Porsche 997 Turbo: Handling Upgrade

Whilst having a capable chassis as standard, the Porsche 997 Turbo can be improved further by careful adjustment of the suspension geometry.

The development story:

The driver of this car was relatively happy with the way it was working and could not suggest where an improvement could be made.

Our first test drive enabled us to understand the customers comments as the car was working very nicely indeed, the steering was ever so slightly “left hand down” in the straight ahead position. At higher speeds the steering had a slightly imbalanced feel in that the initial response was too high gain but as more steering angle was added the front end response melted away, giving the driver the impression that the next step will be a front first departure (understeer), and although this was the trait at the grip limit the onset was very late and therefore not really a problem during normal road use.

The chassis was then inspected and the suspension geometry accurately measured, this initial measurement confirmed that the chassis geometry set-up was really quite good and set fairly evenly from side to side.

Our conclusions were that the front had late onset understeer followed by hyper active initial response, then a steeply digressive response continuation. Read this as having a very responsive initial reaction, then progressively slower responses. The rear was of no cause for concern but may require slight adjustment to regain balance after the front issue was resolved.

After ensuring that the ride heights and tyre pressures were accurately set, our next step was to build a basic but perfectly symmetrical chassis geometry set-up. Following on from our development/feedback programme we arrived at a geometry calibration that we were happy with.

The tactile feel of the steering was improved and the response to steering inputs far more linear, allowing the driver to have more confidence and enjoyment in the car.

We’ve designated this upgrade as our Stage 1 FRS (an acronym for Fast Road Set-Up).

We also offer a stage 2 and 3 upgrades which include lowered springs and full suspension kits which can be see here.

Please contact us for more information.

 

Torque Developments International boasts a comprehensive understanding of chassis dynamics, enabling it to evaluate, enhance and optimise high performance and racing car dynamic behaviours.

Torque Developments provides precise and effective chassis solutions for applications from a simple spring and damper combination to a clean-sheet suspension   design, as well as production car optimisation for specific motorsport purposes.

Chassis Dynamics Capabilities

  • Inertia matching: Optimising the vehicle’s wheelbase to its mass and moment of yaw
  • Spring and damper optimisation
  • Anti roll bar optimisation
  • Suspension arm/link design and optimisation
  • Geometry calibration
  • Limited slip differential optimisation
  • Tyre evaluation
  • Roll cage implementation

Chassis Dynamics Facilities

  • Chassis design/ evaluation software
  • Corner weight measuring equipment
  • Vehicle dynamic performance measuring equipment
  • Arago V3D chassis alignment equipment