Modern trailing arms for the 914?, 986 carriers/calipers/e-brake, more adjustability, more tire? |
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Modern trailing arms for the 914?, 986 carriers/calipers/e-brake, more adjustability, more tire? |
horizontally-opposed |
Jan 26 2021, 12:21 PM
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#1
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,431 Joined: 12-May 04 From: San Francisco Member No.: 2,058 Region Association: None |
I've been reviewing past discussions on these (links below) off and on, having test fit a 215/60R15 Pirelli P6000 on a 911R wheel into both rear fenders of my narrow-body 914. It seems doable, but it's going to take some massaging on the outer fender, custom spacers, and—maybe—narrowed trailing arms. Which got me to thinking about the current state of the 914 trailing arm, which is the same it's been since 1970.
Basically, those heavy, non-adjustable steel trailing arms are one of the very few things on the 914 that hasn't been addressed or evolved by the aftermarket. I'm running PMB-rebuilt trailing arms with PMB-rebuilt calipers, and can redo them again with reinforcements and/or some reshaping, but I wonder how hard would it be to do blade-type trailing arms of similar strength with less weight and/or more adjustment. Could a 911 spring plate, or a triangulated or otherwise reinforced version of it, be adapted? Looking at the basic design of the 914 arm, it doesn't look all that complicated, but I'm no engineer. EDIT: Possible use of a machined 986 wheel carrier, an aluminum casting by Brembo that incorporates the 986 e-brake and 986 four-piston caliper mounts, comes up later—a very interesting idea from @Chris914n6, particularly as the castings are available for $100-200ea used or new from Porsche. Bolting that carrier to a new steel trailing arm with a lower damper mount seems viable to me, but here to learn. The custom work to narrow factory 914 trailing arms looks extensive, but has been done by both @914timo and @sixnotfour as well as, it looks like, Rich Johnson. I could see doing it in the process of moving to 911 e-brakes and 986 2.5 brakes, maybe, but I wonder if a group buy might attract a 914 vendor we all want to support? Relevant threads: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...p;#entry1247827 http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...ailing&st=0 http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...238144&st=0 http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...234391&st=0 |
mepstein |
Feb 2 2021, 04:10 PM
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914-6 GT in waiting Group: Members Posts: 19,256 Joined: 19-September 09 From: Landenberg, PA/Wilmington, DE Member No.: 10,825 Region Association: MidAtlantic Region |
I'm still confused when you say $2-4K to redo the trailing arms. Rory's mods are cool but I doubt they make much difference in handling and I can't image a narrow body street car needs stiffer trailing arms.
There's a lot of low hanging fruit on a 914 that can be improved before you spend the big bucks on diminishing returns. There's no way to fit 225 in the back without fender mods. Michalin TB15's ? |
horizontally-opposed |
Feb 2 2021, 04:23 PM
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#3
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,431 Joined: 12-May 04 From: San Francisco Member No.: 2,058 Region Association: None |
I'm still confused when you say $2-4K to redo the trailing arms. Seeing $1800-2400 listed on websites for "standard" rebuilds with 911 e-brake and/or stiffening, and suspect that's a result of jigs and knowhow. Had a fabricator I like suggest all that plus reinforcements and scalloped for a bit of tire clearance plus the 911 e-brake etc could run $4000-5000. Do like Rory's setup, but if the knife comes out, I'm going to 911 e-brakes too—and I've seen those go wrong. I can't image a narrow body street car needs stiffer trailing arms. Agree. If I redo mine (again), I probably won't reinforce. There's a lot of low hanging fruit on a 914 that can be improved before you spend the big bucks on diminishing returns. Agree also—but 31 years in, I'm through a lot of the low-hanging fruit short of a lightweight battery (on the list) and non-steel body parts (probably not for this 914). There are actually a few places I will add a bit of weight to increase usability—mainly radio and heat. But I like the idea of offsetting that…and am slowly (!) planning my next suspension rebuild. There's no way to fit 225 in the back without fender mods. It's been done with what I'd still call minor fender rolling/pulls—and not just once or twice. I've seen 215/60R15, 225/50R15, and 225/50R16 on the back of NB 914s over the years. Sometimes hacked, sometimes not—and sometimes not at all. One 914 six conversion claimed to have 225/50R16 under stock rear fenders—not sure I believe they are completely stock, but it's clear they used 16x7 Fuchs with custom offsets. As for Michelin TBs, 215/55R15 could be good for some cars—and are certainly viable for the front of an M471 car. But they're a bit "short" for a narrow body (to my eye), and I've heard from friends who ran them on street cars that they aren't so easy to live with—being noticeably worse than the Avons in that regard. Tried them on a 914 M471, and they sure offered sweet steering and plenty of grip. Same owner wasn't so happy with them later on. |
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