strut tower failure
04-10-2019, 04:36 PM
#856
Racer
I asked a dealer about this, and they told me they'd do their "regular inspection" (i.e. placebo check: are all 4 wheels on the car, does it start ... lol). I don't really expect to remove the plastic cover and see a big 'ol crack prior to strut failure; I get the impression it's an all or nothing type of deal?
04-10-2019, 05:02 PM
#857
Rennlist Member
Not an expert here but I'd imagine that by the time an actual crack would be visible, any road imperfection would turn it into a complete failure BEFORE anyone would get a chance to observe it. I too get the impression that it's an "all or nothing" type of deal.
04-10-2019, 06:08 PM
#858
Instructor
Lots of apologists here. Fact is you should be able to beat any of these cars pretty darn hard without having to worry about a structural failure. I doubt many of these GT4's that have had these failures have been "abused" or suffered hidden damage as so many seem to hope for. The simple fact is these failures appear to be all too common in a car that is supposed to be designed for track use. I was in the market for at GT4 but based on this admittedly limited but nonetheless significant (to me at least) data sample I will pass.
Based on the type of material and its construction I don't think it is likely that an inspection would show a weakness or defect and because Porsche doesn't want to cover these repairs I see these cars as very high risk.
Based on the type of material and its construction I don't think it is likely that an inspection would show a weakness or defect and because Porsche doesn't want to cover these repairs I see these cars as very high risk.
04-10-2019, 08:02 PM
#860
Does anyone know, how does one inspect for this issue? If it's micro-fractures, I assume they would be mostly imperceptible to the human eye, and/or any fractures would not be visible from the topside through frunk (which is what you'd expect during a regular tech inspection).
I asked a dealer about this, and they told me they'd do their "regular inspection" (i.e. placebo check: are all 4 wheels on the car, does it start ... lol). I don't really expect to remove the plastic cover and see a big 'ol crack prior to strut failure; I get the impression it's an all or nothing type of deal?
I asked a dealer about this, and they told me they'd do their "regular inspection" (i.e. placebo check: are all 4 wheels on the car, does it start ... lol). I don't really expect to remove the plastic cover and see a big 'ol crack prior to strut failure; I get the impression it's an all or nothing type of deal?
04-10-2019, 09:22 PM
#861
Burning Brakes
I'm sure every car with a failure was made the day before a German holiday!
04-10-2019, 11:39 PM
#862
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Saw another one at a track this weekend.
Failed near the end of a relatively fast long sweeper ('ego check' at Spring Mountain). Probably near 120 in a GT4.
Unfortunately, caused the car to fly into the gravel trap and sustain even more front end damage. Missed the tire barrier by a few feet.
He did make out better than a Wolf at the same corner. That car must have had something mechanical go wrong. Went through the gravel trap, through the tire barrier and knocked over the concrete Jersey barrier.
Failed near the end of a relatively fast long sweeper ('ego check' at Spring Mountain). Probably near 120 in a GT4.
Unfortunately, caused the car to fly into the gravel trap and sustain even more front end damage. Missed the tire barrier by a few feet.
He did make out better than a Wolf at the same corner. That car must have had something mechanical go wrong. Went through the gravel trap, through the tire barrier and knocked over the concrete Jersey barrier.
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
04-10-2019, 11:54 PM
#864
Three Wheelin'
That was my GT4 that had the strut tower explode this weekend at SMMR. It happened without warning during heavy braking. At first I thought I blew a tire based upon the sound it made. The steering felt strange so I carefully drove it into the gravel trap at turn 4 to get off the track. Speed driving off the track was minimal - no drama!
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
04-11-2019, 07:12 AM
#865
Rennlist Member
Lots of apologists here. Fact is you should be able to beat any of these cars pretty darn hard without having to worry about a structural failure. I doubt many of these GT4's that have had these failures have been "abused" or suffered hidden damage as so many seem to hope for. The simple fact is these failures appear to be all too common in a car that is supposed to be designed for track use. I was in the market for at GT4 but based on this admittedly limited but nonetheless significant (to me at least) data sample I will pass.
