Doing some research on the forums and noticed a few guys have gone this direction ....

I may have a bad front Differential and curious how the RWD cars are holding up and if you would do it again ?

Any advice, suggestions greatly appreciated ...

Thanks

NNN

 

Converting a 996 turbo to rwd is relatively straight forward. The 997 (and presumably later variants) not so much. A couple of guys on the forum tried a couple of years ago and despite lots of effort and $$ spent, I'm not sure anyone ended up with a functional conversion. Due to the electronic transfer case in the 997 vs. a viscous/mechanical one in the 996, it basically came down to having to reprogram/replace the ECU ala a GT2 except that the GT2 is a completely different car despite appearing quite similar. So, there was a lot of time and $$ spent custom programming and figuring out what other parts had to be swapped out to get traction control, ABS and those sorts of things functional in a new environment. I think Vid and PurePorsche were the farthest along so you might want to reach out to them or at least check their threads to see what you would be getting into. Unless someone has recently broken the code, you'll be better off just replacing your diff should it fail unless you like the feeling of self inflicted brain damage. Best,

 

Thats my problem.... I kinda like the pain and really like the idea of RWD - must be a masochist ......

I have ECU tune, coilovers, Brembo rotors and some suspension work.... Wrench seems to think uprights, LSD, stubs and some electronic tuning and we can get it done....

will track down the members you noted... Thanks !!

 

Here are two threads from Vid997: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ully-done.html

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...re-11s-40.html

After quickly perusing Vid's latest updates (earlier this year) it sounds like after 18-24 months of effort, the rwd conversion has not been successfully completed, at least for track purposes. Perhaps this spring.......

 

I sent him a PM.. Thanks...

Just for my own edification, my only other option is to find a new/used front differential or are there places to have them rebuilt ?

 

Ok i have done it and it is amazing!!


On my 997.1 2007 all I needed to do was remove the front drive shaft. I have left everything else in place. No codes, psm and abs work perfect.

For some reason everyone one this forum thinks it is not possible. Yet there are a handful of local people who have done it. In fact it was the Porsche dealer who did the work! Honestly all you have to do is remove the front drive shaft. Very easy process. If you do like it, reinstall the front drive shaft. Thats it!


Thread: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...rbo-beast.html


Better yet speak to a local shop.

 

Thanks Mike - but that only removes the drive shaft .... no real weight savings...

I am waiting to hear back from the shop now ...

Thanks man - glad you enjoy the RWD

 

That right NO weight savings, however because you are not messing with the weight, you do not need to change up your suspension to compensate. From my research on the 996 platform it is recommended to only remove the drive shaft. Unless you are going full gt2 spec including springs etc. Just getting rid of front diff, stub axles, mounts does not yield positive results, unless you do everything.

I guess it comes down to what your goals are with your car! But I would listen to your shop not the internet!



My front diff would start vibrating real bad after about 30 min of driving (no noise) pulled the shaft and it fixed the vibration issue.

 

I have GT3 coilovers and track the car - so it would require LSD also.

The OEM rear diff won't hold up on the track...

 

Not yet!

 

Not that im doubting you. But how do you know the oem diff will not hold up?

 

Only speculating - and from reviewing threads here ...

a good LSD would be preferable under track conditions with RWD only ...

just got quoted $3700 from LA Dismantlers for a used front diff - fyi...

 

Hey Guys,

Late to the party here…. ; ]

We ended up abandoning the chase. The electronics & programming were just to big of a hurtle to overcome in order for everything to play nicely together once on track.

That being said, if you do not plan on tracking your car you can make it work for playing around in town, straight lining, and christmas tree runs. Once you start turning and loading up the vehicle with g forces that’s when the electronics stay “sorry, you can’t do this” and shuts the car down.

Best of luck with your adventure or resolution to this 997 AWD to RWD software cluster 3uck!

It's crazy how expensive the front diff is for these vehicles. BTW, I do have a Guards GT2 Pro rear LSD and I ended up having my front diff re-built/serviced, along with new axles all the way around.

Cheers,
VID

 

Thanks VID - Much appreciated

Could you let me know where you rebuilt the front diff ?

Thanks man !!!

 

I have read your original thread. Do you think the electronics would work better if all the weight was not taken out of the car? What exactly was the car doing?

Im asking as i have not experienced any issues. Yes systems come on when they are needed just as they did before my drive shaft was removed. However I have not done any really high g corners.

A Porsche Race shop in my area said there are no issues with removing the drive shaft on the road or track. They have also stated they have done ~5 turbo to gt2 conversions. All for people looking for better track times.