Sports Suspension?

The shocks on my 99 C4 are getting tired. The Porscheshop and a few others are selling the OE Sports suspension kit for a very reasonable £540 + Vat. This sounds to good an opportunity to miss but worried it will make the ride too hard, I prefer a standard suspension setup but this lowers by only 10mm. Does anyone have any experience of the standard springs & dampers vs the sports kit?

Can only tell you what I've read in car magazines - yes it does make the ride somewhat hard and you'll feel every imperfection on the road. On the track however, it's suppose to be very good. Depends what you use the car for I guess. ~ Maxie

£540 is the same price as at an OPC for the M030 kit. Makes the car feel much more "planted" but I agree it is a bit harsh on poor surfaces.

My 2003 996 is fitted with M030 (-10mm) sports suspension. It's the only 996 that I've owned so I can only tell you that this set up is 'firm but fair'. I don't use the car as a daily driver but I have a feeling that it might become a bit tiresome if I did. I don't think that it's anywhere near as harsh as the X74 (-30mm) set up that you find on the GT2 but I do also wonder what the 'standard' C2 996 suspension would have been like....? On the positive side I've never known a car that corners or turns in like mine does - it's just awesome. On smoother roads you'd never know that the suspension was harder but you do tend to feel it more over the Welsh mountains! A lot of people who have far more experience with these cars than I do have told me that it's the best of both worlds to have the M030 but I'd like to be able to compare it to the standard set up. If I do ever change the car for a newer one I think that I'd be tempted to just go for the standard suspension and none of this PASM, etc as I just can't see that Porsche would make a 911 with anything but superb suspension!? Adrian.

I use mine as a daily driver (18k pa) and it is quite firm. Depends on what your referance points are. I have always owned sporty cars and my 996 C4 is not the hardest suspension I have ever driven but you will find yourself subcontiously driving everywhere avoiding any major potholes however the feedback through the steering is incredible (you feel every imperfection). You will notice the differance over standard but it is still a comfortable ride and never overly crashy or rough.

The looks alone are worth the pain. :thumb: Some of my best friends are osteopaths.

I would agree with the above. My C2 is fitted with the M030 sports suspension and the "firm but fair" quote is about right. I use mine as a daily driver (12k pa) with mainly motorway and town driving. Some of the road surfaces around us are pretty shocking, especially in the city and it does get a bit tiresome. Overall though I feel the firmness is worth it for when you do come across a lovely piece of smooth, twisty tarmac when out for a run and the suspension comes into it's own. And the -10mm just makes the car look more sorted IMO

I've also got the M030 option on ours and do find it a bit much for an everyday car. I haven't ever tried a standard car for comparison though. The kit itself is very good value and I put a fresh set of springs (which had sagged at the rear) and dampers on my car about 5k miles ago and was able to sell on the ARB's (which I obviously already had on the car from new) to recoup some of the cost. However, if I was going to do it again I think I would go for a better damper, my car had previously had a pair of Bilstein B8's (standard M030 is equivalent to the B6 I believe) on the front and i'm sure they were slightly more composed. Hard to be 100% sure though as there were other changes made at the same time including the addition of PowerFlex bushes. Your best bet is try and get a ride in a M030 car first, whereabouts are you located?

Agree with CIW - can you try a drive in both? I prefer the M030 but I also have the standard 17" wheels - just right for me and not too crashy over rough surfaces!

Thanks for all the replies, I guess I just need to get out there and find one to try. Reading into it the M030 kit is the standard setup on the C4S and Turbo. I have 18" alloys with 285/30's on the rear so starting to think this may make it a bit hard for every day, but will find one to try. Phoned OPC and you can buy the kit direct for £633 inc vat.

Hi Jumbles, this is a no brainer go for the M030, within the kit you will also get upgraded ARB's as well as shocks and springs, then get a decent geo when everything has settled after around a week, also drop your tyre pressures slightly (32F/38R) and its more than compliant for every day use, a 911 is a sports car not an armchair!

I have the same setup. If you are in the south and need a passenger ride let me know.

I have the M030 kit, 1cm lower... and I wish I did not.. I do not track the car, and would like a bit softer set up...

... but then it would look like you were floating around in a cloud too! Just be grateful, standard height, no side sills/spats and 17s on a light coloured 996 looks far too high.

I'm more than happy with mine; standard suspension and 18s, it's just right for a daily driver, which is what mine is. I don't feel the need for a firmer set-up because 99% of the time I'm not pushing it hard, and some of the roads round my way aren't great either. Each to their own, I just think a 'base' 911 Carrera works best on standard suspension (for what I use the car for), I'm happy up here in the clouds... :thumb: