Rear Strut Brace

[DamageINC123]

Is the rear strut brace a good upgrade?

ALSO!!!

I have 1997 thats been lowerd with TechArt coils. I am running 265/40/17 Michelin Sport (very soft)on the rear and seeing a little more tire wear on the inside of the rear tires than outside. Its not much difference, just a little. (5/32nd left on outside and 2/32nds on inside). About 3/32nd difference. This was measured on the drivers side rear, the worse of the two. Keep in mind with only 5/32nd left, these tires are close wear indicators and needing replaced soon. Front tires are wearing perfect.

Edited December 7, 2009 by DamageINC123

[ericinboca]

I have 1997 thats been lowerd with TechArt coils. I am running 265/40/17 Michelin Sport (very soft)on the rear and seeing a little more tire wear on the inside of the rear tires. Is this normal and will a strut brace help. If so what kind would you suggest. I see Pedro's Garage caries one. Anyone tried it? I notice its not adjustable like the other ones. Keep in mid this is only a weekend driver and is not used on a track. Side note.....I recently had the alinement check and everything is good.

When you say everything is good with the alignment, do you know the camber and toe numbers for the rear?

Excessive inner wear is most likely an alignment or tire pressure problem. A strut brace front or rear ties the strut towers together, purportedly reducing flex and fatigue in the towers. Having a track car, I've not felt or found a geometric improvement via tire temps as a result of using braces, and it would be on the track under load with significant weight transfer where a strut brace would make a difference. (The front and rear on the 986 are pretty stiff - the middle part, not so much ;) )

You also say it is lowered. It is unlikely, but are you sure the tire is not rubbing on something?

[DamageINC123]

As far as the toe or camber, I am not sure what they found because I let my wife pick the car up. At the time it was checked I didnt notice the unusual wear. It was part of the service from the dealr that we asked them to check while it was there. I knew I was getting close to needing tires so when I took a look to see what I had left i noticed it. I also checked pressure and it was high. Around 40psi. I backed it down to 36psi. The rims and tires were put on by the dealership when they had it. Its a 97 with 30,000 miles. The michelins were put on in 2005 and they have about ,8000 miles on them. The front is like new. The tread wear is worn evenly so its not just on the inside shoulders. It slowly regresses as you move from outside towards the inside. Like I mentioned from the shoulder of the outside to shoulder of inside, its about 2/32nd to 3/32nd difference. I dont drive the car much, but when I do I am a little hard one ecceleration. The michelins are really soft so I am not suprised if I only get about 15,000

Edited December 7, 2009 by DamageINC123

[ericinboca]

As far as the toe or camber, I am not sure what they found because I let my wife pick the car up. At the time it was checked I didnt notice the unusual wear. It was part of the service from the dealr that we asked them to check while it was there. I knew I was getting close to needing tires so when I took a look to see what I had left i noticed it. I also checked pressure and it was high. Around 40psi. I backed it down to 36psi. The rims and tires were put on by the dealership when they had it. Its a 97 with 30,000 miles. The michelins were put on in 2005 and they have about ,8000 miles on them. The front is like new. The tread wear is worn evenly so its not just on the inside shoulders. It slowly regresses as you move from outside towards the inside. Like I mentioned from the shoulder of the outside to shoulder of inside, its about 2/32nd to 3/32nd difference. I dont drive the car much, but when I do I am a little hard one ecceleration. The michelins are really soft so I am not suprised if I only get about 15,000

Ah - OK Then I'm not sure you have an issue. PS2s are softer than a lot of other street tires as you note, and 15K out of them would not be alarming. The wear you describe sounds pretty normal, and the rears going away first is common.