Front Strut Brace Install

[½cwt]

6 hours ago, ATM said:

Standard 986 here with covers off showing bars in place -assuming from factory unless someone else retro fitted before I got the car 

 

No indication in the 986 parts cat that they were only from a certain date, only S models or anything like that.  Maybe fitted following work in pre-production development to stiffen the front up.

 

@the baron are these strut turret braces fitted on your early car?

[Menoporsche]

On 2/14/2021 at 3:29 PM, beaks said:

I'm sure everyone will have differing opinions on how much difference it'll make - but for me, it's a cheap modification and it will have 'some' effect - quite how much will be debated (most likely) until the end of time!

Thought I’d reprint this from the original post. Well done Ian  

[Terryg]

15 minutes ago, Menoporsche said:

Thought I’d reprint this from the original post. Well done Ian  

Well done Meno, get back to the point as someone seems to have an agenda and is determined to prove it.

[½cwt]

2 Questions:

1. If they do nothing why did Porsche develop and fit them to the 986, 996 and 997?

2. Why do race and rally cars have them.

So I've dug back into my Mech Eng degree materials knowledge here.  Observation on the Mech Eng's test, steel will flex in bending quite a lot, however to stretch or compress a tube or bar of steel (does vary by alloy, more ductile or more brittle) even by a few thou is a fair amount of load...  Even by adding a fixed bar between turrets to take the measurements will change the amount of movement.

A typical mild steel ø10mm solid rod (about the same cross section of metal as a ø25 x 2mm wall tube) 1 metre long with a 10kN load (approx. 1 ton) in tension with lengthen by about 0.635mm, or about 25 thou.  A few thou is still a fair load...

 

 

 

I wait to be told this it total b*ll*x.

[Ninesomething]

11 hours ago, bally4563 said:

Get the Bally Brace and really enhance !!

I have one.....

[ATM]

Could it be some form of crash protection rather than a performance mod?

The Boxster doesn't have a roof so it will be more bendy than a 996. I'll check to see if my 996 has them. Found some pics I took earlier and you can just about see then. This is a 1998 car.

[Ninesomething]

1 hour ago, phazed said:

I saw an interesting video on YouTube last night by a mechanical engineer. He made up a brace to go in between the turrets with a sensor in the centre of it so that he could measure movement and record it digitally on his computer.

He did various tests on the car, a Porsche 993 by the look of things, (Arguably more flexible than a Boxster) and his conclusion was that the few thousands of an inch that was measured in flexing didn’t warrant a strut brace.

Of course, if you were seriously racing a car you would take every step to stiffen the chassis/body anyway you could for total rigidity and I’m sure that a price in between the turrets would be just one of many modifications that would be carried out.

My point is, no one is going to notice the front strut brace modification. The turrets are not flapping about. The whole car is very strong and stiff for safety reasons as well as for handling.

For those who have never done a track day or any racing, imagine braking hard for a fast corner, down to about 70 mph, turning in and accelerating out of the bend, letting the car drift through, tyres creeping under lateral strain from the apex to the outside of the corner. All the time, the weight of the car on the outer wheels, suspension in compression, you working the steering wheel to maintain the best line and grip. Your body is counteracting the G force and you are pushing against the transmission tunnel or door with your knee as you push back in the seat trying to maintain your position. Then with the whole car loaded mid corner imagine 1–2 mm of lateral movement inbetween the two front suspension turrets, do you think that you would notice this, of course not, not on a standard road car.

His final words were that the majority of the strut braces were just ornaments.

Having said all that, I do have one on the front of my track day Skoda Octavia vRS. It is about a 50 mm diameter tube with 10mm thick fixing flanges at each end. Does it do anything, I don’t know but someone gave it to me and the car is used solely for flat out Track Days. Who knows. What I do know is it is a very purposeful piece of kit and given the circumstances of the use of the car, may do a little something. Would I notice it, absolutely not. I can be seen on track with the car pitching and sliding on the edge. I don’t think I would notice if the wheel bolts were loose when the car feels like it is at the point of parting company with the tarmac!

 

If you'd done it and didn't like it fair enough. But as you havent.....

[BBB]

44 minutes ago, ATM said:

Could it be some form of crash protection rather than a performance mod?

I don’t think so. Crash protection is normally designed to deform and absorb the energy to protect the passengers. The Boxster has a reinforced windscreen surround structure to protect in rollover though. 

[the baron]

3 hours ago, ½cwt said:

No indication in the 986 parts cat that they were only from a certain date, only S models or anything like that.  Maybe fitted following work in pre-production development to stiffen the front up.

 

@the baron are these strut turret braces fitted on your early car?

I can confirm that my 1997 2.5 has them fitted as standard from factory 

[½cwt]

2 hours ago, ATM said:

Could it be some form of crash protection rather than a performance mod?

The Boxster doesn't have a roof so it will be more bendy than a 996. I'll check to see if my 996 has them. Found some pics I took earlier and you can just about see then. This is a 1998 car.

986, 996 and 997 all seem to have them as standard.

[BBB]

Does anyone know the purpose of the two nylon inserts? Are they essential? I just received my second hand ones and the nearside strut was still assembled into the firewall-end bracket, but there was no nylon insert. I can’t work out what it is meant to do.

As it came with the two big bolts, I may only need to find suitable bolts for the struts.

