last leg for these tests to show something. Or else the noise would only show up when there is a lot of load placed on them for semi-worn bearings.

Very interesting on the wheel bearings, even if unlikely that is easy enough to check that I might as well. I think the tires are still noisy as all get out so I am thinking of going Hankook V12's and keeping the Pirelli's on the rack for a rainy day. Any thoughts?

Congrats on the new ride...I just finished my stereo mods on my C4S. At least now I have better sound, handsfree bluetooth, and a good nav systme now!

Anyone know what it costs to replace wheel bearings? Not against doing it myself but it will take longer to get done (don't have my own garage in Manhattan) I saw a thread from forever ago that was $100 per bearing, $250 in labor per side - does that sound right? Thanks, Logan

There might be a few people that have a better understanding of the labor cost but $250 doesn't seem outrageous from a dealer or highly repeatable shop but does seem high. If you are thinking about doing the bearings yourself, Click Here for more information on the different ones we offer.

Thanks ECS this is great - I am considering doing it myself since I need to adjust my e-brake and could kill two birds with one stone there (neither seem overly complicated) but I need to find out where to get the tools to pull the bearing.

Quote: Anytime, let us know if you need anything else. The bearing can usually be pressed out with a regular press. Porsche has a a tool that makes it easier, but it's really expensive. If your going to do it yourself, I would contact a local machine shop or car shop that does it and see when and what they would charge to press the old one out and put the new back in before you get started.