Hey all,

New 996 owner from Australia!

Recently I have read a large number of threads on the light weight vs. Dual mass OEM flywheel, harmonic dampening, potential crank damage, gearbox chatter, sprung clutch disks, street drivablity, track use, Porsche North America's 997 LWFW warning bulletin, etc, etc!! l so im not hear to ask about that!

What I noticed was that the threads I have read were from a few years ago.

My question is how many people have been using a LWFW for awhile now and have you had any issues after x amount of years or kms/miles later?

The reason I ask is that my 04' 996 C2 came with a cargraphic LWFW, sprung Sachs clutch disk and cargraphic crank pully. Which it had in it for around 27k or 5 years. It was an ex racing/daily driver for the previous owner. Now mine, the car is for Street use only and I enjoy the way it drives and don't mind the chatter but I don't want to cause any damage either! Anyone who has had an experience please let me know your thoughts/experience!

I recently replaced the clutch with a Sachs spring clutch disk and did an LN IMS I decided to keep the set up the car had (I like the way it drives) rather than spend an extra $1800 on a new DMF. The specialist I used assured me that I couldn't damage the engine and gearbox or at least he's never seen that happen but im sceptical! I would have gone to the dealer but they refuse to install aftermarket parts such as the LN IMS bearing!

Thanks!
Daniel

 

Welcome,
Your dealer wouldn't install the LNE IMSB? Wow find another dealer then, mine is currently running a special on the retrofit at $1599.00. I would say if it's been in for 5 years now with no problems then you're probably safe. Most problems with the installation of the LWFW are associated with the ECU because the RPM drop so fast it stalls the car out, if you're not experiencing this then the ECU was tuned/programed to accommodate the LWFW.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Yep, both dealerships here in Melbourne said that they don't install any aftermarket parts so I had to get a specialist to do it.

As for the car, no stalling problems the previous owner spent quite a large sum of money on the car (I have all the receipts) for tuning and dyno runs and all sorts of parts for it as well

Anyone else still using their LWFW years later?

Cheers!

 

I've had a LWFW in my C2 for over five years. No problems at all. It's a great mod!

 

Awesome, that gives me a bit of confidence at least!

Part of the reason I did leave it was because I like how it drives! The more I read though the less assured I was!

Anyone have any negative experiences?

Thanks!

 

Leave it on and enjoy, don't over think it.

 

+996. You've had it on over 5 years without issues.

Also remember that Porsche did use a lightweight single mass flywheel in their 996 Club Sport models.

 

Thanks everyone!

 

Hey guys,

Quick question, what gear do you use to travel at a constant 60mph (100kms) for me?

I've found the mpg improves if I keep the revs above 2.5k-3k also which is interesting

Thanks!

 

4th usually, around towm I keep in 3rd and at 3k I'm going 45mph. Do not under rev the engine, these are high reving engins and work best at 3k or over. At 55-60 mph you should not be in 5th or 6th gear. I usually shift between 5k and 6500k and keep the rpms at 3-5k when cruising. Heck, in second gear 6k is 60mph!
MPG should bo of no concern.

 

Thanks for the reply flat996tt! I'll keep that in mind I'm usually in 3rd around town but today on the freeway I was in 5th on cruise control at 60mph which is just under 3k iirc but ill keep it in 4th at 60 instead if the engine is happier!

 

Got a IMS bearing and a new clutch done by a specialist, long story short they scratched my side skirt which they offered to fix.

They picked up and dropped my car off but it came home missing one of the inner wheel well screws (and the thread is also gone). Which they re attached with simply putting a screw through the lining... grrrr My question is can this thread be replaced?

Also they have managed to twist my dimmer/trip reset **** on my instrument cluster. How can I straighten it?

Thanks





How can I replace the thread that goes through that hole?





How can I straighten the dimmer/trip rest ****?





This is what it should look like

 

I've had one since 2006, I wouldn't do it again simply because I don't like the rattling noise at idle. Other than that, business as usual (70k miles later).

 

Good to hear

For me its hill starts that I still need to get used to! I havent driven the car for a week and its not easy to drive with a LWFW but damn is it awesome!

 

Guys while we are on topic, I remember the mechanic saying that the friction surface of my LWFW (which I think is a cargraphic according to the reciept I have from the previous owner) is starting to wear down towards the bolts? The FW is only 15k old. From the cargraphic images the surface doesn't seem very far from the bolts anyway, do I have any cause for concern? He did say it may feel "notchy"? Should I have replaced the surface with the cargraphic replacement heat shield?

Thanks!