996 Suspension

Hi all, I am looking for advice on what my next suspension should be for a manual 996.1 C2 Did a search through the forum, but wasn't able to find anything. The car is 20 years old, and I will need to replace the bushes soon, so am planning on doing the suspension at the same time. The primary use 90% road, 10% track. I am looking for for something that isn't going to rip the steering wheel from my hands over every undulation. Is there something that is as "supple" as the standard suspension, yet better? I've noticed there is also a m030 variant available, but I have no idea how different it is from the standard setup. Being stiffer on the road IMHO just ends up with wheels spending more time in the air without traction. I really do not want to lower the vehicle much, if at all, as I do not want to have to carry the car over every single speed bump. Thanks for any tips and pointers

Andrew, I put KW V3 in my 996 road car & MCS in my 996 GT3. For general road & an occasional blast around the hills the KW's transformed the car & I would recommend highly (note; car was not lowered). Good luck with the search.... Kind Regards, Matt

I recently went through the same process when I bought my C4S earlier this year. It depends if you want coilovers and spherical bearing strut tops for a daily/mainly road car or something that is easier to live with but still super drivable. So a question is when you say 90% road, is it weekend road or daily/frequent driver road? Matt is right the KW's are amazing, however might be a little hard to live with for a daily or high road usage depending on personal preferences, but for a weekend driver, they are damn good!! For my car I totally repalced the suspension and went with Bilstein shocks, Eibach springs and swaybars with Tarret swaybar links, Elephant Racing strut tops front and rear, new Meyle arms and links all round with replacement Powerflex poly bushes. I went this way as I have other cars with coilovers and they are a little noisey and harsh for me in a frequent road use car as the C4S mainly sees hwy running and once I get a few more things sorted maybe a little fun track time as well. For coilovers it is really a question of how much do you want to spend and what are you going to use the car for. KW's, Bilstein, Nitron, Moton, MCA, Tractive are all great options. Good luck mate, Glenn

@PhilH recently rebuilt his suspension and worth a chat

Further to MR901's post an up vote for KW Variant 3. My car is low and would not clear the driveway to road transition. I have the 4 wheel lift version and I think the handling is better than the standard GT3 factory, which I have stored. Good luck but I would not hesitate recommending KW Variant3s. PS Do not consider CarGraphic pneumatic Airlift kit.

Another vote for KW V3 here. They're coilovers after all so you can play with the setup and adjust between road and track settings and not be stuck with a compromised car. Best of all about a setup where you can play with it is if you have to deal with those horrid drop in speed humps, you can change your rate to not bottom out over them.

I'd look at the Ohlins.

Quotes source post: 329578

+1 (if you can find them)

I tried to get the Ohlins locally however the issue was availability in Oz and service support. Can easily get from US or EU, however once here you are pretty much on our own for support.

Some interesting perspectives here http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=141425&highlight=ohlins

Quotes source post: 329596

Steve Cramer Products are the local distributor ( https://www.stevecramerproducts.com/ ) You can't buy direct but tons of shops will already have a relationship with them and can order you some (I know PR Tech can source them), I've purchased 3 sets of Ohlins over the last 10 or so years and haven't had a problem with them.

I recently gave mine a refresh with Bilstein B6 shocks and an Eibach pro-kit for springs... At the same time the strut mounts and bump stops front and rear were replaced, as well as the front lateral arms and bearing plates for the shocks. I don't track the car and it's just a weekender, so I took the workshops advice on that setup rather than pursuing coil over options which I had in mind. It would have been nice to compare options but anyway I'm really very happy with the outcome. It is stiffer than it was, so perhaps could do without the springs, but I jumped out of a BMW M2 and into this for the first time in weeks and the first thing I noticed is it was smoother than I remembered - I think simply because the M2 is fairly stiff - so it's not too bad, just modern sports car bad 😁 Probably won't be the setup you're after but as you're in Sydney, you're welcome to come for a drive some time as a reference point if it helps the decision making process.

Quotes source post: 329617

After asking around, the local AU distributor and NSW workshops did not really want to have a lot to do with ordering in a set and basically gave me cavet emptor on the purchase. Can get from BBi, Pelican, Flay 6, but was worried if they needed a rebuild etc. MCA or East Coast likely could do it, but warranty was a concern. Good to know Steve in Vic is happy to do automotive though.