[kevin450]

Yes I think the spacers are required they help prevent the bracket totally squashing  the strut when you tighten the large bolt up and gives support to the bulkhead bracket

the bulkhead bracket you can notice if you squeeze the bracket with your hand where the large bolt goes how it flexes inward the fillers nylon inserts will prevent this give the bracket more strength. I would say Porsche wouldn’t add these if not required for  a reason not expensive from opc

[kevin450]

49 minutes ago, BBB said:

Does anyone know the purpose of the two nylon inserts? Are they essential? I just received my second hand ones and the nearside strut was still assembled into the firewall-end bracket, but there was no nylon insert. I can’t work out what it is meant to do.

As it came with the two big bolts, I may only need to find suitable bolts for the struts.

Yes I think the spacers are required they help prevent the bracket totally squashing  the strut when you tighten the large bolt up and gives support to the bulkhead bracket

the bulkhead bracket you can notice if you squeeze the bracket with your hand where the large bolt goes how it flexes inward the fillers nylon inserts will prevent this give the bracket more strength. I would say Porsche wouldn’t add these if not required for  a reason not expensive from opc

[BBB]

Thanks @kevin450, that makes sense. I’ll get them ordered.

I probably ride/drive somewhere near you regularly. Did a circuit around Ruthin yesterday on the bike. The B5105 to Cerrigydrudion is a particular favourite.

[Kenbo1000]

Thanks to the link in these posts I purchased mine from Status Porsche in Stockton on Tees for £16. Two struts, one back plate (not needed) and the plastic infill’s. Quick visit to hardware store for bolts then a rub down and paint and Bobs your uncle. Fitted in about an hour without to much trouble.

Status Guy said “they are cheap because no one wants them”

any, thanks for the excellent write up. It made the job a doddle.

[bally4563]

41 minutes ago, Kenbo1000 said:

Thanks to the link in these posts I purchased mine from Status Porsche in Stockton on Tees for £16. Two struts, one back plate (not needed) and the plastic infill’s. Quick visit to hardware store for bolts then a rub down and paint and Bobs your uncle. Fitted in about an hour without to much trouble.

Status Guy said “they are cheap because no one wants them”

any, thanks for the excellent write up. It made the job a doddle.

Just need a Bally Brace now, to finish it off!

[Kenbo1000]

What’s a Bally brace?

Send me some details to my inbox and I will have a look.

cheers.

[bally4563]

44 minutes ago, Kenbo1000 said:

What’s a Bally brace?

Send me some details to my inbox and I will have a look.

cheers.

Rear strut brace, that I make also known as Techno brace in the states for twice the cost, made quite a few for peeps on here, with positive feedback.

[kevin450]

5 hours ago, BBB said:

Thanks @kevin450, that makes sense. I’ll get them ordered.

I probably ride/drive somewhere near you regularly. Did a circuit around Ruthin yesterday on the bike. The B5105 to Cerrigydrudion is a particular favourite.

Yes the area not to far from me have not done that road route for a while your  route then  back via one side of evo triangle but the speed average is a big downside, to Denbigh then via Ruthin to Mold the Mold Denbigh road is awful quality. I now have the joys of the Welsh governments pilot project area of 20 mph, I think it’s going to get harder to enjoy these roads by the end of next year  if the government have there way

[kevin450]

2 hours ago, Kenbo1000 said:

Thanks to the link in these posts I purchased mine from Status Porsche in Stockton on Tees for £16. Two struts, one back plate (not needed) and the plastic infill’s. Quick visit to hardware store for bolts then a rub down and paint and Bobs your uncle. Fitted in about an hour without to much trouble.

Status Guy said “they are cheap because no one wants them”

any, thanks for the excellent write up. It made the job a doddle.

Just goes to show check OPC first you may be surprised at their prices😊

Kenbo 1000 how is the drive for you after the mod

[½cwt]

2 hours ago, bally4563 said:

Rear strut brace, that I make also known as Techno brace in the states for twice the cost, made quite a few for peeps on here, with positive feedback.

Really more of a rear lower subframe brace... 🤔

[bally4563]

39 minutes ago, ½cwt said:

Really more of a rear lower subframe brace... 🤔

👍

[Kenbo1000]

9 hours ago, kevin450 said:

Just goes to show check OPC first you may be surprised at their prices😊

Kenbo 1000 how is the drive for you after the mod

Hi Kevin. Status Porsche who I mentioned is a breakers yard that only breaks Porsches. They have a large warehouse and they strip all the individual parts and have them on racking. All in all a decent set up. As for the the strut braces, it does seem to tighten the front end a little in the steering department especially going into corners but not really given her the beans yet.

Ken

[kevin450]

1 hour ago, Kenbo1000 said:

Hi Kevin. Status Porsche who I mentioned is a breakers yard that only breaks Porsches. They have a large warehouse and they strip all the individual parts and have them on racking. All in all a decent set up. As for the the strut braces, it does seem to tighten the front end a little in the steering department especially going into corners but not really given her the beans yet.

Ken

Thanks for pointing that out  should have recognised Status Porsche that’s who I purchased my struts from via ebay 😳😳😳 

[Ninesomething]

Can't see how the nylon inserts do anything. Sure the bracket can be crushed but once the strut is in place I don't think so.

Mine came from Status Porsche too.