Experiment: A "fast road" alignment spec for the GT4
#32
Good logic and thought behind this setup.
(I'd take a tad more rear toe-in for stability on corner entry, but that's it, and I'd probably make the car a little less lively at lower street speeds by doing so!)
(I'd take a tad more rear toe-in for stability on corner entry, but that's it, and I'd probably make the car a little less lively at lower street speeds by doing so!)
#33
Hi Guys,
Just had mine aligned this weekend installed Tarrett drop links and TPC rear links.
Aligned it for dual use street and some track use, had to use shims front and back and these are the max numbers I was able to achieve without affecting caster too much.
Any thought or input is welcome, going to the track in May. So far feels much more responsive on the street.
Thanks
Just had mine aligned this weekend installed Tarrett drop links and TPC rear links.
Aligned it for dual use street and some track use, had to use shims front and back and these are the max numbers I was able to achieve without affecting caster too much.
Any thought or input is welcome, going to the track in May. So far feels much more responsive on the street.
Thanks
#35
Took some pics over the weekend, but this photo from EASY on Saturday taken by good guy J. Goriup is better than any of them.
Thread found here: http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...st-Sat-April-1
I'm happy to get more pics if people would like other angles.
Thread found here: http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...st-Sat-April-1
I'm happy to get more pics if people would like other angles.
#37
A few quick updates/obsevervations:
-I have yet to encounter any freeway situation in which the car follows grooves. 996 GT3s did that all over the place, so I was ready for a bit of that given my friend's warning. So far, nada. Will keep an eye out for it, but I see no downside to this setup yet.
-I skipped "the raise the front of the car" 1/8th inch for clearance, as I haven't had clearance problems. I'm still on my same front lip 7400 miles later, and it looks just fine with only some very minor scuffs along its bottom. Visually, I'd love to drop the front 1/4 inch and the rear a 1/2 inch—I don't think that would be a clearance issue for me—but I am leery about running the GT4 under the factory specs due to effective compression travel, as well as rake cancel. It seems Porsche likes a little rake in the GT4, though my experience with mid-engined cars suggests I don't. May play with that down the road. We'll see.
-Those initial impressions were telling: On the street, the handling is SUPERB. I feel it in every corner—that alertness with more security—and there is one particular corner that has caught me off guard, a long sweeping right onto 101 from my house. The corner has big depression at the apex, one that upsets just about every car I've driven through it if you're on it and get aggressive at the apex, going further inside. The unscientific part of this is that, in my recollection, my GT4 felt no different to me than other cars here. The fall-off was no problem, but the bump back up to level led to mild histrionics—in the wet bad enough that you could get into trouble. Well, now my GT4 does feel different than just about everything else: It tracks right through this apex crater almost as if it isn't there.
More time, miles, and drivers will reveal more, but I am really digging this setup—and my friend calculates little or no downside on tire wear.
-I have yet to encounter any freeway situation in which the car follows grooves. 996 GT3s did that all over the place, so I was ready for a bit of that given my friend's warning. So far, nada. Will keep an eye out for it, but I see no downside to this setup yet.
-I skipped "the raise the front of the car" 1/8th inch for clearance, as I haven't had clearance problems. I'm still on my same front lip 7400 miles later, and it looks just fine with only some very minor scuffs along its bottom. Visually, I'd love to drop the front 1/4 inch and the rear a 1/2 inch—I don't think that would be a clearance issue for me—but I am leery about running the GT4 under the factory specs due to effective compression travel, as well as rake cancel. It seems Porsche likes a little rake in the GT4, though my experience with mid-engined cars suggests I don't. May play with that down the road. We'll see.
