GT4 Front Axle Lift Kit

DesignsbyJacob

Title

Installation Instructions

GT4 Front Axle Lift Kit Overview:  

Despite coming from the factory with such low height clearances, a front axle lift option was never included for the 981/718 Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder. This makes getting in and out of certain driveways and speed bumps without scraping close to impossible. Since there are many benefits to a lower ride height such as more aggressive alignment numbers and better aerodynamics, this leaves us in an unfortunate predicament choosing between practicality and performance. This is why we sought out to create a practical front axle lift kit for the GT4 so you can enjoy your car to its full potential! 

The front axle lift kit comes with 2 air cups (2lbs each) installed just over the front springs. Since they are installed above the springs, this does not add any unsprung mass! These air cups are pneumatically controlled and expand when pressure is applied. This expansion raises the car up approximately 40-50mm. Actual height may vary due to available suspension droop. When pressure is not applied, the air cups fully compress effectively becoming a spacer. This ensures that ride quality is not affected in any way when the lift kit is deactivated. You can eat your cake and have it too! 

For your convenience, we have also integrated a wireless system to activate and deactivate the front axle lift that can be programmed right into your garage door buttons on the rear view mirror. We also include 2 wireless remote fobs should you want to activate the lift kit from outside the car or simply run out of buttons to program. Don't worry about messy wire routing or drilling. With the press of a button you can raise your car from wherever you are! Our custom designed aluminum sheetmetal mounting bracket allows for a clean installation of the air compressor. All parts fit neatly underneath the front cowl just to the right of the battery. 

*The lift kit is designed to operate at speeds up to 40mph and only intended for use to get around obstacles. Handling is affected when driving raised.*

Linear Spring Options:

Because the GT4 stock struts are height adjustable, you can lower the spring perch to compensate for the height of the air cup stack (~20mm). Although you may be able to reach your original ride height, this does mean that you will lose ~20mm of lowering adjustment with the OEM springs. On OEM springs the lowest achievable ride height is ~68cm (1 finger gap) measured from the ground to the top of the fender arch (our splitter sits ~4.8" from the ground). While this is still plenty low, we also offer lowering springs so you can get your car as low as you want. Here are the options for upgraded springs for your car to achieve different ride heights compared to stock: 

1. Front 280lbs front spring only (gain -10mm adjustment)
2. Front 336lbs front spring only (same height as OEM springs and no lift kit)
3. Front 392lbs front spring only (lose only 6mm adjustment)
4. Full spring kit: 448lbs in front and 560lbs in rear (lose only 12mm adjustment)

 

*For reference: OEM springs are 257lbs front and 457lbs rear (lose 20mm adjustment) Option 1 will allow -30mm lower ride heights than the OEM spring + lift kit.*

**Option #3 maintains nearly the same spring ratio as our upgrade full spring kit (448lbs/560lbs) without having to change out the rear springs.**

 

Construction:

The GT4 front axle lift kit uses parts from Stanceparts. The air cups will have a 2 year warranty coverage from Stanceparts and also carries a 1 year warranty on the compressor from Viair. The compressor weighs in at just about 10lbs. We developed a custom fit mounting bracket for the air compressor that sits next to the battery bay in the GT4. When everything is installed, it will all tuck neatly away under the factory cowl. Supplied in the kit are also two billet aluminum adapters to allow for this kit to work on the GT4 front struts.

Features:
  • 40-50mm raised front height for clearing obstacles
  • Raises to full height in 6 seconds
  • Wireless activation (garage door opener buttons or remote fobs)
  • Does not affect handling when lowered
  • Completely reversible
  • Compact and clean packaging fits neatly underneath the front cowl
  • Black Powder coated aluminum sheetmetal mounting brackets
  • Black Anodized billet aluminum strut adapters
  • Adds only sprung mass
  • Total weight: 13-14lbs
  • 2 year warranty on air cups
  • 1 year warranty on air compressor
  • Compatible with 981/718 GT4s & 718 Spyders

Customer Reviews

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Shawn
Great upgrade for a GT4

The product is great and Jacob has been even better. I installed myself and I am no mechanic so had some questions and failed to let him know I had MCS shocks instead of stock. Jacob let me return the cups he had sent and forwarded to me the size I needed for my suspension without charging me for the extra shipping.
H also took time to answer my questions on a couple other occations. He has experience with his own car and customers he has worked so could help me get things sorted on my car. I also cut a hose due to where I ran them to the compressor and found it very easy to fix given the way the hoses use a quick connect system. The great thing is that if you have a failure like that the suspension works fine, it just won't raise. I would not hesitate to buy from him again.

T
Ted K
Sanity saver

Works amazing. Reliable and saves my cars nose as well as my sanity. Beyond worth it.

3D Scanning & Prototyping

Each DBJ product goes through several rigorous design phases. Starting from scratch, we collect high accuracy scanned data from cars to ensure great fitment. Data is then processed and models and designs are created using CAD software. Prototyping using 3D rapid prototyping printers are used to confirm scans and fitment. Sometimes we are able to print out entirely functional parts for road and track testing. 

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Initial designs are tested using both finite element analysis (FEA) and computation fluid dynamics (CFD). Both these methods require several iterations to ensure proper performance and optimization of DBJ parts. 

Real world testing

Finally once the design is completed, we test our prototypes on the street and track! Thoroughly test driving our products helps ensure that our customers have nothing but the best experiences when it comes to installation and performance results.