sports suspension

Hi looking at getting a 996 and have found an almost suitable one but it has the -30mm sports kit on it. Has anyone got it fitted and what is there feelings about it. I had an impreza sti so know all about firm suspension but just how hard is this kit? Thanks for your time.

I bought my 1998 996 a year ago with M030 suspension. The roads around here are so cr*p that after a couple of months I changed the shockers to the standard items. Changing them took a lot of the harshness out of the ride, and made it a lot more civilised to use on a daily basis, as I do. If it had been a second car for me, I think maybe I would have kept the M030 setup. What I have now, of course, is a bit of a hybrid with lower/stronger springs and stiffer anti-roll bars, but it has been a good compromise and suits me well. The total cost of the change was (from memory) around £800. Hope this helps.

I am not sure that it is the same for 996, but for Boxsters, the 030 pre 2000 was stiffer and to be avoided. I have an 2003 Boxster S with 030 sports and it is not harsh at all. BUT I have 17 inch wheels. Its the combo of sports plus 18 inch that is a little harsher. You have to drive it yourself to be sure how you will like it.

Yes, that's right Nic. I have 18 inch wheels, which I am sure contribute to the harshness. Tyres play a big part too. I recently had a new set of Pzero Rossos fitted, which also were an improvement on the ride from the Kuhmos that the car was supplied with. As you say, you really have to drive it, but on roads that are similar to the ones in your area - that's the mistake I made!

I have a 1998 C2 with 030 and 17 " wheels. I really like it better than the standard C4 I owned a while back which had 18" wheels. I find the ride a lot more precise than the previous drive, but again its down to personal opinion I suppose. Mark

I have the X73 chassis kit on my C4S...combined with late style GT3 wheels It's appreciably lower and stiffer than the standard car...but not harsh. You notice the front bobbing along slightly more...and it's very sensitive to changes in tyre pressures, but overall I prefer it. Round town the standard kit is more pleasant, but get out on the open road and onto the back roads and the difference shows...more precise, less understeer, more neutral and chuckable (more oversteer too...) The real downside appears to be if really pushing on, on really badly surfaced roads, you really have to concentrate to keep it on line...the standard cars I drove didn't appear to do this. Overall, I'm still happy...

You can get the M030 sports suspension kit from several places, but a popular choice seems to be http://www.carnewal-europe.com . (This link is correct, but I couldn't get a connection to their site - may be down temporarily). Similarly, they will have the exhaust. An expensive route to take though - you would be better to find a car with all the options you want already fitted.

Firstly, you need to be sure that you really want the 'sports suspension'. It will sharpen the handling, but the trade off isn't to everyone's taste. As such, it is an option specified by less than 20% of owners. This means that it could be difficult to find exacty the right car. Retro-fitting is possible, but not cheap, and it won't add value to the car. You could use an independent specialist, but if you are considering a late car with Porsche Warranty you may need to use an OPC. The PSE is a lot simpler and very desirable . This can be retro-fitted for c.£1,300 non-switchable, from an OPC (possibly less elsewhere) and this should add some value to the car

I have sports suspension on my C2 Cabrio. It lowers the car by 10mm which in my opinion makes the car look great but as someone else said it does stiffen the car up which means on some roads it can be a bit uncomfortable but no more I would say than the 3 series cabrio I had with sports suspension on. However as soon as you start upping the pace the suspension makes sense. I would say try them both and see which you prefer. I drive my car everyday into London and over speed bumps and I find it fine. Suggest you have a look on Porsches used car website as there's always some cars on there with sports suspension. As for the sports exhaust, I looked at getting it retro fitted on mine and was quoted anything from £ 1500.00 to £ 2000.00. As it also doesn't give you any benefits apart from more noise I went for the Fabspeed Maxflow Silencers which I've not regreted. Great noise and its improved the throttle response. Check out the Video clips on www.fabspeed.com Hope thats helpful.

Cheers guys The sports exhaust is a definite, the suspension not. I plan to do a few track days in it so I will see what the standard suspension is like first. If I buy a 60,000 mile car are the shocks going to need reconditioning anyway?? The sports exhaust is a really personal subject. Although the PSE sounds ideal any money saved means more money I can spend on the car initially. I want an exhaust that I can comfortably live with (and so can the Mrs for that matter!) at cruising and around town speeds but one that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when the right foot gets a little heavier!

Its only when I start nailing it that the Fabspeeds start to howl. Fine at crusing speed. Makes me smile everytime and it certainly wakes people up when you pass them.

Mine has the 030 fitted as standatd and it was more important to me than the PSE The car handles much better IMHO than the previous stock 996 I had. When money permits I may splash out on the PSE Mark

No need to justify, sounds like a perfect solution. [ ]

I did it myself yes go for it . you want to look at design911 kit for 1200 (fully adjustable) as the porsche sports suspension does not include the top mounts (170 each) which design 911 kit does so price wise it is close