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Just wanted to say thanks to Joec500 and AdamSanta for pointing out the adjustable spring perch on the rear PASM shock that I didn't even notice when I installed the springs. I have H&R sport springs and always thought the rear sat a bit high making the car have to much rake. It bothered me to the point I was about to drop a few thousand on some coilovers to correct it. Well today i yanked the rear wheels and moved the snap ring down to the bottom groove and scored another 3/8" drop in the rear. Now I think it sits perfect and it was free! So for anyone who wants to know, this pic is a 2013 Carrera 4S with PASM, H&R sport springs, and PASM spring perch set at bottom groove. Cheers!
Having just got this done, I did -1.7 camber all around, 0 toe all around. I went between slight toe in vs. 0 toe in the rear. slight toe in adds stability but 0 toe makes the rear end slightly more "dynamic". After some spirited back road sprints, I like the added dynamism of the rear in combination with the rest of the suspension. Still feels very stable and solid, but not as Fort Knox as stock which I think was 0.15' toe in each rear side. Think I'll probably keep it here for a bit as I'm happy with it for my driving. If I change it might be to add a little more camber up front similar to Joe's car but for now I'm super happy with the setup.
Having just got this done, I did -1.7 camber all around, 0 toe all around. I went between slight toe in vs. 0 toe in the rear. slight toe in adds stability but 0 toe makes the rear end slightly more "dynamic". After some spirited back road sprints, I like the added dynamism of the rear in combination with the rest of the suspension. Still feels very stable and solid, but not as Fort Knox as stock which I think was 0.15' toe in each rear side. Think I'll probably keep it here for a bit as I'm happy with it for my driving. If I change it might be to add a little more camber up front similar to Joe's car but for now I'm super happy with the setup.
Thanks for the feedback.
I have appointment Saturday morning for alignment at RCT Performance in Westbury, NY.
Re: alignment specs for the road, I would give the following thoughts.First, like Joe said, alignment makes a huge difference in how the car responds and feels.
I forget exactly but my car started at something like -1 camber front, 0 toe, -2 camber rear, +0.15' toe. Steering on-center was a bit vague, and improved a bit with spirited cornering. Car definitely understeered and rear-end was rock-solid and planted.
After installing Tractive DDAs with 60/120 spring rates, LOTS of things improved (will post something more lengthy later and separately about the Tractives) but I took care to keep my alignment the same as much as possible by marking bolts, etc.
Then I got it aligned a few weeks later after the springs settled (very important) to -1.7 camber all around, 0 toe all around. Did some research looking into this and the possibilities here are endless. But my conclusions from a bunch of different sources led me to this for street / non-track driving. This is basically the max OEM recommended setting in the rear and well over the recommended setting in the front. As I mentioned previously, on-center feel is dramatically improved - lots more road feedback, turn-in is much sharper, and the car feels much more dynamic but at the same connected. The front and rear are doing the same thing in a much more consistent and predictable way. Bottom line, I am SUPER HAPPY with my Tractives and with my alignment settings. I should also mention that the Tractives come with both front and rear upper mounts which is what enables the increased camber ranges. Stock, I think -1.6 may be achievable up front and and rear can get to at least -1.8 but if you want more you'll need additional upgrades beyond the springs and struts.
Differences between my car and Joe's: Joe has more negative camber up front, same in the rear with a tiny amount of toe. I would say his car is even sharper still in the on-center feel and turn-in is even a bit more direct. I'd have to try it again sometime to refresh my memory but this is what I recall. I have no idea if you can actually tell a difference between 0.05 vs 0 rear toe. I'm going to say I can't, but I like my rear settings because of the way the rear-end feels when driving spiritedly. No it's not going to be even close to a tail-happy 997 RWD car even in stock form, but certainly not as planted and understeer prone as the stock 991 car. All of this is just about how you want the car to feel and what you like. Best part is, once the suspension is on and you're happy with your ride-height, making adjustments is fairly easy and cost-effective.
