New suspension for a daily driver???

Hey guys, I purchased my first 996 and introduced myself to you all with some pics a few months ago. Since, I have been an avid reader of this board and learned alot about these cars. As such, I am now getting ready to start the mod process (better than a coke habit, but probably not cheaper). Anyway, for performance, I will probably start with exhaust and suspension. Since this car is my daily driver and will rarely be tracked, it sounds like the PSS9's are the way to go. Unfortunately, I have never driven a 996 with PSS9's, so I don't really understand the benefit. Many of you have said that a new suspension makes a world of difference in driving. Can anyone please explain to me what the difference...what the benefits are? Before I commit the $$$, I want to make sure that this is a mod that I will truly appreciate. Again, this is my daily driver. Thanks!!!

Well how do you drive? The stock suspension when going fast has a tendancy to lift the front end, which makes it feel a little unsettled. The stock suspension is made for better ride quality, but the handling suffers....The PSS9 gives you much better handling without the negatives of the bad ride quality. It is adjustable...you can set the ride height YOU like from stock to WAY low....and then you can set your shock dampening which will control the harshness of your ride, soft to hard, but even on the hardest settings its not that harsh. So fo rme, I got the car lowered, better ride quality, and MUCH better handling. No down side for this mod. This is my daily driver, I commute 100 miles a day on SoCal freeways in my car...no complaints at all.

I fight traffic in the mornings for about 20 miles, but get to open 'er up every night coming home on the Atlanta Autobahn. I usually get going pretty fast on the way home, but haven't experienced any lift. Does it affect the handling on windy roads, or is that more the ability of the tires? I do like to take turns fast! Newport, I love the TT front bumper and MKII skirts! I would also like to make similar cosmetic upgrades. I am between going with an aftermarket TT-look bumper and the skirts, or doing the facelift (new headlights and fenders) so I can use an OEM TT front bumper. Is yours OEM?

Yes OEM bumper and skirts....OEM TT ream bumper as well....heres an @ss pic.....Its BETTER for windy roads....you will be able to take those same corners faster.....I found the stock suspension too soft for great canyon carving...but my previous car was a VERY low Boxster with stiff springs, and AMAZINGLY agile car...so I was a little disappointed with a stock 996....but after the PSS9, its now pretty agile...

Dollar for Dollar you can't get better (especially for daily driving) than the RoWM030 kit. Comes with shocks, springs, sways, and stops. Got mine from Sunset Porsche for $1K shipped! Dropped the car about an inch all the way around and the handling is night and day compared to stock. No more floating feeling at higher speed and much more planted.

My "new" 2001 C4 has the 030 package. Is the ROW O3O a difference worth looking at? I would like to lower the car, but dont want to mess with the factory 030 if there isnt a big improvement. Thanks

Except ride quality....RoWM030 is kinda harsh correct? It is better than stock , but not on the same level as PSS9's....PSS9's will get you better handling and better ride quality than RoW M030....It will cost you more money, but for a daily driver, a PSS9 was the only choice...My wife thought the stock suspension was harsh, so RoWM030 is more harsh than stock, PSS9's ride better than stock, lower ride height and better handling. Here we go again Dell...lol....

ROW kits and PSS9s are both great options, you guys are both right. It depends on how sporty you want the suspension. The height adjustability and and adjustable shocks are nice but how often are you going to change it. I have changed the ride height once on mine. ROW kit will work great for a daily driver if you want slightly stiffer and better ride height. Also slightly less body roll. If you plan on tracking or doing DE events it I think the PSS9/H&R sways are a better way to go. I went with the JIC Sports because I like the forgiving two piece shocks and I needed the camber plates for racing. It just depends on what direction you'd like to go. The Row kit is probably a better bang for your buck since it comes with sway bars too. What are the spring rates of the PSS9s and the ROW?

I guess my point is this...if ride quality is important, then PSS9's, if you dont mind a stiffer ride then RoW M030 will be fine as well.....

