Ordered my X-73 suspension today

Ordered from Carnewals and got confrimation back that they were "getting the parts ready" to ship. This would take about 5 days. Does anyone know if Carnewals is actually building the struts themselves? Do they order separate pieces, IE: Springs, tubes, collars, bump stops, etc. I would love to hear from people that have actually placed and received an order like this from them and what I can expect. One question is whether the entire assembly is shorter than the original strut assembly? I had one of my stock struts out this weekend to inspect the process and I had to back the spring down the tube in order to compress the shock enough to clear the fender lip - and that is with the axle disconnected! Just looking for some useful feedback on what to expect and any short cut mechanics tricks I can use. Thanks eric 2004 C4S - no pix looks just like 337,000 others!

No, Carnewal is not building the struts... it is a Porsche OEM part. I had the X-74, the C2/C4 version of your new suspension. On mine, the suspension was lower than my JIC coilovers. Your new suspension is low, a fair bit lower than stock. I ordered my X74 suspension from them, its all very carefree. The only thing that will be a surprise, is the bill you get from Fedex a couple week later for importing costs.

eeps..importing costs? Customs? Details, if you don't mind?

Well, assuming that things have not changed, you will need to pay for the cost of brokering the import/exporting via FEDEX and any import duties. The first time I had it happen, I freaked, but such is life these days. This is what they call free trade... I have imported a fair bit from Europe for a couple renovation jobs and I feel like it has gotten cheaper. It's nothing crazy, a $100 or so?

YIKES! Did not expect that but this is the whole intent of my post - to see around the corner Thanks for the input, I think I will look under my matress tonight for some spare cash. eric

Why did you switch out your Porsche Sport suspension (X-74) for the JIC?

keep us up to date..... pics would be helpful.....

Absolutely, when I get the parts and I start my "ripe and tear automotive" session I will document with PIX. I am a bit like a Golden Retreiver that doesn't return the ball - you know... a Golden Receiver.... I can take 'em apart but can't get 'em back together I always have parts left over - OH WELL! Makes 'em lighter - should go faster!

I received my x74 from them within a week! That was pretty impressive. I absolutely love the x74, the handling is much improved, and I won't consider it LOW. I haven't scratch my bumper yet~ I think you will love it.

Thanks for that report. Did you have to pay the additional export fee?

I went from JIC to X-74. While the JIC just insanely good on the track and on nice flat pavement, they were just too much on the city streets here in NYC. Also, I knew I was going to sell the car in the near future, and I knew that selling the car with the JIC's was a no-go. As for the fees, don't get worried, it's not going to break the economics of the deal. I am looking at a FEDEX importing invoice right now and the fees for "duties, tax, customs, other fees" was $74.00 on a purchase of similar in value. There will be some variation on the amount of duty, but not that much. Also, it typically takes a couple weeks or more for FEDEX to invoice you the fees. BTW, if you want the JIC' they are for sale.

I ordered my x74 from Gert. It took a little over a week to arrive. I also received an import duty bill from the shipper a few weeks later. The bill was not large, so I have no complaints. The x74 performs very well.

Thank you Chris and Ray. I am not a buyer for the JIC. I have a couple of race cars and I am not looking to track the C4S but I do appreciate a good handling and CORRECT looking car. Here is what I hope it looks like when I am finished. eric

I'm eyeing the sale that Gert has right now too. I want the x74 for my C2. I'm just having a little trouble pulling the trigger. Input from other owners? I'm concerned about ride height and harshness for a daily driver. I'm interested in the x74 over PSS9's etc. to stay with Porsche parts to avoid possible warranty conflicts with my aftermarket waranty. I also don't want to deal with setting ride height and corner balancing. What is the the WAF (wife acceptance factor) of the stiffer suspension? I come from driving an S2000 for the last 5 years, it's pretty low and pretty stiff. Can anyone speak from experience with both cars? Stock S2000 vs. 996 with x74/73 suspension? Thanks! Don't mean to hijack the thread. Does anyone know how long Gert is having the sale for? or Typically how long his sales last? Andy

bernocco930S: Did you get the kit installed yet? What do you think?

i love the WAF..... that's should be incorporated to everyday language

I have not even heard back from Gert after the first email that said they were "getting the pieces together" Seems funny to me but I am in no big rush because the clutch failed over the weekend and is now at Rusnak getting a new one put in. Right now I am not in too good a mood about modifications to my ride. However, Carnewal does have my CC # and I have NOT cancelled the order. Let's see how long it takes them to "get it together" Thanks for checking back. eric

UPDATE: Just received a phone call and then a fax from FedEx. Signed the export docs and sent them back. Stay tuned and I will let you know which happens first, **get the car back from clutch repair OR **receive my X-73 shipment Whichever, cannot work on the car this weekend will be at the track.

pics......