One thing I will say that I learned is, unless you're being paid to race, don't bother with corner weight balancing. It can be very time consuming and thereby $$, with little to no real benefit for most people. I did get my car weighed and the corner weights calculated just for fun, but then moved onto the alignment.
It's not difficult and you only need to remove the wheel. I used my floor jack handle as a prybar (must be at least 3' long and not wooden) to lift the spring. I was able to slide handle through a coil of the spring and used a block of wood resting on the rotor to pry down against. This relieved the tension of the spring off of perch so I could move the ring down and lower the perch. I was able to do it my self but I highly recommend someone else help to hold the prybar while you lower the perch...much easier to do with two hands. Make sure the prybar is solidly planted because if it slips out and that spring comes whipping down it will be ugly. You only need to lift spring an 1/8" to get the job done. Here's a drawing of what I mean. Do at your own risk.
Just got back from having alignment done. Happy with the work but a little confused about the rear toe. He said the rear toe is what the factory calls for, vs what you guys are doing 0-.05. If it is really supposed to be .05 than it is 3x out of spec which is a lot. Should I have him redo the rear toe? I FEEL like I have a slight vibration at high speed in the rear, but it could also now be in my head because I am looking for something. They have one of those expensive road force tire machines, maybe I should have them check the balancing...
Definitely going to get thicker front spacers now with the camber. I currently have 8mm, going to do at least 12mm.
New specs
Front
----------
Camber: -1.8/-1.9
Toe: .02/.02
Rear
-----------
Camber: -1.7/-1.8
Toe: .16/.17
Last edited by AdamSanta85; 08-10-2019 at 11:44 AM.
Slight rear toe in should increase stability and not decrease it. Slight toe out would make things more exciting. Either way, these are relatively small adjustments from factory imo.
Bringing this thing back from the dead... been contemplating my ride height...
Current
Front is 27" floor to fender
Rear is 27.5" floor to fender because my 305's are 1/2" taller than 245's.
GT3 stock is 27.25 all around, same size tires 245/305.
I walked around my dealer on Saturday, had a tape measure in car, decided to measure the GT goodness they had. 991 Speedster, GT3, GT3RS, GT2RS. All of them have less fender gap in rear than in front, with the ride height being level F to R.
Thinking about bringing my rear down to to <= 27.25"
Anyone else running with less fender gap in the rear?
Bringing this thing back from the dead... been contemplating my ride height...
Current
Front is 27" floor to fender
Rear is 27.5" floor to fender because my 305's are 1/2" taller than 245's.
GT3 stock is 27.25 all around, same size tires 245/305.
I walked around my dealer on Saturday, had a tape measure in car, decided to measure the GT goodness they had. 991 Speedster, GT3, GT3RS, GT2RS. All of them have less fender gap in rear than in front, with the ride height being level F to R.
Thinking about bringing my rear down to to <= 27.25"
Anyone else running with less fender gap in the rear?
Bringing this thing back from the dead... been contemplating my ride height...
Current
Front is 27" floor to fender
Rear is 27.5" floor to fender because my 305's are 1/2" taller than 245's.
GT3 stock is 27.25 all around, same size tires 245/305.
I walked around my dealer on Saturday, had a tape measure in car, decided to measure the GT goodness they had. 991 Speedster, GT3, GT3RS, GT2RS. All of them have less fender gap in rear than in front, with the ride height being level F to R.
Thinking about bringing my rear down to to <= 27.25"
Anyone else running with less fender gap in the rear?
Just had my GTS lowered with KW HAS last week, drove it about 100 miles and then went back to lower the front a bit more. The car drove surprisingly well at first but today after lowering it just a 1/4" more up front is riding quite bouncy. I'm contemplating trying a DSC module or lifting it a 1/4" front and rear.
Just had my GTS lowered with KW HAS last week, drove it about 100 miles and then went back to lower the front a bit more. The car drove surprisingly well at first but today after lowering it just a 1/4" more up front is riding quite bouncy. I'm contemplating trying a DSC module or lifting it a 1/4" front and rear.