987.2 Cayman suspension maintenance

I am coming up in 100k miles on my 2.9 daily driver. Runs well and tracks straight, but has a little "loose" feeling. I have seen multiple posts with various types of suspension arm kits, and wonder, is it worth going through to diagnose exactly what might be worn, or is it more typical to just rebuild/replace everything as a kit?

Great timing! I am in the exact same situation with my 987.2 .9. All OEM and original. 107000 miles now. I think I am going to just do it all. Keep the springs. All the tie rods, arms, sway bushings, links, shocks, mounts. (and motor mounts too!) Probably go B6 Bilsteins and keep OEM ride height. Scary that you can buy 4 coffin arms on ebay for less than 200 total.... If I can piggy back what brands would you avoid?

If you replace everything that has a rubber bushing or ball joint, you will likely be very satisfied with the end result. There is something very satisfying with the direct connection a fresh suspension provides. 🏎🏎

That’s the plan! About 3500 if I don’t do springs. Tempted to go go R springs and B8. Or stay stock and B6

Just looked up the parts on FCP Euro . Why are the rear kits so pricy? Any input if normaly both ends need rebuilding? I noticed that there are front kits with and without tie rods. Any comment on how often tie rods are needed.

Of course, it’s best to do both front and rear. But the front is more noticeable because of the steering. It’s also where you feel the brakes most. But I would try to do both ends to maintain the balance. Our cars have such nice balance that it would be a shame to have new parts on one end and 100k mile parts on the other. It’s just my opinion, but the magic of Porsche is the connection between the chassis and driver. New rubber in all the suspension bits reestablishes the closeness that makes these cars such a joy. 😀

At 84k the control arm bushings on the rear (the one that the forward arm attaches to) were shot that resulted in the car wondering around at freeway speeds. Changed just the control arms as the toe link and forward arm were in good shape. Also did the upper shock mounts as I was replacing the shocks and springs ( Koni + Cayman R). For the fronts again replaced the control arms only and inner and outer tie rods along with upper shock mounts. Unlike the rears the front control arms were actually in decent shape but found some low mileage take apart units and wanted to refresh them. Didn’t touch anything else now the car feels planted and stable. If you have the option to DIY and can afford to have the car down for a bit I would suggest replacing only what needs replacing to save money as $ for parts add up quick. As for aftermarket parts to avoid: URO and Hamburg Technic. Meyle and Lemforder is what I use if I’m going aftermarket. Even comparing Mayle to OEM Porsche side by side you can see where the cost cutting is done.

People get wrapped up in mythical fine tuning. If the front wears faster it should probably be changed more often. Nothing that special about changing them all at the same time. I mean, if I want to get back to "new" I would have to do engine and transmission mounts, plus probably sway bar bushings. Any good tests, as I am sure if I put it on the lift, it will be hard to find the lose point due to everything hanging at the end of throw. Just trying to learn from others experience. So far no one has mentioned brands.

My 2¢: Find the recommended PCA alignment/suspension guy. Have him do a thorough inspection/estimate/recommendation… Suspension work is pretty straightforward. Don’t open any cans of worms you don’t have to. It may be that the recommendation will be to replace everything. This will not be inexpensive…IMO of course…

For daily drivers it rarely would seem prudent to "replace everything" I don't heat clunks and I don't feel bounce, so struts and strut mounts are probably just fine for the task. Not lowering it yet, so sticking with stock springs. I liked the good old days, where after Saturday OCR-PCA breakfast, I could let one of the "old guys" take the car for a spin and tell me what they thought. Might just do the front kit but still wondering what the over/under is on needing tie rods? Guessing Meyle or Febi are just fine.

Did you not see my post above yours about brands?

The rear FCP kit uses 2 Porsche branded control arms. $522 each . You can get Lemfoerder branded ones for $164 but they are on back ordered at FCP and elsewhere it would seem. That part alone makes for an additional $700 difference.

If you compare OEM to Meyle side by side you can see where the cost cutting is, casting is not as elaborate and access to a ball joint is more limited compared to OEM which makes removal more painful but gets the job done. Certainly safe to use.

Isn't the Ball Joint on the factory p;art non-removable?

It is non-removable.. I was referring to access using a ball joint separator. OEM control arm is better defined and Meyle is chunkier around the ball joint area.

My parts are almost reinstalled. Alignment is next tuesday from our local track A/X guru who has access to a state of the art machine... Spyder performance for all the arms and links, trw for tie rods, koni for shocks, OEM R springs , porsche for all pads and bump stops.