ROW M030 vs Expensive Coilovers??

So winter is approaching and thoughts start on what work to do on my 45k mile 40th. Last year I did all the brakes and this year I am thinking of suspension as well as front bearings as one of them is starting to show some play. I use the car as a DD here in MN (read crappy roads), with 2-3 track DE�s a year. My primary goal is reducing some of the 4x4 look, yet not sacrificing the ride. I was thinking about going for a new set of ROW M030 springs, to replace my US 030 that came standard. At $1200 from Sunset they seem a great deal vs $3,000 for full on coil overs. Any suggestions from many of you that I am sure have modded your suspension, is the extra money for coilovers really 2x better that a new set of M030?

One advantage with the coilovers is you can adjust them to soft when DD and then to almost full hard at the the track for better handling. The coilovers can lower your car but you have some control over just how much it lowers it.

I replied to your PM- I have a blast at DE's on the stock m030 springs and the konis, but the 4x4 look is still there. ROW m030 is a great ride height but there is something to be said for coilover adjustability- you can always just change the ride height and damping if you don't like it. Not so with ROW m030 setup.

As someone mentioned, the ROW kit seems to be a mixed bag at best in terms of the ride height. Some have barely noticed a difference. I'm not sure you wanna take that chance if your primary focus is on ride height. Non CO option would be H&R springs paired either with Bilstein Sports or Koni FSD's which would offer a more compliant ride. It's really a shame the x74 option is NLA.

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For clarification, I have koni sports, which are rebound-adjustable via a **** on the top of the damper. The Koni FSDs are supposed to be self-adjusting depending on your driving conditions but I have not heard any first-hand reports about how well they work...

Question is how low do you want to go?

M030 are really comfortable and plenty potent on the track. On the track what you will miss is a lower car, not only lower center of gravity but also bette aerodynamics.

I have a 40th anniversary and switched to M030 RoW in April this year and I'm very pleased. It definitely dropped the ride height but its very compliant. I could feel the change from 9 yr old suspension and for the cost from Suncoast it was a bargain

Sorry, I wasnt clear, lowering isn't my priority, just a nice visual byproduct of changing out the suspension. I just think my suspension isn't at it's best at 10 years old and 45k, it's by no means bad, just not as good as the day it rolled out of the factory. So I would like to refresh it, if possible improve it's ride quality, but not sacrifice its track abilities for the few times I track it. I would prefer to stay OEM, I think Porsche nows more about what works over a broad spectrum of driving than most aftermarket. And don't think I can justify $3-4k for coil overs vs $1200 for M030 ROW. I am just unsure, how much improvement it will be over my std US M030 setup.

I'm also considering ROW M030, I'm at 80k on stock suspension. My car seemed to under steer at the track, hoping this would clean that up. Slightly lower is a nice by product, and I don't want something too harsh for a DD. Local Indy quoted me $700 for installation and alignment, seems high to me. Is that reasonable? I've already dumped a bunch of money into the car since buying in May (made the mistake of adding it all up.) Having trouble justifying it to myself as my suspension is still adequate...

Installation isn't bad if you have access to a decent spring compressor. Of course if you aren't reusing springs you might not need the spring compressor. Access to a lift is also a huge help too, even if it is just a small scissor lift. I did mine in an afternoon. $700 does seem steep. $4-500 would be reasonable I guess @ $100 an hour.

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If that's the case the ROW setup is a no brainer IMO. Get it and don't look back or think it through any more than you have to. Also make sure to swap out your motor mounts to compliment the new suspension.

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I just looked my receipt up. I had it installed at my indie two years ago and it was $800 including the alignment. As others have mentioned, the RoW M030 doesn't change the height very much, but it definite changes the handling characteristics. With the new suspension and motor mounts, the change is significant.

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Ask yourself how much are you gonna get serious at the track and ow much is comfort important to you. Therer is no such thing as a coilover that has a good adjustment in height. They are designed to run a certain height usually about 30-50 mm is where you can set it. I have seen too many guys try to run it in the weeds and hate it. The M030 is a great setup and a big improvement over stock, but I can say they are not up to the task for serious DE. Since you only do 2-3 a year it may be perfect for yo. The height it drops the car is about 1/2 inch. Coilover will ride stiffer, but lower more. IMO coilover are worth it if you get serious about tracking, if you need lower than M030 get some koni and H&R if your not serious about track days. FWIW I do have a M030 kit I'm will to let go.

Interested in your M030 kit, PM sent.

