Strut Braces

[ninpo4me]

Hey guys,

I have a MY00 2.7 and I am thnking about adding a strut brace. I have heard everything from adding front only, to both and rear only.

-Is this true, by adding both front and rear strut braces you are more like to go "up on 3"

-By adding both the steering becomes a bit twitchy...

- A rear strut brace is not needed because of the increased sheet metal back there already due to the engine mounts etc..

I am looking to do very light track work and mostly back road fun!

Thanks everybody. Oh and if it makes a differance I have the SSR rims

Pic below

[Loren]

Your car has the same strut baces (from the factory) that a full race GT3 Cup Car has. I don't understand why you want anything more. JMHO

[jmatta]

Sounds like a good way to lighten your wallet, as many aftermarket parts makers are good at.

[davegemini]

if you are going to do trac days only occaisionally,

leave it bone stock.

invest in a decent set of tires and have at it.

if it is a track car you want-----then the slope gets quite slippery.

[986Jim]

Some people seem convinced that putting a bar between the strut towers helps with handling some how.

I have had front and back on many of my cars and it never resulted in any changes that I could feel or see in track times. They were basically a waste of money and a nuisance when working on the car.

I have not tried them on a Boxster however, but some people on the 986Forum.com seem to think they are the cats meow and you simply can't live without them for whatever reason.

If you want to tighten up your suspension that way, get sway bars. They come standard equipment on the car, so an upgrade will help. Strut bars are not on the car to start so you can see how important they are to Porsche. Any car they come on are likely for cosmetic (sporty) reasons.

The boxster has a 4 pt roll bar at the back as it is. Those 4 points should do some to tighten up the back of the car. Any car I have put a cage in (4pt or otherwise) has added a lot of ragidity to the car. I know these are factory and not welded in like a real cage is but it must do something to the car for strength to the chassis. Maybe somebody with somem real info can chime in and enlighten us.

[wellsm]

The idea of adding a strut brace is not to tune the suspension but to allow it to work better by taking the flex out of the body. Just look inside almost any race car to see how much importance is put on stiffening the shell .

[mee]

I have not tried the strut bars, but I am 100% with 986Jim. I think the ones that swear by strut bars are either selling them or believe in snake oil. By FAR, the biggest limitation to the 986 is not the flex at the ends, it's the flex in the middle. Unless, you're building a track car with a cage, stick to swaybars. As others have noted, the front has built-in strut bars and the rear is already darn stiff with the roll bar and the whole mid-section/firewall. The GT3/Cup cars don't need them even with a seam-welded coupe chasis. With a convertible, further stiffening those areas would be pointless.

[porschestuff]

I asked this same question and believe the answer was that the boxster chassis is stiff enough without the aids of any more braces. I bought one but sold it subsequently without fixing it because it meant leaving the front battery covers off.

[atmorris]

Simple answer - waste of money. The car is fine in stock config. As Loren commented, the car has the same strut baces (from the factory) that a full race GT3 Cup Car has. Save your money and spend it elsewhere.

[Tool Pants]

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...8-6103F8F577BE}

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...A-2B733CED6C4F}

[ninpo4me]

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...8-6103F8F577BE}

http://www.pca.org/tech/tech_qa_question.a...A-2B733CED6C4F}

Hmm a bit more food for thought. A near by tuner shop that I respect said that the boxster could use another 150hp before and chassis stiffing was needed. At that point breaks become very important as well. With that said, they semm to have a sweet deal. $3k for EVO intake, chip and exhuast,...installed! About 30-40hp. I have been thinking about biting the bullet and going for it. Has anybody heard any reviews about EVO stuff?

Thanks for the links

[skill]

why people buy strut braces on any boxster is so stupid and a waste of money.

[jmatta]

I have the EVO "high flow" intake on my '02 S. I'm sure hp increase is negligible, but the sound is worth the expense. On full acceleration, the intake just howls! Can't wait to put on the sport muffler next.

[ninpo4me]

I have the EVO "high flow" intake on my '02 S. I'm sure hp increase is negligible, but the sound is worth the expense. On full acceleration, the intake just howls! Can't wait to put on the sport muffler next.

I am thinking about going with their "street" package. I visited their shop last weekend. WHOA! Crazy cars there! If you live in the Northest these guys are your go-to! Top notch stuff.

http://www.ktrperformance.com/performance/...che/porsche.htm