Canyon and track suspension parts list. Help!

I need to get moving on replacing my suspension to build out my 1999 996. I plan on a few track sessions a year and a lot of Los Angeles Crest canyon runs. I don't need to commute and have other cars for weekending. I don't have an unlimited budget, and while going all GT3 clone and fully adjustable everything seems nice, I have to be realistic in bang for buck. This is what I'm looking at. I "THINK" my tie-rods are OK, though I keeping hearing a click in front when driving in to garage, but I've shaking pushed pulled banged on them and they seem solid. The rest of the suspension parts rattle madly. Feals: 441+ Swift springs and "road-racing" = $2,239 (camber plates included, which I assume means I don't need any other top mount?) Ohlins: R/T POZ Mi00S1 = $3,281 (FCP Euro) 2 Strut mounts kits with bearings (four mounts total) ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...-99734301801kt ) = $348 Rear Meyle Control Arms Kit ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...le-996rrctrlkt ) = $1102 2 Front Meyle Control Upper ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...yle-4160500024 ) = $282 2 Front Meyle Control Lower ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...man-4160500000 ) = $310 (No tie rods) TRW Rear Link Kit ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...t-trw-jts554kt ) = $73 TRW Front Link Kit ( https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...t-trw-jts537kt ) = $69 Sway bars will need replacing but keep as-is for now. Between Ohlins and Feals, that brings the total to: Ohlins: $5,465 Feals: $4,075 What else am I missing? I know there's going to be something else I'm not accounting for, And Yes, getting Tarett adjustable this and GT3 clone that, would be nice, I gotta limit the costs somewhere - and the tarett stuff seams like it's hundreds of dollars more. And that stuff should be fairly easy to swap after the fact, ya?

Ben, since you are a DIY guy, and in reality are only replacing an old OEM set up with new oem parts, with the exception of a set of coilovers, why not just do the coilovers first and then replace what you need to replace when it truly needs it. You can better budget for parts over the next couple of years. Pick a metal suspension piece or two every year or as necessary.

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That makes sense, but the car rattles so bad the bushings all must be shot in the arms. So I feel like I would be replacing them all straight away regardless. So just put up with all the old stuff and hopefully I get a better understanding of what I want later on, and can possibly getting better components? I wouldn't be adverse to saving $1800 right now considering the state of the world. Though I did notice the meyle parts have gone up $50, and I can only imagine they'll continue to go up (along with anything else foreign)...

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What you can do is go to your indy and ask them to go thru the suspension parts and review the condition of each. My indy loves doing this stuff during tech inspection. Most of the time with me under the car with them. I asked them a couple of weeks ago to tell me what must be replaced, will need to be replaced in the next 12-18 months and what is still okay for now. So I am replacing my tie rods tomorrow. The rest is just fine. But they give it a lookover and tug a couple of times a year with tech inspections and keep me up to date on condition.

I’d upgrade the rear sway along with the coils. Might not need a front sway since you’re going with stock camber spec without adjustable front coffin arms. With the multi-hole rear sway you’ll be able to dial out more understeer.

Step 1 complete. I just ordered Feal's with swift springs. The Ohlins look amazing, but staring at that $3,600 after tax in my shopping cart, and still need to buy top mounts, was just too much. How can I convert the car to a business asset and write everything off?

Put a logo on it and its advertising....

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Ha yeh, I've of course considered that. But i think you need to then pay the owner (me) from the corp an advertising rate. Then me (car owner) can buy parts for the car. The corp can't buy the parts directly, unless it owns the vehicle. I wonder what a reasonable "ad rate" for a car is?

I own my truck but its primerily used for my business so i get to write off the repairs. Im sure u can get creative.

Well, got an email saying 3-4 weeks out before the Feal kit is built and ready to ship. Which I'm sure is really 5-6 weeks in car talk. Bummer.

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Just got mine in the 3-4 week range.

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Ok nice makes me hopefully. What's your intended usage?

Whether or not you replace the sways, replace the bushings! And although the advice to do part of the job at a time is easier on the wallet, I personally like to do the whole job that needs doing rather than doing it twice. Both approaches have some merit. Keep us updated!

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I�m currently in the middle of this same project, except with the Ohlins. Camber plates are only for the front, meaning you still need new shock mounts in the rear. I think. New bump stops. New hardware for the control arms is recommended. Sway bushings. Why not new tie rods if you�re doing everything else? I think that�s it�I�ll check my spreadsheet again tomorrow lol. Oh, and 16,18,19, and 21mm ratcheting wrenches.

