Subscribed! Great discussion!

 

I'm going to throw this out there too... I know I have one of the very first sets of dog bones and bump steer rear links back from 2008 (late). So many miles, years later and multiple cars the ends have never worn. No noise. Nada. Never had to replace any of the ones we've sold (we've done one or two).

 

Last week I was able to complete my suspension project. I installed my complete RSS Tarmac Setup along with, RSS Front & Rear Sway Bars with Adjustable Drop Links, Bilstein B16 Damptronic Coilovers, a Cargraphic AirLift for the nose using their separate upgraded compressor, & Tarret Monoball Top Plates for the front (which I needed to do for compatibility with the GT3 version AirLift Kit I installed). I had the sway bars and some Tow Hooks powder coated to match the coils on the Bilstein shocks to give the suspension some uniformity of color. For the AirLift, I installed an Optima 34R battery and moved it all the way to the side of the battery tray, which gave me enough space in which to mount the AirLift Compressor & the system control box with everything hidden beneath the factory plastic trim.

I ended up dropping the front about 1/2" since I can now lift it 2" with the AirLift and then set the rear accordingly to preserve a 1.1 degree front to rear rake angle. I further adjusted the spring perch heights during the alignment and corner-balance I had done so my car is now complete, and I have to say, it's awesome! So glad I listened to you guys on the RSS parts and went ahead with it, not only is everything so much more precise with respect to turn-in handling, etc but the Bilsteins also resolved the rear-end wallowing over larger dips with the standard PASM suspension (due to what I think is a lack of rebound dampening in the standard setup since my wife's 997.1 C2S with PASM exhibits the exact same characteristics. I do not find the ride to be significantly harsher, noisier, and there are absolutely zero negatives to the way the car drives, rides, or behaves - only very positives. Is the ride a bit firmer, yes, but it's not harsher - it just feels tighter and more connected. These upgrades all combined have my car handling like I envision one of the GT cars does and with the extra 100 HP or so from the RUF Supercharger, it's just perfect.

I ran into two small issues along the way that I had to resolve.
When installing the Tarret Monoball top mounts, I installed them with the mounting screws in the positions that they came pre-installed in since Ira said this is how most people install them, and it's so they can achieve an additional 1.8 degrees of camber beyond standard. Since mine isn't a track car and I was trying to use settings in the range of a normal GT3 (around 1.5 to 1.8 degrees) installing them using this set of holes would not allow me to get enough camber out to achieve these #s and it was going to be in the 2.0 to 2.5 range, which I don't really need. This meant taking the front struts back out again to change the set of holes used since there wasn't enough space between the AirLift assembly and the top mount to back the screws all the way out with things still mostly installed. Using the other set of holes resolved the issue but I did have to mill away a little of the aluminum on the one section of the top mount as it would contact the crease in the fender and not allow it to move further to reduce the camber.
I didn't discover the next issue until everything was done and I went for test drive after the alignment. On hard turns with a lot of steering input, the lowest point on the front of the RSS Lower Control Arm would touch the front rotor dust shields just enough to push them in and make light contact with the rotor. I had to remove the wheels, calipers, and rotors again to trim this lowest section of the dust shield away and ever so slightly ground down that point on the LCA to create enough clearance to prevent the contact and preserve my expensive PCCB rotors.

Here are a few pics.

I couldn't be happier with the way the car drives now and if anyone is looking to make some of these same mods, I have a leftover pair or RSS Lower Control Arms for sale in the Marketplace (I acquired 6 when sourcing parts for this project and obviously only needed 4).

 

Here are a couple additional pics showing the full front strut mounted in the fender with the Tarret Monoball top & AirLift assembly, along with the section of the dust-shield that was contacting the rotor & needed to be removed, plus a shot of the rotor where you can see the light marking caused by the contact with the dust shield (although you can see it, you can't feel it and I think the pads will polish it back to a uniform look with a few miles - no chips or gouges).

 

What is stage 1 and what is stage 2

Most the gt3 guys I know who dual duty their car do the dog bones, rear toe steer kit, and rear control arms, and motor mounts, and then not touch anything on the front.

What is suggested for the front on the gt3 for a car that is a street and track car.

 

I'll let Mike from RSS or someone else answer, but on my street car (maybe some track time in the future) I did:

1. Rear Dog Bones
2. Rear Toe Steer with Locking Plate Option
3. Front Toe Steer
4. Lower Control Arms with non-adjustable Caster Bushings in Rear
5. Lower Control Arms with adjustable Caster Bushings in Front (thicker versions due to the hydraulic OEM LCA of the C2S)
6. Front & Rear Adjustable Sway Bars with RSS Adjustable Drop Links

I also have the RSS Semi-Solid Motor Mounts & Tarret Front Monoball Top Mounts. I essentially removed all the rubber (hydraulic) aspects of the suspension and whereas the control arms with the rubber bushings tend to bind up and flex during their range of travel, the RSS arms do not - you can actually feel the suspension moving more precisely.

 

Yep, true words! Just took mine off the silver GT3 and installed them on the White Shark, I have over 35k miles on them and I'm betting I'll get another 35k. RSS rocks! those boys know their stuff

 

Great set-up! Glad you like it. And nice work. I'd like to ask a question. When the LCA's were pushing the shields into the rotors, did you feel anything while cornering? I've been experiencing a weird braking sensation when coasting around corners, and I'm wondering if this is my problem. It almost feels like someone is tapping the brakes. Problem occurs whether I'm in gear or not (neutral). As a side note, I experienced this before and after alignment.


Thanks.

 

I could actually hear it as the holes in the rotor passed over the piece of metal. I also had a squeak when rolling straight slowly, and my brakes never squeak. You should be able to get a look at the backside of the front rotors and if it's touching, you should be able to see a pretty obvious line on the rotor face (like in my photo).

The other option I considered was to put all 4 of the aluminum washers that are part of the taper pin assembly above the control arm instead of 2 above and 2 below, as they are now, but when I removed the bottom nut, things weren't going to come apart easily so I went with the air grinder method on the one point instead. Moving the washers would change the relationship between the end point of the control arm and the dust shield, and probably would create enough clearance for them not to touch under cornering loads. Let me know what you find.