Chassis stiffness

[ike84]

I have never noticed any flex in the center of the vehicle, even under quite "spirited" driving conditions (i.e. finding the limits of what michelin ps2 sports are capable of lol). I did have quite a bit of softness with vertical accelerations (going through big dips or over humps) but that went away completely when I got rid of the stock struts and put in GodSpeed MAXX coilovers. The only other play that I have noticed was in the rear while pushing G limits of high speed turns and this resolved with a homemade version of the rear strut brace that I made out of a 1" aluminum square bar (I can take my favorite turn 3-5mph faster without the feeling of the rear giving out).

If you can really feel the tub flex then I think the only answer would be roll-cage anti intrusion bar setup (like those miata bars) but that would be less than ideal for a DD. If the bigger issue is a rattle/squeak from the hard top I would counter by saying that it is the top thats the problem - its not easy to hang on to that car while doing high G maneuvers and it wouldn't surprise me if that would create some hard-top chatter if the part is an aftermarket cosmetic piece and not a racing hardtop.

Just my 2c.

[Robert986]

Originally Posted by ike84

I have never noticed any flex in the center of the vehicle, even under quite "spirited" driving conditions (i.e. finding the limits of what michelin ps2 sports are capable of lol). I did have quite a bit of softness with vertical accelerations (going through big dips or over humps) but that went away completely when I got rid of the stock struts and put in GodSpeed MAXX coilovers. The only other play that I have noticed was in the rear while pushing G limits of high speed turns and this resolved with a homemade version of the rear strut brace that I made out of a 1" aluminum square bar (I can take my favorite turn 3-5mph faster without the feeling of the rear giving out).

If you can really feel the tub flex then I think the only answer would be roll-cage anti intrusion bar setup (like those miata bars) but that would be less than ideal for a DD. If the bigger issue is a rattle/squeak from the hard top I would counter by saying that it is the top thats the problem - its not easy to hang on to that car while doing high G maneuvers and it wouldn't surprise me if that would create some hard-top chatter if the part is an aftermarket cosmetic piece and not a racing hardtop.

Just my 2c.

Any pictures of that diy rear strut bar?

[Robert986]

Sorry for bumping this one again :-)

If time permits I´ll be putting on some side skirts before summer, this I can admit is for the visual appearance. I'm considering adding a few layer of carbon fiber over the rocker panels before adding the side skirts, to add a bit of extra strength.. Would this be totally meaningless?

Another thing that I might try later would be to fill in the open parts of the floor with panels of carbon/divinycell and epoxy-glue it in. If they fit it should add some torsional stability, at least that's my experience from working with speed boats.

Well well, as long as I'm having fun..