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Originally Posted by markk
Great explanation, thanx.
Now I wonder, I have the factory installed sportsuspension on my S which sits, by heard, 10mm lower. So what happens to bumpsteer and what is described as the narrow window of optimalization there ?
I assume, because it was not just lowered but factory installed/option they corrected accordingly.
Mark.
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Hi,
I don't know for certain, but am fairly confident that Porsche did compensate and fully Test the SportSuspension before putting it into Production.
This is an area where people doing AfterMarket Upgrades are, IMHO, taking some risk. They either assume the AfterMarket Co. has done this Research and Testing, or they're ignorant of it altogether. Most people don't
really understand Suspension Geometry and it's various associated parts like Camber, Caster, Toe, Ackerman Angle, Scruff Radius, BumpSteer and on and on, or how these are all affected and inter-related.
The Boxter is really very limited production, so much so that I doubt that any of the AfterMarket Springs or Shocks are
purpose-built exclusively for it. There simply isn't enough Demand to warrant the R&D and Engineering expense for this. Consequently, the components packaged as a
kit are likely to be Off-the-Shelf components which are used on a variety of Cars, so I suspect there are compromises being made by the AfterMarket Companies. Of course, it would not be in their better interest to report on this. I suspect they chose existing components which, through
Trial and Error (but of course even this is an
assumption), were found to be a Marketable Product.
People either don't know enough about Suspension in General to know it's not right, or are feeling the Placebo Effect - they spent all this $$ so it must be better and
EVERYBODY else says it's the thing to do so it
must be better.
For many owners, Suspension Upgrades are simply another form of
Automotive Jewelry, many are motivated merely by the need to Customize, or Individualize
their Car, or acquire
Bragging Rights. We see many owners on these Forums who have done the expensive Suspension Upgrades on a Car which has never seen the Track or an Auto-X, whose fastest Speed Run is the DownRamp on the Freeway and whose tightest
Twisty is a CloverLeaf. That's all OK, it's
their Car and
their Money. But, in truth, their riding on a serious OVERBUILT Suspension, which they'll never derive any real benefit from. I regularly both Track and Auto-X my Boxster. It's got the Stock Suspension and performs great. Any increase in Lap Times for me is gonna come much more from improving my Driving Skills than trying to better the already excellent OEM Suspension, and I haven't compromised the Ride Quality.
Porsche has some real Suspension Expertise, probably
Second only to
Lotus. This is why I would be
very hesitant to mess with the Factory Set-Up and would only go with AfterMarket Components after doing a
LOT of Research. Hope this helps...
Happy Motoring!... Jim'99