How to: 944 Turbo brakes on a Super

Okay, I have measured the springs and the Super is 4 5/8" (117mm) and the 944 is 4 13/16" (122mm). This small, but important, difference is about 5mm [these numbers were rounded up to the nearest whole number].

I still feel it is not wise to use the 944 strut housing, especially when the Super housing will bolt to the 944 spindle (not Turbo). This small space could cause the spring to pop off the strut all together while driving. Also, the Super spring will not seat into the 944 strut's notch which helps to stop the spring from moving when turning the steering wheel.

While I had the tape measure out I also got the numbers for the strut bearing hole in the body for late and early Supers. The hole in the late car is 95mm and the early is 84mm. Thus you can see how an early bearing would physically fit into the late hole, and although the bolt pattern is the same, I wouldn't feel comfortable with the 11mm difference. However, yes it is true that the early strut bearing mount will bolt on the late strut and vice-versa but these do not interchange in the body.

Now, with all the above said, [to SprintStar] I understand that the reasoning for your investigation was to use the 944 Turbo strut so that it would bolt to the Turbo spindle and then you would use the Super spring and strut bearing mount (as you had done with your 944NA brake conversion). So yes, you could do that and bolt it all up and in your mind it would be a "bolt on" and "easy" but that would be with a 5mm gap on the springs and I still stress that this is very unsafe and that a few millimeters on a spring or balljoint may not seem much to you but with suspension components it means a lot!!!

I found that Yetibone picture, it is a 944 strut housing with a Super spring. You'll see that the VW spring is 5mm too small for the Porsche housing's perch, note the clamp he made.

[yetibone]

Just so you know, 15k hard miles so far, and no spring problems.

I'm still firm as to NOT suggesting this be done (just for the safety record and my conscience). Let's not forget the ghetto ball joint sleeve mod and the rear bolt breakage of the coil-over rear shocks. These 11mm and 5mm gaps cause stress and that stress will go somewhere, now how long it will take to fail is unanswered (Space Shuttle O-ring for example). Just like Volksworld magazine printing their disclaimer because of the reports of failed components and many crashes, I say again that this is not safe.

I certainly wouldn't want to ride in a car for even 1 "hard" or "soft" mile when it's possible to go into a corner and the spring will pop off the strut housing and cause the car to loose steering and control. I wouldn't even test drive that car for you. Let's be wise with our modifications, this is the suspension and steering we're talking about here.

[yetibone]

Don't like that gap, dont ride in an American FWD car.

...and don't ride in a few Asian ones too.

Those cars were designed like that, to perform like that, with those components. What ever "gap" that Sprint was talking about was computer designed and OEM manufactured into that car's structure. Also, those are FWD cars and their struts mount in a completely different way than ours. It's not even the same concept.

We're talking about retrofitment of another car's parts to our car, there is not a comparison at all. This is no personal attack on you, it's just some advice to keep safe. It's obvious the 1303 spring does not seat into the 944 strut housing or you would not need that clamp to hold the spring. That clamp that could break off and that spring that could pop out, then you loose steering ability and crash into ? and at ? speed. It's your car, do as you wish, I wouldn't even feel safe just looking at it.

...and since you could/should have used the 1303 strut housing with your 944 conversion in the first place, that's what you NEED to replace those 944 housings with so the springs will fit correctly.

Don't be upset with me just because I don't want you to crash

[yetibone]

Originally Posted by Superman

Don't be upset with me just because I don't want you to crash

...Then don't call me out, and say "here's an example of how not to do it" cross-post it to a thread i'm in, misteriously delete it, and then say "...don't take it as a personal attack..."

You have a very subjective way of not getting personal, and have done this more than once.

I appreciate your concern over my safety supe, but I'm a big boy now.

Good day.

