Suspension parts help needed

Hello RL. I'm planning to lower my '99 C2 and I'm considering Feal coilovers, or Bilstein B8s w/ Votgland spring. however, I'm under the impression its not as strait forward as slapping springs & dampers on, and calling it a day; at least not if I want my tires to last. In addition to the springs and struts, what other adjustable items are needed to properly lower a 996? Thanks

OP - Have you decided on the amount you will lower the car? Going to the track or dealing with speed bumps? Read as many of the posts delving into the minutiae of suspension adjustments? Basically, what�s your goal?

It does depend on how much you lower. I did H&R lowering springs and B8s. For me, rear camber (-) increased enough that it was great at the track but hard on inside edges on street. I had to replace upper control arms (dog bones) with adjustable ones to get back to a moderate street camber setting. Others have required adjustable rear toe arms to get toe into spec. The nice thing with coil overs, you might be that you could raise the car a bit to get into alignment specs if needed.

Thanks fellas. I don't plan to track the vehicle, but I do want a better "feeling" 911, for when opportunities present themselves on the right roads. Ive had a variety of coilovers and spring/strut combos, on a variety of vehicles in the past. I typically go with coils, due to the option for adjust ability, the weight savings, and relative price as compared to OEM or OEM+ type alternatives. In reality, though and as far as adjusting the ride height: its usually a "set it and forget it" affair. I do live in PA where the road surfaces are usually less then ideal, so initial impact absorption is important to me. I already have one "fun car" that is slammed as low as possible (without going air & serious fab work) and it regularly makes my teeth & butthole clench! I'm NOT looking for that type of experience from my 996. While Im still undecided If Ill go for coilovers or a traditional spring and shock combo; I do know that other components are needed at the rear, in order to get the alignment specs correct. I was considering something like whats pictured below, but wonder if those are "overkill"?? I want enough adjust ability to stay in the green on our new Hunter HawkEye Elite, but I don't want so much that Ill never need or use it. Which (if any) of the parts below are needed to stay within spec while also dropping down 1-2 inches? Thanks. Sorry for the long winded reply.

I don't think you'll need any of that. I've installed Feal coilovers on two 996s. My dad's car is moderately lowered and within factory spec. My car is more aggressively lowered and uses RSS toe adjustment links in the back but I'm not even sure I need them.

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Thats great to hear! Through my searching, it seems each car requires different items to achieve the similar results. Will you post a few pics of your car? What suspension and other related details, are you using? Thanks

I’ve installed Feal coilovers on 2 C2s, and one C4. The first C2 was my own. I added adjustable front drop links to all 3. Mine is set to maximum height due to my speed bump full pre-COVID commute. It’s pretty much stock height. The C4 we played with heights and ended up about 1.5” lower than stock. The second C2 is about 1 inch lower. None needed adjustable toe links in the rear to be aligned properly.

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Thanks for sharing. Ive seen that your very active in most of the threads that Ive searched, related to this topic. my original thought was to get coil overs with camber adjustments (most have front only adjustment), adjustable upper control arms (dogbones) and adjustable lower control (tension arm/toe links) for (rear only), adjustable sway bar (end links) (front & rear). I figured these parts alone would keep me in a tire friendly alignment, BUT the more I searched, the more parts I thought are required. Perhaps Ill start with the coils and sway bar end links, and go from there?

I did Ohlins set to their ride height setting with adjustable end links in the front only and it was great. Here is the corner balance sheet with all the alignment specs, I ran a lot on the street and some track with PS4S and I thought it to be about perfect for a dual use car. On this setup I still had the Sumitomos that came on the car and pressures were wacked.... should give you a good idea of a pretty good starting point though. I did not put a ton of miles on them, so tough to talk on street tire wear, they did wear very evenly though from what I captured during my time using them.

Thanks everyone, for the help so far. After viewing pics online, and the numerous RL members using them; I decided to go with Bilstein B8's. I was very tempted to try one of the Taiwanese coil over offerings, but Ive had good experience with Bilstein products in the past. I think Im going to use Eibach or Votgland springs, as I'm concerned that using H&R springs might be too jarring on rough city streets. Thoughts?

I can't speak to the H&R application on the Porsche - but I have run them on 4 different cars including my current DD F30 - they look as good and feel exactly the same after 100K miles... So, as far as durability goes, I will say they have always treated me exceptionally well.

I’ve had zero issues with jarring ride on my H&Rs. A little more firm than stock but nowhere near jarring IMHO. What makes you think they are so much stiffer than otters offerings?

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Thanks for sharing your experience with the H&R springs. I don't have it in my mind that they are harsh, just more of a concern, that they are more on the track focused end of the spring spectrum. This worries me a little, as the roads in my area are ****, and the next common alternative are Eibach, and I'm not a fan of their products AT ALL! This has me leaning towards Votgland, as Ive had experience with them on other platforms, but finding good info on them for the 996, is sparse at best.

Not to derail the thread here, but TexSquirrel and Wiggle_Pup, where did you guys end up for droop on the Feals? I put mine in over the weekend and the front is hitting the bump stops on our glorious MA roads. Max height with 6mm of preload dropped me 1/2 inch up front, 1/8 in the back. Tried the range of settings to no avail. The folks at Feal have been great for support, but they're not awake yet. Thanks!

Fresh from Indiana and the folks at Tire Rack. Best pricing I found for them @ $711.xx shipped! Front & rear top mounts (from another source) also arived today. Just awaiting the springs to show up.

I�m lowered on Feals fairly aggressively but not slammed. I used Tarrett rear toe arms. I do have adjustable GT3 rear LCA�s and Powergrid drop links front and rear, but I don�t think they are necessary. Car rides great.

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I just saw that you didn�t get the Feals. I know you already got the Bilsteins, but I feel like you should return them and get coilovers for the adjustability and ability to tune. I don�t see how the setup you are going with is going to be better for you. Just my $0.02.

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as a twist of fate, I actually did return the Bilstein B8s... twice, lol. Both vendors were out of stock despite their site stating otherwise, and I had to cancel the orders and get refunds. I was very very tempted to go with a coilover offering of some sort, but I decided to go with an option that I'm somewhat familiar and has a more documented history with the 996 platform. With that being said, I chose Koni reds and Votgland springs. I've used Votglands on a few vws in the past, and konis on several vehicles, including a previous 924S. I do like the adjustability offered with coilovers, but I really wanted an OEM+ type ride. Thanks to you and every one else for the help and advise

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I hear you. All I can really say is that Feals do give an OEM+ ride. The OEM setup was actually more harsh. It�s cool, I think you�ll be good with what you ordered. Good luck with your build!