Since I try to do all the work myself I will approach decisions like this by considering how much work I need to have done and how much that will cost in time and money. Typically changing a suspension part will require an alignment after. So if there are cheap parts that I can replace at the same time I would do so to take advantage of the alignment I am going to need to pay for. Most anything up front would need alignment after except for sway bar related parts. In the back there are fewer adjustments so rear shocks & mounts, upper dog bones etc don't require alignment after. Based on that I'd replace most of the front. Certainly new lca's and new strut top mounts. Probably new tuning fork track rods. I would leave the tie rods and tie rod ends alone unless they are bad enough to knock when turning. On the rear I would replace lca's and possibly tuning fork track rods (although the original ones on my car have over 180k miles and are just fine). Also the toe links with adjustable ones. Everything else can be changed without disturbing alignment. DE Jeeper keeps telling me to do the alignments myself; I do have the string setup and a laser toe gauge. Without a 4 post lift and turn plates I find it takes too long so I have it done.

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What's your intended usage with the Ohlins? I really went back and forth on it, I just had a hard time stomaching the extra cost... I think I will get sway bushings as looks cheap and easy. Leaving the arms as is for now to see after a few rounds if I'm going to need more camber. Not doing tie-rods as in another thread, I did a 'yank' test, for lack of a better word, and it was suggested since no play or noise, to not bother changing them as a pain. I've just gotta start doing something, I have a terrible habit of sitting on my hands and deliberating forever...

Here is the good news, you have a set of coilovers on the way which are adjustable. Gives you time to figure out what suspension components really "need" to be replaced versus what doesn't yet need to be replaced. So replace what you really need too, and get it aligned. Then take the next year to figure out what you really want to do with the suspension and accumulate the parts. Once you are ready to put them on, you will have to get another alignment. No big deal. Here is the point, 996 ownership is not a sprint race, it's an endurance race. There are no rules saying you gotta go ***** to the wall from the first minute of ownership on upgrading your suspension, brakes, exhaust, wheels, exterior, interior, etc. The only thing you really got to do immediately is make sure the engine is protected with the proper upgrades: IMS, UAOS, NEW WATER PUMP, and then make sure the car is safe to drive as it pertains to properly functioning parts as mentioned in the previous paragraph. Pretty easy and very cost effective. Pace yourself. The 996, canyons and track aren't going anywhere, and will be there many decades out in the future.

Very well stated and totally concur. The building journey is so rewarding so enjoy it and take your time!

Autocross and track. I store the car offsite, so it doesn't get driven around town much these days. Though the Ohlins DFV technology is supposed to be pretty good at maintaining ride comfort in non-track settings.

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This coupe is going to be similar, but not specifically track dedicated, it will be dual purpose with canyons (which in the Angeles crest, are (good or bad) essentially a race track). But I still want to be somewhat comfortable and not planning on mono-balling anything. I tested my neighbords 997 GT3 in the canyons, and would love for something that feels similar. Tight and planted, but you can still drive it around. What else are you swapping out are you going adjusted CAs and drop links? My current setup is all stock at 75k miles, so there is a lot of chitter-chatter in the arms and varied ticks and clicks on rough roads.

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This is the plan now. Coilovers first. New tires and alignment. See how much wear I get and if I need more adjustable settings. And I'm not trying to sprint, but I am feeling old as I creep towards 50 and time just seems to keep speeding up! (gah, did I really just say "towards 50".... where did the years go??)

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Makes sense. Don't sweat the age. I am 60 going on 40. You have plenty of time to enhance and enjoy the 996. Biggest lesson i learned with the 996 over the past 22 years, is to do it right the first time. If you arent completely certain what you want to do, dont do it because you will ultimately pay twice for the same part.

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I did the full Meyle control arm kits from FCP, front and rear, staying stock on the LCA's as the Ohlins come with adjustable camber plates. Replacing the drop links too, but keeping them OEM. For sway bushings, I'm using Powerflex instead of OEM.

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Swaybars on the 996 are a bit prickly. They vary among coupe and cab and sport suspension vs. standard in the appropriate flavors. Throw in the targa variant and, if my experience is any measure, it can be lot of fun finding the right diameter.

It�s not suspension related, but have you done semi solid motor mounts yet? That�s a huge bang for your buck upgrade imo.

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They do?

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I did just replace them, but I ended up going stock, for lack of specific reason.

