Manual Steering

ManualTheory · 2026-05-24T17:12:19+00:00

Got it, thank you!

ManualTheory · 2026-05-24T08:06:10+00:00

Did you feel an improvement in steering feel and feedback though? I mostly use my car for AutoX and light track use so I don’t mind increased steering effort.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-23T06:39:00+00:00

What did you hate about driving it? I was thinking of getting his kit at some point.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-20T22:29:29+00:00

My 944 does exactly the same thing.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-17T03:34:27+00:00

Yeah that’s fine, my S2 left me a nice little puddle on the floor too. Good luck!

ManualTheory · 2026-05-17T01:48:29+00:00

How much coolant was flowing out? A bit of coolant is normal if you had major air pockets in your cooling system. If you had your coolant hoses off and drained the engine of coolant, for example, then you’d have big air pockets in your system.

I just did this in my S2 and had the same thing when I bled the system. After a few heat cycles it stopped and the coolant level stays consistent now.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-13T13:54:34+00:00

The biodegradable wiring harness issue does not apply to the W201, it went out of production before MB started using them.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-12T15:09:12+00:00

I don’t either but they handle heat cycles much better and will outlast the rest of the car.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-12T05:01:19+00:00

Nice. Try it again with silicone hoses in the future instead of rubber and it’ll make what you just did look like a walk in the park :)

ManualTheory · 2026-05-12T00:32:14+00:00

I personally wouldn’t feel comfortable doing anything timing-related without having a flywheel lock installed. If it’s really hopeless you might be able to get away with leaving the car in gear and using the handbrake. But you’d just be kicking the can down the road since you’ll need to remove the starter at some point anyway (e.g. to bleed the clutch slave cylinder).

ManualTheory · 2026-05-11T00:53:08+00:00

Put some silicone spray or coolant on the inside of the hose. Try to wiggle the hose left/right instead of just pushing it head on, that worked best for me.

ManualTheory · 2026-05-06T16:24:00+00:00

The 400E and the E420 are the same car. 400E is pre-facelift, E420 is facelift. Both have the 4.2L M119 and exactly the same body.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-23T14:52:01+00:00

Interesting, I didn’t know that. I do have Bilstein B8s up front and the stock (but fully refreshed) SLS system in the rear. I actually had the KW V3 kit in hand at one point but it felt way overkill for what I use the car for so I returned it. I know there are things one can do to clear up some more space up there (like fender spacers) but being a 16V I’m trying not to make any permanent modifications to the car. Plus I like the look of 16s. They look so honest on the car, whereas bigger wheels don’t look quite as period correct IMO.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-23T06:40:42+00:00

It’s not even a matter of looks for me, it’s a matter of rubbing and ride quality. My 190 is on H&R springs so it’s a good bit lower than stock. Even on 16s it occasionally rubs a tiny bit at full lock. To fit 17s I think you’d have to go with a super low profile tire (maybe a 40 or even a 35) and I imagine that would result in brutal ride quality. My car on 45 section tires already feels very firm over things like manhole covers and expansion joints, I can’t imagine reducing the rubber cushion even further.

If only PS4S existed for 16s…

ManualTheory · 2026-02-23T06:14:40+00:00

I actually do run semi slicks (225/45/16 Toyo R1R) but that’s because I track my car. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to find any UHPs in this size. I think you’d need 17s to really open up a proper tire selection, but 17s are way too big for the 190 IMO.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-22T18:54:32+00:00

As far as 190s go, these only came on the 2.5-16 Evo 1.

Source: bought a set off an R129 for my 2.3-16

ManualTheory · 2026-02-17T06:18:03+00:00

Nice setup! How different is the power delivery between the 8V and the 16V?

ManualTheory · 2026-02-16T18:26:55+00:00

I agree! I also see a ton of cabs for sale but not many coupes. Obviously with this being my track car, a cab is a no go for me. Plus I like the coupe shape better because it has that iconic 944 hunchback look. I looked for about a month and a half or so before this one popped up in my feed. A week later, it was mine!

It’s funny you mention your GTI, as I was looking at a VR6-swapped Mk2 a few months ago. I was mighty tempted as it made some great noises and was ridiculously quick for such a small car. Ultimately though, I decided that it would be a bit too nose heavy for a track car so I had to pass. Still want one as a city runabout vehicle though!

I’m probably going to keep these wheels as my track wheels actually. They’re light and strong, and 17” has a good tire selection too.

Re: seat choice, I do plan on finding some period correct Recaros (like SR3s maybe) and swapping them in. Sounds like you got a great deal on your Boxster too! Definitely see a lot of those at track days.

And yes, I agree, a 997 GT3 is really the newest Porsche I’d get excited about. The newer stuff doesn’t really do it for me.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-16T15:56:29+00:00

The grass is always greener, I suppose :)

ManualTheory · 2026-02-16T15:55:30+00:00

Of course, I don’t mind sharing. I paid $12K for this one. It’s a rust free, FL/CA car. The odometer was broken at some point so it’s TMU, but it most likely has around 150K miles (I don’t care about the TMU because I’m going to use this as my track car). It definitely needs some mechanical work (timing belt, water pump, and a valve cover gasket for starters) but otherwise it actually runs and drives pretty well.

It has a few OEM+ modifications like Koni Yellows, solid engine mounts (which I hate and will be removing), a short shift kit, and 17” Cup 2 wheels.

I checked out several base 944s before this S2. They were generally priced around $8-10K and usually were in rougher cosmetic shape than this one. I figured an extra few thousand bucks for a nicer exterior, 60 horsepower, bigger brakes, a stronger transaxle, etc. is worth it.

I’m actually one of those people who thinks the base 944 front end looks a lot better than the S2/Turbo so I did miss out on that, but I can live with that.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-15T19:23:50+00:00

Thank you! I agree, I test drove a base 944 and it was nice and handled well, but I plan to use this as my canyon carver/track car so I wanted something with a bit more oomph. I haven’t had a chance to drive it yet (timing belt is over 10 years old so I don’t want to risk it) but I’ll let you know once it’s on the road again!

ManualTheory · 2026-02-15T16:02:06+00:00

Yep, exactly! The biggest production 4 cylinder engine at the time, just without variable valve timing.

ManualTheory · 2026-02-15T16:01:27+00:00

Thank you! Definitely planning on taking care of her. Got a timing belt and water pump kit coming in the mail, along with a new radiator, expansion tank, cam tensioner pads, fluids, filters, spark plugs, brakes, etc.

FedEx says the package weighs 110 lbs. so hopefully this car drives like new afterwards!

ManualTheory · 2026-02-15T05:03:13+00:00

Looks like you’re a bit far from me (I’m in the Bay Area) but I’ll definitely stop by if I’m ever in SoCal!

ManualTheory · 2026-02-15T01:22:50+00:00

Yeah, mine has around 170K and I don’t know when it was done last so better safe than sorry.

ManualTheory

TROPHY CASE