-Those initial impressions were telling: On the street, the handling is SUPERB. I feel it in every corner—that alertness with more security—and there is one particular corner that has caught me off guard, a long sweeping right onto 101 from my house. The corner has big depression at the apex, one that upsets just about every car I've driven through it if you're on it and get aggressive at the apex, going further inside. The unscientific part of this is that, in my recollection, my GT4 felt no different to me than other cars here. The fall-off was no problem, but the bump back up to level led to mild histrionics—in the wet bad enough that you could get into trouble. Well, now my GT4 does feel different than just about everything else: It tracks right through this apex crater almost as if it isn't there.
More time, miles, and drivers will reveal more, but I am really digging this setup—and my friend calculates little or no downside on tire wear.
#38
I took mine to the dealer today to get tires mounted and an alignment. 8 hours later they still weren't done and sent me home with a loaner.
I am hoping for 2 degrees up front and 1.5 in the rear but they weren't able to achieve that today. It seems something was amiss in how the rear subframe was assembled so they want to disassemble the car to get the rear camber even.
It looks like I am in for a $500+ alignment to get anything north of 1 degree of camber. It is amazing to me that a car with so many adjustments can get so little camber without such extreme measures.
I am hoping for 2 degrees up front and 1.5 in the rear but they weren't able to achieve that today. It seems something was amiss in how the rear subframe was assembled so they want to disassemble the car to get the rear camber even.
It looks like I am in for a $500+ alignment to get anything north of 1 degree of camber. It is amazing to me that a car with so many adjustments can get so little camber without such extreme measures.
#40
Those initial impressions were telling: On the street, the handling is SUPERB. I feel it in every corner—that alertness with more security—and there is one particular corner that has caught me off guard, a long sweeping right onto 101 from my house. The corner has big depression at the apex, one that upsets just about every car I've driven through it if you're on it and get aggressive at the apex, going further inside. The unscientific part of this is that, in my recollection, my GT4 felt no different to me than other cars here. The fall-off was no problem, but the bump back up to level led to mild histrionics—in the wet bad enough that you could get into trouble. Well, now my GT4 does feel different than just about everything else: It tracks right through this apex crater almost as if it isn't there.
More time, miles, and drivers will reveal more, but I am really digging this setup—and my friend calculates little or no downside on tire wear.
More time, miles, and drivers will reveal more, but I am really digging this setup—and my friend calculates little or no downside on tire wear.
You should try the DSC....IMO it lets you carry more speed and get on the gas earlier without too much drama. If you have tracks like us which feature sections that are not so great the DSC is a great tool.
#42
#43
I took mine to the dealer today to get tires mounted and an alignment. 8 hours later they still weren't done and sent me home with a loaner.
I am hoping for 2 degrees up front and 1.5 in the rear but they weren't able to achieve that today. It seems something was amiss in how the rear subframe was assembled so they want to disassemble the car to get the rear camber even.
It looks like I am in for a $500+ alignment to get anything north of 1 degree of camber. It is amazing to me that a car with so many adjustments can get so little camber without such extreme measures.
I am hoping for 2 degrees up front and 1.5 in the rear but they weren't able to achieve that today. It seems something was amiss in how the rear subframe was assembled so they want to disassemble the car to get the rear camber even.
It looks like I am in for a $500+ alignment to get anything north of 1 degree of camber. It is amazing to me that a car with so many adjustments can get so little camber without such extreme measures.
Btw, $500 is not a lot for a GT4 alignment—at least at Bay Area labor rates, anyway. It takes a few hours to do it right.
#44
DSC is something I am interested in, along with the toe links, given my good experiences with TPC over the years. But I'm curious how well the stock car can be set up first. Of course, the nice thing with DSC is it's an easy swap back and forth.
#45
Btw, $500 is not a lot for a GT4 alignment—at least at Bay Area labor rates, anyway. It takes a few hours to do it right.[/QUOTE]
Mine cost about $500 including corner balancing and shims took about 4 hours.
Not done by a dealer, by a reputable performance shop on the east coast.
Mine cost about $500 including corner balancing and shims took about 4 hours.
Not done by a dealer, by a reputable performance shop on the east coast.