Monthly Archives: March 2018

GMG Lowering Springs Installed! Porsche 991

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I’m doing this blog post before I make a YouTube video this time. A lot of my posts these days seem pretty lazy to me. I just pop up a video and blurt out a few thoughts after the fact. Back in the good old days (when I didn’t make videos) I feel like my posts were a bit more thoughtful. That’s what I’m going for here.

When I had my Corvette I remember one of the things that really bothered me was the wheel gap.It was such a big deal to me that I contemplated spending about $3K on drop spindles (not including any installation costs). You can drop a corvette up to a 1/2″ on the car’s stock lowering bolts but knew I wanted to go at least an inch. Of course that didn’t matter because I ended up selling the car long before I got around to any mods like that.

Quite a wheel gap you have there!

When I got my 991 the wheel gap wasn’t large enough to demand my attention. I had lots of other things to do first…

Stock wheel gap here isn’t too bad. It’s hard to believe my car used to look like this 🤔

Fast forward a year or so and dropping the car was on my radar. After doing some research I settled on GMG’s lowering springs and ordered a set. I debated about whether or not to install them for nearly a year. My primary concerns were threefold:  1) How would the springs would affect the ride? 2) I felt stressed out about rubbing the front of the car when I drove over dips and uneven roads* (I have had other lowered cars and have done my fair share of nose grinding). 3) Would the stock wheels look okay on a lowered chassis (the centerlock offsets place the wheels a few mm inside of the fenders).

*This is a big deal on the 991 Turbo series because it has a retracting front spoiler. If you rubbed the underside of the car’s nose you’d actually be grinding the spoiler on the ground.

Eventually I decided to just go for it. I hoped the retractable front spoiler design would allow the car to have the clearance it needed. And who cares about ride quality when your car could look a little nastier. Plus if things didn’t looks right it would be a great excuse to get a new set of wheels. Can I get an “Amen”?

The guys @ Ken Garff were nice enough to take a few pictures of the install for me along the way. Don’t forget- when you have these installed you need to realign the car!

I dropped it off at my dealer on Monday and picked it up on my birthday a few days later. The install went well and when they did the alignment everything was within spec. I couldn’t believe how much of a visual difference the drop made (it ended up being abut an inch). Somehow it changed the car’s whole stance. The reaction at the dealer seemed very positive- several people there expressed how much they liked the modified look.

This is the ride height difference. The bottom of the wheels here are lined up with each other and you can see the gap difference which ended up being about an inch.

My concerns haven’t played out at all (yet?). I don’t really notice a difference in ride quality. It might be slightly stiffer but it’s extremely minimal. No undercarriage rubbing so far (although I still have a few places I haven’t gone yet that worry me). As for the stock wheels- they look good! Would they look better pushed out a hair? Perhaps… but I’m not even going there right now. So for I’m really pleased with this upgrade. Or maybe it’s a downgrade. Recommended 👍

Below is the video I eventually compiled:

From the video: Turns out that some dips are pretty tough to get through. All in all, 99% of the places I drive have been fine (I even went out and did some late night testing of areas where I know I’ll be driving the car). 

Darwin Pro Carbon Fiber Headlight Rings – Porsche 991

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As many of you know I am a carbon fiber addict (and apologize for saying this over and over and over… but the first step to overcoming an addiction is admitting you have one).  I have been looking for ways to add a little more carbon fiber to the front of the car. The headlight rings have been on my radar for awhile but I resisted the urge because- and this may sound crazy- I don’t like to add carbon fiber just for the sake of adding carbon fiber. It’s nice when there’s some kind of functional benefit. But who am I kidding… I loved the set I had on my 997 so I knew I would like these too.

This was a fairly inexpensive set and I’m pleased with it, for what it is. The fitment is good (one side was slightly warped but I was able to get that sorted out alright) the quality acceptable and they look great. I had to use my own adhesive which was fine (all of this is covered in the installation video).

The one thing I’d nitpick is that the weaves weren’t complimentary. Typically, as I explain in my video, I’d expect to see the weaves running in opposite directions where there is a distinct left and right piece. Having them run in the same direction isn’t really much of an issue and my guess is that most people wouldn’t even notice this discrepancy. I thought it would bother me but having had them on for a week it’s not an issue.

Overall I think they are a nice addition. It’s a good way to get some carbon fiber on the forward facing end of the car. It’s a non-permanent addition too – if I find a nicer set down the road I should be able to swap them out with no issues. The parts were ordered from eBay seller dpro6097 (the eBay division of Darwin Pro). Customer service was responsive when I asked them about the issue I was having with a warped part.

Sideshow Statue: Batman vs. Superman

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Let’s be serious for a minute. Batman is, far and away, my favorite super hero. I loved the comics, I loved the animated TV shows, I manged to cobble together some love for a few of the movie franchises. Recently Dawn of Justice pitted the Word’s Greatest Detective against the Sun-Powered Boy Scout. Say what you want about the movie, but I felt like they finally nailed the costume. This is the kind of costume that a picture doesn’t do any justice. Owning a picture of this would be an embarrassment. In cases like these you need a lifelike statue to showcase this level of excellence (I’m not sure if I know how to be serious). And so I present to you, Batman:

If you decide to get one use this link and I can get some referral points: Magical Buy a Batman Statue Link
I have no illusions that anyone will click through this link and buy this guy, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s seriously a great figure.

Aspheric Mirror Installation & Function – Porsche 991

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I love the lane change assist in my wife’s Yukon. When they added the same feature to the new generation of 991 cars I lusted a bit. Adding it wasn’t an option so I opted for the next best thing (although as I use it I’m starting to think that it is the best thing): Aspheric Mirrors!

Function: most of the mirror is flat and works like a typical side view mirror. However, the outer edges are concave and provide a larger, albeit distorted, field of view. You get a few more feet of side vision and this completely eliminates the blind spot on both the left and right as cars come from behind. As a car passes you can see that car in the side mirror all the way until it becomes visible in your actual peripheral vision. It works extremely well. Additionally you get a much larger field of view behind your car which makes it easier to back out of a parking spot.

Installation: As far as modifications go this one is among the easiest. The mirrors simply snap out of and into place. The only danger here is that if you’re not careful you could potentially crack the mirror. My video below demonstrates the removal, installation and function of the aspheric mirrors on the 991 platform.

Cost: The mirrors are expensive- there’s no question about it. The only real consideration here is how much do you want to see? Realistically you only need the driver mirror as it’s difficult to crane your neck around and look behind you. The passenger mirror is not absolutely necessary but I wanted my mirrors to match (cause I’m a freak like that). I felt they were worth it to me personally because I have struggled with blind spots and have difficulty turning my neck (due to an injury).

I admit I am perpetually looking for ways to modify my vehicles so I don’t really need a good reason to do stuff like this. However, having done it I’m very happy with the upgrade and would definitely recommend it. It’s good enough that I would probably consider skipping the lane change assist feature on a future 991 and simply adding aspheric mirrors. Shocking, i’m sure.