Retrofit RS front axle lift to GT4?

[DallySingh]

Hi guys, I picked up my brand new 718 GT4 yesterday. I’ve seen quite a few at Porsche garages in the past but oddly, it was only until I saw mine yesterday did it occur to me how low the car is and how far that front splitter comes out.

For me to get to my house, I need to drive up a sloped road but it’s a very gradual slope so I think as long as I approach it correctly, it shouldn’t be an issue.

From what I’ve read, speed bumps aren’t too much of a problem either if approached sensibly.

My problem is multi-story car parks and steep hills which I’ve heard is a complete no no. I sometimes need to drive into the city centre for meetings which is littered with multi-story car parks.

Have any of you GT4 owners had issues with multi-story car parks and steep hills and completely forsaken them as the GT4 simply cannot tackle them?

The GT4 RS comes with the option to have a front axle lift. Could this not be retrofitted to a GT4 as they’re practically the same car? I wonder whether this is something Porsche would do. I’ll be asking them on Monday but thought I’d create a thread to get some feedback.

[mattkidd]

I think you would struggle to retrofit the lift to the GT4.

The front chassis on the RS is modified vs the original GT4 chassis. I believe this was done to allow room for the axle lift. In addition the suspension components are different.

[TDT]

mattkidd said:

I think you would struggle to retrofit the lift to the GT4.

The front chassis on the RS is modified vs the original GT4 chassis. I believe this was done to allow room for the axle lift. In addition the suspension components are different.

Correct.

You’ll probably need to look at aftermarket solutions.
I believe the following could have options:

DesignsByJacob
TechArt
KW (HLS)

[Twinfan]

DallySingh said:

Have any of you GT4 owners had issues with multi-story car parks and steep hills and completely forsaken them as the GT4 simply cannot tackle them?

In general hills are OK, I've only had an issue once when going from a fairly flat main road into a car park where the adjoining road was pretty steep. Scrape, scrape, scrape and yhe same coming out...

Multi-storey car parks are a complete no-go for me as I know the car will struggle with them.

[DallySingh]

Twinfan said:

In general hills are OK, I've only had an issue once when going from a fairly flat main road into a car park where the adjoining road was pretty steep. Scrape, scrape, scrape and yhe same coming out...

Multi-storey car parks are a complete no-go for me as I know the car will struggle with them.

When it scrapes, is it just the underside so completely indivisible to the naked eye?

I think the consensus is that multi-story car parks are out of the question and I’ll have to accept that.

I’ve looked at the kits by Techart and DesignsByJacob. Seems to be a massive price difference between the two kits. I guess I’ll have to see how I get on before making a decision. I’m hoping it won’t be as bad as I think it will be.

[bennno]

DallySingh said:

Hi guys, I picked up my brand new 718 GT4 yesterday. I’ve seen quite a few at Porsche garages in the past but oddly, it was only until I saw mine yesterday did it occur to me how low the car is and how far that front splitter comes out.

For me to get to my house, I need to drive up a sloped road but it’s a very gradual slope so I think as long as I approach it correctly, it shouldn’t be an issue.

From what I’ve read, speed bumps aren’t too much of a problem either if approached sensibly.

My problem is multi-story car parks and steep hills which I’ve heard is a complete no no. I sometimes need to drive into the city centre for meetings which is littered with multi-story car parks.

Have any of you GT4 owners had issues with multi-story car parks and steep hills and completely forsaken them as the GT4 simply cannot tackle them?

The GT4 RS comes with the option to have a front axle lift. Could this not be retrofitted to a GT4 as they’re practically the same car? I wonder whether this is something Porsche would do. I’ll be asking them on Monday but thought I’d create a thread to get some feedback.

I had to sell mine for this reason, we moved and it wouldn’t go over a dip in the shared driveway to the garage complex……

[DallySingh]

bennno said:

I had to sell mine for this reason, we moved and it wouldn’t go over a dip in the shared driveway to the garage complex……

Was getting an aftermarket noselift like the Techart or DSJ one not an option mate? I’d hate to sell mine because of the nose clearance.

[Romo]

I used to own a 718 GT4, and I never have had problems with the car road wise. The only problem I had was parking in my underground parking garage, the ramp down was to steep for the GT4

I used extended race ramps, and it worked just fine;







https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bti-rr-ex-14



Just a few seconds work, and in and out my garage without problems :-)

[Twinfan]

DallySingh said:

When it scrapes, is it just the underside so completely indivisible to the naked eye?

It's the underside of the front splitter, the underside of the rear diffuser and the aero/brake ducts around the wheels both front and rear.

So not really seen except for the front splitter, which you may see scuffed at the leading edge. On mine you can.

[GTRene]

Twinfan said:

It's the underside of the front splitter, the underside of the rear diffuser and the aero/brake ducts around the wheels both front and rear.

So not really seen except for the front splitter, which you may see scuffed at the leading edge. On mine you can.

so front and rear are to watch out for?
I thought by looking at such cars only the front would be a problem with its to long nose and then on top (ok bottom) of that that sword spoiler sticking out (for downforce) the rear does look 'normal' with its overhang.



in this picture you can see the long front even better.

