Suspension upgrade

Whats a good upgrade to the standard suspension on a carrera 2? How does the m30 kit compare to bilstiens? And do i need to beef up anti roll bars and change the top mounts? Cheers Chris

I would say that the M030 kit is the best value upgrade. The kit price from Porsche (about £600 IIRC) includes dampers, springs, and anti-roll bars. It uses Bilstein B4 dampers, but they are valved differently to the standard B4. If, when you say Bilsteins you mean PSS10 coilovers, that's an entirely different kettle of fish. It would likely cost the thick end of £2500 in parts, but would give you a fully adjustable system. Bear in mind that this will lower the car by a minimum of 30mm. Depends on your budget and needs, but if it is for road use then the M030 is probably the best compromise, but if it is a track-focussed upgrade, the PSS10's would be better. If they haven't been changed in a long time, it would make sense to fit new top mounts at the same time. Just my 2p's worth.

ok thanks richard, the cars done about 55000 since new in 1999. When i had it checked over before i bought it the average speed was around 25 mph which sadly leads me to believe it was a housewives car[ ] but i wondered if its been over more than its fair share of speed bumps. I have had my eye on the m30 kits as it does seem ridiculously good value, im not that bothered about fully adjustable suspension tho as if i go on a track day it wont be very often. I think my opc might be able to get it cheaper than that especially if they give me a pccb 10% discount.

Is there anything else that would need changing other than the top front and rear top mounts? And is it worth trying to change it all myself when i dont have any spring compressors or are they not needed with the shorter springs?

I'm sure you'll need spring compressors. They are called for in the workshop manual. As for 'what else', I would suggest changing the top bearings as well as the mounts (about £28 each inc vat). It would be a shame to get it all apart and find they are shot. Other than that, where do you stop? Take a good look at the shocker rubber bellows before you start, just in case one is split. Most other suspension parts can be problematic, but can be changed at a later date if you find anything that looks suspect when doing the job.

I was also looking at the m030 kit, from anyone's experience who has this upgrade is it not to hard on A/b roads. And as an idea whats the fitting time? Cheers Phil

I have the M030 upgrade on mine and have never found it 'too' hard. As Richard says, it's the best value upgrade out there. I'd say they could be fitted in a day. Baz.

Hi, Fitted MO30 to and find it fine for road use. Easy to fit in a day especially on a c2 model as the fronts are easier than a c4

Do you guys know the porsche number of the m30 kit for a carrera 2? I just rang the leeds opc tonight and gave them a number i found on design 911 but it isnt a porsche number so i could only get a rough price which is £594 after VAT and membership discount.

For a pre-facelift C2 Manual, the part number is 000.044.500.07 and the list price is £536.03 +VAT.

thanks richard. ill order a kit from my local opc.

Chris, if you're unsure of the end effect on ride qualtity, why not ask for a local "volunteer" with it fitted to take you for a test ride. However, as additional support for the MO30 upgarde, I can also say that the ride is great on my Anniversary model - which had M030 as standard - now @ @48,000 miles with no replacements & seemingly still good. When I bought the car (not new) - even my wife thought the car felt good & significantly less harsh than my previous M3s (E36 variety). As an afterthought, have you got 17inch or 18 inch dia. wheels ? Mine is on 18's & all 996s I've been in on 17's ride better, even if the 18's make the car more responsive on the steering. So if you're on 17's I'm sure the MO30 would cause absolutely no ride concerns Paul 2004 996 C2 40th Anniversary

ok, it is the standard 17's ive got but imconsidering downgrading them to winter wheels if i can find a good set of 18's. However i may stick withs these if the ride is better (+the cost of new tires[ ]). Do i need to order special front mounts as I had a look on design911, and the mounts mention for c2's without sports suspension. I'm a bit confused[8|].

The top mounts are the same for standard and M030.

ok thanks, ill order them soon.

Is 99734301801 the right number for front mounts?and is 99634351505 the number for the bearings.

Yes, that's correct. £50.38 and £23.40 (+VAT) each respectively.

My face-lift C4 creaks and groans more than I would like, especially up front. I assume the suspension is standard, just a bit tired after 10 years and 60,000 miles. Is the MO30 suspension upgrade the way forward for my car also? And any ideas on an all-in fitted price - or is it just a case of asking my OPC?

ive talked to my local garage and he rekons he can fit it in 4 hours for £192 so im going to take him up on the offer.

Does the interior in the back just pull up real easy or is it attached somehow?

The carpet panel just lifts out. Easy-peasy.

Strange question but here goes, how big is the box will it fit inthe back of my 911?

I have no idea, but the longest bits are the anti-roll bars. Take them out the box and they should fit in the car. Everything else will fit in the front boot.

Im ok now ive managed to juggle a few things around and ill be using my girlfriends fiesta to pick the stuff up so hopefully i wont have to mess around opening the box and unpacking it.

Do it yourself, a fairly straight forwar job on a C2, just set aside a few hours and some patience. Most cost effective solution = M030. If you want a sportier stance do an M030 with aftermarket springs If you want a sporty but not harsh ride, go MO30 springs with stock shocks. You may find these useful: http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=61954 http://911uk.com/viewtopic.php?t=61937 P.S I am running stock spec shocks with aftermarket progressive springs, new ARB bushes and bumpstops with thicker ARB's, it rides fantastic, very tight and precise and not harsh at all.

When you say stock do you mean original slightly knackered springs or the ones that come with the m030 kit? I would do it myself but i havent got a spring compressor or a trolley jack and im getting it fitted for about the cost of buying these things.

Original shocks yes with aftermarket springs, I had no performance issues anyway, but I removed them, inspected and there was no leakage or sagging / spongeyness. Shocks either leak and go spongey and or fail or they are fine from my experience, I didn't want the harsher MO30 shocks anyway - I heard they have a much higher rebound rate and people have opted for standard or standard spec shocks and mo30 or aftermarket springs before. If a shock fails, then I will whip that corner off and repalce it - no biggie. And as Richard said, it's worth taking apart the sleeve bearings and checking they are good, mine we fine so I cleaned them, regreased and re-used. Cheers,

When you got the kit,did it have a couple or these ?

The box containing the springs and a/r bars just fits across the back of a cabrio.