Please school me on 996 suspension setups

When I bought my C4S this summer, it was obvious right away that one of the POs had lowered the suspension on it. A quick inspection showed that they installed lowering springs, though I'm not sure of which brand - the maintenance records of the car were detailed, but not for the complete history of the car. My butt sensor isn't good enough to tell if they upgraded the spring rate or not, but the suspension is pretty firm (which I like). This car is my DD though, and the lowered profile is killing me - I'm scraping the front lip just going in and out of various parking lots. I want to raise the car back up to stock height - but I still want to maintain a high performance feel to the car. This is where my lack of knowledge about suspension really comes in... Do the lowering springs do anything besides appearance (do they make the car handle better?). How are the stock C4S springs (I have a set that I can swap back in). Are there any *relatively* affordable aftermarket options I can put on that would increase the suspension performance but maintain stock height? It seems like everything out there lowers the car.

Your cheapest route is to purchase a set of stock C4S springs used from a member. Preferably replace the shocks and struts as well. Best thing would be scoring a low miles complete stock set from a member who converted to adjustable coilovers.

So the dumb question from me: is there any adjustable coilover that can go stock height?

kudos for the road bike on top. love seeing racks on sports cars.

Coilovers are height adjustable. The highest setting may be equivalent to the stock height, you just have to check the specs of whatever brand/model you choose. The spring rate is independent of ride height (unless obviously set too low and ride on bump stops) so you can have the car near stock height and still have a performance gain.

It sounds like you might want to look into the stock "Rest Of World" (ROW) suspension. The complete suspension usually cost ~$1,200.00 . Sunset Porsche has them also Gert at Carnewl. http://www.carnewal.com/products/P96...ension-Package https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...de-height.html "Just keep in mind that the RoWM030 kit may not drop the height that much, if at all. I installed it about three years ago and while the handling was much improved, my ride height change was negligible. Several other members did it at about the same time and all got about the same results. If you are looking specifically to lower the suspension, the PSS10 set up may be a better choice, albeit more costly, as it's adjustable."

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guess it's time to turn this into a booby thread! Gator?

#1 on the ROW. It lowered my car about 3/4 of an inch from stock. It's stiff but won't kill ya. Also excellent on the track. I'm not a racing engineer to know enough what to adjust in the proper ratio for optimal performance. The great part about the ROW is that Porsche engineeried it for me. I saw a set for sale on Daytona for 400 bucks.

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You called?

^Daytona^ ?

Go to a dealership and take a test ride in a model like yours with a stock suspension and see the difference first hand. For an every day car that is spending 90% of its time in the real world, I would opt for the stock factory suspension set up. I find it more than satisfying on twisting roads and it is as firm as I would ever want my street car to be. And yes you will definitely reduce the number of times the chin scrapes on driveways and parking curbs.

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I had the same question!

I have the oem springs from my 1999 C4 and ROW M030 front and rear sways sitting in the garage collecting dust. Even though you have a 4S I think the springs and sways would fit just fine because the only difference from the C4 vs 4S is a little added weight on the 4S widebody. The sways would surely flatten your corners out. Let me know if you have any interest.

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Will they fit a C2 Cab?

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Referring to the sways probably.....my car was a manual, if your car is a tip the rear sway won't fit. See the linky for more info https://rennlist.com/forums/parts-ma...ar-996-c4.html

do you want to swap? i have a set of M030 springs, which more are less are stock height. they probably lower like 1/4 inch if that at all. not like the ROW 030 which lower much more. but the performance and feel are the same. about 50k miles on them.

X74 on my DD and I would to got back to stock hight if you paid me. Sure you have to watch the front lip but I consider those disposable anyway and I am on my 2nd one after 4 years.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Looking at things, I think the ROW setup is probably the way I should go. That being said, I think my immediate plan is going to be to go back to stock springs for now til I get the whole kit. Car needs an alignment anyways so may as swap the springs in. Now to search alignment threads/specs.

Following. I am getting a PPI done on a lowered car (03 c4s) next week. If I buy... I will be looking at putting the stock setup back in (comes with the car) as the current setup... While probably great for the track... Is way too stiff for me!

