Front End Rebuild Questions
01-09-2018, 04:05 PM
#16
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Rennlist Member
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Thread Starter
Edit in response to above:
Very little additional vibration from either the poly steering rack mounts or from solid inner tie rods. Solid inners have been a common g-body upgrade since the dawn of time. As 911Jetta says, just a more direct steering feel. Don't replace the outer tie rods just because they're old. That approach will get you into trouble quick!
How much of your money would you like us to spend?
There are lots of options and lots of threads on them.
- A leaking steering rack isn't uncommon and a seal-only rebuild will fix it. Seal kits are available and any competent shop should be able to rebuild it in an hour +r&r time. I'd recommend rebuild yours versus buying a rebuilt rack with unknown history.
- Front top strut mounts only really need replaced if the bearing doesn't rotate smoothly. You'll definitely feel that difference in the steering. Slight age cracks in the top mounts, oddly, don't have much effect on the street in my experience. The "grease seepage" diagnosis is odd, and kind of suspicious. The remaining rear rubber is also stout and rarely an issue.
- The inner and outer tie rods both have a really long service life. The trouble is that the inners are squishy by design making aftermarket solid versions a nice upgrade to consider.
- Save a couple dollars by avoiding middle-men. For instance- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fits-Porsch...BSTI-6&vxp=mtr
- I would suggest Euro ride height for the Bilstein/H&R combo. Very low heights get into front compression travel issues.
- Last, consider running RS camber specs when they put it on the alignment rack. They're still mild specs but will give a little extra grip in the turns and won't add any appreciable tire wear.
Enjoy!
Very little additional vibration from either the poly steering rack mounts or from solid inner tie rods. Solid inners have been a common g-body upgrade since the dawn of time. As 911Jetta says, just a more direct steering feel. Don't replace the outer tie rods just because they're old. That approach will get you into trouble quick!
How much of your money would you like us to spend?
There are lots of options and lots of threads on them.- A leaking steering rack isn't uncommon and a seal-only rebuild will fix it. Seal kits are available and any competent shop should be able to rebuild it in an hour +r&r time. I'd recommend rebuild yours versus buying a rebuilt rack with unknown history.
- Front top strut mounts only really need replaced if the bearing doesn't rotate smoothly. You'll definitely feel that difference in the steering. Slight age cracks in the top mounts, oddly, don't have much effect on the street in my experience. The "grease seepage" diagnosis is odd, and kind of suspicious. The remaining rear rubber is also stout and rarely an issue.
- The inner and outer tie rods both have a really long service life. The trouble is that the inners are squishy by design making aftermarket solid versions a nice upgrade to consider.
- Save a couple dollars by avoiding middle-men. For instance- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fits-Porsch...BSTI-6&vxp=mtr
- I would suggest Euro ride height for the Bilstein/H&R combo. Very low heights get into front compression travel issues.
- Last, consider running RS camber specs when they put it on the alignment rack. They're still mild specs but will give a little extra grip in the turns and won't add any appreciable tire wear.
Enjoy!
Thank you for the very helpful reply.
I noted that SpyerX also suggested the rack rebuild and it didn’t sink it what he meant until I read your post. I have my tech looking into the rebuild requirements and he will tackle it if it looks reasonable. That will save me tons and I agree that using my rack which looks new but leaking is a much better solution than the unknown rack that could have been through hell. He did note that the shaft has scoring on it though which if true will make the entire new rack a requirement. The kits don’t seem to include a new polished shaft from what I can tell.
If I’m reading correctly the inner tie rod upgrade to tarett is a big improvement with very little or no detriment to comfort so now I’m seriously considering it. If the rack is rebuildable I might go for it, otherwise I’ll just keep the original rods since the cost is going to get out of hand if I keep going!
I appreciate the input on the upper strut mounts. He said the rubber is in good condition and the bearings turn smoothly but with a slight amount of dark grease escaping so to me it means the grease is showing reduced viscosity which will lead to eventual failure. For the price I’m going to change them and just sell the old ones since they’re still good. Someone not paying labor can take advantage of my **** decision.
I did decide to go with the upgraded rack bushings since cost is the same and it doesn’t seem to increase vibration.
Thank you again everyone for the input!
As far as the suspension, the springs will drop the front 1.5” and rear 1.0” and there’s some adjustability on the shocks to get the height dialed in. We talked extensively about my goals for the car and he’s one of the top DE instructors for PCA. He sets up cars for club racing and DE normally and has a 993 that I drove to get a feel for how extreme we can go. I have asked him to dial it back just slightly from his car as I didn’t want the very quick front end that needs regular correction on the highway. This is actually a big chunk of the labor as he will be test driving and readjusting.
01-09-2018, 09:44 PM
#18
Rennlist Member
If you are replacing the front upper mounts, just so you know, there is an aftermarket version available from Design 911 (no affiliation). They're USD 105 each.
I have two and installed one. They seem very good quality and therefore value compared to the OE ones at USD 200 plus.
I have two and installed one. They seem very good quality and therefore value compared to the OE ones at USD 200 plus.