Suspension options confusion

I'm a little out of sorts here as a result of searching for some suspension upgrades. What is the difference between the following mods? 1. Euro M030 sport suspension 2. USA M030 sport suspension 3. factory ROWM030 Are these all the same? Is one better for daily and hard weekend driving than the others? I'm anxious to know because I think it's the first upgrade that I want to make to my 2000 p-car. Thanks guys. (Oh yeah, I did read everything on this forum about suspensions, but I'm still a bit confused.)

1 and 3 are the same thing, that would be my choice.

nycebo, PM me your email address and I will send you a file that explains all 3 in detail with pictures as well. Cheers,

Actually, try this link...... http://www.pca.org/panorama/sample_article_3.html

Thanks a bunch, guys...and thanks for the link to the file, LVDell. I thought that maybe Europe and Rest of World (ROW) were the same but since I saw no mention of it on a catalog, it kinda through me for a loop. Indeed, I am most certainly keen to get the Euro/ROW suspension. I have heard many good things.

I got the RoWM030 and couldn'tbe happier. Definintely how the car is SUPPOSED to ride. The std U.S. suspension is horrible (gott alove the USDOT ride height requirements).

Dell, When you got the suspension upgrade, did you install the reinforced stabilizer/sway bars as well? I have a cabriolet, and on reading over at PCA, they suggested sway bars might not be appropriate for that application since the rigidity of the car is inferior to a coupe. Indeed, they suggested that the RoW M030 stabilizer bars may accentuate body flex and negatively impact handling over bumpy roads. The springs, shocks and bumpstops upgrade sounds like a good idea, but I am worried about further stressing the frame on the convertible with the stabilizers. Any thoughts as to whether this is a valid concern? Cheers, Edward

Nycebo, I'm about to install an even stiffer sway than the RoW 030 (see my thread "2000 Cab 4 body roll" https://rennlist.com/forums/showthread.php?t=234173) . Seems like guys with track experience will have played around with this already but so far I've got zero advice on it. I'll be happy to share the results with you once it is done though. Jeff

I hear you Jeff, but it seems a particular concern. Here's the exact quote from PCA : Question: I just purchased my first Porsche (pre owned 2000 996 Cab Tip) and my question is, due to the fact it is a cabriolet, will sway bars and strut braces enhance the handling or hurt it. Minimize the body flex that a cabriolet encounters when cornering? Please let me know if I am going in the right direction. Answer: While there might be disagreement about this, I would rather see you not do either one of those changes, since you indicate Street Use Only. The effect of a sway bar is to convert your very expensive four wheel independent suspension into a partial two axle suspension. In other words it is a band-aid, and when you apply that to a less stiff chassis than a coupe, I really do believe you'd be going the wrong way. If you really want a stiffer ride, put in stiffer springs and shocks. But why would you do that in a Cabrio for street use? I would rather see you leave it as is. Stiffening up the bars is not going to minimize the body flex, it may even accentuate it, and move it from where it is now (everywhere in the car) to some specific areas which will become more stressed (as the car twists the center will flex more). Joel Reiser - PCA WebSite - 11/24/2003 Basically, this appears to be something of a major concern for cabriolet owners. Since most of my driving and, from your description, your driving seems to be sprited and on public roads, it seems that the suspension, but not the stabilizer bars, is the way to go. I guess the key is to drive a car that has this modification and assess from there. Cheers, Edward

nycebo...... I installed the ENTIRE kit (shocks, springs, sways, stops). The kit is made specific to each car (coupe v. cab and 6sp v tip). As for the PCA Q&A you are missing the point of the question. That was geared toward somebody that uses the car for the street (not the track) and they were warned against the lack of mushy, soft, cruising feel. Listen, the RoWM030 kit is designed by Porsche for the car as it was intended to be not the US suspension. THe US suspension is the suspension altered from the factory to meet USDOT ride height requirements. I push my CAB extremely hard on the track (as does the wife) and I am here to tell you that the RoWM030 has made our track days 1000% better. Read the article on the difference between the suspensions and you will get a better undestanding of what it is really made for. If you are really worried about chassis stiffness and want a better ride you always have the RoW standard suspension option (but a waste of money in my opinion).

Oh, and one more thing.......I don't think the Porsche suspension engineers really aprpecaite having their suspension called a BAND-AID by the PCA answer guy! Read the question again, the person asked about adding JUST sway bars and strut braces ONLY and inquired about street driving only. I think the Porsche engineers got it correct when they developed a kit that was complete (shock/springs/sways) that all match their intended purpose for a specific car (cab/coupe/6sp/tip)

Yes, I guess there could be a possibility of windshield cracking in the cabriolet due to possible chassis flex issues caused by not adding the shocks and springs at the same time. But, if anything, it makes me want to install the front sway asap so that they are more or less balanced... obviously Porsche designed the car to have a stiffer front bar than the rear, and I am about to make them both equal.

So I convinced myself through the discussions on the board to get the ROW M030 kit for my '03 996. My car is scheduled to go into the dealer here in MA (warranty work) on the 6th of November so I figured I would speak to the parts department and see what their pricing was and what the install charge would be. I inquired and the parts dept. never heard of the kit and said that they would probably have to order the pieces seperate. He said he also only had the US microfiche so he would have to spend some time researching the pieces. I know that the kit can be purchased through Gert, Sunset, Suncoast so I have a few questions: 1. Should I seek a new dealer (warranty work)? Any recommendations in MA? 2. If the mechanic (Porsche secialist) who has done all of my previous work (911, 993) was to install the 'kit', would I be voiding my warranty? 3. Where do you folks recommend getting the kit from and how long does it take to get it? Thanks, Dennis

I recently priced the kit at Suncoast ( www.e-partssales.com ) at $1057.

It never ceases to amaze me how inept some parts departments are. If you just order the part number for your car (there is a part number for each kit depending on year/trim/tranny) and then have a suspension place (perferably one that works on Porsche's) you will be better off. I got mine through Sunset for $1k shipped and then had our local indep Porsche shop install the full kit for $650 and that included alignment.

nycebo, I also put Row 030 on my Cab. It is a fantastic street set-up. And you just can't beat the price. I did DYI install, took about 6 hrs over two nights, and I got to know my car much better in the process. I am very, very happy with the handling of my car now. However, if I had a 3.6L car, I would probably go one step further and go with X74 suspension!