Quotes source post: 329438

Hi AndrewM, Funny, but I am pretty much in same boat, with a 996.1 needing full suspension upgrade. I haven't done track days before but maybe something for the future, just really looking at getting a top daily driver that is also fun on the weekend windy roads. I also wasn't keen on lowering too much to keep it less of a hassle over the bumps and parking. Have you found a good suspension shop? I've heard East Coast suspensions are pretty good so was going to approach them first. Currently the car is at Autohaus getting the engine sorted, so waiting to see the damage from that before embarking on the suspension. Let me know If you find a good package somewhere, as I might go for it as well. 911CSR who did your suspension setup?

Quotes source posts: 329626, 329733

😄 I'm there next week going through items on my PPI @ Everyone - thank you so far for the input! Its awesome, and I am still trying to get it all through my head. I still haven't worked out which way I want to go, and the challenge is with so many different opinions, its really hard to work out the most sensible part forward. I don't have a lot of time to 'play' with suspension settings, so I would rather find a solution that I can have setup once, and can then keep it. As a newcomer to rear engine cars, I also feel I need to learn how to drive these, and how they behave differently to the other cars I have owned in the past. Thanks for your offer, I may come back to you on that as I get closer to pulling the trigger! Thanks all again, and great to hear what has worked for everyone.

Quotes source posts: 329733, 329734

I put the kit together myself after looking around for the bits that woudl work together best. Insight Motorsports does the work on all my cars and one of the guys there is an ex-Porsche Cup mechanic. So a Saturday and some prep work we had it all in. Set up we did proper string line alignment as we have the turn plates and alignment gear for the track car set up. I can absolutely recommend East Coast suspension though. I have used them a few time also when I needed suspension work done, they are just a fair way from the Central Coast. Let me know how you go with the engine at Autohaus. I dropped in ther ea month or so ago and was really impressed with them and the car used to be maintained by them with the previous owner so they had all the documentation and records. Hey Andrew, if you are ever on the Central Coast feel free to msg me and you can come have a test....

Quotes source post: 329580

Not convinced on just ohlins coliovers.    As part of a package, perhaps.  For @ AndrewM.  I had an itch on my 996 a while ago.  Below was a list to attempt to scratch that itch. 99634112190 996GT3 Rear Lower Control Arm Inner - Adjustable Right    99634112290 996GT3 Front Lower Control Arm Inner - Adjustable Left    99634112290 996GT3 Front Lower Control Arm Inner - Adjustable Right    99634112190 Rear Lower Control Arm Solid Thrust Arm End Bushing Kit - GENUINE(996)    99634144190 LCA HEX.NUT hexagon nut M 8 04- M004    90007602502 LCA WASHER Washer 8,5 X 17 X 6 04- M004    99902526902 Control Arm - 1mm caster shims -     99634154390 Control Arm - 4mm caster shims -     99634154391 Control Arm - 6mm caster shims -     99634154392 Front Sway bar Drop Links (for Ohlins Coilovers) Adjustable     996TTFDLNK-O Front sway  bar Drop Links (for Ohlins Coilovers) Boot Set of 4    996TTFDLNK-O-boot Rear sway  Drop Links (for Ohlins Coilovers)  Adjustable     996RDLINK Rear sway  Drop Links (for Ohlins Coilovers) Boot Set of 4    996RDLINK boot Rear adjustabble toe link steer kit     996RD TOE LINK Rear adjustabble toe link steer kit boots    996RDLINK boot Ohlins - Road and Track Coilovers - 996 Turbo    "Ohlins R&T Coilover Kit Porsche 996 Turbo" to replace: Front Shock Absorber - Left    99634304343 Front Shock Absorber-Right    99634304343 Front Coil Spring Left    99634353319 Front Coil Spring Right    99634353319 Rear Shock Absorber - Left    99633305156 Rear Shock Absorber-Right    99633305156 Rear Spring Coil -Left    99633353147 Rear Spring Coil - Right    99633353147. Front Shock Absorber Top Mount Left    99634301504 Front Shock Absorber Top Mount Right    99634301604 Front Shock Bearing Plates  Left    99634350100 Front Shock Bearing Plates  Right    99634350100 996 GT3 rear sway bar adjustable    99633370190 996 GT3 Bushings Mount for rear sway bar    99633379226 996  GT3 Bushing Sway Bearing clamp    99633377701 996 GT3 Bushing Clamp Hex Nut    99908464301 996  GT3 Bushing Clamp Hex Bolt    90037805501 4WD Alignment    Gt2 specs

Quotes source post: 329482

Out of interest, what’s the issue with this kit?

