Strut Brace Question: which one to get
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09-04-2008, 01:33 PM
#9
Drifting
I'll have to get some pictures of mine to see if you all can identify it. It came off another 993 and I picked it up for free, but I have no idea what kind it is, or if its any good. I assume they all do pretty much the same thing.....or is there a difference in these things?
09-05-2008, 02:17 AM
#12
Racer
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I love my 1 piece GT2 copy. I bought it on the recommendation of Robert Linton (see quotes from him below). I got my copy from Gert Carnewal 4 years ago to put on my Targa. It replaced a 3 piece Gembella. The difference was easily noticeable on spirited street driving. I now have it on my C2. Two weeks ago I snapped up the last two Gert had for friends. He warned me about poor copies doing the rounds with slotted holes instead of the fixed holes like the original. I do not know whether there are any other good copies out there. It is an excellent strut brace and well worth the effort if you can find one.
Here are some quotes from Robert which I saved and should be searchable on Rennlist:
*"If you want the strut brace primarily for show, the OEM Type 993 brace is the answer and it also serves as a reasonably good brace. If, on the other hand, you want maximum utility, want OEM, and are less cost sensitive, call Porsche Motorsports North America and ask for the one piece strut brace used on the GT2 Race Car. It might not look as beautiful, might not fit perfectly with the carpet, but in terms of fuctionality, it is far, far better than anything else currently commercially available for Type 993 and Type 964. And I have no affiliation with PMNA other than I am honored to call certain of its employees friends."
*"Having said this, this morning I did a bit of investigation and found that the aluminum one-piece strut brace from the GT2 Race Car (part number 993 343 045 80) might cost approximately $300 in the U.S. and, if this is so, not only would this be a bargain compared to the Brey-Krause carbon fiber piece but it would dramtically out perform it and given it is a genuine Porsche factory race piece, would be significantly higher on the "cool scale".
Finally, let me note that, in principle, if a properly engineered one-piece carbon fiber strut brace was commercially available (which it is not), it would, indeed, be preferable to anything in that it would be stiffer than aluminum, and lighter."
*"The factory brace supplied with certain street versions of Type 993 and Type 964 was a three piece unit which, by definition, gives more room for flex than a properly designed one piece brace. This is why, for the GT2 race car, the factory went to a one piece unit made by Matter.
As carbon fiber is stiffer than the aluminum of either the standard factory strut brace or the GT2 race piece, the carbon fiber strut brace will flex even less and serve its intended purpose better. Further, the carbon fiber version weighs less than half that of the GT2 component which, itself (at approximately 866 grams), is lighter than the strut brace used on Type 993 and Type 964 street cars, RS's, RSR's, Turbo S's, etc.
Finally, as to why the factory never made a true one-piece carbon fiber strut brace, I would suggest three reasons: (1) design cost, (2) manufacturing complexity and cost and (3) the classes in which the factory raced street derived race cars (i.e., RSR's, GT2's) professionally did not allow carbon fiber suspension components (and, to this day, by the way, GrandAm, ALMS, FIA, do not allow carbon fiber suspension components in the GT class)."
Here are some quotes from Robert which I saved and should be searchable on Rennlist:
*"If you want the strut brace primarily for show, the OEM Type 993 brace is the answer and it also serves as a reasonably good brace. If, on the other hand, you want maximum utility, want OEM, and are less cost sensitive, call Porsche Motorsports North America and ask for the one piece strut brace used on the GT2 Race Car. It might not look as beautiful, might not fit perfectly with the carpet, but in terms of fuctionality, it is far, far better than anything else currently commercially available for Type 993 and Type 964. And I have no affiliation with PMNA other than I am honored to call certain of its employees friends."
*"Having said this, this morning I did a bit of investigation and found that the aluminum one-piece strut brace from the GT2 Race Car (part number 993 343 045 80) might cost approximately $300 in the U.S. and, if this is so, not only would this be a bargain compared to the Brey-Krause carbon fiber piece but it would dramtically out perform it and given it is a genuine Porsche factory race piece, would be significantly higher on the "cool scale".
Finally, let me note that, in principle, if a properly engineered one-piece carbon fiber strut brace was commercially available (which it is not), it would, indeed, be preferable to anything in that it would be stiffer than aluminum, and lighter."
*"The factory brace supplied with certain street versions of Type 993 and Type 964 was a three piece unit which, by definition, gives more room for flex than a properly designed one piece brace. This is why, for the GT2 race car, the factory went to a one piece unit made by Matter.
As carbon fiber is stiffer than the aluminum of either the standard factory strut brace or the GT2 race piece, the carbon fiber strut brace will flex even less and serve its intended purpose better. Further, the carbon fiber version weighs less than half that of the GT2 component which, itself (at approximately 866 grams), is lighter than the strut brace used on Type 993 and Type 964 street cars, RS's, RSR's, Turbo S's, etc.
Finally, as to why the factory never made a true one-piece carbon fiber strut brace, I would suggest three reasons: (1) design cost, (2) manufacturing complexity and cost and (3) the classes in which the factory raced street derived race cars (i.e., RSR's, GT2's) professionally did not allow carbon fiber suspension components (and, to this day, by the way, GrandAm, ALMS, FIA, do not allow carbon fiber suspension components in the GT class)."
09-05-2008, 10:35 AM
#15
Drifting