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As a confirmed modifying addict I have recently had the latest set of mods completed. This time I have concentrated on suspension as I think that ultimately this pays the greatest dividends in lap times and also track driving enjoyment.
Starting from a standard G50 3.2 I originally (3 odd years ago) had the OE shocks replaced with Bilsteins. I ordered and paid for "Sports" and got "HD"s - but thats another story. I also had the rear suspension rebuilt with plastic spring plate bushings. These are key for camber and toe control and they have paid dividends in my last 911 and in various race cars I have helped out with. Whether it was a case of poor installation or something else, these bushings were never staisfactory. While providing very tight location, they squeeked something dreadful. After two attempts to fix this I decided enough was enough. One bushing was found to have started to disintegrate - so not a moment too soon. I also had a big adjustable 22mm rear sway bar fitted. Strange noises aside, this all worked pretty well for a road/track compromise. I thought it was pretty good anyway and this setup keep me out of trouble for 3 years.
The plan (hatched over a number of months) was thus. Upgrade torsion bars to 22/29mm and replace bushings as necessary. Lower corner balance and align.
I ordered the t-bars from Pelican Parts and settled on Weltmeister hollow bars, because they cost very little more than the solid bars. Rear spring plate bushings were Neatrix - harder than OE rubber. I wanted Elephant Racing polybronze but cost and my mechanic persuaded me that the Neatrix would do just fine. I did however get polybronze bushings for the front A-arms. Everything arrived and even with the freight charges, VAT and duty it was cheaper than sourcing the parts from the UK/Europe (go figure). Car was sent off to JAZ and I waited expectantly.
Well this stuff is never easy and sure enough it turned out that Pelican sent 915 t-bars not G50s and the front bars were 0.4mm oversize in the splines - so all unusable. Nevermind, because Tom at Pelican stepped up and arranged for Sander Engineering t-bars to be sent UPS next day. There were no Weltmeister hollow bars for G50s at any supplier in the US so Pelican supplied a more expensive bar at no cost. They are also refunding me all my additional costs. Bravo Pelican [
]. BTW, I highly recommend the Sander bars. They are top quality and my mechanic will be using them now as some sizes are no longer available from Porsche Motorsport - his preference for race car t-bars.
So how does it drive. Its stiff, no doubt about that, but the ride is also in a lot of respects better. I think even the HD inserts are too stiff for OE t-bars. Now the ride is very controlled and seems, to me anyway, to be an improvement. It is, bizarrely, less harsh, but as it is stiffer virtually any bump will be felt. I have race seats and I think my fillings are still safe.
The best part is (predicably) that weight transfer has been reduced dramatically. Body roll, of which there was, to be fair, not a huge amount, has been cut to what feels like virtually nothing from behind the wheel. On road tyres you can push thru a corner apex and get on the gas expecting to load up the outside rear wheel and the car just stays flat and tracks normally round the corner. Spooky. I think on track it will be possible to get on the gas much sooner. On road tyres I have only felt understeer at the limit. To be honest I need a track or a big empty roundabout to really test the limit - I am too scared on the road as the speeds need to be really high.
Weight transfer under braking and acceleration is also reduced though it doesn't feel quite as dramatic - maybe because you can generate more G in these directions, well braking anyway.
The bushings (all of them) perform exactly as expected. The front feels tighter, the rear feels the same but with silence.
So this mod gets a big thumbs up. How sweet it is.
I am happy to answer any detailed questions anyone may have and I will report on track day performance as and when I hit the track and have track tyres all mounted up. Oh yes, obligatory photo is attached showing nice low ride height. Corner balance is nigh on perfect and alignment is very race car. Neg 2 degrees front and neg 2 degrees rear camber, tiniest minimal front toe and max castor.
RB
Starting from a standard G50 3.2 I originally (3 odd years ago) had the OE shocks replaced with Bilsteins. I ordered and paid for "Sports" and got "HD"s - but thats another story. I also had the rear suspension rebuilt with plastic spring plate bushings. These are key for camber and toe control and they have paid dividends in my last 911 and in various race cars I have helped out with. Whether it was a case of poor installation or something else, these bushings were never staisfactory. While providing very tight location, they squeeked something dreadful. After two attempts to fix this I decided enough was enough. One bushing was found to have started to disintegrate - so not a moment too soon. I also had a big adjustable 22mm rear sway bar fitted. Strange noises aside, this all worked pretty well for a road/track compromise. I thought it was pretty good anyway and this setup keep me out of trouble for 3 years.
The plan (hatched over a number of months) was thus. Upgrade torsion bars to 22/29mm and replace bushings as necessary. Lower corner balance and align.
I ordered the t-bars from Pelican Parts and settled on Weltmeister hollow bars, because they cost very little more than the solid bars. Rear spring plate bushings were Neatrix - harder than OE rubber. I wanted Elephant Racing polybronze but cost and my mechanic persuaded me that the Neatrix would do just fine. I did however get polybronze bushings for the front A-arms. Everything arrived and even with the freight charges, VAT and duty it was cheaper than sourcing the parts from the UK/Europe (go figure). Car was sent off to JAZ and I waited expectantly.
Well this stuff is never easy and sure enough it turned out that Pelican sent 915 t-bars not G50s and the front bars were 0.4mm oversize in the splines - so all unusable. Nevermind, because Tom at Pelican stepped up and arranged for Sander Engineering t-bars to be sent UPS next day. There were no Weltmeister hollow bars for G50s at any supplier in the US so Pelican supplied a more expensive bar at no cost. They are also refunding me all my additional costs. Bravo Pelican [
]. BTW, I highly recommend the Sander bars. They are top quality and my mechanic will be using them now as some sizes are no longer available from Porsche Motorsport - his preference for race car t-bars.So how does it drive. Its stiff, no doubt about that, but the ride is also in a lot of respects better. I think even the HD inserts are too stiff for OE t-bars. Now the ride is very controlled and seems, to me anyway, to be an improvement. It is, bizarrely, less harsh, but as it is stiffer virtually any bump will be felt. I have race seats and I think my fillings are still safe.
The best part is (predicably) that weight transfer has been reduced dramatically. Body roll, of which there was, to be fair, not a huge amount, has been cut to what feels like virtually nothing from behind the wheel. On road tyres you can push thru a corner apex and get on the gas expecting to load up the outside rear wheel and the car just stays flat and tracks normally round the corner. Spooky. I think on track it will be possible to get on the gas much sooner. On road tyres I have only felt understeer at the limit. To be honest I need a track or a big empty roundabout to really test the limit - I am too scared on the road as the speeds need to be really high.
Weight transfer under braking and acceleration is also reduced though it doesn't feel quite as dramatic - maybe because you can generate more G in these directions, well braking anyway.
The bushings (all of them) perform exactly as expected. The front feels tighter, the rear feels the same but with silence.
So this mod gets a big thumbs up. How sweet it is.
I am happy to answer any detailed questions anyone may have and I will report on track day performance as and when I hit the track and have track tyres all mounted up. Oh yes, obligatory photo is attached showing nice low ride height. Corner balance is nigh on perfect and alignment is very race car. Neg 2 degrees front and neg 2 degrees rear camber, tiniest minimal front toe and max castor.
RB
