Does a front strut brace make a noticeable difference?

[Timco]

See them occasionally. Anyone run them?

[ekam]

Doesn't need it since it's not front engine/front wheel drive

[The Radium King]

i'll disagree there. imagine a hard corner. inside wheel lifts and all weight on outside wheel. outside wheel trying to turn while entire mass of car trying to continue in a straight line. wheel will try to move inboard until all play in suspension taken up, at which point it will try to push top of strut outboard with a force equivalent to the cornering g (say 1 g or more). if top of strut moves then you lose the benefit of your camber and reduce the amount of tire in contact with the ground - not a good thing when cornering at 1 g.

folks will argue that the boxster already has a front brace in that it has two diagonal braces coming forward from the firewall to the strut tops. these braces wo't do much to stop the tops of the struts from spreading apart, however, which is where the third brace comes into play - to stoo the tops of the struts from spreading apart. that's why they're aluminum or carbon fiber - they only need tensile strength not compressive.

required for the street, probably not. on the track wih r-comps, probably why not.

[thstone]

In theory, a front strut brace should help, but I never noticed any difference on the street or on the track. They are fairly affordable and they look cool so if you really want one, go for it, but don't expect any big handling improvements.

This is the model that I had installed on my Silver Boxster:

[Ian c]

What about the rear lower ones tom ?
In was thinking of calling you last week whilst ordering parts .
But then realized I was getting carried away as usual
If its a worthwhile low cost mod I'll do it in the future ...

[Topless]

Naw, save your $$ on this. Our cars have the same front end as a 996 GT3 Cup car and they don't need a strut brace while running racing slicks in ALMS or Grand Am. If you like it for the eye candy, go for it.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Ian c

What about the rear lower ones tom ?
In was thinking of calling you last week whilst ordering parts .
But then realized I was getting carried away as usual
If its a worthwhile low cost mod I'll do it in the future ...

Sorry, but I can't say anything about the rear lower stiffeners as I have never tried them.

[Ian c]

I might try one once she has a few hours on the new suspension ...
I'm seeing them on eBay for around 100 bucks . What's the worse can happen

[woodsman]

Originally Posted by Ian c

What's the worse can happen

adding unnecessary weight to a race car that you've spent time and money on removing weight from....

[The Radium King]

i think age of car plays a role? new cars may not benefit, but older cars, cars used hard on rough roads, may have lost some structural rigidity and benefit?

[ekam]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

i think age of car plays a role? new cars may not benefit, but older cars, cars used hard on rough roads, may have lost some structural rigidity and benefit?

Our cars are made of German steel. Have you seen the 356 with a million miles? Do you see that has any extra braces?

Did you see this video?

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/14/jeff-zwart-porsche-356-snow-video/

[silver-S]

Originally Posted by ekam

Have you seen the 356 with a million miles? Do you see that has any extra braces?

Ever seen a 356 with a front wheel in the air at an autocross? I have, multiple times. They're not particularly stiff chassis, from what I can see. I'm not saying a Boxster does or doesn't need one, just that going 1M miles is not really related to the question, IMO.

[ekam]

http://pedrosgarage.com/Site_2/TechnoBrace.html

Pelican Technical Article: Rear Suspension Support - Boxster Pedro Bar - 986 / 987

[Ian c]

I know they're available , but like undercar neon lights , are they nesesary ?

[The Radium King]

I had my car on jack stands for a winter while I did a million and one things to it. after about three months the front 'shoulders' had sagged noticeably - gaps between front trunk and fenders changed considerably. this tells me that the frame will distort regardless of german, finnish or remington steel. some people say they notice a difference with a front brace, others do not. the only variables I can see are (a) the person reporting (b) age of vehicle, and (c) suspension and tire mods. so, ymmv. regarding the rear strut tower brace, not a lot of folks report improved handling, but several report reduced rattles, squeaks, etc.

the pedro brace is a different beast as it is designed to work in reverse of a strut tower brace - it is designed to strengthen the rear subframe for compression (ie, the pressed metal pan will try to compress/bend under high cornering load). as per the front brace there are different opinions out there regarding the efficacy of the thing. you could argue that you will see more play in the bushings, etc., in your suspension components than you will ever see in your strut towers and rear subframe.

[Ian c]

Sorry to hijack again , but I've just been reading this :
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/10817-driving-impressions-lower-stress-bar.html
I think i will do this modification .

[ekam]

Originally Posted by Ian c

Sorry to hijack again , but I've just been reading this :
http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/10817-driving-impressions-lower-stress-bar.html
I think i will do this modification .

I hate to report that after I put my order in with Mantis, they seemed to have raised the price of their adjustable bar from $135 to $175.

Mantis Sport Rear Stress Bar

[Ian c]

Time to MAKE your own ??


(See what I did there ?)

[ekam]

Originally Posted by The Radium King

I had my car on jack stands for a winter

There's your mistake there. NEVER leave your car on jack stands for winter.

[The Radium King]

ah yes, the old molecular change that occurs in german steel when wheels are not in contact with the ground. similar to the change in bone density experienced by astronauts who live in zero gravity for extended periods of time ...