$2000 for track improvements?
 

What could 2000 USD get me for upgrades on a 2002 2.7 Boxster?

It came with "Sport Package" whatever that means
18" wheels... putting Mich Pilot Sport Cup2s on next week
It has PSM (Phun Stopping Mechanism)
Has new Bilstein 5 instead of factory 4. Maybe should have gotten 6, but I didn't, so is what it is.

Can 2000 land anything significant for noticeable better power or handling?
Thanks!

brakes - race pads, motul 600 fluid, gt3 ducts
tires - r-comp
alignment - max front camber
front swaybar if you still have any $.

Shameless plug, but I happen to have a few goodies that could fit your budget in the classifieds section. :)

https://986forum.com/forums/boxster-cayman-parts-sale-wanted/85995-koni-special-active-h-r-lowering-spring-setup.html

You probably don't need everything, but I do have the sway bar setup that you could potentially benefit from.

Plug aside, The Radium King's recommendations are solid.

I'm surprised no-one mentioned education and experience. Better to increase your skills first, before changing the power or handling.

Why a front sway bar instead of a rear? I’ve read a lot of posts where people stiffen the rear end to help with understeer. Genuinely curious, not disagreeing or trash talking :cheers:

well, i think the front swaybar is a bit easier to find on the used market as was also used in the 996/gt3 so easier to stay within your budget. also, front swaybar will stop inside wheel lift on hard cornering with stock (soft) suspension. and if adjustable can be used to balance the car, although most understeer could be taken out with tire choice.

otherwise, what a swaybar does is index the wheel carriers to the body of the car. so, on a hard corner the outside suspension compresses as the body rolls outward. this makes the outside wheel carrier move up relative to the body. the swaybar then makes the inside wheel carrier move up as well which reduces body roll.

if you look at it in reverse, when the inside wheel carrier extends on a turn the swaybar tries to make the outside wheel carrier extend as well, which increases the downward force exerted on the outside tire. on a poorly set-up car this can overpower the tire and cause you to loose traction - understeer.

so, the whole "stiffer front swaybar increases understeer" adage really depends on how stiff the suspension is, what alignment you are running, what tires you are running, what tire pressure you are running, etc. similarly, the "stiffer rear swaybar reduces understeer" adage is just the same; the stiff rear swaybar can cause the outside rear tire to loose traction faster so that you oversteer before you understeer; i.e., it doesn't reduce understeer but rather increases oversteer such that a car which is otherwise prone to understeer now feels balanced.

my thoughts anyways.

@TRK, Thanks for posting that clear explanation. :cheers:

thx. i think it is good for folks to understand that there are two ways to balance a vehicle (whether it is traction or braking) and sometimes the internet doesn't differentiate;
- improve one end until it matches the other
- handicap one end until it matches the other.

i would rather the former.

also, it all begs the question - is body roll bad? if all a sway bar does is translate body roll into downward force on the outside tire, why not just live with the roll and use the additional grip for more lat-G?

i draw the line at flying the inside tire. if you really want to go down the rabbit hole, lots of good info here:

https://speedsecrets.com/q-does-a-car-with-less-roll-result-in-more-cornering-grip/

[QUOTE=

also, it all begs the question - is body roll bad? if all a sway bar does is translate body roll into downward force on the outside tire, why not just live with the roll and use the additional grip for more lat-G?

/QUOTE]

Interesting question.
I realize it's a vastly different situation, but dirt track cars actually USE body roll to corner. They don't use anti-roll bars at all, and do "fly" the inside tire a lot. Look up 'late models" to see some really creative suspension. Those things, while quite ugly, have some very sophisticated rear suspension which make F1 cars look like Model Ts!

That is interesting! Thank you!

+1

While I agree with Radium King's mechanical suggestions, before you spend a bunch of money on mechanical items you'd be more effective working on your skills first.

Do you:

1. Hit track-in, apex, and track-out effectively? Are you early or late apexing when you shouldn't be? No corner creep, no kinda close apexes, no half-assed track out. I drive in advanced run groups and I see lots of guys with fast cars miss an apex by an entire car width, then go flying down the straight because they have 400-500 hp and think they're fast. Their car is fast but they're not. Corner creep makes your turning radius sharper and not fully tracking out reduces your ability to accelerate an extra .1 sec. 10 corners X .1 = 1 sec faster.

2. Trail brake? You need to do this to keep your car balanced at corner entry, in addition to being able to carry more speed into the corner. That means you can move your brake pt further (deeper) into the corner. A balanced car is a happy car.

3. Turn through esses or drive thru them? If you're turning thru them, you're losing time and an acceleration zone. The key to esses is to early apex the entry, then late apex the exit. This will create a straight line thru them and allow you to actually accelerate thru them rather than hang on while you turn thru both.

4. Video your sessions? You want to have a shot from over your shoulder so you can see what you're doing in addition to where you're going on the track. You will make huge improvements if you start videoing your sessions. You'll be surprised what you're actually doing vs what you think you're doing.

5. Collect track data? Analytics is an emerging technology. Lots of data available, just don't get caught up in it while you're on the track. Analyze it after your drive, as you need to focus on driving while on the track.

6. Do lots of DEs per year? Doing 1 or 2 per year isn't going to make you better. When you're new, you need track time. And you need to use video and analytics after your events to improve. We have a new father / son combo with some very fast / expensive 911s in our club. They show up for half a day, do 2, maybe 3 sessions, then leave. They're not very good and won't get better with that little track time, but if you ask them, they're the bomb. Dangerous combo.

You'll never turn a Boxster into a GT3 without adding a 0 to your kitty. A $2000 budget for mechanical items will make your car faster, but that's only good if you're going against other Boxsters. Those improvements will not make you competitive with the hoard of late model track weapons that fill today's DE grids. Make yourself a better driver so it doesn't matter what you're driving. The first 3 items I suggested are free while 4 & 5 will easily fit in your budget.