Coilovers but what else should I do?

996.2 convertible (2004) I’m changing out the stock suspension for coilovers. Should I take the opportunity to change other items as well? Or is there any other upgrades worth doing??? No track use. Just a bit of fast road There’s no significant wear on components at the moment. Thanks RG

Literally doing the exact same as you right now on my 96T. I went with Coilovers (H&R street) although might change… Coffin arms all round, top mounts all round, fresh bolts, and the little wishbone/drumsticks on the back also as they are separating. What Coilovers you thinking about?

Hi Thanks for the info. I won’t be going nuts with the kit There’s a H&R kit on AUTODOC for sub €1500 which is ride height adjustable so I’m thinking along those lines. I’ll probably get new top mounts too RG

Depending on how low you're going, anti bump steer tie rods and adjustable ARB drop links.

Thanks It’s driven on Irish roads so I think 20mm will be low enough

If not done recently, engine mounts - it can make a huge difference to the handling of the car. (and to a lesser extent, gearbox mounts)

Thanks. I only have the car 8 months and there’s nothing in the paperwork so it’s probably a good shout

Well you don't have to change to coilovers necessarily, mine e,g, has a 30mm drop with H&R springs and the far cheaper but great Koni Special Active shocks (£700 odd). The other thing is you don't mention geo set up, mine is set to X74 and works great even at that drop on English roads which are worse than Ireland.

To throw something in there, I had KW V3s done last year and all of the rear arms were changed at the same time. The fronts were deemed OK at the time. A year later (2,000 miles) and one specialist said the fronts were OK but Center Gravity have just done the car and identified the inner track rods needed doing and probably the upper tuning forks too. Since they were done its removed a couple of little rattles. What I'm saying is that if you're taking the suspension apart and you've got the cash now, its probably worth doing a complete overhaul then its done. Otherwise you'll be pulling it apart agian in the next 12 months to do the next bits, then the next then the next. Spyder Performance do a kit with everything in it for reasonable money, I've not used them for that so can't comment on the quality but I should have done that when I fitted the KWs last year.

For very reasonable money, you can change out the stock rear ARB for a top-tier 3-hole adjustable unit. You’d improve your very sweet ragtop’s rear grip, reduce rear squat; and have a smidge less understeer.

I would also advocate for (at least considering) renewing all the arms/bushes. They last well on these cars, but they do degrade. Renewing them will make everything feel tighter and more responsive, quieter and more comfortable. It will also keep your geometry more tightly controlled, which becomes more important as you go lower. Be especially careful with rear ride height and the condition of the upper arms. They may look/feel fine, and many people say they don’t wear, but I have a suspicion that they do a lot to control the rear geometry. The lower you go, the more issues you will have with geometry and tyre wear. If you’re serious, consider raising the rear subframes. Have a read of my thread here: https://911uk.com/porsche/correcting-rear-suspension-geometry-on-lowered-carrera.127740/ I would advise against changing the ARBs, at least until you have some time on the new coilovers. I would assume that the spring rate is higher than standard, which will give you more roll stiffness anyway. A stiffer ARB will reduce the total amount of grip available at the axle, in exchange for reducing roll and tuning the front/rear weight transfer balance. Roll is not a bad thing per se, unless it’s unduly affecting your geometry. It is true that if you increase the rear ARB stiffness you will tend to get less understeer on turn-in, but again a higher quality damper will also help with this. Stiff ARBs can really hurt the ride on poor surfaces.