Suspension tuning

I have a recently acquired 1999 996 Carerra 4. The suspension seems very hard - particularly noisy and uncomfortable for normal road driving - especially on bumpy town roads. I appreciate that this may be just part of the experience of driving a sports car, but is there any way of tuning the suspension to make it softer for normal road driving and harder for, say, a track day? Thanks Ed

The short answer is no (without changing the suspension), although I'm surprised you say it's noisy - in what way?

Sounds like you have the M030 suspension upgrade/option fitted. While it transforms the cars dynamics it does take a bit of getting used to. If it doesn't suit your ride/comfort taste then it may be wise to consider another suspension set up. did you notice it when test driving the car or did you drive many before your purchase?

Thanks for very prompt responses! There seems to be a bit of 'clonking' coming from the rear when going over a bump in the road. I can't really say I noticed it when test driving, but it may just be that I didn't go on any bad roads. Also, it's easy to miss it because there is also an interior rattle, very annoying, which I haven't been able to track down yet. I just tried wedging some cardboard under the headcloth carrier at the rear window, as recommended in another post, but to no avail. How can I find out if the car has a suspension mod? I don't remember seeing any sign of this in the paperwork that came with it on purchase - quite a lot of archive material about services/repairs etc. When you talk about having a suspension setup, what exactly is involved - is it actually a modification to the suspension, or just some changed settings? Would it make the car less suited for track days? Many thanks Ed

As Mike says, you may have the M030 sports suspension, which is a good deal firmer than the standard setup. Look for 030 on the options sticker under the luggage compartment lid or in the maintenance booklet. The Porsche factory fitted suspensions (M029, M030, and X74) are non-adjustable. To get an adjustable system you would have to replace the shock absorbers/struts for a coilover system, like the PSS9/10's or KW Variant suspension packages.

Returning to this suspension problem (some time on!), I've checked the sticker and handbook, but there's no sign of any of the codes you mention. Is there any way to tell from inspection of the suspension units themselves? If not, I don't know how I can establish whether or not a change will make any difference. Thanks Ed

What is the mileage? the shocks and springs may be knackered if it is standard suspension it is usually very compliant and not usually noisy, could be worth checking out the suspension components also.As Richard says to do what you are asking you are looking at adjustables which is the circa £2000 without fitting and depending on the car and provenance other components may have gone south.?Centre Gravity

All springs have painted identification dots on them. If you could get the dot colours, you could look them up in the PET parts catalogue.

I think i have the same squeak you refer to im not sure how to get rid of it tho.

Just this minute arrived home after having my geo done by Chris at Centre Gravity, my car has been transformed[ ] Full report to follow

Thanks for the tip about colour dots on coils - I'll try and find that, or get the garage to check it when the car is serviced. I don't want to spend a fortune on adjustable suspension - just to change if possible to something a bit more comfortable for normal roads. I live in Cheltenham, and the roads here have to be seen to be believed! Mileage is ~80K, so I wouldn't really expect the suspension to be shot yet. Ed

+ 1 80000K!!!! -your suspension could be well past its sell-by......... Any idea when the car last had a full alignment/set-up? Every one to three years on a Porker subject to use and mileage These cars are very sensitive to going 'out', i.e. 5' rather than 10' on the average car.......

80K that was precisely why I asked the question the standard struts are i think munro, even high performance bilsteins should be rebuilt at 30K tops you probably havent got any spring poundage worth mentioning,my golf's old suspension felt hard as nails the reason the springs were U.S and I was riding on the bump stops!

Standard 996 shockers are Bilstein B4 according to Chris. The "accountant's choice" of shocker, as he calls it.

Please excuse my ignorance of suspension terminology. People have mentioned struts, shock absorbers and springs. Are these all separate items, or (for example) do the struts incorporate the shockers? I seem to remember from Ford Escort days, years ago, that they used McPherson struts at the front which were effectively shockers. Are you saying that the likelihood is that all this kit will need replacing? Is this a job I can hand over to my local garage, who are not Porsche specialists, but are happy to work on them? Will they be able to tell which bits need replacing, or do I need a specialist outfit like Centre Gravity, mentioned above? I'm trying to keep the costs under control! Thanks Ed

It sounds as tho you would be best off changing to the m030 kit. I rang my local opc (as im considering it for mine, i just have to convince my girlfriend it necessary[ ]) and they had it for less than £600.

sorry strut = shock absorber + spring and top shock mount if the car has done lots off mileage and non of the above have ever been replaced you would probably want to replace the lot.Any reputable garage should be able to do this,the benefit of a specialist (indie not OPC they will take the shirt off your back and all your underclothes current opc hourly rate is inc vat £144!!! )is they are usually more in tune with all the little quirks specific to porsches and they will more likley do the job more efficently= less time and less money .IMHO the setting up of the suspension is the really tricky bit to do well, and this is were those of us go to centre gravity.I am sure there are plenty of other people who can set up suspension but Chris seems to be consistantly good and his attention to detail is seecond to none,Yes it isnt cheap but the joy of driving a car that is well set up is well worth the effort.Why not get the components replaced first then when you can afford get it set up or why dont you phone around and get some idea of what you can expect to pay

Hi, I apprehensively fitted a mo30 kit to mine. One shock started leaking and it was the most cost effective way of refreshing all the suspension. I am pleased, not as harsh as I thought it might be. Jet box

Thanks very much for the info. I'm working on the basis that I need to replace all the components - I have receipts for past work on the car and can see nothing relating to suspension changes or replacements. I'm a bit unclear what to go for. I'm having difficulty finding straight replacement struts - everything seems to be a sports upgrade of some kind, which will mean firmer than standard, and I don't want to end up a grand or more out of pocket and no better off! Is it actually possible to buy a standard kit, or would I have to buy individual units, which look to be ~£280 each? If I have to have an upgrade kit, which one would give me some ride comfort - mo30? And is it possible to buy a kit that doesn't contain a load of extra gear (eg roll bars) that I don't need? Many thanks to all for your help

From what i gather if you bought the m030 kit it comes with uprated stuff i.e. the roll bars are a bit thicker its not wasted parts theres a reason why theyre together in a kit.

Sorry to nag, but could anyone please answer the questions in my last post, please? "Is it actually possible to buy a standard kit, or would I have to buy individual units, which look to be ~£280 each? If I have to have an upgrade kit, which one would give me some ride comfort - mo30?" I'm ready to buy, but don't know what to get. Many thanks Ed

Talk to Chris at Centre Gravity -he'll change it and do the set-up that you want...

I think the answer is no there is not a standard set up "kit". This was the reason why I went for MO30 otherwise its £250+ for each strut plus spring costs. jetbox