Porsche 911 Carrera (993)
An upgraded flywheel and clutch elevate the 993’s performance
EXTRACTING MORE PERFORMANCE OUT OF the 993 without drastically compromising its usability has always been important to me. This is partly the reason why I have never installed a lightweight RS flywheel, due to the stories of stalling and cold idling issues plus extra noise in the cabin. I know, I’m a wuss…
However, recently another flywheel option emerged that I found impossible to resist. It was developed over the last quarter of 2021 by Colin Belton and Peter Robinson, MD and consultant manager respectively at Porsche specialist Ninemeister, with the testing done in Colin’s own 993 Carrera 2. The kit is called the ‘9m lite flywheel’ and it’s designed to deliver the majority of the benefits of an RS single-mass flywheel but with minimal drawbacks. It’s a direct replacement for the OEM dual-mass flywheel on 964 and 993 models and the specs sounded brilliant, with a 40 per cent reduction in rotating mass and the promise of faster acceleration and no stalling issues, plus no need for remapping the ECU.
The install can be done in a day so I booked my 993 in and drove to Ninemeister’s Warrington workshop. Upon arriving I got to see the 9m flywheel (pictured above, bottom left) with my own eyes for the first time and it really is a beautifully engineered part, CNC machined from high-carbon billet steel. It will work with the standard clutch, but I decided to take the opportunity to also upgrade to a Sachs Pro Street clutch kit, which claims to allow faster gearshifts while its higher clamp loads increase the transmittable torque level to 656lb ft. That’s far more than my C2 will ever trouble it with, but the overkill would be a reassuring extra benefit and the unit is said to be absolutely fine for everyday driving.
As the technicians got to work installing the new parts, I became more excited at the prospect of trying out the results on the drive home, but I was also slightly concerned that the 993 might feel a little too extreme for a road car, especially in traffic.
Turns out I needn’t have worried, as it instantly felt amazing. The throttle response had improved massively and the pedal feel with the Sachs clutch was perfect, but it was the improvement in acceleration that surprised me most, the new parts clearly enabling more power to reach the wheels, exactly as promised. It was also a relief to discover that the notorious chattering noise made by RS flywheels was only very slightly apparent, so won’t be an irritation on long drives.
With its enhanced appetite for revs the 993 is more addictive than ever. Perfecting a downshift while heel and toeing, then accelerating out of a corner and working back up through the gears is one of the simple pleasures of driving with a manual gearbox, and now I’ve made this more enjoyable than ever in my 993.
Date acquired April 2016 Total mileage 89,625 Mileage this month 451 Costs this month £834 (flywheel), £856 (clutch) mpgthis month 28.5
‘With its enhanced appetite for revs the 993 is more addictive than ever’