I've got a lift kit to suit a 996 GT3 if you are interested @flamingporsche

Quotes source post: 330169

Thanks @hugh , my turbo already has one fitted by a PO back in 2011 so not req'd. Am planning to raise the ride height slightly (and then re-do the corner weighting) as I can still get some scrubbing if I exit my driveway too squarely.

Quotes source post: 330169

Might talk at C&C in Jan if you still have it...

It would seem best to work with a suspension specialist and think through your needs carefully.  There are several recent threads in the UK forum with owners removing the M030 package as they found it too harsh for regular use. On a standard 996 I would renew all bushings, tranmission mount and explore differ shock options followed by professional corner weighting and alignment. It could be extremely expensive to buy a ‘kit’ and find that you hated it.

Engine and transmission mounts (which I did prior to suspension changes) made a surprisingly big difference to how the car drove and handled for me, that’s a good point @Merv .

Quotes source post: 330285

Sounds like my car to a T, Merv. Lovin it .. this thing scrapes up guinea pigs loose change  and frill  neck lizards . Suspect it sucks it all back into the rads.  As a Mate  took it up his drive way both at speed and square on a lift kit would be advantageous; .otherwise I just approach any kerb crossing with caution

I wondered where all those frill-necked lizards that we used to see, had gone Michel!

Quotes source post: 330287

+1 on this...Fitted the Torque Solutions engine mounts and made a big difference...

Sorry I have joined this conversation late, but are the Powerflex bushes a sensible option (purple)?? I am guessing that even if you go with coilovers that all the bushes will still need replacing?? I have noticed that the front end on my C2 3.4 gets a little bit 'floaty' above 180kmh and fairly 'loose' above 200kmh thanks

I have experimented with SuperPro poly bushings and they are pretty good.  No squeaks or groans and they are made right here in Australia and much cheaper than they sell for OS. Good range for 911s as well.

Quotes source post: 330841

I have the Black Powerflex bushes and have not had an issue with them at all...

@ML13 and @AndrewM where did you both land on suspension refreshes? My top mounts are shot so may have to bite the bullet on my 6.1. Did either of you get a quote from Dave at east coast?

Hey @Tips, car is currently at PR tech.  I’m on the north side and decided just too difficult to get out to east coast. Keeping it simple as want to use as a daily driver for the next couple of years.

Quotes source post: 342271

I am also nth side but headed over to see Dave yesterday as he did such a great set up on my SC hard for me to go else where. Just waiting on the quote but tentative booking for the 12th. His comment was leave it stock height as a daily just refresh bushes and shocks. Being a cab he did say if I wanted to put coupe springs in it drops it about 1- 1.5cm as the cab is heavier.. Might see if there are any around 😉 if I have time. I did buy some engine mounts which I’ll do over Easter myself as that will also make a big difference, they look very worn. be keen on comparing pricing with PR and east coast if you care to share.....

Tips, no prob I have the quote in my email somewhere. Basically getting what you suggested, refresh of all bushes, arms as required, mounts etc, thought about lowering with Eibach springs but have decided against it but am changing to Bilstein b6 shocks. pm me your email and I’ll send the quote

I did the same thing @ML13 but I did go with the Eibachs, and wonder if it was the right choice sometimes. Is there anything between these and the standard springs? I was wondering about 996 GT3 springs?

Pity the factory X74 suspension option that Porsche had available during the 996's model years is no longer readily available. The X74 package is/was an awesome setup for a 996 - Larger sway bars, lowered ride height (40mm). It provides for a lower and way stiffer (but in no way harsh) ride as compared to the M030 option. My all time favourite mod for my 996 - Pretty much set and forget... 😀 Probably not all that common here in Aus as I had to purchase this from Bert over at Carnewal way back in 2003..!

