Camber strut brace worth while ?

livi · 10-15-2005, 09:40 AM

For lack of a welded fire wall in the 911 - installing a camber strut brace is said to improve handling, especially in tight corners.

My car is only street driven. Both highway and lovely empty winding roads in the country.

Its a ´85 stock Carrera. New Bilstein standard all around and about to install turbo tie rods. Rest of suspension including bushings and ball joints seems to be in good shape for its age.

Will installing the strut brace heighten my driving experience in terms of a tighter, more stable and controlled feeling during cornering ?

Or will it, on the contrary, have more adverse effects on for example comfort - since I am not using it for anything more taxing than street driving ?

Thanks,

pyro57 · 10-15-2005, 10:36 AM

livi,

I found it to be a great improvement in the cars handling and I drive my 911 every day, mostly freeway miles. It was a major improvement on the track too. I think it was well worth the money and I'm tight with a buck.

Dave

livi · 10-15-2005, 10:40 AM

Dave,

Thanks for your input !!

Could I ask you to try to elaborate on exactly how it feels different when street driving ?

Also, was there any specific difficulties installing it as compared to the 101 projects outlay ?

livi · 10-15-2005, 12:25 PM

Strange...

I think Wayne´s 101 recommends the Weltmeister strut brace. Searching on Weltmeister I only find their strut brace applicable for 964 / 993 and perhaps 944. They specifically indicate that it does not apply to older 911´s.

They DO however have a Camber Plate they recommend for my year model.

Confusing

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

I've got a Weltmeister on mine, it was literally one of the first things I did to mine, honestly, 'cuz I thought is looked good. It did seem to tighten the front a bit.

However, I can also say that after rebuilding the front end, and using Elephant Racing polyYbronze bushings, it REALLY felt great, and that probably was the single biggest improvement I've made the car.

This statement is made after seeing how many thousands of dollars I can hide in the car. Ask my wife.

livi · 10-15-2005, 02:40 PM

Thanks,

After spending over two hours digging threw the archives on this topic it seems the jury is still out on this. There are even discussions on negative long term issues.

Monoballs seems the way to go, with a lot of people.

Oh, well...I´ll find something to waist my hard earned money on..

JTL · JTL's Garage

I had a Weltmeister bar on my -84 targa. It sure looked cool when the front lid was open but I didn't notice much difference in handling though.
A welded in roll cage would greatly help a targa body. Since my car is mostly street I installed a harness bar with side supports, which noticeably stiffens the body.

jt

naparsei · 10-15-2005, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by efhughes3
I've got a Weltmeister on mine, it was literally one of the first things I did to mine, honestly, 'cuz I thought is looked good. It did seem to tighten the front a bit.

However, I can also say that after rebuilding the front end, and using Elephant Racing polyYbronze bushings, it REALLY felt great, and that probably was the single biggest improvement I've made the car.

This statement is made after seeing how many thousands of dollars I can hide in the car. Ask my wife.

Ed,
By "Biggest Improvement" do you handling alone? How much tighter did it make the car? I do not want to compromise ride quality, but I am trying to walk the line to get the most performance oriented suspension I can while keeping ride quality fairly supple.
Thanks,
Alex

Ken911 · 10-15-2005, 09:50 PM

there is a particular s curve I hit every day on the way home from work, I was always scared to hit it over 60 mph because of the suspension flex. now same corner feels safer at close to 70. I originally had no intention of putting a strut brace on the car but i won this one as a door prize at a PCA picnic. So I will definitely be putting one on the turbo soon.

pyro57 · 05:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by livi
Dave,

Thanks for your input !!

Could I ask you to try to elaborate on exactly how it feels different when street driving ?

Also, was there any specific difficulties installing it as compared to the 101 projects outlay ?

livi,

The thing that I noticed the most was ease of steering. This may sound weird but my car felt like a truck in the corners. My lap times at autocrosses improved also. My bar was easy to install and is a three point that I bought from Black Forest in San Diego (before I heard of PP) and it required some drilling where the third member attached to the floor (in front of the hidden compartment). A little while after installing the brace I also had the car 4-wheel aligned and I thought that this was a great improvement until I installed new 23mm torschen bars up front and 29mm in the rear, all new bushings, new beilsteins, turbo tie rods, and had the car lowered, corner balanced and aligned by Jae Lee in San Diego. Damn, I spent a lot of time and money on this thing just to make it handle the way that I wanted. But now when I drive the car (every day to work) I am sooooo happy with the way it handles. I hope that this answers your question and is not too long.

Dave

P.S. new anti-sway bars are next(when I get more $)

P.S.S. did not notice a difference in ride quality just from the strut brace.

livi · 10-16-2005, 05:49 AM

Thanks again,

Amazing forum - got just what I need to form my own decision.

I think I will see how it feels after the turbo tie rods, and go from there.

Gunter · Gunter's Garage

Markus:
For mildly aggressive street driving, you don't need a triangulated set-up, just a straight bar will do.
A lot depends on alignment, suspension, shocks, tires, etc.
What camber/toe are you running?
What is your ride height? Bump-steer kit installed?
First make sure all suspension bushings are good, install turbo tie rods, bump-steer kit, adjust ride height, alignment, corner balance, then worry about a strut bar.
No use installing a strut bar until all the other stuff is set up.

randywebb · 10-16-2005, 11:01 AM

"ease of steering"

- Does this fit into the idea that the struts spread apart when cornering? How do cmber changes from that affect steering ease?

Also - people watching this thread might want to watch the thread where Tyson is going to post his ideas for stiffening the front end ...

efhughes3 · efhughes3's Garage

Alex-my car never drove 'bad', but it felt like a new car after rebuilding te front end. Best single improvement to my car, period. Bushings, tie rods, ball joints, bearings, etc.