I'm putting together a group buy for lower stress bars for the Porsche Boxster 986/987. They may also fit Caymans. Details are here:

http://986forum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14985

Kirk

 

Kirk - I'm in if these fit a 2008 Cayman S - please let me know - I'd like a complete set.

 

You know I've been to three Porsche dealers over the last month and not once did it occur to me to crawl under a Cayman to look to see if these will fit! Do you have a photo of the underside of Cayman in the rear, are you willing to take a picture of yours, or do you know where I can go to look for a photo? I should be able to tell by a simple picture if it's the same setup as the 986/987. I'm guessing that it is.

I'll also check with the local PCA real quick and see if I can find a local test mule. I know one of the local guys has a Cayman. Unfortunately I live nowhere near a Porsche dealer.

Kirk

 

I'll try to get my CS on lift today for pics and will check w/ my local tech.

 

Now what does these do exactly? Sorry for the newbie question

 

If you look at the install pictures, try to see how far it is from the two mounting points side to side where the main bar goes. It should be about 22.25". I see now that Pedro sells his Technobrace for the Cayman and Cayman S also. If the Technobrace fits (non-adjustable) then my main bar should certainly fit (adjustable).

Also see if you can measure the distance from the main bar mounting points to the two side bar mounting points in the rear. It should be about 14" on each side. Photos on the 986Forum thread should help you to understand which points I'm talking about.

Kirk

 

Think of it like a strut tower brace except it's at the bottom of the car, rather than the top. With the mid-engine layout you have a big, gapping hole in the bottom of the car between the rear wheels, which is where the engine and transmission reside. The Boxster/Cayman have two braces that run along each side of the car, but then in the middle, tying these braces together is a thin, aluminum plate (stress plate). The lower stress bars attach around this plate and serve to strengthen, support, and stiffen the function of the stress plate, which is to maintain suspension geometry under hard cornering.

Kirk

 

Just some more info regarding the fit of the lower stress bars on the 987 and Cayman.

The guys at Niello Porsche in Sacramento, CA were very kind today and let me and my assistant crawl under their new 987's and Caymans, including the new 987 special edition and the Cayman S by Porsche Design. We were getting measurements and checking the fit on parts. Here's what I found:

A few things have changed from the 986, but the key dimensions between the mounting points for the bars has not changed. In fact the 987 and Cayman dimensions are exactly the same as my 986. The only things that I've seen different are:

1. The newer cars have a coating on the Porsche stress plate that the stress bars reinforce.

2. The newer 6 speed transmission gives a lot more room for installation.

3. The suspension point where the main bar mounts is a bit different, but dimensionally still the same.

4. The side braces are different, but still have the same kind of tab that needs to be removed to install the side braces. I took some photos for the instructions.

That's about it. I even tried fitting some side bars in place to see if there was enough room and there were no problems.

So spread the word. If you've got a 987 Boxster/Boxster S or a Cayman/Cayman S these lower stress bars will definitely fit.

Kirk