Lowrider 996

Has anyone lowered their 996? I had a friend lower his by 1" and said it handled much better. Thoughts? Here it sits at stock height. Sorry for the dark photo.

Beautiful car. You can certainly lower it, but you need to consider the impact on ride quality, ground clearance, etc.

coilovers transformed my 996.

Stan Mine's been lowered - Bilstein's all the way around. You can take it for a drive whenever you want. Just noticed last month that the fenders have been rolled as well.

Thanks KCAttorney. I might take you up on that. Like I said, the friend used lowering springs. Coilover and/or Bilstein's... I might have to do some research. Keep the input coming...

Lowering springs really won't make a worlds difference in handling. Maybe slightly, but they're mostly just for the lowered "look." Coilovers however, will definitely improve the handling a lot. With less body roll from the stiffened suspension, you'll definitely noticed the handling in the corners. I would like to go the coilover route eventually with my 996. I have some on my Impreza 2.5RS and besides good tires, they're the best mod for handling upgrades. I was going to buy springs for the 996, but I've read quite a few post that they can wear out the struts. Maybe others can chime in on that?

Sport springs (aka lowering springs) absolutely *did* make a huge improvement in my 996 C2's handling. I used H&R sport springs and the OEM shocks which were still in excellent shape damping-wise. It also looked much better than the standard US-spec ride height. A DIY job at very low cost.... but you will need an alignment. More info on this thread... The primary advantage of coil-overs is being able to corner balance your car, adjusting the weight to achieve as perfect as possible weight distribution in a ready-to-race configuration. Driver in car, extra ballast like spare tires, etc out of the car, half tank fuel, etc. It's not really all that applicable for a street car, but people love their adjustable coil-overs that essentially are never really adjusted, even when first installed... Now having good shocks *is* important, as is having shocks that are suited to the spring rates your installing, but the OEM dampers are actually quite good when mated with a bit stiffer spring. YMMV.

I'd also like to lower mine, but one concern is, if I would I rub on speed bumps or driveway entrances. I had this with my old lowered E46 M3 and my past 991 C2S (SPASM) and it was quite annoying. Right now my 996 is stock and I never scrape, but being 1" lower would be nice.

How low will you go?

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996C2 with cheap K-Sport coilovers had the best turn-in of any car I've ever driven (Viper on coilovers with 305 front tires, Viper ACR, Murcielagos, Gallardos, Elise, Z06s, STi on Ohlins, etc). The key part is on coilovers, the 996 has a more harsh and direct feel, similar to a Viper or Z06; where I compare a stock 996 ride to an M3. Lowering springs are going to be on the softer side vs. coilovers. Eh. While coilovers are adjustable, it doesn't mean that they constantly have to be adjusted. I dial the car into where I want it and leave it. The ability to get the car where I want it makes coilovers my personal choice. Other perks; lowered weight, flat cornering, shocks not bottoming out, easy install, change stiffness, and all new components. My low 996 didn't scrape or high center, but it would frequently lift a front wheel off the ground. On the other hand, my lowered Vipers and C5 would high center on speed bumps and scrape the nose everywhere.

My tt currently scrapes the front spoiler going into or out of the my apartment car park and also going into my local Porsche indy's reception area.

Mine is lowered with H&R coilovers, It is a little lower in the front..

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I have similar issues with my stock height 997 TT. I predict that I'll go through a front spoiler lip once a year or more.

Are you not taking angles while traversing inclines? Maybe the front lip on the TT is lower than the n/a cars.

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I guess I'll be doing the same. [QUOTE=white out;11810152]Are you not taking angles while traversing inclines? Maybe the front lip on the TT is lower than the n/a cars. It is.

Mine has H&R Lowering Springs and 19x10 rears with 285/30 Contis and 19x8 fronts with 235/35 Contis. It has stock dampers, but I think I'll be putting Bilsteins on soon as it is about time. The fender lips have been rolled. The ride is a touch harsh, but I'll take the trade-off. To me, it looks great and corners like it's on rails. I DO have to watch curbs, driveway entrances and such.

[QUOTE=mharrison;11810509]Mine has H&R Lowering Springs and 19x10 rears with 285/30 Contis and 19x8 fronts with 235/35 Contis. It has stock dampers, but I think I'll be putting Bilsteins on soon as it is about time. The fender lips have been rolled. The ride is a touch harsh, but I'll take the trade-off. To me, it looks great and corners like it's on rails. I DO have to watch curbs, driveway entrances and such. Looks very sharp, I love the lowered look, just not the rubbing with pavement. Does anyone know if the Eibach is a little softer than H&R? I like the way stock rides now and don't want anything harsh.

mharrison ^^^^ That looks great. I do like the 19's filling out the fender well.

