After a few Calls, it was Settled

The car would be delivered to our Northern California facility for the comprehensive installation. Our 930-ERX brake system was chosen to replace the early 70’s 911 brakes. The 930-ERX brakes would be matched with the Advanced Technology Coilover suspension package to bring the car up to today’s driving requirements.

930-ERX Brake System

Porsche 930 brakes were originally equipped on the 1978 to 1989 turbo 930, but never available as an option for the ‘regular’ 911 cars. 930 rotors are massive, with greater thermal capacity then any 911 setup. 930 calipers are a 4 piston design and use much larger pads than the 911. The large pad area extends pad life and reduces point temperatures at the pad/rotor interface.

930 brakes provide massive stopping power and thermal capacity for track use and high powered cars. They remain the gold standard by which other brake upgrades are measured, however they’re not a direct fit to the non-turbo 911 cars as a swap requires machining of the calipers.

We fit our 930-ERX brake package to the car to ensure plenty of capacity at the track. Full features and benefits of the 930-ERX can be found here but among other advantages over the 930 is that they’re a direct bolt-on to the 911 and they fit nicely under Fuch wheels.

Advanced Technology Coilover Package

With the brakes fully sorted, we turned our attention to the suspension. The stock 911 suspension performed well in its day with bias ply tires, but the 60 year old design shows its age when paired with modern radial low profile tires. We opted for the fully adjustable Advanced Technology Coilover package to thoroughly enhance and modernize the suspension of this iconic 911.

Our aluminum GT3 Front Suspension System replaced the heavy steel front components. Inspired by adjustable lower control and subframe equipped on the later GT3 cars, this system replaces the stock front control arms, cross-member, bushings, ball joints and more. It is made from lightweight billet aluminum. The pivots are all heim joints for enhanced control and precise location of suspension members. The system delivers tremendous adjustability including track width, camber and caster.

Out back we removed the dated factory spring plates and installed the fully adjustable ASP system. This replacement for the standard spring plate introduces an additional suspension link that acts to enhance dynamic camber gain. The camber curve is roughly twice as aggressive as stock, and is a far better much to the needs of modern radial tires. The ASP allows a more modest static camber setting, while increasing camber rapidly when loaded in a turn to enhance grip. The result is maximum contact patch while cornering, superior tire wear, reduced rolling resistance on the street, all while still delivering optimal performance on the track.

Von Coilovers are fit front and rear. Vons are available in performance levels 1 through 4, with each level offering a combination of spring rate and matched valving to achieve a given performance objective. In this case we opted for Level 3, which is a sporting street and track setup.

The Von Coilovers are fully height adjustable, front and rear. The front is further equipped with our racing struts. These have raised spindles for enhanced suspension travel and improved geometry even at lower ride heights. They are strengthened with gussets, and a double shear steering knuckle setup for strength and rigidity.

Von dampers are digressive valved. This dual-rate configuration provides more control in response to driver inputs at the wheel and pedals, creating confidence and command of the car. Yet when hitting bumps, the damping rate is reduced to absorb and provide good ride quality. Digressive valving is a great “have your cake and eat it too” solution for dual purpose cars like this one.

Front and rear adjustable RSR retro type adjustable swaybars are fit in place of the original bars. The RSR swaybars allow roll stiffness and oversteer balance to be easily tuned. They are great way to change the character of the car when switching between street and track, by softening them for street use.

We also fit a variety of chassis reinforcements to address known vulnerabilities of the 911 chassis, and ensure trouble free use even when driven hard on the track. Chassis reinforcements include our Spring Plate Reinforcement kit, our Rear Shock Tower Reinforcement kit, our Front Swaybar Reinforcement kit, and our Rear Swaybar Mount kit. Each one engineered for a specific weak area of the 911.

All in, the car is perfectly suited to the client’s objective of having a dual purpose street and track car. It is well hardened and has all the stopping power it will need for heavy track days. The ASP system, adjustable swaybars, and digressive valve Von shocks allow the car to adapt to the differing needs of street and track.

Happy Motoring!
Elephant Racing