[Twinfan]

On mine the front and underbody aero/ducts are all scraped for sure. I haven't checked the rear that closely but I've read of it scraping for some people I guess from sloped drives or car parks. It does sit quite low if you follow the central aero tunnel towards the front of the car between the rear wheels.

[DallySingh]

Would you guys say the ground clearance on the GT4 is any worse than McLaren’s & Lambo’s? I know quite a few of them come with a nose lift option but that’s no real help when you come across a dip, pothole or a bump in the road and don’t realise.

[bennno]

DallySingh said:

Would you guys say the ground clearance on the GT4 is any worse than McLaren’s & Lambo’s? I know quite a few of them come with a nose lift option but that’s no real help when you come across a dip, pothole or a bump in the road and don’t realise.

Yes, it’s lower and longer, hits daft things like flat railway crossings. I swapped to a 540c and had no similar issues.

[DallySingh]

bennno said:

Yes, it’s lower and longer, hits daft things like flat railway crossings. I swapped to a 540c and had no similar issues.

I was hoping to hear the opposite haha. I have a friend who owns a 720s and he’s scraped the sh*t out of his front splitter but doesn’t seem bothered. It has a nose lift but he never uses it.

Annoying that Porsche don’t offer a front axle system with the GT4.

[GT4RS]

DallySingh said:

Hi guys, I picked up my brand new 718 GT4 yesterday. I’ve seen quite a few at Porsche garages in the past but oddly, it was only until I saw mine yesterday did it occur to me how low the car is and how far that front splitter comes out.

For me to get to my house, I need to drive up a sloped road but it’s a very gradual slope so I think as long as I approach it correctly, it shouldn’t be an issue.

From what I’ve read, speed bumps aren’t too much of a problem either if approached sensibly.

My problem is multi-story car parks and steep hills which I’ve heard is a complete no no. I sometimes need to drive into the city centre for meetings which is littered with multi-story car parks.

Have any of you GT4 owners had issues with multi-story car parks and steep hills and completely forsaken them as the GT4 simply cannot tackle them?

The GT4 RS comes with the option to have a front axle lift. Could this not be retrofitted to a GT4 as they’re practically the same car? I wonder whether this is something Porsche would do. I’ll be asking them on Monday but thought I’d create a thread to get some feedback.

Sadly sold my gt4 due to this very reason, apparently the gr4rs has a different front section which allows fitment of lift. From what I was told at the time I believe the rs front section uses parts off 992 4s to allow lift to be fitted.

Normal speed bumps are fine if you approach them slowly.

Be careful, I nearly ripped the front bumper off mine the first time I tried to put it in the garage, it was a good job my brother was there and spotted what was going to happen before it did!

I ended having ramps made but it was too much of a faff to get the car in and out and took the enjoyment out of the ownership.

[Redline88]

I know that the front splitter is quite cheap and easily replaceable, does anybody know what the costs are for the other panels that tend to scrape?

[Twinfan]

I had to replace a nearside rear brake cooling duct as it had gone AWOL. It was around £55 from memory.

I don't think any of the basic underside plastic parts are that expensive.

[LiamH66]

I guess it depends on your version of cheap. When I bought my 981 GT4 the salesman told me he thought they were 60 or 70 quid, so a few weeks after collecting the car I went online to buy a spare to keep in stock. About £350 including VAT, so I never have bought a spare yet!

I've had very few issues with my one so far on standard ride height. (Although I think the 718 GT4 might have a slightly longer and lower splitter). Much like Twinfan, I can live with it getting a little ragged, occasionally the vertical part of the right hand side will slightly detach itself if I scrape it very hard... I've driven plenty of cars far worse for ground clearance though.

I've just had a "road and occasional trackday" setup done on my suspension, and the front looks a lot lower now. Got it onto my drive without scraping when I got home, but getting it off the drive onto the road might prove to be more of an issue. I'll get the drive modified rather than consider selling the car if it's a big annoyance!

Liam

[DallySingh]

I’ve read somewhere that the front splitter for the GT4 is £186 excl. VAT which isn’t as cheap as I thought it would be.

I think I should be ok with my drive if I’m careful. It’s a small steep but fairly gradual. I’m a little concerned about city roads and speed bumps. Especially when driving in a spirited manner and hitting a dip or bump that you can’t see. I’ve come to terms with the fact I won’t be able to use multi-storey car parks.

Have any of you guys considered raising the car 10-20mm as the suspension is adjustable?

I’ve ruled out the Techart & DBJ nose lift. Seems too big of a job and I’m paranoid about ruining the driving dynamics of the car.

I’m also slowly coming to terms with the fact that it will scrape at some point. Fell into a bit of a rabbit hole watching videos on YouTube of supercars getting scraped because they’re too low haha.

[TDT]

Best thing to do is just drive it.
Once you’ve scrapped it the first time, which you will, the anxiety will start to evaporate (once you’re over the initial grief) and then you can get on with enjoying it.

My car runs at lower than OEM ride height, and also has extended underbody aero parts….





I just slow down to a crawl for speed humps to make sure I’ve judged properly (and then might resume more reasonable speed once I’m happy) and I take steep inclines at an angle… but if it doesn’t look like I can pass/navigate it … I just find another route or place to park. Comes with the territory.

Edited by TDT on Sunday 26th March 23:13