As we all know, for those customers desiring to get more out of the handling and performance of their cars, the stock parts will just not do. Even with the amazing software upgrades that can now control so many parts of the car (shocks, PDK in the case of this Porsche), engine management, brakes, stability control), the base parts have to meet the demands of the mass market, not the demanding customer.
As the overall economic market has shifty (slightly), we have seen many more of our customers upgrading and moving to new cars. The downside with a brand new car (like the Porsche GTS being chronicled here), upgraded performance parts normally lag the market by about 1 year. So, what’s a new Porsche GTS customer to do?
BRracing is the answer. There are no defined, specific suspension upgrade parts yet for the GTS. But, that doesn’t mean there aren’t solutions. We discovered this in the discovery process of GTS upgrade. While most would think the GTS was just another special edition of the long standing 997 Porsche line, Porsche is never content with just leaving a car as it was and doing cosmetic changes only. When we got to the underside, there are many changes, some as significant as a complete rear subframe change. What this means is that the normal parts for the Porsche 997 wide body cars do NOT fit….so, what to do, what to do?
We knew that the parts worked on both the 997.2 GT3 and GT3-RS. Therefore, we set out to figure this out. The issue stems from the change in the rear subframe, and the new subframe has an extended channel that prevents sway bars from being able to fit between the subframe cross member and the engine oil pan (which is also changed). We pulled both versions (the new GTS and the current GT3 version, which is the version of sway bar that we wanted to use). Measured all connecting points, dimensions, underbody support points, weight, etc and found them to be almost exactly the same. So, acquired a GT3 rear subframe cross member, matched to the new GTS unit, and installed the new rear cross member. An exact fit, but the GT3 has the shaped channel that will allow the movement and clearance that the sway bar requires.
We tested all other suspension upgrades (thrust arm bushings (GMG), toe links (front and rear)(GMG), sway bars (front and rear)(GMG), sway bar adjustable end links (Tarett units), track wheels (GMG World Challenge center locks) and dog bones (rear upper control arms – GMG units), and were able to determine what elements and pieces work as desired.
Not only were we able to get the parts installed…..they have already been tested by the customer on the track at Laguna Seca, with great results (the customer had just tested with us at Thunderhill, before the enhancements, so had a direct comparison of what the changes did).
We already have other new Porsche GTS customer lined up to take advantage of these upgrades…..all of which are now available in our ONLINE STORE –
BRracing – performance for all your needs
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