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Sorry--they come with camber plates for C4/C4S/Turbo, hence why the Ohlins kit for those models is a few hundred bucks more.

The coilovers arrived yesterday. I also discovered Feal is based an hour away on the 2-freeway (of famous Angeles Crest). Somehow I never realized they were so close to me. I might go by and pick up a decal So my plan was adjusted to just replace the coilovers first, do we still think this is the best way foreward or is there anything I should just DO since I'll be pulling everything off. And I'm a little worried how easy everything will come apart and go back together considering this was a Chicago car, and saw it's share of salted roads. If I do just install the coilovers and nothing else what's the chance I'll be able to drive it a fair distance to get an alignment? I saw on some videos there are ways to mark bolts and such to try to keep the alignment the same but I'm sure the coilovers are going to change things considerably.

After installing mine shortly after I developed a squeak that was coming from suspension. Took quite a while to figure out where it was coming from. Finally determined it was coming from the shaft as it was moving up and down. A little silicone grease and was gone. Disappointing.

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Those look nice, the adjustable top mount is a big plus. Ya, sure go ahead and change the coil overs. Got to start somewhere. And once you do start pulling stuff apart when changing out the coilovers, you'll easily see whats worn out/damaged needing immediate replacement, if anything does. I wouldn't drive after your coilover install before at least a ruff alignment check. Its not hard or expensive to get in the ball park.. If the toe or camber is way out could cause a wear pattern to start on expensive tires. You can buy some simple tools to set camber/toe close enough to get to the alignment shop. A magnetic angle gauge stuck on the rotor, and a ball of string/fishing line/metal ruler for toe... With some patience should be able to get it good enough that you're not driving down the road to alignment shop cockeyed...

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Yes, i liked the extra little savings with getting that included. And I meant drive to the alignment shop. But alignment shop is an hour freeway drive away.

Unless you change the ride height substantially it doesn’t change your alignment much. If you stay at stock height it doesn’t change anything.

Do a string alignment to ensure that you're in the ballpark. You Tube

I just did a full suspension rebuild myself. I started with front control arms. Then did rear control arms (all five on each side). And finally had my shop do the Feal 441 (long stroke) coilovers + tie rods + alignment (picking up the car tomorrow). If you're doing the front coilovers, do the front lower control arms at the same time. It will make your job easier since the proper way to do the front coilovers is to remove the entire hub assembly from the car anyway. The rear seem to go in without unbolting any of the suspension arms. Even just the front control arms on my car made a huge difference in the driving feel, especially since the original front coffin arms had busted ball joints at this point. I'm guessing you got the regular length coilovers, so your car will be lowered at even the highest setting. In that case, you will probably need a quick toe adjustment before you drive to the alignment shop.

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So given all the rattley noises up front, you do think it's worth starting with the LCAs just in front when I swap in the coilovers.? So i would just need to start with two of these? (FCP $184 each, up $30 from a month ago) https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...man-4160500000 (actually looks like Pelican has it cheaper for once: $144 https://www.pelicanparts.com/More_In...=c&SVSVSI=3190 ) I need to get off my indecisive butt and get to work. Also now chasing a 'major' vac leak after UAOS installed so spinning in circles..

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I did the same and restored the whole suspension. I also went with Meyle for the rears but I�d recommend you do for front LCAs in one shot.

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Ya ACH is one of the great driver roads in the USA for sure. Very familiar with ACH. Stayed/lived at Mt Wilson Observatory for a short while many years ago. Back then some sections were not good, but some were perfect. That was the challenge and fun of it. Having a car set up that could do it all. And the 911 set up right has an uncanny way it just steps right over anything in stride, mid corner or straight...

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For the fronts, I would replace both the coffin arms and the tuning forks (both have to come out anyway). In my case, the ball joint in the coffin arms were gone and the tuning forks weren�t much better. I got meyle parts from rmeuropean.

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I started with this route of just doing all the front components, but have gone in a few circles of then being advised to not do everything at once and just do the coilovers in order to determine what kind of front camber control I might need and get feel of what parts need changing. And then advised to do the Lower front control arms because they're likely going to need changing regardless as there is a lot of noise over little bumps. And then, might as well do both control arms in front (I assume "tuning forks" are the other control arm : https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...02-MFG155.aspx ? So now I'm back to changing: Front (2x): $117 each: https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...19-MFG155.aspx Front (2x): $102 each: https://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/...02-MFG155.aspx And then leaving rear as is for now? (Btw, why is RMeuropean so MUCH cheaper, is that site legit?)