You and CoPilot need to talk! Win win.

I have OEM springs from an 02 targa (also fits C2 cab) of anyone wants them. No idea what they are worth. Sorry to hijack thread.

I replaced the front springs on the car yesterday, doing the rear today. Despite all the reading I did, not one thread or manual mentioned how difficult the fronts are!

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The fronts are indeed tough to do. When I did the X74 a few years back I had to loosen the carriage up front to get more room and still be careful not to scratch the fender lip when pulling the strut out. Time consuming on a C4.

I thought about keeping the lowering springs (turns out they're H&R, which I probably would've guessed) - but after that hassle? I'm just going to NEVER mess with them again. So.... I have H&R springs for sale now!!

I am not sure what the ride height on this 911 is. It was really low, and PO said he put it back to stock at cost of $1200 or so. But there a lot of inconsistencies to his statements to be frank, we can't trust much as being true. The springs did look fairly recent tho. Coming from 928's - fully adjustable i ducked my head under the fender wells today on this guy and saw just the struts and springs. So I gather the springs need to be changed out to raise the car. The Bluebird drives really nice just that we are in a rural area and the roads are not always in perfect shape (branches, holes, snow, etc.). And my buddy has to contend with driveway ruts into his place. What about going to taller tires to get some extra clearance? How does it look? Tuned Porsche 911 Bluebird Back from the Tire Shop - YouTube

I have the 030 ROW suspension - ride height is very similar to regular 996 suspension but the ride is quite stiff.

thks for posting the pix just comparing the photos(wheels to bodywork) the bluebird is definitely sitting lower. So will source a spring set I guess!

I like the lowered look too. Planning to get a set of coilovers for the coming season.

If you're scraping going into and out of parking lots, you should approach the incline at an angle to avoid scraping. It's a lot cheaper and easier than replacing the springs.

I have a full set of TT ROW Struts and HR Springs sitting in my garage ready to ship. I'm currently on KW V3s and there is 100% NO way you can get back to stock height with coilovers. They are made for stiffer springs with less travel.

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So you guys were out tear-assing around in a 911 - in the rain/slush - on new tires slicked up with mold release? I'm not sure whether that's brave or insane, but right now "insane" is leading by a country mile.

Mine was purchased, lowered on H&R springs as well, which has been quite acceptable to my derri�re and car front lip for the past 4 yrs, but I understand H&R springs is really a poor way to do this. I wonder if anyone would care to comment of the added bonus of going from H&R springs to coil overs from Bilstein, KV, �hlin, etc, not considering the cost, obviously.

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I've had both. RoW30+H&R (previously) vs KW V3 (Currently). I've driven from Seattle to SF and back, I've tracked multiple times on both setups and they are very different. Your stock struts aren't going to be able to handle the amount of travel the H&Rs allow over time. It might take 50k miles or 5k miles or one bad pothole. Hard to tell. At some point you will need to upgrade your struts. Until then they will handle fine and the ride will be lot firmer until one blows. PSS9 and PSS10 are more of a street coilover and provide the softest springs. Not a lot of difference between the two other than ones newer with a better way to adjust damper on the bottom of the struts. These will provide the closest to stock ride while allowing you to drop your ride height. The Ohlins Road and Track are probably the best combo for those that want a really, really good road ride and moderately track their cars. Their DFV dampening patent is legit and it works awesomely. A lot of BMWCCA instructor cars have Ohlins and swear by them. But they also don't have a complete coil over option unlike our cars (E46+ rears have spring perches separated from the struts.) You cannot adjust dampening on Ohlins R&T, its the closest to a set it and forget it setup. For those that want a fully customizable setup and like to nerd out with settings like me, the KW is the lowest cost "race" option before you get into the super customizable, external reservoir, track, super high spring rate Motons and JRZs. If your car is meant to be on the road it has no need for M/JRZs. Currently on my KWs, at even their softest settings these will be much firmer than any stock setup and will never have the "bounce" effect you may notice at speed with spring only setups. That being said, I live in pothole country and after a few tweaks setting comp/damp its not the smoothest ride but my teeth don't hurt hitting one anymore.