Mijostyn

Wow Jason, that Tire Rack article is out to lunch. The right tire pressure is that at which the tire wears evenly across it's tread. That is also the pressure at which the tire develops it's maximum effective contact patch and thus the maximum lateral load capability. To some the handling may feel better with higher pressures as the car will be stiffer and sharper but in reality if you skid pad test it it will break loose earlier.
The right tire pressure is a moving target. It depends on the stiffness of the tire across it's tread, the width of the tire and the weight of the car. Always start with the recommended Summer tire pressures. If the snow tire is narrower than the Summer tire back off on the tire pressure 2 psi for every centimeter narrower to start. Check your tread depth at both edges and the center when the tire is new and every 1000 miles and keep a journal. Use a tread depth gauge. They are dirt cheap. If the tire is wearing faster in the center back off 2 psi at a time until the tire is wearing evenly.
Trying to make winter tires handle better is an exercise in futility. They are not designed for that. They are designed to run at colder temperatures and stick to slippery, snowy roads. Summer tires = stiff broad tread blocks with few snipes. Winter tires = numerous small flexible tread blocks with lots of snipes. Snow tire tread compounds are designed to remain supple at low temps. Summer tires are at their best when they are almost worn out. You can run them down to 3/32 just fine. Snow tires need to be replaced at 6/32 as they start loosing their grip in snowy conditions.

Hi Gordon,
The only reason to have 20" wheels is so that they will fit over bigger brakes, which you will not have. The car is designed to operate with wheel tire combinations of a specific rolling radius. In order to maintain this when you go to a larger wheel you have to use a tire with a smaller aspect ratio (less side wall) This is very bad in street cars for several reasons. The tire becomes a real pain in the a-- to mount increasing the likelihood of damaged rims, you are more likely to bend a rim hitting pot holes, the tires will be more expensive which at 10K miles a pop is something to consider and most importantly they will not handle as well. That is right. Take a look at any formula 1 car. BIG side walls! Race cars can operate with smaller brakes than street cars because they are about 1/2 the weight. Plus cosmetics are not so much of an issue with race cars. Go to Singer Vehicle Design. What do they put on arguably the greatest 911 ever made? Custom 17 inch rims with big side walls. (when I win the lottery)
The 991 uses a larger rolling radius set up with bigger brakes. The side walls are about the same.
The only thing special about Hunter Road Force balancing is that it might be a little more idiot proof, but not much. A good technician using a simple balancer can get every bit as good a balance as the same tech using a Hunter. My point being is that it is not the balancer that saves the day, it is the Tech. Don't worry about finding a good balancer, Worry about finding a tech that knows what they are doing. These are signs that the tech knows their business.
1) The tech never balances a cold tire that has been sitting on the ground for more than 5 minutes. High performace tires flat spot as they cool down. This can throw the balance off by 1/2 once! He will take the car out, warm up the tires and put it immediately on the lift. There the tires can cool off all they want.
2) The tech never runs his machine in round off mode. If all you see on the machine is 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 etc. Run away. Porsches need their wheels balance to < 0.1 oz. What these machines mean when they say "0" is not "0" but rather < 0.25! With round off mode off the machines report weight in hundredths such as 0.37, or 0.12.
3) The tech has to use fractions of wheel weights to get the balance right. Tape weights come scored in 0.25 oz increments. If all you see used are whole 0.25 oz segments...run away. Although you can wind up on a whole segment in most cases you have to use a fraction of one segment to get the balance right such as 3.25 segments ( about 0.82 oz)

Hi Speedo,
Just caught this thread and having done this I might be able to save you some grief.
Putting new leather on a Recaro seat is like trying to put a girdle on an elephant. Forget about trying to do this with the seats in the car.
Take them out and bolt them to the middle of two 8 foot 2 x 4s. Sort of like putting them on skis. Stand on the 2 x 4s when you are working. Cut the old leather off paying attention as to how the leather clips and attaches onto the seat frame. Try not to damage the foam. Put the bolsters on first. I have only done this with OEM leather so I can't speak for the aftermarket stuff but, you will have some wrinkles and loose spots. Gently heating them up with a heat gun will usually take them out. If not don't worry. A few days parked in the sun will do the job.
Just the bolster on the back of a sport seat is $1000.00 from Porsche. Please let us know the cost of the aftermarket stuff and how it turns out.
Oh, and Leatherique is excellent stuff. The reason for the varied opinion might be that Porsche uses two kinds of leather. The regular stuff is painted not dyed. The Natural leather is dyed not painted. The Leatherique will darken the Natural leather unevenly making it look like a splotchy mess. After about 2 weeks the leather will return to it's regular color. It does not change the color of the regular leather at all.
In keeping leather supple and softening dried out leather I have not found a better product. For routine cleaning I use Griot's leather cleaner and conditioner only because I like the smell of the stuff. I do the Leatherique once a year.

Hi Linwood,
The first thing to do if you want to make this a long term proposition is to find a car that lights your fire. Of the six 911s that I have owned two really sent the sparks flying. One of the two is my current car, an 06 speed yellow C4S with the Aerokit, black wheels and tinted windows. It is the only car I bought used. It had been sitting on my dealer's lot on consignment for 20 minutes before I happened along to get my Audi serviced. Mind, I had already put money down on the upcoming 991 Turbo (celebrating the last child graduating college) but, I HAD to have that car.
Next is the car has to get certified which means it has to be less than 8 years old and have less than 100,000 miles on it. I believe the certification itself is $2500. Then there is whatever has to be fixed/replaced. On my car this came out to $5100.00 which was added to the sales price. In the first year my car rang up..you ready, $12,000 in warranty repairs. A bad Homelink module, the right rear wheel bearing, moldy air conditioning, and a defective PCM which electrocuted a $4000 yellow instrument cluster grounding the car for a month. Now the car runs like a top and draws a crowd like no other car I have owned.
The real question is, how much is the car worth to you. If you do not love the car at first sight you will never be happy with it and it will never be worth what you paid for it. My point is that the value of the car is a moving target. I probably paid too much for my car and I would not have it any other way. Find that car, get it certified and enjoy. Just keep in mind that you can plan on spending $1000 per year on tires and about twice as much maintaining the car as any other.
Oh, and stick to Black, white, red, or YELLOW.