To coilover or not to coilover...

It's an eternal question, but my version is a bit different: Am I thinking about this the right way? Background: Bought a 2002 C4S about a year ago with ~96K miles. Not a daily driver--about 2,000 miles in the last year; track use minimal (maybe 1 or 2 DE events a year). I live in the country, so not much city driving. Took it into a well-regarded local performance shop (Porsche a specialty of theirs) for an overview. Among other things, they said I needed new shocks/struts all around, including new mounts and bump stops (and, if those are so far gone, I assume I'll probably need bellows, bearings and all the other bits and pieces that make up the shock/strut system). This is work I'm comfortable doing myself, so looking online whether I go Bilstein (B4 or B6) or Koni (Special Active or Sport), I'm probably looking in the range of $1500-$1800 all in for the parts. For ~$1500 I can get Feal 441 coilovers, and there are several other brands in that price range. That seems like almost a no-brainer to me: The Feal coilivers will be price-competitive and at least slightly easier to install (don't have to worry about compressing springs and getting all the fiddly bits in order), plus will have some adjustability if I ever want it. And people seem to like the idea of coilovers lowering their cars a bit, but that's honestly not a big deal to me (and I don't want to scrape it going into parking lots, over speed bumps and what have you). But I worry about no-brainers. Bottom line: Is swapping out my current strut/shock system for Feals really a no-brainer, or am I biting off a much bigger project than I think? I doubt the installation will be a big deal, but dialing it in post-installation for height and ride? And for someone who is generally happy with the C4S suspension, will coilovers be a more radical change than I am anticipating? Thanks, JRP

Better to just spend a couple more dollars and get Ohlins DFV. Feals are just relabeled DGR trash.

Give Feal a call to discuss ride height adjustments and settings. According to many Feal owners here on RL, they seem to love them. Always comes down to if you want to tow the factory line, what you want them to do from an adjustability standpoint and if the price is right. Good luck with it.

https://www.dgrsuspension.com/PORSCHE_996_4WD_COILOVER_SUSPENSION_p/po-03.htm These are the exact same coilovers as the Feals but different anodizing. If you want to buy junk, just buy the cheapest junk.

Another way to go is with the factory M030 . The previous owner of my 99 C4 installed the ROW M030 springs/shocks . The stance is lower but I have yet to scrape anything . Obviously they are not adjustable and I have no idea what the current price is . Costs nothing to do a search . My car handles great and is quite comfortable . My shocks are Bilsteins I forget what number . A friend of mine works for a race shock company . I asked him about Feals . He said they are not very adjustable , meaning even though there are a lot of " clicks " of adjustment they don't change much . That's just his opinion . Good luck in your search for a solution .

I always kind of factor the resale conversation: Koni/Bilstein/Ohlins, nobody can really say they don't know what they are getting, devil ya know.... IMHO, the coil overs are "extra" stuff for littel payback. Unless your plan is to use the car where suspension setup is the last .01 percent you need to win money.. The other brands all have a element of the unknown to Porsche folks. I actually ran KYB inserts in my 69 911 2.0T and they were nice! but "just KYB" to most folks that saw the car..

When I hear "Feals" I think of the cheap coilovers the vape crowd put on their STi's back when I had one. They were cheap and the name was well known. The STi rode pretty bad on factory suspension and worse on the Feals. You had to spend more money to get better ride and handling. I have no experience with Feals on Porsches other than that they seem fairly well regarded here on RL.

I had Bilstein PSS9's on my 996 Turbo (same suspension as C4S) and they rode better and handled better than stock. Way better. I only removed them to "upgrade" to a motorsport 2-way remote canister setup. I would seriously consider Bilstein PSS10's. Also note that you can use the 997 Turbo front top mount which is 1/5 the price of the 996 Turbo front top mount- $200 for a set vs over $1k for a set last time I checked.

My Ohlins RT are sublime control and comfortable available anytime major plus to my 99

I've had Bilstein PSS9s on my 996 for about 15 years. Rides incredibly smooth and my car is slammed. Worth every penny.

One more vote for Bilstein. I have been running the same PSS9s since 2007. No leaks, they are in incredible shape and still performing extremely well on the track and street. If you want durability and adjustability for $3k without loosing any sleep, get a set of PSS10s. Had a couple of track days this year and am still in awe that these things haven't lost a step in 16 years. My set-up is still as dialed in as it was ever was.

Very helpful discussion for me. I've been wondering about changing my suspension as well. I have H&R springs and Bilstein shocks (unsure what model; installed by PO). I really like the look but it's a little harsher than I'd like. I drive the car daily, spiritedly, and do a few AutoX and HPDE events, although I'm not really a track rat. The car has to do everything, and it generally does everything very well. I had been considering the Feal 441s but the points on this thread are well taken. I'm not just going for a lowered look, but also for reliability and driveability. Adjustment isn't a priority for me because in reality, once I set the height I'll leave it alone. I see a lot of love for Ohlins on RL, and I've used Bilsteins extensively in other applications. I have a hard time believing that for all but extreme circumstances the Ohlins are really worth >$1000 more than Bilsteins.

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The Ohlins are justifiable from a cost perspective in my opinion, If a more capable dual use coilover exists for these cars, I would love the chance to try them. After using the Ohlins a lot, on the street and the track, I wouldn't bet money on it. The perfect daily 996 street ripper for me would include them 100 times out of 100. Also, from a servicing perspective, Ohlins has good US support, parts are available and not unreasonably expensive and you can have them configured for you if you desire. Just an ETA... @De Jeeper and I drive from DE to TN and back in his car with the fancier Ohlins, the same ones he rips on the track and at no point did I even think about the suspension, it was just there....

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You just nailed the million dollar point. There are absolutely no comparison tests that I have seen on coilovers. Probably because it's an expensive proposition. I'm not married to Bilstein, but they are great coilovers and work well. I will most likely go with another set when I replace my current ones due to their incredible durability and my understanding of how to set it up. I have no clue how to set up Ohlins, KWs or JRZs to get the most out of it. Sure I can do it, but it took me 2 full track days with my indy at the track to get the entire suspension dialed in. I have always wanted a set of 3 way JRZs but never had the patience to get it dialed in. A new set of PSS10s would be plug and play as well as a no brainer. But everyone is different. Good thing we have alot of choices.

Coil-overs for the adjustability. Even if you'll never change it after it's dialed in. Yes, dialing in takes some time, ride height, stiffness settings, alignments. Single setting installs are tuned for the masses. An example of the advantage is when I changed from 17" Carrera wheels to 18" GT3 wheels. The weight difference is significant and everything about the car felt heavy and slow. Some simple adjustments on the stiffness settings and it's back in form. Good luck however you move forward, I'm not sure there's a bad choice...(serviceability & reliability not withstanding)

I went with H&R RSS coilovers from Eric at Supreme after running stock suspension for a little, then B6 with stock springs, and then B6/H&R springs for a few years. They are way better. More compliant by far and not nearly as harsh. Big difference overall. I went on a recommendation from TheDeckMan here, who has them on his 996TT, 997TT and his track Audi TT. For the money, I highly recommend them so far. https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/por...h-r-22046130kt https://supremepower.com/products/h-...-rss-coil-over For a little bit more money, they�ve been worth it.