I'm finally ready to get the car aligned, and i see three kits available

1-tarett kit $450
http://www.tarett.com/items/986-987-...9pr-detail.htm

2-tarett kit $395
http://www.tarett.com/items/986-987-...lnk-detail.htm

3-rss kit $395
http://rss.rpmware.com/rss/rss-adjus...i-2243823.aspx


what's the difference and what are pros and cons of each of the three, it appears 2 and 3 are the same just different brands where they maintain the stock porsche outer tie rods(albeit new), and 1 has spherical ends on both sides

 

The first one is just a solid toe link intended to replace the rubbery ones included in 981s. I don't think it's intended to give the additional length necessary to allow proper toe with extra camber, and actually it may not clear a 19" wheel on the GT4 like the second one. You can always call Tarett if you're curious though. They're very helpful.

The second one is definitely the right one for the GT4.

The third one I believe has bump steer adjustment, but unless you're going to use that (in which case you'd probably want bump steer tie rods for the front as well), then this post suggests you might want to skip it to prioritize value and longevity over flexibility you won't be using anyway. (EDIT: Actually that may not be accurate since those might not be the links I was thinking of. Those may just be RSS' equivalent to your #2 option. Not 100% sure. They say for off-road use only though, not sure what that's about.)

If you go with the Tarett option, I'd also suggest the locking plate kit and the rod end boots. I did a big write-up about these and other parts here, fwiw.

 

I got quoted for option 1 when I sent BGB an email that's why I'm posting here and maybe someone with more experience could give me more insight. I read through your post jphughan and we're on the same page so when I got the invoice I was a little confused and figured i'd ask here. The locking kit is the only thing I'm sure of now just gotta figure the toe links out. Was considering the adjustable thrust arm bushings while I'm at it but with a mild street alignment 2-2.25 F and 1.5-1.75R not sure I need them

 

I'm not sure you'd need them for that alignment either, especially with the stock wheels, but I got them because I figured if I needed them and didn't have them, getting them after the fact and paying for another alignment would be even more expensive. But let us know what you find out from BGB or Tarett about the toe link differences!

 

Will do I've emailed both of them so as soon as I know more I'll post it here

 

Not needed. I run -2.5 F and -2 R with just the Terrett rear toe links and Motorsport shims.

 

What's your front caster? Any rubbing at full lock? I had 10 degrees of caster even with -1.5 camber (the most my car could get without shims), so I figured that the extra caster from shims might push me over the edge, and centering my wheels in the well on my car required dialing caster back to 8.6.

 

Not certain on caster numbers. No rubbing with stock wheels. My car came with ~-1.7 on all four corners. Interesting as this seems more than most others.

 

Same.

 

You guys should really take a look at how far forward your wheels sit. I've seen a GT4 running -2.7camber up front without the thrust arm bushings and it sits way forward. You might not be rubbing now, but on tight high load turns, I'm betting you will. There's also the question of whether or not running that much caster is a good thing.

 

I got RSS toe links and eccentric lockout from John at BGB and they are great. Excellent service from John and he also gave us shims.

 

"Good question on the toe links! The first one (link 2 in first post $395))was a redesign of the toe links that we did with Tarett Engineering. The main purpose was for owners of GT4’s that wanted to run 19” wheels. The original design which is the 2nd link(link 1 in original post $450) you provided is the normal toe link that would clear factory wheels but may cause issues if you are attempting to get smaller wheels in the future. Also the 2nd toe link provides what is known as “bump steer” since it has a heim joint unlike the first toe link"

straight from miguel at BGB

 

I'm not sure that's completely correct because Tarett has a THIRD toe link offering that explicitly mentions bump steer adjustment, looks completely different, and is much more expensive: http://www.tarett.com/items/986-987-...bmp-detail.htm. So if the ones in your first link offer that, I'm not sure what the point of these would be. The wheel fitment difference makes sense though since that's explicitly mentioned on the page of your #2 option -- but that option also has a 99x variant option, so it doesn't seem to be explicitly for the GT4. I'd get an answer from Ira at Tarett.

 

i emailed tarett last night so when the west coasters wake up and i get a response i'll post here

 

I have do not have any problems with my setup. My wheels are not notably forward by any amount that is concerning. I have some images taken by another where my car is under high side load from track this past weekend and was fine. Though, I concede this _could_ be different for others with their specific setups (more negative camber, lower ride height, aggressive offset wheels, etc).

For reasons that have been covered in multiple threads and you note with other cars showing wheels too far forward I asked a number of shops I purchased parts from what they recommended for my situation. The shop that did my setup runs or has run in a number of pro series and during discussions, and after completing my alignment,I asked if there would be any concern. They showed me plenty of other parts like the "pucks" or different joints used by the race cars with the pros and cons on the shelf that they could have sold me but the bottom line was that it was not needed for my setup.

Returning to the point... Since the OP was not planning to run an aggressive setup, or even as much as I currently am, I would offer the other pucks or arms are not necessary.