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I guess I'll toss in my $.02 here
I would estimate with my 245/45-17 & 275/40-17 slicks and aero, my race bug generates some of the highest lateral loads of the circuit style bugs out there. I went with 944T aluminum arms mainly for the brake and track width upgrades. I swapped out for later 944T s2 arms for wheel speed censors and to correct a bent arm after body contact. I've been pretty happy with my setup over the last 10 years, but it does need some help.
Right now I've got:
944t S2 alu. arms
qa-1 single adjustable shocks
550# springs
17mm rear sway bar, (topline I think?)
urethane bushings everywhere
mendeola stiffy kafer brace
944/911 camber/toe adjustment bolts, also serve as sway bar pick up point
944 spring plates
What i have now is perfect for the street (except the spring rate, that's a bit much) but still a bit too compliant for track use.
-I want to swap out the 944 spring plates for some 935 style
-slighty heavier 600# springs
-swap shocks for double (or triple $$$) adjustable units
Not too much actually, I've been tuning my setup for a long time and I'm pretty close to having it dialed. Finishing around the top 10-15 in raw times out of 200 runners proves that my bug can hold it's own.
Does that mean you need a mendeola rear suspension? Yes and no. I think the mendeola kafer brace is one of the best out there and it's a must have regardless of what you decide. If you want to buy a kit that looks pretty sick, is truly bolt-on, and can take different brake options then it's hard to go wrong with the truetrack. I don't think the mendeola engineering is off base, and even if they were installed on my race bug, I don't think the rear arms would bend or crack under race loads. I do like their adjustable outer pivot for suspension tweaks, and even in single shear I don't think you need to worry about it, though I would still safety wire the thing. If you decide to go 944 aluminum instead you'll have to factor in the cost for arms, bushings, brakes, wheels, e-brake adapters, kafer brace, sway bar and so on. It might not be as good a deal as you think. Upgrading the stock steel arms with just bolt on items, coil overs/upgraded torsion bars, kafer brace, sway bar, and bushings will go farther than most folks have given credit.
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