Quotes source post: 342127

Im still bouncing around on the old suspension. I haven't had any time to do any more investigation, but will keep the thread informed when I do. Good luck with the upgrades over Easter!

Quotes source post: 342425

I owned those floor tiles

Quotes source posts: 342398, 342433

I started the journey today by replacing my engine mounts with turbo mounts from AH. So far the best $550 and 90 minutes invested in the car.. Completely transformed the gear shift and vibration at start off, particularly reversing. ‘I’m sure once the rest is done it will be magic Done, thanks. I’m still waiting for mine

Hi all , does anyone know if the X74 is compatible with a narrow body 2001 C4 coupe thanks in advance Shane

Quotes source post: 342536

I know that for the widebody C4S Porsche had the X73 kit available for it at the time and this was due to the extra weight that the C4S carries with it. So I would suspect that the only differentiator as far as compatibility is concerned is kerb weight of the vehicle types.

Also the C4S runs the same suspension setup as the turbo's which has a number fo different components, like strut tops. Ask me how I know

Quotes source post: 329626

After a lot of forum reading and back and forth, have decided to refresh the standard suspension setup but replace the shocks with Bilstein B6. I am in a similar position where I would only do a track day a couple of times a year, and the majority of the time would be weekend drives, but still needing to be able to deal with the speed humps and driveways here in Sydney. A lot of the other suspension options look awesome, however I have great concern in how the car would handle after these geometry changes. Had this with my S1 Elise back in Europe, and don't want to go through the challenge of multiple suspension shops trying to find one that tunes the ride so I am happy. (Of course, I don't make this any easier by not being great at describing my like/ dislikes such that they can fix it). Will keep informed once it is fitted and I am allowed to drive out of Sydney again.

Its been almost 4 years now, and thought I should update this thread. I ended up fitting Bilstein B6 dampers, and replacing all the bushes (and arms) with OEM parts. Engine and transmission mounts were also replaced with the OEM mounts. The feeling from the car definitely become tighter, but I would not describe the change as transformative. It was necessary to do at some stage, but in retrospect probably could have waited a little longer. Since then I have replaced the 17" wheels with 18" Sport Classic II wheels. (Nicest looking wheels for a 996.1 IMHO). This was a very worth while change. The car is not any rougher on the road, but I have a lot more grip as evidenced by improved track and Motorkhana times. This has not detracted from the fun of the car, and is still very driveable, and fitted with the same type of tyres (PS2 N3s), still gives a lot of notice if it wants to change direction on you. As I am doing more track days than I had originally planned, my next step will likely be a set of M030 springs, and appropriately sized sway bars. Every other week, I keep thinking whether it would be great to fit a set of Ohlins R&T coilovers, but I believe this would drop the car even further than the M030, and I still want to be able to drive around on normal roads without scraping everywhere, especially my driveway. I also recently saw a youtube video presenting the Tractive active damper solution, and it looks really performant, however, I do worry whether it would take some of the fun out of mastering the car, and just push the limit further. Yes, my track times get better, but ultimately, I just want to improve the times against my previous ones. And, after being overtaken by a GT3 RS on the main straight at Sydney MotorSport Park as if I were standing still, I have no intention of trying to win at the throw money to make it faster game! 😄 Although a Hartech 3.7 would be nice! 😄