Based on the type of material and its construction I don't think it is likely that an inspection would show a weakness or defect and because Porsche doesn't want to cover these repairs I see these cars as very high risk.
Based on the type of material and its construction I don't think it is likely that an inspection would show a weakness or defect and because Porsche doesn't want to cover these repairs I see these cars as very high risk.
That was my GT4 that had the strut tower explode this weekend at SMMR. It happened without warning during heavy braking. At first I thought I blew a tire based upon the sound it made. The steering felt strange so I carefully drove it into the gravel trap at turn 4 to get off the track. Speed driving off the track was minimal - no drama!
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
04-11-2019, 08:37 AM
#866
Rennlist Member
That was my GT4 that had the strut tower explode this weekend at SMMR. It happened without warning during heavy braking. At first I thought I blew a tire based upon the sound it made. The steering felt strange so I carefully drove it into the gravel trap at turn 4 to get off the track. Speed driving off the track was minimal - no drama!
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Discussed this issue with former GT4 race mechanic. He said it was so common that Porsche Motorsports sells a kit to fix it and the team used to keep a few on the truck for repairs. I've read a lot on line in the past few days but still trying to find out if anyone has heard of Porsche honoring their warranty on this common failure. So far the news is not good.
This is a stupid expensive car to have such a weak chassis. The car only had 4,000 miles on it since purchased used from Porsche dealer. Probably 24 track days on it before the failure. Prior to failure I never hit anything hard or damaged wheel or tire. Corner berms at SMMR very mild. To me it seems that the cast aluminum tower fatigues with repeated road impact. Why did Porsche engineers use pot metal here where it is supposed to be the strongest part of the car?
I'd love to hear from other GT4 owners from Germany to see how many failures they've encountered. I can't imagine what could possibly happen if a failure happens at 150mph on an unrestricted section ....
Glad you're ok man and I'm truly sorry to hear what happened !!
Last edited by 911-140.6; 04-11-2019 at 08:39 AM. Reason: spelling
04-11-2019, 11:01 AM
#867
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Next time your car is up on a lift, take a walk around and you will find LOTS of die-cast aluminum underneath in various places.
04-11-2019, 01:55 PM
#868
Burning Brakes
04-11-2019, 02:45 PM
#869
That was my GT4 that had the strut tower explode this weekend at SMMR. It happened without warning during heavy braking. At first I thought I blew a tire based upon the sound it made. The steering felt strange so I carefully drove it into the gravel trap at turn 4 to get off the track. Speed driving off the track was minimal - no drama!
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Aftermarket suspension installed by prior owner which dealer did not disclose. No telling how previous owner abused the car. Besides strut tower, only damage was to front hood buckling. Have photos but won't post.
Not that it is excusable, but it would be useful info if we knew what sort of potential impact the strut towers endured from previous owner.
Lots of apologists here. Fact is you should be able to beat any of these cars pretty darn hard without having to worry about a structural failure. I doubt many of these GT4's that have had these failures have been "abused" or suffered hidden damage as so many seem to hope for. The simple fact is these failures appear to be all too common in a car that is supposed to be designed for track use. I was in the market for at GT4 but based on this admittedly limited but nonetheless significant (to me at least) data sample I will pass.
04-11-2019, 02:54 PM
#870
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If repeated impacts are a contributing factor (appears they are), and a car is driven on US roads where the right-hand lane is used, there are always more pot holes and dips towards the curb side of the road under the right wheel than under the left side wheel. This is due to the slope of the road collecting more rain runoff on the right-hand side of the lane, and the water seeping into cracks in the pavement and resulting freezing/expanding/cracking or simple erosion of substrate. Ask someone who does a lot of front end alignments or repairs at tire/wheel shops. They will confirm they see more damage to right (passenger) side wheels/tires (again, only applies to right-hand lane driven cars, steering wheel on left side).