Coilovers for less than $1000.00 ? Are these junk ?

Today I decided to do a search for coilovers for my 99 C4 . This brand popped up early in the search . I was quite surprised by the price , and the saying " you get what you pay for " comes to mind . So any of you guys running these or know someone that does ? Are they junk ? Or decent ? This would strictly be for street/mountain driving . I currently have ROW M030 setup and have no complaints and it's not worn out with Bilstein B8's . But at this entry price I could change my mind . https://coiloverdepot.com/products/98-05-porsche-911-996-awd-godspeed-coilovers-maxx?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw2a6wBhCVARIsABPeH1sGP7UM4H-k87Ctg8SNfeAHLAOR4h9zjRUZzF8kpMeKEUlIha5aa78aAiAKEALw_wcB

I'd stay away from Godspeed unless you 1000% know what you are doing. Their higher-end products are workable, not great, and the low end stuff does not last long on other cars. If you know how to rebuild dampers, they're a cheap way to get a shell that you can revalve to whatever you want.

Go KW - worth the money

Kind of what I figured . Thanks guys

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the higher end products are trash too borr chuan garbage with different colored anodizing

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I've tuned a lot of "garbage" China/Taiwan coilovers. They're faster on track than KW and Bilstein off-the-shelf product with only minor ride quality compromises, so it's a great deal if you put in the effort. My stock-engined 1.5L Civic ran 1:57's at Buttonwillow on BC when the record for modified Type R's was a 1:54 (on JRZ). There are certain brands to stay away from (Racelands, MaxSpeedingRods, and low-end Godspeed for example) but mid-range stuff is already better than a typical springs + Bilstein B8 setup. In this case OP is looking to upgrade from B8s so the range of acceptable solutions is quite wide.

^^^ Circuit Heart when you say you have tuned a lot of coilovers is that just making settings adjustments ? Or is that also experimenting with height/weight balance ? Or different springs ? Trying to learn . Thanks

I am genuinely interested in how dampers are tuned. I have zero experience with automotive stuff. I played with MX motorcycle stuff many years ago before shock dynos were commonplace and we solely relied on rider feedback. I’m assuming you are using a shock dyno for tuning? I’d be very interested in seeing charts from a new cheap damper to a tuned damper.

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While I know what to do with a shock dyno, I really do just mean fiddling with the ***** and other adjustments here, not rebuilding. - Rebound **** (has crosstalk with compression damping, this is important) - "Preload" (misnomer), control the at-rest position of the valve within the damper travel to affect spring force (mimics compression damping) - Height, general suspension geometry control as well as corner balance - Spring type and rate - Bump stops, which can sometimes be a second spring - Accessories like floating thrust washers to reduce friction and binding I'm only adamant that there's potential to unlock because I've seen the improvements personally. Revalving, like what Redshift has done for my BCs (Bilstein digressive valve + custom shim stack), basically equalizes the playing field as it comes down to the valving party's skill and patience. These things are nice - and regularly win national championships over expensive brands. Is Redshift going to displace Penske at the pro level, of course not, but there's a lot of value in what they do for us grassroots folk.

Well, it’s promising that even the “low end” products have a range of adjustment. Years ago, when doing bike stuff, that was on element that separated the top from the bottom. Low end stuff had screws, but they really did almost nothing, or the starting point was so far off the mark that there was no external adjustments that could bring them back. It seems to me that the other challenge would be matching dampers. On bikes it was easy as there was only 1 front and 1 rear. Cars are quite different. When I put Konis on my track Miata, it ended up with 6 dampers before finding a two matching pair (using friend’d dyno). He indicated that this is a common issue with “street” equipment, even costly stuff.

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stay away, quality over quantity. Godspeeds don�t last. Find a set of kw�s

As a data point my bilstein b6 shocks were leaking and my top hats were shot so started pricing out replacement options. Oem parts was massively expensive, KW didn't make any sense on my 996 which is worth low $20s canadian. Ending up getting a set of track one coilovers. Was able to set them at oem height without issue for the winter and am now running 50mm lower. Very happy with performance, build etc for the money. About 6k km on them so far. Full set was $1500 canadian all in, less then half of what KW would have cost. Looks as though price has increased a bit since my purchase tho. Ride is firm but controlled, less jarring then a previous setup but stiffer then oem. Running at full soft currently, will be adding a few clicks onto the rear. https:/trackonedevelopment.com/collections/coilovers/products/street-coilovers-porsche-911-996-carrera-2-97-05

Do the Track One coilovers have a mounting tab for the pinch bolt on the front units?

I have H&R coilovers. I've been very impressed with them. The ride is much better than the B6/H&R Sport springs I used to have. I did like that setup, but the RSS coilovers are better in every way. H&R RSS Sport Coil-Over | Tire Rack They aren't PSS10s or KWs, but for the money, I've been very happy with them.

Agreed. I don't know why anyone would skimp on suspension, brakes and tires to save money. Just wait a few months and save up a few extra dollars to get a better part. Sales happen all the time. Just wait for one and then jump on it. Remember, precious cargo is sitting in the seats.

I have been running a set of Ceika coilovers ($1300 set) on my wife’s 996C2 for three years and have had very good results. It is not a track car. I have used them with Ceika’s recommended Sport spring package and set them at position 22 (range from soft to hard is 0-30). I liked them enough to get two additional sets for some of my other cars. I do have Ohlins R&T on my turbo. Much more expensive but suitable for DE use. Good luck with your mods. Mark

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I�m curious how the Ceika compare with the Ohlins back to back.

Ohlin’s are nicer, more compliant but are also 4x the cost

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Ohlins R&T were closer to $2600 for my GT3. Not sure what they cost for Carreras.

