Targa Body Braces
05-03-2004, 12:45 PM
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Targa Body Braces
I know that this topic has been covered but I cannot find the thread.
I just had the Targa Body Braces installed. They were ordered from Pelican Parts.
I have driven my 1975 911S Targa for twenty five years so I know how it feels. The difference in chassis responsiveness was IMMEDIATELY noticeable. I was not expecting such a noticeable difference so it is not a question of wish fulfillment. The car is tighter, quieter, with sharper responses in all areas of handling. The car already has solid engine mounts, a front suspension tower brace, and spherical bearings on the front strut mounting points, and "Charly" anti-roll bars. The targa body braces were a very welcome addition to the car. I recommend them.
I just had the Targa Body Braces installed. They were ordered from Pelican Parts.
I have driven my 1975 911S Targa for twenty five years so I know how it feels. The difference in chassis responsiveness was IMMEDIATELY noticeable. I was not expecting such a noticeable difference so it is not a question of wish fulfillment. The car is tighter, quieter, with sharper responses in all areas of handling. The car already has solid engine mounts, a front suspension tower brace, and spherical bearings on the front strut mounting points, and "Charly" anti-roll bars. The targa body braces were a very welcome addition to the car. I recommend them.
05-03-2004, 01:51 PM
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I have been considering these for my 81. Did the targa bars provide more noticeable improvement than the strut tower brace? I will eventually do both, but can only justify the expense of one right now. Which would you recommend if only one could be done?
05-04-2004, 03:32 PM
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In hindsight, I would start with the Targa body braces as they will give you a better baseline to judge changes to the suspension since the chassis platform would be stiffer.
I was surprised the feeling of stiffness and improved handlling response was as noticeable as it was. I had done most of the suspension mods at the same time so I cannot comment on the incremental changes but the addition of Charly bars (anti-roll bars), the spherical end bearings for the front suspension shock towers, and the strut tower brace made a huge difference in the car's ability to turn in quicker and more smoothly. It cut the understeer of the car substantially. Don't forget, 911s have a lot of understeer designed into the front suspension to offset the cars inherent tendency to oversteer. I am still tweaking the bars to balance these two areas. I also found that the solid motor and transmission mounts made the car a lot more responsive (and it wasn't just the added road noise). The car shifted a lot faster and smoother because the engine/trans wasn't mvoing around against the body/chassis with the rubber mounts. The solid mounts did add quite a bit of road noise and vibration to the car however.
All in all, I have found the car to feel much more predictable and easier to drive fast with confidence. I have not had the car on a track since all the mods so there is still tuning to be done.
NEt, net: it is a two thumbs up on the Targa body braces. I'd do 'em first rather than last. And they look cool. Be careful on the seat belt bolts however; both of mine needed to soak overnight with Liquid Wrench. They had never been out of the car for its entire life since 1975.
I was surprised the feeling of stiffness and improved handlling response was as noticeable as it was. I had done most of the suspension mods at the same time so I cannot comment on the incremental changes but the addition of Charly bars (anti-roll bars), the spherical end bearings for the front suspension shock towers, and the strut tower brace made a huge difference in the car's ability to turn in quicker and more smoothly. It cut the understeer of the car substantially. Don't forget, 911s have a lot of understeer designed into the front suspension to offset the cars inherent tendency to oversteer. I am still tweaking the bars to balance these two areas. I also found that the solid motor and transmission mounts made the car a lot more responsive (and it wasn't just the added road noise). The car shifted a lot faster and smoother because the engine/trans wasn't mvoing around against the body/chassis with the rubber mounts. The solid mounts did add quite a bit of road noise and vibration to the car however.
All in all, I have found the car to feel much more predictable and easier to drive fast with confidence. I have not had the car on a track since all the mods so there is still tuning to be done.
NEt, net: it is a two thumbs up on the Targa body braces. I'd do 'em first rather than last. And they look cool. Be careful on the seat belt bolts however; both of mine needed to soak overnight with Liquid Wrench. They had never been out of the car for its entire life since 1975.
