James88

My shocks appear to be getting a little soft and wobbly at medium to high speed bends, especially when hitting bumps mid corner.I currently have the Euro OEM spec suspension and dont want to go any lower.I was thinking of re-valving my OEM shocks & struts but the down time is too long.

My driving style is a combination of a daily commuter and very spirited through the mountain swisties on weekends and maybe 1 or 2 track days per year.
My car is a 2004 996 Turbo manual coupe with 120k kilometers or 74k miles.

My question is do I replace the struts and shocks with Bilteins and keep my original springs or go for full coilovers, would there be a vast improvement with coilovers ?

These are my options but need some advise to which way I should go.

Bilstein B8 shocks with my springs, no adjustments .

H&R coilovers
Street - no damper adjustments but have some height adjustment.
Club sport - height adjustable only,these might be too stiff for daily commute but I do like a reasonably firm ride but not jarring.

Bilstein PSS10 coilovers, full damper/rebound adjustment but limited height adjustment.

KW 1 coilovers height adj only.

KW 3 coilovers I believe they are fully adjuastable.

Ohlins coilovers - Not sure which variant, I've heard good reviews on these. do I need other bits to work with these?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers
Jim

"02996ttx50

the way these questions usually are answered is yes to coilovers from the guys that have them, and "perhaps not necessary" from those ( such as myself ) that don't.

that said, i DO want/need some NEW MO30's lol so new bilstein struts or the gt3 coils are in my future.

again at the risk of repeating myslef? ( so whats new..) the issue i have with the pss9/10's are the fine tuning which is a real PITA if you have to take your car into some shop for every single minor adjustment! as they are NOT an out of the box, slap em on, they work perfectly i.e. x73 or MO30 or replacement bilstein struts!

something to consider ?

James88

Good point with fine tuning Mark, I think it might become a pain to have to constantly adjust them.

I have the ROW set up which has lower and firmer spring rates than the US, so maybe all I need is just new shocks and an inspection of the rest of suspension for anything that might look out of place.

This direction is much easier on my wallet as well.

rmc1148

I would go with coilovers if your serious about the track or want the best handling but agree for most a good set of springs/shocks is all that's needed. I will be replacing my sport suspension on my A4 soon and will be asking myself the same question= coilovers or not.

"02996ttx50

Jim, if there is one phenomenon I have continually noticed with owners of these is that they "over part" then have to chase down what they have done as it requires the aforementioned tweaking or is simply adding more to the mix than one really needs.

You and I may need only a well planted lowered car with parts designed to work well together.

But then PSS 9/10 Are still bilsteins but I would get new struts or x73 if possible. That's all I need! YMMV

Turbodan

whatever you choose, have a reputable shop that specializes in suspension on Porsches install them. I have a few shops like that local and in the past my friends and I have had no issue getting them setup correctly the first time for our uses. Seems like pss10 is the most versatile system out there.

Nimrodical

Have you replaced the transmission mounts and the motor mounts? The transmission mounts can become incredibly sloppy and cause weird things.

James88

About 2 years ago semi solids engine and 997 transmission mount including F1st insert, all this made a huge difference.

I like a nice tight ship

"02996ttx50

james, the caveat to any opposition to having pss9/10's installed would of course be obviated by turbodans suggestion to have a shop that has installed these many times. that would tend to mitigate the risks associated with the myriad number of possible adjustments those are capable of.

we are very lucky here, insofar as any part worthy of going on this car, has been by the shop i use. when my driveway won't do, that is

if you take the uncertainty of adjustment(s) out of the equation? i would imagine the pss9/10's repuation exists for very real reasons. i just think they are "overkill" for a street car, and i think you've made mention of being aware of that possibility.

i see it this way.. if with all i do? and as many times as my car has circled willow springs? ( circled? lol ) and MO30's are more than adequate to the task? well then.... i think we are of like mind on the topic, but get whats best. do NOT get the *cheap* coilovers if you go that route! please lol

Raven 666

If your a week end track guy ,then Yes for coil overs ,,,,,if your not ,rebuild the OG shocks ,they are more than up to the task for spirited weekend blasts on winding roads and coil overs and be time and money to get set up right........

blockhed

Coilovers hands down because if you got a good place to install them and set them up no you do not need to tweak them as everyone puts it unless you're a track junkie chasing after a second here or there. Install coilovers, leave them on normal settings until they break in a little, go get alignment and corner balance and enjoy.

rmc1148

Agree with blockhead. I'm no track junkie either and have never felt the need to fiddle with coilovers in the past.

Scott.

Getting rid of the sloppy suspension on the 996TT is the best mod ever. I wish I would have done it several years ago..

"02996ttx50

its amazing what even replacing a trans mount & motor mounts wil produce in terms of positive "feedback" and tautness of handling. it's probably a good idea for anyone with the car being 'new to them" that they owners replace anything that has rubber in or on it! well, maybe not ALL the hoses lol

Forrest Gump 9

I recently upgrade my suspension to coilovers and it is awesome. The ride is so much better that my wife actually enjoy the ride. I got the cheapo Ksports coilovers from vivid racing.