adfsouth

Just a side note......from my experience, the Damptronics will settle quite a bit over the first 6 months (up to a half inch or so). I'd suggest getting the car re-aligned 4 to 8 months after install to assure you maintain your alignment specs.

I track my DD about 10 times a year and run the following (w/ GT3 arms & Damptronics):

Front: -2.3 Camber, .02 toe
Rear: -2.1 Camber, .15 Toe

KeninBlaine

Thanks for the heads up. These are slightly used Damps from a member in Chicago who decided the streets were too rough for him. So given they have a few thousand miles on them, perhaps they will settle less?
I understand that large camber settings like yours are only possible with GT3 arms? How expensive are they?

utkinpol

Trick it to buy 996 GT3 LCAs, not 997. For 996 LCAs you look into $750 or so for parts. 997 is at least twice pricier but is no different from 996 mechanically. Plus you will need holder arm for your xenons level sensors. Check with mechanic who will install your damptronics - it is ideal time to get it all done.

mdrums

+1....GT3 Cup Lower Control Arms are the best mod for me as a serious track guy.

RonCT

Here's something to think about... Sport PASM lowers the car 10mm from regular PASM and that much lowering gets you almost 1/2 degree of negative camber. If putting on Damptronics you might lower yet another 10mm, so you might be approaching -1.8 degrees without control arms. For a street car that might see some DE, that would be fine for me.

yemenmocha

FYI I chatted with some PDE instructors at a recent Porsche event and they indicated that the cars they use are completely stock off the showroom - no adjusted or modified alignment settings. If the car was out of alignment and veering off to one side then of course they'd fix it, but they said it is just fine as it is off the showroom floor.

I know this is just the instructor's opinion but they sort of lectured me about the far, far greater importance of driver skill over the custom alignments that people do in order to get a better track focused car. And having seen what the 997 and Panamera do around a track with me in the passenger seat - well, I still have a lot of improvement before it is the alignment that will be improving my cornering.

Maybe some of the folks here have those skills and can benefit from the custom alignment specs, but I suspect most of us on this forum here are like me with only a couple driving schools or DE's under our belt and have a long ways to go before the alignment will even matter.

KeninBlaine

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that 10mm lowering only applies to the 997.2 cars doesn't it? Mine is a 997.1.

alexb76

Here's what I got from Ken, per Porsche recommendation for alignment numbers. I was gonna use the RoW Performance numbers (3rd column).

Any comments? Also, I believe -30 degree and -1 40 degree means, -0.5 and -1.67 respectively, right?

Mike in CA

Yes you're correct, that's -30'(minutes) and there are 60 arcminutes in a degree so -30'=.5 deg, etc.

RonCT

Ken, it's irrelevant whether you have 997.1 or 2. My point is that when you lower 10mm (as mine is from the factory), you can get about 1/2 degree and if you lower via Damptronics yet another 10mm, you might get another 1/2 degree.

KeninBlaine

OK. Thanks Ron.

Further to this ongoing discussion, does anyone have recommendations/suggestions for best height adjustment for my Damptronics on my C2S cab which I use as a daily driver? I would like it lowered a little for aesthetic purposes, but don't want to deal with excessive bottoming out at driveways etc. I was thinking of lowering by about 3/4" from current factory height. Right now, the measurement from ground to top for front wheel well opening is about 26.5" and rear opening is about 27'5".

alexb76

I personally cannot be happier with the ride height of my car, low enough while clearing most driveways, bumps on the road. I've been in the same boat before with lowering kits on my other cars and in many cases I regretted lowering it too much. I don't recommend anything more than 10mm lower than Sport PASM ride height.

Also, whenever you lower a McPherson strut too much you may affect some of the suspension geometries that might have a negative effect. I am not a Porsche expert at all, but I remember that on my VW GTI, lowering more than 1" (from stock) actually made the handling worse.

alexb76

Thanks.

So, what's the impression on these alignment numbers? what is posted earlier is a lot more negative camber upfront vs. what Porsche recommends.

KeninBlaine

So, what is the measurement from the ground to the top of your fender well openings when the car is in the garage?

Mike in CA

Absolutely. That's where the tradeoff comes in. For the best possible tire wear and to keep the liability lawyers happy, negative camber is kept to a minimum in the stock setup. For track use where you are willing to sacrifice some uneven street tire wear and a bit of straightline stability for more responsive steering and better cornering you go with more negative camber. How much you use you car on the street vs the track determines the best compromise.