I went from stock US suspension to M030 ROW on my 2002 Cab and am very pleased with result. Car is definitely more stable at speed (no more floatly front) and is plenty comfortable enough for 600+ miles/day road trips. I, too, wrestled with this option versus coilovers, but three factors drove my decision for the M030s: price, simplicity (install and forget--no goofing around with the adjustability of a PSS9/10 setuip), and overall drivability of the resulting package. I don't track the car, and roads in Houston are also not the best so going super-low is not a wise option.

Although CO's are nice and I also run them, I don't think everyone's priorities and interests are the same. A lot of us don't "need" them. Another thing that impressed me about the ROW(which I used to have btw), is the factory engineering behind them. Just for the fact that they use different valving and/or spring rates for all their models, even differentiating between auto and manual tells me they put a lot of thought into it and got it "right" between handling and comfort for the typical owner. Just another $.02 thrown in...

Not much to add as everyone's spot on for considerations... just throwing in another example of a happy customer moving from stock to RoW M030 suspension for a daily driver, light ocaisional track day use, lower stance, and similar/worse roads that the OP has to negotiate.

I have H&R coilovers on my car. They are stiffer than stock and height adjustable only. Picked them up on ebay for $1500. Big improvement over the old tired shocks. I also paid quite a bit to install, align and corner balance but the $ spent was well worth it.

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What he said^

Does anyone know if there's really a difference between the MK-I and MK-II ROW M030 kits? Suncoast sells them as different sets: 1999-2001: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...=996Suspension 2002-2005: http://www.suncoastparts.com/product...WM0302002.html

IIRC, the mk2 models have stiffer spring rates and/or valving to compensate for the extra weight. Just get the one for your car. As long as both are available, I don't really see a point in spending additional time on wondering things like this. Don't be like my friend that still hasn't bought wheels for his car because he's still stressing night and day for the past 4 months on which to get.

So... hypothetically if I had a 1999 car that was heavier for some reason, I might want to look at the 2002-05 kit? I need to figure out how I should adjust suspension for a car that is 200 lbs heavier than stock... look slike '02+ was only 50lbs or so heavier than '99-'01 models.

The reason I ask is because I'm debating buying a used set for a MK-I for my MK-II car...

Yes, not everyone needs coilovers, but another thing to consider is the adjustability in stiffness front to back and being able to adjust rake. To some that's not important but for me, dialing out the horrible understeer has made the car a joy to drive. I also coupled that with some aftermarket sway bars and it corners flat.

I put fsds with euro springs on my 99 US. Floating gone. Have them for two years now. Way better than stock. More comfortable than MO30. Same or better response when pushing it. U can get a set of used euro springs from carneval for 100 euro or so. This would just lower ur front around 10mm or so and better the stance as well. That is all the difference between US and euro ride heights. Rear springs are the same.

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Personal opinion, unless it is super cheap and you can trust the guy on the condition of them, I'd rather pony up the extra dough for a new set considering the price which is "a bargain" for a Porsche OEM part. The only other part that I felt like I was getting "a deal" from Porsche would've been the gt3 brake ducts followed by sport pedals

For me the RoW M030 gave me exactly what I want in terms of handling and relative comfort on the roads (it is still quite firm on bad roads). But what I regret is it not lowering my car a whole lot. I tell people I have a sport suspension yet my car appears to be stock. I would have liked a little bit of a difference. I'm virtually at the same ride height as I was before switching out. Great for daily driving though.

Yeah ,the gt3 ducts are probably the cheapest useful mod u can do. When I bought coilovers I knew I would use my indy for install, corner balance, alignment. That cost alone was near $1000. So if you are going to hire a mechanic to install the suspension why not buy new coilovers instead of springs or used shocks only. Do it right the first time. Explain to the tech what you plan to use the car for whether it be track or street. My car is setup aggressively as I track it every 6 weeks or so. I'm chewing through tires but I buy cheap sumis to keep the expense in check. Also have hollow spokes with r comps for track duty. If anyone is interested here is my setup: front camber -2.8 rear camber -2.3 front toe 0 rear toe 2mm toe in Near perfect corner balance of 655LF, 659RF, 967LR & 967 RR Car is lowered the maximum amount the coilovers would allow with keeping 25mm of rake. (About 2"+-) She rips at the track, a bit darty on the highway though.

^^^ how far from the ground is your oil pan?

5.25" I have a deep sump kit so takes about another inch of clearance away.

I agree that an aftermarket coilover is a good option over ROW springs. Adjust ride height to where you want it, new top hats, adjust comfort level (although probably more rough than ROW), new struts. All for the same price as springs. Installation is easier too.