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AWD vs RWD Ohlins are more expensive for the turbo

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yes they do, had to email them to get proper pictures before my order.

Just installed Silvers new max and love them. They are about $1500

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How do you have the sway bar links connected on the fronts of your wife's car? I have adjustable links from a prior install and they don't go through the pinch bolt. Also, did you get any installation instructions?

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I mean, but are the coilovers mentioned good enough to get me to the pizza restauant to pick up a pie for pizza night at home and to the cafe on Sunday mornings? Real questions. "skimp" is a loaded word. I would argue that many of these sets in the $1,300-2,000 range, while not better than the mid-high and high-end ciolvers, are head-and-shoulders above stock suspension. I can't see why someone would want to pay $3,000-$5,000+ for coilovers to lower a car that cost them $15,000-30,000. I've been buying coilovers for decades, and that's a lot of money to pay to have a race-ready suspension on a car that will never cast a shadow on a race track. I just bought a Lexus LS600h L as a project and the OEM air suspension was dead as nails. The best price I could get for the air spring + shock combo (built together) was $2K/corner. That's $8K in parts alone. I got a set of Ceika coilovers with an a-la-carte spec (you have a few options on the order sheet) for $1,300! Had them in-hand in a month. And they work great! Coilover suspension isn't rocket science or open-heart surgery. It's essentially "old technology". It's OK for this stuff to be less expensive now. It should be less expensive now.

Agreed. If it's just a grocery getter, you don't need better than oem handling, braking nor tire grip. You really dont. But why would anyone want to own a 996 if you don't put it thru its paces every so often? Kinda like dating a super model and making her wear unflattering clothes to hide her attributes when you take her out on the town.

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lol here you go again. Your analogy is flawed (and a bit condescending to women). I'm not gonna extend it. Why do you think that everyone should race (or want to race) their 911? It's a Sports Car, not a Race Car. Sure, there are race-spec versions of this car. There are race spec versions of 5-series, too. But, that's not why either were built. But, what if the stock 911 sports car is enough for doing sports car things? You know, sporting around town, sporting through the country side. Being in a nice sports car on a date night with the top down cruising through the city? What if a driver wants all of that but wants the suspension to be a little bit more adjustable? Even Porsche lowered the ride height on these cars when shipped to countries that were not the USA. Manually adjustable dampening was mind-blowing 25+ years ago when Koni and Bilstein did it (this was my first knowledge of it. Not saying they invented it.) Now it's in damn near every car these days... at the push of a button! . Why can't I buy those features for my 20+ year old 996? The folks that started these coilover companies thought the same thing and are serving a market very, very well. How silly would I look saying that I installed a race suspension on my car to lower it 1" and get access to adjustable dampening features. [person] "Nice 996! It looks lowered. Is it?" [me] "Yeah, it's got a track-spec Ohlin's Road and Track coilover suspension." [person] "Nice! Do you race it?" [me] "No." [person] "SCCA?" [me] "Nah." [person] "DE stuff?" [me] "Nope." [person] "Then why?" [me] "I just wanted even wheel gap all the way around and it to be a little stiffer." [person] "You spent all that money just to get those small updates?" [me] "Yup." [person] "Was it worth it?" [me] "Nope." [person] "Yeah...I'm inclined to agree."

Because not all dampers are of the same quality, and it�s quite likely that a cheaper coilover will have dampers that are much worse than the OEM non-adjustable ones. It�s cool if you�re only interested in looks but safety shouldn�t be compromised in your pursuit of visual appeal.

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You should re-read my posts.

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So your assertion is that that modern mid-tier dampeners will be "much worse" than 25 year old mid-tier dampeners? Again, this isn't rocket science. Sure, budget **** will always be budget ****. Quality control is probably the biggest factor. Many budget manufacturers simply DGAF and will ship **** that others would toss into the bin. It costs money to test and selling those that would have been in the trash bin is a double-win for them. The do not care much about their name or reputation. The budget manufacturers' play is to make money off of volume and know that a certain percentage will be crap. They also know that only a small percentage of those will actually be returned halfway across the globe. So, they have nearly nothing to lose. I've seen that happen in the bicycle industry. Like people have said in this thread above: Do not buy from those companies. I'm saying: There exist companies that are not those budget companies but sell the same or very similar tech with good quality control at great prices. Let's look at this another way: Sure, Omegas and Rolexes are nice...but how many of you also have $100-$500 watches? Is all of your kitchenware (that you use every day to nourish your bodies) of the highest quality from the best brands?...Are all of your pots/pans Le Cruset or do you have a few IKEA bits here and there? 😄 See how you buy from similar mid-tier manufacturers every day. And have been doing so for decades. Don't get all high and mighty now 😂

It really depends if the quality control is as good as you say they are.

All offerings will damp the oscillations of wheel and body when driving. The difference that drives the price is how well they absorb the small bumps (road repair patches, expansion joints, manhole covers) whilst at the same time but at the other end of the spectrum how well they keep vehicle body movement in check when doing fast transitions left to right, crest and dips, braking and accelerating (i.e. body roll, heave and pitch) Doing either is cheap and easy, doing both requires more complex valving, friction optimized rod seals which will drive both development cost and parts price. All for a given spring rate fr/re. For the use case OP describes, I'd stay withe OEM springs combined with bilstein B4. You get the result of the calibration work put in by Porsche and few other aftermarket brands will (be able to) put a similar amount of time and money to finetune their offering for each specific vehicle application. Koni actives offer modern valving and show an impressive broadness in how well they perform on both ends of the spectrum described above. Combine does with OEM springs of after market if a slight lowering is desired and you're all set.