If you lower the car too much - to the extent that you don't have much suspension travel - you can wind up making your PSM (if so equipped) a little grumpy. When I first acquired my 996, it was VERY low, and the short travel plus very short-sidewall tires made for a bumpy ride plus a number of unexpected guest appearances from PSM...the stiff suspension plus the bouncy tires caused the tire to leave the ground a little more often than it should have been, which freaked PSM right out. After I raised the car back up about half an inch, PSM was much happier. I haven't ridden in an unmodified 996, so I have limited basis for comparison - but my car can pull enough lateral G to displace your guts...

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I guess the PO of my car located the sweet spot so the PSM doesn't get angry! I bought this car with tons of mods and to be honest it's a bit disappointing. It turned out MUCH cheaper and has some mods I wouldn't have been willing to fund, but I'm having trouble finding anything to do to it! I may have to borrow that phrase!

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Thanks! The stance was one of the things I really liked about this one when I was shopping around.

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I was in the same boat - previous owner did ALL of the upgrades using the best parts, and the car was...done...when I bought it. Anything I replaced would have been a downgrade from what had already been installed, all the way down to the aluminum skid plate for the oil sump. However, the previous owner wasn't a forum lurker and didn't know about the PM stuff that should have been done in addition to the service intervals specified in the manual. The coolant tank was still original (and wound up leaking). The water pump was original (and wound up leaking). The fuel pump was original (and wound up failing) - so I've had no shortage of projects to keep me busy.

Ran across this one for sale. Is this too low (lowered 1.5 inches)? Gorgeous car and on the high side of price. http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...72468137&Log=0

I've got the H&R sport/lowering springs on my 2003 Carrera 4S. They make a huge difference in handling -- better turn-in, less body roll, just tighter. On the track it's incredible -- around town, a bit stiff/harsh and I need to keep an eye out for speed bumps.

My '02 came with the USA M030 factory sport suspension and it was harsh, mainly in the shocks. Sharp bumps were transmitted while hard braking would result in a pretty substantial nose dive. The USA M030 is not lower than stock suspension. The same PO happened to have a complete x74 factory set that was on the car before selling it. When I found that out I bought it immediately. It lowers the front by 40 mm and rear by 30 mm. Sway bars stayed the same as the M030. But much more importantly, the handling was utterly transformed. The level of control and ability to put and keep the rubber in contact with the road is uncanny. No issues at all with tires leaving the road or PSM activating or anything like that, and I would say quite to the contrary -- better contact all around. And I actually think it is a more comfortable ride, although the balance has shifted considerably to stiffer springs and more compliant shocks. I am not sure how the shock valving is different, have never looked it up. Many people love some of the other lowered suspensions (PSS10, etc.) and those are probably very good as well; I have no experience with them. However, the car is very low. Clearance is only 3.5" to the first rubber deflector under the front fenders. I can't go to car washes anymore; the wheel guide channel rips that deflector off. And have to go over just about every driveway entrance at a 45 degree angle, leave lots of room in front for parking lot berms etc. I would not go lower than the x74, for sure. In case I didn't say it clearly, the x74 (and probably similar suspension upgrades) are the best upgrade you can make, by a long shot, aside from a Turbo upgrade (haha). Simply lowering is not good enough; it has to be well designed to work with the suspension.

As an aside.... My new (to me) 2008 Cayman S has the PASM system. I really like it for a street car that is occasionally tracked. About a half inch lower than the normal ride height in both modes (some mistakenly are under the impression the car lowers only in sport mode). In sport mode, the suspension is quite firm which is great when pushing on back roads or track days. Very little body roll, definite road feel. In normal mode, decently compliant, which is far more pleasant on concrete highways and city streets. PASM was never an option on 996's, but for those with a 997 or 987 in their future, something to consider. The X74 upgrade does get rave reviews, but unfortunately the kit is no longer available, even as an import. You can import each piece separately through carnewal, but that ends up costing a fortune and the real advantage (originally) of the X74 was its value. Didn't cost that much and worked really well... But I disagree with you that a great results can't be had with quality lowering springs alone, or lowering springs with aftermarket shocks.

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.. which is why I said they should be designed for the suspension.

My car is lowered with the Yellow DPS Coilover suspension system Believe me, it's not for everybody

I'm also interested in lowering my cabs ride height to improve handling. I have practically new Billstein HDs. Was considering H&R springs with the HD billies. Anyone have experience with this combo? I do several track weekends per year. Yes I know coilovers would be optimal, except on the old budget. Sent from my iPad using Rennlist

[QUOTE=morganabowen;11821584]My car is lowered with the Yellow DPS Coilover suspension system:...Believe me, it's not for everybody:...QUOTE] Larry, How do you like the DPS coil overs? I've been thinking about getting the set. What do you mean "not for everyone?" Too stiff, bad ride, or just the look? Thanks. Here's the link to the DPS' on EBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/221434394910?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

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KC, I have the same color combo with the same spoiler. I also want to lower mine. What did you decide on? Here are the DPS coilovers as advertised on EBay. I had offered them $850, but they turned it down. http://www.ebay.com/itm/221434394910?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT