derek_944x

I would like to know if anyone can tell me what type of tradeoff I would expect by replacing my normal Strut mount for a Weltmeister Camber plate or any other aftermarket camber plate? Will there be added noise or bone jarring stiffness in the front suspension or ride?

However and currently, whenever I drive over street reflectors hard or fast my stereo shorts out as a result, and that is with my current rubber mounts and suspension. I know that this is another problem, but I imagine it would be worse with a less forgiving stiffer front end. I will be having my stereo system, amp, and speakers professionaly rewired soon too.

It may seem like a frivalous or wasted expense, but I am in the process of replacing my Strut Mounts, and would like to consider using camber plates as a nice possible upgrade/alternative...not much of a difference in cost: Paragon Camber/Caster plates $295/pair, or the regular 924-944-968 Strut Mount $228/pair.

So many upgrades to do, so little time/money.

Tabor

From what I have heard:

They will increase Noise, Vibration, Harshness.

They will not make a big handling difference unless you also upgrade your control arm bushings.

Joel

You would want camber plates if you need more negative camber than what the stock suspension allows. The only reason to dial in more negative camber is if you are going track the car. If the car is staying on the street save your money. I replaced upper strut bearings (bushings or whatever you call them) on my early 944. They were nowhere near as expensive as what you said (I think I paid around $52 for the pair).

derek_944x

Hey, Joel:

Thanks for the info. Well, as you stated and what I failed to state is, I am not intending to go track or race. But, I thought maybe it would be a good upgrade and have better resale potential later on. However, I personally feel the need to stick with the rubber.

As for cost. Well, I have an '87 944 with upgrade Sport suspension. As far as I know, my car requires the costlier strut mount. I found these mounts on: <a href="http://www.paragon-products.com," target="_blank">www.paragon-products.com,</a> which seem to be farely priced.

Anyway, thanks for the info.

Derek

M758

Personally I would not install camber plates on a car that would not see the track.

The only benefit is fast camber adjustments or more camber overall.

They are usefull if you have street/track car. During the week you can keep the camber to neg 1 or less to keep good tire wear and dial in alot more for autocross or track in about 10 mintues.

I would not expect them to be worth any money on resale unless you are selling it to a track guy.

In spite of the cost, stock rubber is right for the street as you have said.

Bryan

I just replaced the strut mounts on my late offset ('88) 944. The latest factory strut mounts are updated and have a tuned mass on them (a big chunk of steel) so there has clearly been some revising done by the factory.

As far as camber goes, I'm still working on my suspension (turbo sway bar, tie rods, and wheel bearings are on deck). So when I changed the struts and springs, I just set the camber eccentric to somewhat negative but not all the way negative. And the car now has enough negative camber that it's plainly visible to the naked eye when you look at the front wheels. And it's not set full negative. You'd have to be doing something pretty extreme to require more than the stock suspension allows for.

I installed S2 sport shocks (M474) and stock S2 springs, for what it's worth.

Bryan

Skip

[quote]Originally posted by derek_944x:
<strong>I would like to know if anyone can tell me what type of tradeoff I would expect by replacing my normal Strut mount for a Weltmeister Camber plate or any other aftermarket camber plate? Will there be added noise or bone jarring stiffness in the front suspension or ride? <hr></blockquote></strong>

What they said... yes, it will transmit more of the road to the chassis - for better or worse.

The camber plates are for cars in competition - no real discernable advantage on street cars, unless they are modified (control arm bushing upgrades, uprated springs, etc) - or, you may simply *want* them

Good Luck!

Skip

[quote]Originally posted by Joel:
<strong>(I think I paid around $52 for the pair).</strong><hr></blockquote>

Unfortunately for Derek, the 87 944 requires the later style mounts. Why they are that much more costly is beyond me.

Skip

Skip

Just as an aside to this - I recently had a chance to pressure test a set of stock OE upper strut bushings on both stock sprung struts, and Koni conversions with 250 Weltmeister springs. While simple logic would have precluded the outcome, it was nice to definitively "see" the difference.

Short Story Long: The upper strut bushing is rubber - rubber deflects relatively uniformly and at a progressive rate. The amount of deflection is relatively significant (up to ~1/2"). The rubber has a spring rate that is in series with the actual spring. The rubber will compress as the corner pressure is increased - if the spring rate is soft, less of this effect is felt. If the spring rate is rigid, more will be felt. Makes sense - but is easy to see and explain when you're watching it happen.

Long Story Short: The OE rubber bushings will absorb more pressure the higher the spring rate.

I think... ?

S