Slipstream - June 2016

Five Speed Chatter: We Owe it to Our Cars!
By Ash Seidl-Staley
Photo Courtesy of the Author
When I was brought into this world, my
grandparents dressed me in a shirt that read “My first
car will be a Porsche,” and it was. Truthfully, it was a
Fisher Price toddler buggy with a large Porsche decal
stuck to the front of it, but to me that still counts. Since
then I have lived and breathed Porsche. My youth was
filled with dreams of driving each year’s new 911, and
the loving memories of my grandfather working on his
914/6, 928 and 911/935 projects.
In April of
2011 the time finally
came when
I could buy my
own Porsche, and
a quick search
on Craigslist led
me to my Guards
Red 1987 944. I
was warned by
Ash’s 1987 Porsche 944
my family that an
early Porsche would
require mass amounts of both time and money—man,
were they right! Since that steal of a deal I have had
to replace numerous parts, some of which include a
fly wheel sensor, the entire rear axle assembly, practically
all the interior, water pump/belts, cylinder head,
countless valves, and a brake package. This last upgrade
is very important to me and represents the stem from
which this article flowers.
Living with vintage Porsches, we owners are bombarded
with ads for upgrade kits, performance enhancement
packages, and variously branded OEM
parts, but which parts are truly right for our cars? I
was faced with this dilemma when looking to replace
the brakes system on the 944. I do not make ungodly
amounts of money (if I did I would be driving a GT3
RSR), so my choices are not only limited to available
parts, but to parts that are also financially feasible.
After weeks of searching I ended up purchasing a
standard set of Sebro Vented brake discs as well as a
rebuild kit for each of my calipers. It might be a little
weird to admit, but I was truly stumped on what types
of brake pads to get, since every discussion board and
magazine I have read endorses a different and competing
product! After searching a little while longer I was
left with a decision to get either cheap AC Delco pads
from AutoZone, or save one more paycheck to spring
for some EBC Yellow Stuff 4000s. I cannot express how
choosing the more expensive performance pad was the
right choice.
A month after I purchased the brake pads, we had a
typical Texas afternoon rainstorm. With the unexpected
rain, as many of us know, the roads become full of
“terrible drivers.” I was driving home from work, turning
left on K Avenue from Spring Creek, when directly
in front of me a Lexus swerved out of his lane, crossed
through my own, and then crashed into the median.
Though I was definitely startled, I calmly applied my
breaks in a pumping motion. Despite this, and thanks
to the saturated pavement, my car still fish tailed. Holding
the slide like Mika Häkkinen, I thankfully missed
a collision with the car in the lane next to me before I
skidded to a halt. I went from 0-45 to 45-0 in the matter
of seconds with only an inch separating my bumper
and the culprit’s rear bumper!
Owning multiple Porsches has changed my life; I
can’t imagine not having any. So from one multiple
Porsche owner to the next, I ask you to always give your
car the quality parts it deserves. You never know when
those parts will save not only your life but your car’s as
well. Wrench on Mavs!
Editor’s Note: this article is an upate from the original
version which was first published in 2012.
Authors and Photographers
Wanted for Slipstream
We welcome submissions
for articles and photographs
from all Mav members. If you
enjoyed the stories and images
of travel, adventure, events,
and collections of Porsche
memorabilia in this and past
issues of Slipstream, please
consider sharing your story
with us. Send your text and
photos to editor@mavpca.org.
10 June