Rear triangular plate

[ike84]

Sorry, not sure if the technical name for it, but y'all know what I'm talking about. Here's my question - I know that everyone says it provides structural integrity to the rear running gear. I can see that being the case, at least the front half of the plate that bridges between the wheel carriers. But has anyone ever tried driving without this plate? I recently reinforced the rear end with a 1" aluminum bar and noticed a real difference in the rear end tightness with high g turns. So this makes me wonder whether these reinforcement bars are actually better at controlling "splaying" of the rear suspension better than the plate and would facilitate ditching the thing. That would leave linear motion at play (front to back) but I don't know if that would actually happen since the virtual A frame struts (notably the track arm) would control this.

No real reason to remove the thing other than it was a bit of a pain to get lined up while reassembling the rear end. Asking more out of curiosity.

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[Gilles]

Ike, if you put the weight of the rear axle on it's wheels without the triangle, you may risk trowing off the rear alignment.

The support bar its supposed to be installed along with the triangle (top..??)

[ike84]

Originally Posted by Gilles

Ike, if you put the weight of the rear axle on it's wheels without the triangle, you may risk trowing off the rear alignment.



The support bar its supposed to be installed along with the triangle (top..??)

Yeah, that's where I've got mine mounted (above the plate and diagonal bars).

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[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by ike84

Sorry, not sure if the technical name for it, but y'all know what I'm talking about. Here's my question - I know that everyone says it provides structural integrity to the rear running gear. I can see that being the case, at least the front half of the plate that bridges between the wheel carriers. But has anyone ever tried driving without this plate? I recently reinforced the rear end with a 1" aluminum bar and noticed a real difference in the rear end tightness with high g turns. So this makes me wonder whether these reinforcement bars are actually better at controlling "splaying" of the rear suspension better than the plate and would facilitate ditching the thing. That would leave linear motion at play (front to back) but I don't know if that would actually happen since the virtual A frame struts (notably the track arm) would control this.

No real reason to remove the thing other than it was a bit of a pain to get lined up while reassembling the rear end. Asking more out of curiosity.

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The reason it is a pain to realign is that when assembled, that aluminum panel is under tension and keeping the uprights in their correct position.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

The reason it is a pain to realign is that when assembled, that aluminum panel is under tension and keeping the uprights in their correct position.

I guess that I was actually more surprised that it came off without effort. I assumed that things had shifted slightly over the 6 weeks it's been off. Do you normally check alignment after reinstalling it? Is it like other suspension structures that should be torqued after the car is back in the ground. I didn't see that in the workshop manual but I figured it's worth asking.

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[JFP in PA]

The suspension uprights actually move apart with the plate is removed, and often require the use of a small ratchet strap to pull them back in to reinstall the plate. It can be torqued with the vehicle still in the air.

If the car has been up in the air and the suspension unloaded while the plate was off, usually realignment is not necessary. But if the car has been set on the ground, or driven with it off, alignment is required.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

The suspension uprights actually move apart with the plate is removed, and often require the use of a small ratchet strap to pull them back in to reinstall the plate. It can be torqued with the vehicle still in the air.

If the car has been up in the air and the suspension unloaded while the plate was off, usually realignment is not necessary. But if the car has been set on the ground, or driven with it off, alignment is required.

Thanks man, I appreciate the advice

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[truegearhead]

If we’re talking about the subframe uprights they are very fragile. If you drove with the plate off I’d inspect the uprights for cracks. Especially if it’s an early Boxster with thinner uprights.

[ike84]

Originally Posted by truegearhead

If we’re talking about the subframe uprights they are very fragile. If you drove with the plate off I’d inspect the uprights for cracks. Especially if it’s an early Boxster with thinner uprights.

Noooo, I never drove with it off. It was just a thought i had during reassembly - if there's an aftermarket rear strut bar in place, is the plate really necessary. I agree with you that there's not much bulk without it.

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[maytag]

Originally Posted by ike84

Noooo, I never drove with it off. It was just a thought i had during reassembly - if there's an aftermarket rear strut bar in place, is the plate really necessary. I agree with you that there's not much bulk without it.

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Your aftermarket rear strut brace is only bracing the distance from end to end. It isn't locating anything. Yes, you still need the triangle plate.
Out of curiosity, why don't you want it there?

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[ike84]

Originally Posted by maytag

Your aftermarket rear strut brace is only bracing the distance from end to end. It isn't locating anything. Yes, you still need the triangle plate.
Out of curiosity, why don't you want it there?

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It's a bit of a pain to get off and on. I have a few projects down the road that will require removal of the plate (trans cooler, exhaust tweaks) and it would obviously be simpler to just leave the thing off. Another reason is that I am scheming up a new underbody panel that is just one flat sheet of aluminum that runs the entire length of the car (similar to nissan gt-r) and it would be a cinch to remove the rear plate and use those bolts to secure the underbody panel in that portion of the vehicle.

That plate really strikes me more as a flex plate then a structural member - it's horribly thin and I can bend it with bare hands. I figured that my 1" square aluminum bar would stabilize side to side movement but I was concerned about fore and aft as well as diagonal stresses that the rear encounters during high g turns, which obviously a single bar will not brace for.

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