Yeti, last year when Sprint and I had this "debate", you and I discussed by PM how you used the clamp on the spring and you told me about your picture and even said that I could use it as an example. I would never "call someone out", I'm not that kind of person. I'm fair, genuine and honest. If you want me to remove your picture and references to your personal screen name then I will edit the thread for your benefit but I will still be adamant about not using a 944 strut housing on a Super.

Now, as for the "cross-post it to a thread i'm in, misteriously delete it". I did post a reply in that "944 to 1303" thread and linked to this thread but then soon realized that this thread is for the 944 Turbo brakes and his post was for the 944 NA brakes; that is why I deleted my reply in that post, because it wasn't on topic about the same brake conversion. I don't do anything mysterious here, everything I do is logged and Admin can see my every move. I have nothing to hide.

I am here to help people and entertain myself while doing so. I'm sorry if my highly technical and well articulated posts seem rude sometimes, but I just get to the point. I do publicly apologize to you and the offer still stands to alter this thread with no references to you.

[yetibone]

I appreciate your offer to remove references within it, but I don't think that makes any difference now. I brushed it off when I first saw the thread over a year ago, and see no relevance in modifying it so long after.

I'm just about through with these forums anyway!

Originally Posted by yetibone

I'm just about through with these forums anyway!

That's what I didn't understand, why you got upset now after all this time. It was a year ago that post was made and when Sprint and I got into the debate over the spring issue it was you that sent me a PM about your picture and I asked for permission to post it. My intent was not to make you look bad but rather just to use that as an example so people can learn from it. I would not be so loud about it if this were a stereo install or not something so important to a person's life, but when dealing with suspension and steering we need to keep safety in mind first.

Now as to your quote, I hope you stay with us. You have a great looking car and your post are always helpful to others. You've been an asset to this forum.

Originally Posted by yetibone

I appreciate your concern over my safety supe, but I'm a big boy now.

Again, I didn't mean it too personal toward you. The greater concern is the fact that there are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of people that are reading this and I don't want to give out the wrong information that could lead them into a crashed car as well.

[yetibone]

What upset me is seeing the link to this old thread in my inbox as a response to my post in the 1303/944 brake thread.

Doesn't that seem like a jab to you, if you observe this from my perspective?

Yes, when I read THIS thread last year, it pi$$ed me off that you would call me out like that, use the picture, say Yeti's way isn't safe, etc... but I said nothing. I didn't raise a fuss beacuse I didn't want a pi$$ing contest. You didn't state your intention, or reason for needing to see the pic, other than wanting to understand what I did, and I was none the wiser. I just let it go.

Seeing the link to THIS thread in my inbox, and finding the post in "944 brakes on 1303" thread it was within deleted, came across as a jab to me, and obviously brought back some of the anger I felt over a year ago.

I appreciate the appology, it's very kind of you to do that, but it doesn't matter to me now.

I'm outta here. Y'all have fun.

Again, I'm truly sorry it went down like this. I still feel bad about the debate with Sprint, but he didn't understand the whole idea of the fact that Porsche 944 Turbo brakes just will not bolt onto a 1302/1303.

This thread was started by me with the intent to help people install some brakes and in doing so I had to, in the replies, clear up a few facts of what will and will not work in this conversion. It was these facts that seemed to upset you and him but as I have said before I wouldn't be so harsh if it weren't dealing with the suspension and these dangerous modifications.

I'd like to close by saying that I never intended to piss anyone off and mean no foul or harm. However, I would rather piss off a few people then pass along wrong information to many that would lead them into installing the wrong parts and getting hurt as the end result of bad advice.

I would like to clear something up though, when I posted that reply in the "944 to 1303" and made a link to this thread it was a "call out" (as you say) to myself in reference to the first post of this thread with the information of how to install the brakes. The link was made to direct him toward some info on how to install the brakes and was not in any way placed to draw attention to you.

So now I too will part by saying... I'm outta here. Y'all have fun. :agree:

[beet]

hi, if I want mount 944T spindles, it will fit with kersher struts? or I must use porsche struts?