Quotes source post: 408466

I went down the Ohlins R &T rabbit hole route.  Had a world wide recall on my purchasesd  coilover kit back in the day for the front coilovers.  My 996 is   probably sitting a bit heavier than yours with a mezger and Awd system. As part of engineered recall solution from Olhins,  front top mounts from elephant racing were provided along with improved replacement front coilovers.   The rabbit warren  was about being able to dial in toe and camber and getting rid of the 4x4 ride height.   So lower gt3 adjustable control arms with shims all round,. Gt3  adjustable rear sway bar.  Tarret racing front and rear sway bar links, tarret  adjustable rear toe links.  Jacaro dialed in the setup with r&t coilers f&R dialed in at 7 .    Then got a bit of binding on the front sway bar with the tarret sway bar links so replaced them with elephant racing ones that sorted that out. with my setup,   the front 996 turbo splitter is indeed a consumable with scraping on my driveway as well and a  pain in the arse.  At least it’s not carbon fibre like on my other car. . Can’t  mentally go to the dark side and put on a 996 4S splitter to see if that helps a little.   Just like you very bias towards factory wheels and what are the best looking,   I have a 996.2 so if you think sport classic II rims are the go in 18’s in a 996.1, for a 996.2 in my model, a fat set of 18x 295 x 30 factory sport techno’s with factory spacers in the rear to fill out the rear hips are the go compared to the run of the mill turbo twists.   Had to laugh when a couple of 996.1 owners on here called me out for  running   after market rims along with my non oval shaped exhaust tips.  All 6 parts definately had   fully stamped 996 factory part numbers. Brought a set of set of turbo twists shortly after picking up the car to go the traditional look, but can’t see them ever going on the car.  Haven’t see a lot of the the techno sports coupled with 996 gt2 /gt3 front yellow  350mm calipers and rear yellow calipers with 350mm discs  getting around. In terms of your RS related comment and going a bit faster, so for you a hartech 3.7 to go, for  me, that’s  a much bigger rabbit hole and  it’s a 997 gt2 rs Protype style turbo impellars  shoved into a k16 turbo housing .  The difference is I got into the rabbit hole and have the turbos and all ancillary bits such as a 964rs clutch kit to go with them sitting on shelves in boxes and plastic tubs in a dark  cupboard.  Per your throwing money to make it faster game, I got to scratch my Porsche itch ( and no need to spend any more on that) and recently recently scratched a v10 itch  ( I was patient and took 6 years)  but thats a case of the pursuit and homework  was more of thrill than once landing it and tweaking it.  Just spent my last bit of coin on parts to tweaking that to where I want it  ( additional 60hp and more torque for a mere 3k)   I’m a bottom feeder on tight budgets  and in relation to your gt3 rs and spending money on making cars go faster comment, I have one last car itch to scratch.  With the criteria of bang  for for buck, holding onto the car well into the future, car, needs to be isat the bottom end of its depreciation curve  and unlikely to go further down, and having  already scratched an N/A itch ( turbo junky), seeing a lot of value in a McLaren 650S ( not ideal they just secured the F1 manufacturers title) .  Would have a strict mod budget of 10k to get it up  circa 720S numbers and  with a comparison back to some thing Porsche, definitely need the roof down version as the carbon fibre tub with the ability to wind down the rear glass window with roof  up the with the turbos and engine behind you is very gt4 rs ish.  Just a view but based merely on you tube videos, the gt4 rs appears to sound better  than the gt3 Rs from the drivers seat and from a bang for buck perspective seems better value if you were track focused and had no interest in trailers to get that little hoon  bastard  inside kept in check.  Reckon the 650S would give the Gt3 RS a run for its money on the straights but that’s it.  Suspension bits on the 650S would be like my splitter on my 996 turbo but next level.  Eg accumulators are a consumable and would need to have a spare set.

Quotes source post: 330841

All older 911s do that.  No weight on the nose.  Sometimes called 'sniffing the road'   the 991/992 has dialled that out a lot

My 996.2 used to do that, however a corner balance, slight aero changes and a small amoutn of rake changed the behaviour at highway speeds. Looking to more front end aero balance (splitter, undertray, wheel well diffusers) to iron out the front end float more

Quotes source post: 408466

Looking to do similar, B6s and an all round freshen up. This is a weekender for me not daily or track. anything you would have done differently?

Quotes source post: 408578

If you haven't seen this: https://www.fcpeuro.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-porsche-996-suspension I find it a great link for general information about the various options. Based on your profile, you seem to have a 996 Turbo with its all-wheel-drive system, so I am not sure how much of my experience translates. I can say that for weekend drives, the B6 dampers on the C2 work great. The car is super fun to drive, and part of the reason I assume is that you are really play with the exaggerated front to rear weight transfers. I spend more time now doing Motorkhana and Track Days than I do weekend drives, so now my next choice will likely be Ohlins R+T, and possibly larger sway bars. Alternatively, maybe the m030 springs matched to my B6 dampers, and the m030 sway bars... But again, I will probably wait to do this until I need new dampers. PS: Make sure that you replace your engine and transmission mounts when they start to go, as they make a huge difference!

Quotes source post: 408581

Second this. Huge difference.