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RMEuropean is definitely legit. I ordered all my suspension parts from them. I did the front arms first, then all 5 rear arms (in two sessions), and then the Coilovers. Everything made a difference but the Coilovers and alignment really transformed the car. I think you can do the front arms and all 4 Coilovers now, and then slowly replace the rear arms at your own pace. Just remember that the rear toe arm and coffin arm will potentially require a fresh alignment due to the concentric bolts (marking them still always leaves it off for me).

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Thanks. I think i'm going to go this route. If I need more adjustable options later for the track, I can always move these new ones from thie Coupe I'm building out to my Cabriot 996 which also could stand for replacement LCAs. Should I get any new bolts/hardware while at it?

New hardware not strictly necessary as they're not torque(d) to yield but any nut that has either a nylon ring or is slightly oval to make them self-locking, will no longer be so effectively self-locking as new ones. In that case you can use blue/medium loctite.

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Thanks, I did end up deciding to wait and see on the hardware. If anything needs replacing I can just order it. I bought new front control arms (both pieces) along with new sway bar bushings for front and rear because they were cheap.

I had never heard of RMeuropean until this thread . Based on comments here and needing to refurb my 2002 Boxster S with 144k I placed an order this morning . Ordered various brands like Febi Bilstein , Meyle and TRW . I just received an email with tracking , all parts being delivered tomorrow ! Yes I am 2 hours north of Atlanta but that's quick turnaround . Hopefully nothing gets lost/damaged . Plan on installing everything next month with help from a friend that is a Porsche mechanic . Thanks for the tip , it never hurts to have another source for parts .

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Same for me. New front control arms. Sway bushings. coil packs. sparks. spark tubes. Ordered 12:45pm, arrived 11am the NEXT DAY! I'm in Los Angeles area. Blown away, and it was $215 cheaper than FCP. Love the guys at fcp but their lifetime warranty has gotta be the factor of why their prices are so much higher now a days. (even pelican was a lot cheaper for the suspension parts than FCP).

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The longer you own the car, the more parts suppliers get added to your �Favorites�. AutohausAZ, RM, Pelican, FCP, Rose Passion, Design911, Sunset, Delaware, Marin, Nemiga, Suncoast, Specialized German are where I mostly get my bits for the P-cars.

Package arrived today . All parts look good , they are all there and no visible damage . For my first order I give RM an A+ grade .

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Suncoast is semi local so shipping is usually 2 days to me. FCP and Pelican are my go to companies to order from.

Ok so progress here! Turns out replacing the rear shocks really is as easy as they say it is. Bolts loosened no problem, a little wrangling with a pry bar to get them out, and then just swap in coil overs. For setting height of the FEALs, I found a video online and used a best guesstimate of hair under 3" of space between the two collars. I did not adjust the preload at all as I'm pretty sure they set that accordingly from factory. My measurement numbers are (so far REAR ONLY): Fender Height Before (L/R): 25.625" / 25.75" (Difference: 0.125") Fender Height After (L/R): 25.5" / 25.375" (Difference: 0.375") Droop (L/R): 1.28" / 1.25" For track/canyoning I'm going to want to drop the height at least an inch I think, but I have no basis for that number. A) Should I do that now and drive the 40 miles to get an alignment or B) Leave stock height and have the alignment shop do the lowering and corner balancing (I assume they will lower for me for extra costs) I am replacing both control arms in the front when I do that next - so I'm not sure if I can get away with driving the car for a bit at standard height with NO alignment to give the springs a little break in.

Got one front on with new LCA and new sway bushings! (waiting on correct front trailing control arm to arrive so I can use the new 996 GT3 brake ducts without cutting. Note to others, make sure for the front you do NOT get the Meyle part #4160500004 and instead get the #4160500024 version from FCP. Unless you don't care about the front brake ducts and don't mind cutting them up to fit.

99.9999% done! Need to fix one bolt hole for a brake line bracket and that'll be that! It's odd that my right side was higher with the old suspension, yet it's still a smidge higher even with new coil overs. Figured that would have evened out. Will adjust per the alignment. My final measurements are: Rear before: 25.65" to fender Read after: 25.5" to fender Front before: 26" to fender Front after: 25.4" to fender Rear Droop: 1.25" Front Droop: 1.1" Feal said this is too little and to reduce the preload a smidge. But other than that ready for an alignment! Now to find the right place.....