Thanks for the input! Ride quality is still very important to me. The wife does log some time in the passenger seat, and she doesn't really want to ride in a race car. Now I just need to figure out which exhaust to go with. I'll do a search on the board, but feel free to post comments for me.

My car actually rides BETTER with the RoWM030.....not harsher. Don't confuse planted with harsher. If you are ever in the Raleigh area feel free to PM me and you are welcome to check out my suspension.

I second Dell. The ROW 030 rides better than the US M030 or the OEM suspension. The shocks are much better damped and the car handles better. The PSS9 can be made to ride well but you need to know someone who is capable of setting it up. Sinice it is VERY adjustable, yoou can spend months of frustration getting it right - and a ton of money as well. I have used the ROW M030 on my last 3 Porsches. My GT3 doesn't need it since it comes with the ROW suspension even over here. Rgds,

I also agree with Dell and Bob R. My car with the ROW 030 is far more comfortable than it was with stock suspension, primarily due to the significantly improved damping. And handling is greatly improved over US M030 due to the shorter springs/improved damping. The improvement over stock US suspension is dramatic, with the uprated sways playing a major role in reducing understeer. Add to that the price of ROW 030, and for street use, it's pretty much a no-brainer IMHO. Also consider that the spring lengths, spring rates, dampers, and sways were all engineered as a complete suspension system by Porsche engineers specifically for each 996 model. You're welcome to drive my car if you wish. But get some miles under your belt with your current suspension. That way you'll really appreciate any upgrade!

Does the ROW actually drop the car 1"?

What he said, and does anyone have before and after pics?

I recently installed the X74 sport suspension with GT3 sway bars on my car and I couldn't be happier. I did it as a street / track compromise and it has worked out much better than expected. The car is far better on the track and I actually prefer the ride on the street (which says a lot given the roads in Montreal). The only negative is the increased scraping getting in and out of the parking garage. My front lip is taking a beating. Hope this helps. Best Rgds, Bryan

My car dropped about 5/8" in the front, and about 3/8" rear, but this was from 6 year old springs with 40k miles on them. With 225/40 18's front, 265/35 18's rear, and when measuring from the garage floor to the fender lip plumb up thru the centerline of the hub, my car measures 26" front, 25-5/8" rear. I don't know what these measurements would be on new stock springs. I don't have any scraping issues, however. If lowering is the primary goal, one should probably go with a different setup. ROW 030 is renowned for yielding inconsistent lowering results. The handling/ride improvements, however, are unmistakable.

I went with ROW 030 on my 99 and totally agree with Dell's comments... love it in every way... I would have to say it's a tad stiffer than stock... but in no way is it harsh.... ride quality is still very very good... with PSS9... you'll be adjusting forever and the cost is high compared to ROW.... if you have the 18" wheels you can make things a bit softer (whatever suspension you have) by choosing michelin PS2 vs. the michelin pilot sport RIB... both very good tires; the RIB have slightly stiffer sidewalls...

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] http://members.rennlist.com/robinwa/BAM030.jpg http://members.rennlist.com/robinwa/BAWheelM030.jpg

Pete....how can you say this? With the PSS9's in 2 years I have NEVER adjusted my setup....And to adjust the dampening it takes 5 minutes...but what it does do is give you a smooth comfortable ride everyday and if you go to the track, you can stiffen it up, then adjust for a smooth ride on the way home....Like I said, my wife HATED the stock suspension so anything WORSE was unacceptable. She loves the PSS9's and even on 19's, my ridw quality is BETTER than it was with the stock suspension.

