Opinions Bilstein B8 with lowering springs

I have a base 987.2 Boxster that I drive street and track. Currently, I have the base suspension with H&R lowering springs. I am planning to get new dampers (shocks/struts) and hear that the Bilstein B8 works well with H&R sport lowering springs. Please let me know if you have any opinions on this set up. I want the car to be primarily street with nice response on the track. I understand I can go with coilovers, and would likely go the Ohlins route for that. I want to explore something closer to stock as I am not sure how much longer I will keep the car and do not want to make major modifications. I also understand that either the 987.2 Spyder or Cayman R suspension could be an option, so let know thoughts on those as well. Thank you.

This is no easy answer as Ohlin coilover really do work long term. I have had mine for over 40k miles without any issues. You can choose the desired ride height. If you want to adjust the ride height f or r to change the rake or balance, you can do this and also have your ride corner balanced. I added Tarett Cup LCA's f and r for my camber -2.8 f and-2.5 r and improve turn in with solid bearings. I also added Tarett GT Swaybars f and r and down links to modify the understeer/oversteer. This helped with the addition of the Wavetrac LSD . Easy to change from the track to the street compression/rebound rate of the Ohlins with the golden control knob that actually works. Smooth track can have a compression/rebound at 2-4 clicks from stiff, while bumpy tracks 6-8 clicks while comfortable daily drive at 17 clicks from stiff. I feel that the regular springs that come with the Ohlins kit are really good for both road and track, 400 lbs/in f and 458 lbs/in r. I use the lightest wheel set available, Titan 7 TS5 and Signature SV104, both are forged from a mono block aluminum ingots to reduce unspring weight. All these modifications matter to some extent.

I've heard nothing but good things about Ohlins not just here but from my mech as well as a couple of friends who are on them. Perhaps a less performance oriented consideration for you to consider which I'm also running is the B8 shocks and R springs . Its not as extreme a drop as the H&R, firmer than stock but not jarring (not saying Ohlins or the H&R are jarring). I do find cornering slightly better than stock as well.

I have heard good things about Ohlins, except that Ohlins claims they need to be rebuilt every 30000km. This is less than 20000miles or a rebuild every other year for me. I am sure this is not the real world case. You have done a lot to your car, which I am sure is great, but I have now had my car for 8 years and was looking for another when the market went crazy. I would rather not make a big deviation from stock at this point. It is my only car. The car is currently great on street and nice to drive on track. I am gaining on faster cars in the corners though when they point me by on the straights, they leave me behind (out accelerate) even while their hand is still out the window. I think I am at the point to where power really does matter. I am on the original struts, so they are now 11 years old with 74k miles.

I have heard the B8 and R springs are a good option. I already have the H&R. The drop using H&R was large, but I have lived with it for nearly 8 years and it very rarely scrapes. The lower center of gravity is probably why I can corner so well with the otherwise stock car. I posted a picture above, blue car. The heights are 13.5in front and 14in rear, wheel center to fender lip. It is as low (or lower) as a stock Lamborghini Gallardo I had a little while ago.

I'm not a Bilstein fan. I occasionally run them on race cars when it's our only option. I think the ride quality to performance ratio for a dual purpose car just isn't very good. Perhaps a Koni Yellow? Coilovers are a big jump. However, Ohlins are great, we put a few hundred race hours on ours per season and rebuild them every other season. The R&Ts have the street seals (not the low stiction/tension race seals that TTXs have) and last a long time. We have lots of spring rate/valving options from more street oriented to more race oriented.

I have close to 30k on my Ohlins without any down grading of performance or fluid leaks. My street to track ratio is 90/10. My usual setting are 17 clicks from stiff for street and 3-5 for the track. They are due for an overhaul, but still do not have any noticeable defects at this time. I am thinking about changing to Swift springs when I rebuild my Ohlins to a slighty different spring rates, a little less f and a little more in the r.

Ohlin a rule… I’d like to get some swift springs and try them out… I had them on my MR2 and it was the best 400.00 I’ve ever spent… but yes to Ohlins

Slight off thread question; Anyone have experience or know the long term life of Bilstein 's PSS9 coilovers? I've had them on my 06 CS for about 15 yrs now (66k miles). All seems good, no leakage, no major noises, no tracking, just spirited driving. What would be the symptoms if any of when it's time for replacement or re-build? Thx

Josh should be able to answer this question better than most as this is his business. I would think that the rebound and compression aspects of the valve body is the key. If those two factors are still working together, then even if you have a slight degradation of function the overall ride should be ok. You can have your shocks removed and tested, but if you go to that trouble you might as well have them rebuilt. That exactly where I am, rebuilding the Ohlins and checking all the suspension parts for wear, although I have no shock body leaks after 30K miles. I'm thinking about revalving and changing the spring rate slightly to work for my use during the Ohlin rebuild which you cannot do with "R" springs. You can change the spring rate though with a spring company like Swift. That would be the company I would use for my new spring rates with the Ohlins .

The piston seals and shims can degrade over time leading to reduced dampening. The shaft seal will manifest as an external leak. On strut cars like ours the shaft bushings will wear out causing lateral stability issues and the shaft seals to fail. I'd say if you aren't leaking anything and the car feels composed you're probably fine.

I have over 80k miles on my R suspension and daily mine. The ride is pretty amazing and I can rip the canyons with ease. I do run the HR sway bars with this set up.

I have been considering just using the Spyder /R suspension, which I believe should install in my base 987.2 Boxster . When I review part numbers at Pelican Parts for example, the numbers for the dampers/struts seem the same. Does the Spyder /R use the same struts as the base model? When Porsche lowers a car, as a factory option, are they doing it with just springs?

In the summer of 2018, Ohlins just became available for the 987.1 , so I went from OEM springs directly to the Ohlins . I did not want to do the install twice, once with lowering springs and B6 shocks, then Ohlin coilovers. This decision seemed to work well for me, as I have found a long term great dual use for the road & track. While the 400 lb/in f and 458 lb/in r spring rate can be modified, it seems a good mix as the track certainly does require more robust spring rates. I found that not only do you need a more robust spring rate, but also swaybars that can be adjusted with adjustable down links to provide corner balancing. These links and swaybars really work in conjuction with Ohlins as you can then change the ride height to suit your exact weighting needs. The swaybars allow for a balance change front to rear and side to side. I use Tarett down links and swaybars. You can certainly set up your car for the street with lower spring rates and change the valving to match,. But in the long run, by adjusting the compression /rebound single control knob, which I find very useful from 17 clicks from stiff for the street and 3-7 clicks for the track. The swaybars have five adjustment holes for various spring rate results. My car is corners very flat yet does absorb bumps easily. If you have any track or autocross experience, you would like this setup.

I have heard a lot of good feedback on the Ohlins , but also some that say it might not be best for street use. I drive the car on track, but also have to drive with my wife hours to get to the track. The Boxster is also my only car, so it needs to be livable on the poor quality roads becoming normal in most of the country. I have had the car for 8 years and I still like it very much. During that time I purchased and sold a Lamborghini, keeping the Boxster since it was also fun and so easy to live with. If not for the crazy car market right now, I would like to get something else, but I have limited garage space so I would not keep the Boxster and another car. As of now, I do not know if I will sell the car this year or still have it several years from now, which is why I am on the fence about which way to go. I believe the Ohlins would be less acceptable to the next buyer than a factory suspension, especially since it is not an S and most buyers would just want to enjoy the car on the street.

We have an Ohlins Touring Package with lighter spring rates and valving to match. This setup is intended for areas with poor quality roads and the focus is comfort rather than all out track performance while still handling better than OEM.