RoW M030...initial impressions...

Got my car back from ANDIAL after the RoW M030 installation, and my initial impressions are mixed. The 030 upgrade solves some problems with the stock 996 but falls short for the aggressive driver that likes to 'track' their cars. The understeer is still there, especially on entry while applying power. The ride quality is not perceptively worse than before--which begs the question: why is this suspension not standard equipment? I was surprised to learn the factory alignment at the rear was -2.5 degrees! it's now a more reasonable -1.5. The fronts are at 0 degrees and I'll have it aligned at -.5 next time it's in. If I had to do it all over again, I would probably opt for the H&R/Bilstein coilovers with adjustable bars.

Regardless of your suspension setup, you'll likely always have understeer with a front camber closer to zero. I suggest you shoot for 1 degree negative or more while leaving the rear at 1.5.

Did you go from standard or US030 to the ROW? Also, how is the ground clearance? I'm worried about scraping... Thanks.

fahren affair, I've been reading your posts of late regarding the M030 suspension (I believe you settled on the European, right?) with interest as I'm contemplating a similar setup on my C2 ('99). I recently acquired my car through an acquaintance who had Techart sport springs installed, but did not swap out the factory dampeners. As such, I get a ride that is somewhat "bouncy" over undulating road conditions. Do you feel that by switching to the M030 suspension would help with the rebound or should I seek out different options? Any guidance would be very appreciated.

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by Viken: <strong>Regardless of your suspension setup, you'll likely always have understeer with a front camber closer to zero. I suggest you shoot for 1 degree negative or more while leaving the rear at 1.5.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Viken, I use to follow the factory specs and have more camber at the rear but when I got my PSS9 and GT3 bars installed, I followed the recommendation of the shop that did it (works on many cup cars and does the right rear of the car for TRG at the 24hrs races) and we put more in the front than the rear (-1.5 FR and -1.0RR) and the car really handles great on the street and on the track! FWIW JM

i need pix.. plese post some pictures...

My M030 is the full kit: springs, dampers and anti-roll bars (rest-of-the-world spec). The ride height dropped slightly by about 3/4" in front and 1/2" at the rear. I did not want to lower it beyond that since my car sees parking garage inclines and descents on a daily basis (oil sump scrapers). As a baseline, the front camber was set at 0 degrees. Based on other's recommendations here, I will try to get at least -1 degree of front camber and hopefully this will improve things. About the dampers, there is still significant 'bounce' at higher speeds. I still get unwanted bounce and 'wander' when taking fast sweepers--and if there are bumps? look out!! My old Bimmer did better on the same stretch at similar speeds. I just know the P-car can be so much better. All told, I spent 2/3 of what the H&R coilovers/GT3 adjustable bars would have cost. I was told the labor to install the M030 is actually higher than installing the coilover kit. ANDIAL took two days with my car.

fahren affair, Thanks for your comment. More than anything else, I'm interested in fixing the rebound on my car, as I'm okay with the Techart springs. I thought that the M030 suspension would address that issue because the springs and dampeners are matched. However, based on your experience, I guess I'll have to seek out other options. I, too, had a Bimmer ('98540) and it was able to handle the same roads I travel better than my C2. I'm pretty desperate about fixing the 'bounce' and 'wander' elements as I'm VERY fond of my new ride.