If you have a good shop that specializes in doing PSS9 *and* you don't mind spending the extra cash... BY ALL MEANS GO FOR PSS9... but ONLY with an experience installer..... with ROW you also get the swaybars, bushing and bumpstops designed to go with the new shocks - I almost went PSS9 but simply don't want to tinker with the suspension... been there before with some other cars I have... it was nice but bored of tinkering with the settings.... all the guys I know who have PSS9 love it - as for ride quality here is the dilemna... a soft PSS9 won't handle better than ROW 030 and ultimately that's what made me buy my ROW 030... also when you stiffen up PSS9's for better handling the ride can become harsh...

maybe I got lucky and went to a great shop....they have done literally hundreds of PSS9's and I got my set for LESS than RoW M030....but that was a steal I got on ebay....I am not sure how you say a oft PSS9 wont handle better than RoW M030....thats a pretty bold statement....what if my fron was set on say 6 (medium soft) and the rears are at 5 (medium)....ride is still WAY better than RoW M030, but the handling? I would say better and since you can dial in front/rear adjustability, you can eliminate thingsl like understeer....now...the real world question is can I or you use any advantage this may be during everyday driving? PROBABLY NOT....unless you are a serious track junky, in whuch both of these are probably not the best solution, then you cannot go wrong with PSS9...the smoothness and comfort is unsurpassed....Like I said, smoother more comfortable on 19's than stock suspension on 18's....

Well we see that you are pretty high on the PSS9s...I think what people are having a hard time doing is justifing the price difference... For me, i will wait the extra month to save up some extra cash for the PSS9s...I want the adjustability. Even if you don't know what you are doing, you cant have a bad setup with the PSS9s for the street. That is unless you are doing some VERY illegal activities, and with 90% of the Porsche owners not taking their cars to the track, its not a HUGE issue... ON the track, you could royally screw up your handling witht he PSS9s; the same cant be said for the M030... If you are taking your car to the track though, you are probably into it enough that you see the worth in having a proper suspension setup and you dont mind tinkering with or paying for the setup to be balanced... The M030 is a lot more affordable, and set right from the get go, just how the car comes fromt he factory... With all that being said, and me running on stock suspension and Springs, I don't see any reason to not go with the PSS9s except the cost. To half the people, the cost isnt worth it, and to the other half it is...

Thanks for all of the input! As I mentioned, I am a newbie...so I hope this is not a stupid question. I know that PSS9s are aftermarket - Blistein. So there are a number of Performance Shops where I could get these and have them installed. What about the ROW 030? Are these OEM or aftermarket? Do you have to go through a dealer to order the ROW 030, or can a Performance Shop order and install these too? And what are the typical prices for each set-up, including installation? Again, thanks guys!

The ROW 030 is OEM, and you can purchase it from any number of dealers who specialize in internet sales, such as Sunset Porsche in Oregon, Suncoast Porsche in Florida, or Brandywine Porsche in Pennsylvania. All have at one time sold the ROW 030 kits for ~$1000 including shipping. Install by a local independent here in Atlanta will probably run about $700.00, plus $125 for alignment at a local specialty shop (Gran Tourismo East). PSS9's are probably in the $2200 range from any number of vendors. Install costs should be a bit less as the PSS9's do not include sway bars. If you have stock US suspension, you will want to upgrade your sways also, which would cost another $300-$400 (guessing on this pricing: depends on the particular parts/manufacturer) for parts.

PSS9 installation is not rocket science. You can easily do it yourself as well. As most know, the PSS9 is ride height adjustable, which is a huge benefit in my book. You do need to get it realigned if you change ride height, but you need a realignment whenever you install a suspension kit. I haven't changed my ride height since I set it initially. The only other variable is dampening settings. It is a single adjustment from 1-9. You can change the adjustment yourself, and you DO NOT need to get a realignment hwen you change the settings. Again, it is not rocket science. Set the car and see what you think. Don't like it? Try a different setting. Try all the way soft all around. Try all the way hard all around. Then experiment. You don't need a shop to do this, and hopefully it is not over the head of most of us on the board. So . . . don't fool yourself into thinking that PSS9 necessarily equals big shop bills . . . it doesn't.

Its on my list of things to do...but why???? He is not a track guy, just wants a handling improvement and a good ride...why replace sways? I was told do things in steps...Do the PSS9's, if the handling is not what you want then go to sways...I have been to many a canyon and have never said, hmmmm....I wish I had done the sway bars....Its not a mandatory thing.