GOT THE BOX TODAY WILL OPEN TONIGHT!!

whoooo hoooooo! this is going to be good.... i feel like a kid during Christmas Eve............ wacha get? wacha get?

It is a really short set of struts! And they are yellow! With really cool looking black springs with fancy color splotches on them. I got a skid plate too! Now I have to take them apart and measure all the values to see what I have. Then, I will let you know so you can all make up your minds what you think is best for your driving style. Stayed tuned. eric

You're going to do a shock dyno? Quit teasing us...install it already so I can get a ride!

The X73 is night and day compared to stock, you'll love it! Be sure you installer puts in the motor mounts that come with it, alot will try and talk you out of doing it. They are mandatory.

Why are they mandatory? Could you elaborate? Thanks.

I think it might have something to do with stress transfer from the new suspension to the structural component of the rear subframe. I am sure the spring rates will be higher than stock. My guess is that in place of running a lower truss they beef up the girdle strength of the load bearing engine mounts by using stronger mounts to tie the entire framework more securely into the engine. Therefore helping eliminate some of the "give" or squirm in the softer stock mounts which should transfer directly to the ridgid engine block. Just my $.02 worth............ but what do I know?? eric PS: Just put them in! OH, I will be the mechanic on the job.

The mounts are stiffer and also a little shorter to keep everything lined up. Here's a pic of X73 my car to tease you during the install. I'm sure you'll love the more precise feel and handeling when you're done!

All I have to say is....

I would like to see the pictures of the motor mounts/brackets too, please.

[Image-only post; no author-written text. Original image references:] http://www.carnewal-europe.com/cpx/p96126.jpg

tim..... you never fail.......... thanks!

Stay tuned I have something special planned. eric

What a tease.... get outta here!

You will like this, really!

when dammit! WHEN!!!!!!!!!

Due to this thread and many others I have ordered a x74 kit for myself. Can't wait for it to come in. Andy

Good luck!! You won't be disappointed!

congrats congrats.......pics pls..........?

Still waiting... ?!?

I said it before and I'll say it again...

And to think some were saying Tim had lost his touch........................................................... Nice job Tim!!

I still got it!

Work in progress............. no pix yet! Just blood sweat and a few tears. The X-7x struts are MUCH shorter than the stock ones so I devised a way to safely remove the stock ones without chiping the paint and the new ones just pop right in with no clearance problem. More later.....

OK, look - I gotta say that I have modified hundreds of cars in my time but I got to reading the articles about the C4 and how difficult it was to work on and well...... I just did not want any mistakes or major screw ups so I thought twice about doing this job. I have seen a few botched shade tree auto mechanics do some pretty stupid things over the years and I did not want to be one of them. As a matter of fact I have been dreaming about getting one of these cars for so long that I would hate to mess something up and have to tow the car to a dealer. Can you imagine the embarassment of saying to the dealer "geee I started the job and thought I could finish it but came up short" I was not about to have that happen, so a little CHANGE IN PLAN........ I hired a Porsche EXPERT to do the work and it was well worth it. Take a look as I did take some PICTURES for the thread. Thanks for watching and I love the ride. eric PS: Can you believe she asked my HOW I wanted to pay for this????

heh nice pics!

Thanks, she is a hard worker!

Very nice! Oh, and the car looks good, too! Nice ride height, and the car is at a good height too!

Where do I find techs like that? How long did it take you to install it?

Did you ever put the shocks on a shock dyno and do spring rate testing. I know you were throwing around the idea...I'm interested in the findings if you did so. Andy

You are a riot! I just did my own install on the x74 myself this weekend. 9+hours. A long job, but I did it right and there were no causualties! The ride is awesome. More on that later as I get more experience in the car. I'm gonna put a few miles on it before I get it aligned. Andy

thanks for the pics...... the lowered look looks magnificient....

Andy, I did not put the shocks on the dyno. The fronts would not fit without making a jig and at that point since my shock buddy is in No. Cal I did not send the rears either. I can tell however that the rate seems to more linear and the rears do not seem to have that harsh ramp up the stock ones seemed to have. I am very impressed with the overall package. I will be doing a follow up post for the install and revealing some of the "tricks" I learned while doing my alllll day job. There are some very frustrating aspects to the general accessabilty of the project components. One thing holds true with this car as any other car. Once you get over the learning curve the second one will be a piece of cake! Man, do we pay for our education on these things. eric

Andy, Congrats on the DIY!! I just had a feeling someone else was going through the same agony I was at the same time - WOW. Doing a C4 adds just another eliment of challenge to the mix but I feel your accomplishment! HOW ABOUT SOME PIX?? eric