M030: how do i go about it? can u recmnd tuner in Los Angeles?

ok, i think i've read every possible post regarding M030 (us and RoW) and aftermarket springs/shocks. based on what i've read, more people recommend the RoW M030, other enthusiasts like the x74, and h&r springs/bilsteins for the lowered look. anyhow, i'm ready to do this thing. my car has 43k miles on it. i'd like to stay with porsche oem but not a necessity. i am doing this because i'd like to improve the overall appearance of the car, then for improved handling. 1) will the US version M030 lower the car the same as RoW? 2) do i just go to my local porsche dealer and order the parts? 3) is the h&r and bilstein route the best alternative? 4) can anyone recommend tuners in the los angeles area? many thanks in advance

I can only answer #1: The US M030 option does not lower the car.

1. US version does not lower car. 2. No, you cannot get ROW M030 kit from US based dealer network. Go to www.carnewal.com. 3. You would need to get feedback from those who have that set up. 4. Start with CEC, By Design, Andial. I am sure there are others

thanks for the feedback. so you order the RoW M030 from carnewal.com and then you take the parts to some tuning shop and "hope" that they can do the work? that doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling . i assume porsche will not put on parts that you bring to them. ok, i suppose i will have to find a tuner here in los angeles to give me a hand.

You can get the parts and installation from Andial in the O.C. They are a Porsche specialzed tuner that have racing experience. I got my set-up installed there, and I'm as happy as a clam. They were also M030ing another 996 when mine was there.

Good comment on Andial. I had Gert at Carnewal send the kit directly to my dealer who put it on and commented that "everything fell right into place". Go figure, since it is a Porsche OEM kit. Until the $ went in the toilet against the Euro, the kit was less than a grand shipped to DC

You may find that the RoW 030 does not visibly lower your car; it didn't mine.

Kerry: I have to disagree: I have parked my car right next to C4C_Leon's and it does make a visible difference. It could be that right after install, it does'nt look lower because the springs needs a little time to settle. Peter

guys, thanks again. a very valid point has been raised, that of "the RoW M030 does NOT visibly lower the car. that worries me in that it is my real reason for doing this mod. i have read the article found at pca.com on the very subject and they said that it did in fact lower the automobile (1999 c2). i am confused though in that they state towards the end of the article that it lowered the car 1cm. pca article on RoW M030 vs US i also have referenced Rob in WA 's thread, he shows before and after shots of his car and it IS noticeably lower. ugh. any thoughts gents?

the row m030 lowers the car between 1/2 and 3/4 inches. the x74 is for '02 or newer, so you can scratch that off your list. the h&r and bilstein are infinitely adjustable, so if you're trying a achieve a certain look, you can knock yourself out trying different ride heights. with a '99, i'd be very careful about riding too low. you'll need an engine protection plate if you're going to run your car lower than the row mo3o. fwiw, the h&r and bilstein are cheaper to install and you can add adjustable roll bars later to keep cost down. Andial in s. ana both sells and installs the row mo30.

I went to the dealer and they claimed to install the row M030. The mechanic (who I have great confidence in, and races himself) was quite explicit about using the row parts. It does lower the car a little, which is visibly noticeable. The improvement in handling is SUBSTANTIAL(!), and ride quality is not greatly comprimised, though small pavement irregularities are perhaps more noticeable. BTW, the dealer price was equal (for a PCA member) to what I would have paid at an independent shop here in San Diego.

just finished speaking to my dealer here in town (pasadena). they quoted me 6 hours at $105/hr = $630, then an add'l $150 for an alignment. that doesn't seem crazy to me. i do have a friend here at work who races Porsche GT2s in the rolex daytona 24hr when he's not doing his regular job, he said we could do it in his garage (air tools, lifts, the whole 9 yrds). still debating as to who will do the install. i am awaiting their call on the price of the parts.

Get an installation quote from 20c4s, he just opened a shop in West LA...

A friend of mine owns an import tuner shop in Gardena and has lowered 996's on a number of occasions. He put H&R springs on mine for around $500 installed with alignment. It lowered my car about 1inch. The ride still feels similar to stock, so I wouldn't say that handling is really improved without adding dampners as well. I'd didn't go w/ bilstein because I needed to keep the ride as soft as possible. My wife didn't notice a ride quality difference. I was going more for appearance and it definitely looks much much better. Let me know if you want to see any pics or want info.

It does lower the car. Check out the really bad quality photo attached. The dealership guys, all Porsche lovers, say it gives the car the proper stance.

Starship, the car looks wonderful. is it equipped with RoW M030? thanks

Yes, has the ROW M030 kit now. Shipped by Carnewal to my dealership, installed in a couple of hours to factory specs. Ride is great, better than stock, turn in is great, though it does seem to follow the road imperfections a bit more. Couldn't be happier with the set up. The car is for sale to the right person. Another shot, a bit better angle, though no better quality (taken with my Palm Zire)

oalvarez, check out this thread for a PSS9 group buy: https://rennlist.com/forums/showthre...hreadid=110055 Methinks the price difference of about $700 warrants consideration. With the PSS9, you get adjustable ride height and compression & rebound damping. Installation cost should be the same for either choice.

i think i'm going to stay with the RoW M030 set=up in my attempts to stay pseudo-oem. thats a great deal Arthur has worked up. thanks again.

RoW 030 does lower the car, albeit not as much as other setups. US dealers can get the parts if they try, for example Suncoast was able to order the parts, at least a couple of years ago. My local dealer installed the kit for me, no problem. I bought from Andial, great service. If you adjust the ride height you will need another alignment. Keep this in mind when considering a coil over setup. I thought you read all the posts...

The ROW does lower. My basis for comparison was the front wheel fenders to the top of the tire. I used calibrated instruments and measured a change from a four finger gap to a three finger gap. ~1 to 1.5cm. I too got the proper kit from Suncoast Porsche.

Just as a data point, my RoW C2 sits at exactly 26" all around, measured at the mid fender well. My car dropped about 15mm front and maybe 5mm in the rear from stock US ride height.

would love to see it with the RoW M030...pls send at your convenience. regards

Here's a few before and after pics of my car. These were taken a month after it was installed, it has since settled a bit more.

www.hobbystage.net/porsche/dj996

would not recommend lowering springs of any kind, you should DEFINITELY do a coilover lowering. you will have some bounce to the car. you everdrive over a curved over pass with a slight dip or bump. i can not express enough how much a difference coilovers are to just lowering springs, that is why you will see a lot of lowering springs on ebay, they eventually have to change over to coilovers, especially for performance.