H&R Lowering Springs Review and Alignment 987.1

Just finished a weekend of installation and setup of a set of H&R Sport lowering springs on my 2007 Cayman , and felt compelled to share the results. I am SO HAPPY with how they turned out, and after a more aggressive alignment they feel unbelievable compared to stock. With almost 113k miles, my Cayman still felt solid and comfy, but since most of my driving is in the canyons I was hungry for a little bit of improvement since the body roll and understeer in corners was noticeable, and the wheel gap left a little to be desired. On a bit of a budget, I opted to go for springs alone on stock shocks despite the risks of the shocks giving up the ghost sometime soon. I figured I would replace them if they end up going, and save the costs in the meantime. Installation took a full day from 8am until 6pm with the help of an experienced friend - this included a garage alignment with a camber gauge and toe plates. We didn't adjust caster. Ride quality on these springs absolutely exceeded expectations. Blew away expectations. I was concerned about harshness compared to the more docile stock setup, but was happy to find more firmness and planted feel without any jarring or aggressiveness whatsoever. I feel more useful information through the car - steering feels more direct, I feel more connection to the road, which translates to more confidence and enjoyment. Dare I say, they are more comfortable than stock, certainly sportier than stock, which is what appealed to me - it's like wearing proper sticky track shoes rather than cushy walking shoes. It's comfortable, AND planted. There are even fewer interior rattles and vibrations through my car than before - could be from reinstalling all of the interior trim with patience and tightening everything down, but the car definitely feels more solid and quieter than before. By quite a bit! It's a game changer. I'm loving it. After a couple days of normal city driving I hit the canyons, and the more aggressive setup was immediately apparent and is a no-brainer for anyone driving canyons or even light track. Cornering is night and day better, faster, more confident, and so much more fun. I also feel safer with all the added grip. For less than $500 it feels like a new car. If you've been on the fence about this mod, in my experience it is very well worth it. Here are the alignment specs before the springs: Front Camber: -.35 deg left, -.75 deg right Toe: 2mm total toe in Rear: Camber: -1.75 deg left, -1.75 deg right Toe: 3mm total toe in Alignment specs after: Front: Camber: -1.35 deg left, -1.40 deg right Toe: 1mm total toe out Rear: Camber: -1.90 deg left, -1.90 deg right Toe: 2mm total toe in Ride height before (center of hub to wheel well lip): 14 7/8" Front 15" Rear Ride height after (center of hub to wheel well lip): 13 3/4" Front (1 1/8" drop) 14" Rear (1" drop) Photos before: Photos after: After 2 years of owning the car it is like day one all over again. I can't wait for my next drive. Hopefully this helps if you're looking for real world info on the mod. Hit me with questions if you're curious about any further detail. -Brandon

I am trying to make a decision on st x coilovers or maybe bilstein springs or hr springs.sounds like you are very happy with the set up.love to see the pics.

i have the H& R springs in my trunk, scheduled for my shop to put them on next week. Glad to hear you love them. Do you have any other suspension mods/are the struts the original struts? I think your pictures are broken, I can't see them.

Sorry about the photos - those should be fixed now! As I mentioned the struts are stock - all other suspension components are stock as well except for 7/15mm wheel spacers and track studs.

Looks good, probably what I’ll end up with. Just out of interest, how was the install? Is it as straightforward as other cars or is there more to it?

not OP but from research it seems the fronts should be pretty straight forward but the backs involved taking apart a good bit of the interior to get to

Thanks, done several cars before and they're usually pretty straightforward - just wanted to check there wasn't something I couldn't tackle. It's probably a job I'll do in the garage over the winter so I can take my time

I have H&R’s too, there great on these cars. I have grown tired of coilovers and wanted a simpler setup. I wish I had bought Swift springs, but oh well...

I just got by 07 BS back from the dealership where i had them install the HR springs. I highly recommend them! The car looks as it should now (along with 5mm spacers all around). The stance is flat where as prior the rear seemed to be a touch higher than the front. The wheel arches now look balanced and the wheels fill them out. The handling and cornering seems better too but I realize that is subjective.

Looks Great! I have H&R also!

Looks great! You're like the Cayman clone of my Boxster . Same wheels, color and spacers! Your photos seal the deal on the springs for myself.

Before HR springs After

Looks great I have read that high speed driving doesn’t feel as stable with lowery springs.what is your experience

Since I have had the springs installed I have sped up to some high speeds (>>> 85mph) and have not noticed any stability issues. But, these were brief moments where the interstate is clear and I know the terrain. I do think the car feels more stable when cornering. In the past when pushing it I would feel what I felt like wheel hop (?). Maybe it was the PSM kicking in? So far I am happy. The car looks like a sports car to me now where as before it looked great but I just didn't like the rear high stance. I am going to be taking part in my first PCA Autocross in 2 weeks (Western Michigan Chapter) so I guess I will learn some more there on how the car handles. My impressions are biased-flavored by having only driven vintage 911s , 914sand 356s before having the Boxster . The handling of the Boxster is like nothing I have ever driven to this point.

as i look at roosty pictures and the op pictures,the cayman looks like its lower lot more.i know the op had more than 100k miles,how many miles did roosty boxster have ?

My car just passed the 27,000 mile mark. I have put 4,000 miles on it since I bought it the end of May 2020.

Make sense then.the 100k miles is probably sagging with the miles versus yours.

just got mine installed and is it just me or is the front higher than the rear?

Suppose to be 1.2 Inch rear and 1.4 front.

i just ordered a set of H&R lowering springs and will do Cayman R alignment. i also ordered the cayman r side stripes and the black headlight trim.also i am having the calipers painted red. i hope the car is gonna look good and handle well.

Just got them in.

》》 H&R lowering springs and will do Cayman R alignment This is what i did on my 06 Cayman S . Heinous install bill from a local indy shop. But, the car felt so much better. Really feels like an underpowered GT3 . Handling is magnificent for stock struts. 35,000 miles on my car. Never any rub or stability issues.

Thats good to know.mine also have 35k miles on my car.

I'm at 66k miles and I just got them installed and I love them! I honestly couldn't even tell that the ride got stiffer which is a relief because some of the threads on this and other forums had believing I was about to ruin my ride with and the suspension would be all crashy. The back wheel gap has been reduced to 1 finger and the front is about 2 fingers, might be because the back struts are getting a little old but honestly I wish the front would go down to a one finger gap too. This honestly the ride height it should of came from factory with!

Ok gentleman, serious question - do springs compromise high speed stability? This is absolutely the opposite of what I was expecting. I am interested as this is my next mod on a 987.2S. I am expecting less roll under high aerodynamic load with springs compressing and better stability. I would appreciate opinions.

I still need to do more driving and get back to you but last week on my way to the mountains I was cruising at 100-110 mph and I didnt notice any changes in stability compared to before the springs.

I have not noticed any instability at 100mph+. These are normally short bursts at this speed, not sustained driving. I did an autocross this past weekend and I could really throw the BS around the cones! I am very happy with the springs in regards to performance and look of the car.

Front done with H&R

i ordered some upsize tires to go with the lowering springs.245 35 19 and 275 35 19. michelin sport 4s