pantera43

Considering upgrading the suspension to Porsche OEM RS coilovers. Looking for some input for a DE/Street car. Any idea what the spring rates are?

Thanks,

Dan

ThomasC2

Actually I would say that there are better setups than the Euro RS coilovers. The balance between springs and dampers isn't the best. I think you would be better of with KW3 or bilstein PSS9/10 for a DE/street car and such a kit it is probably cheaper to.

Thomas

pantera43

Hi Thomas, I kind of fiqured that. When I did a search not much came up. Their coilovers might be a little dated. The KW3 and Club Sports look like a nice setup. What are you using?

Dan

ThomasC2

I have the Factory set up for the 3,8 RSR model which includes bilstein dampers with lower monoball mount on the rears compared to RS and Cup which have rubber mounts. H&R double spring(main and helper), monoball mounts (with camber adjustment in the front). Spring rate is 160 Nm front, and 200 Nm rear. The spring rate are in the softer end for the RSR-damper. They could go up to 200 front and 260 in the rear, but this was for fast tracks with slicks. I learned this from an old guy in the Bilstein-shop at the Nurburg Ring who was involded with the work with the dampers for 964 and 993.

So the car is stiff but not stupidly stiff. Over 60 Km/h it works on the street to but maybe not as a daily driver. Above 100 km/h and on track the car feels rock solid and very stable through high speed corners.

Thomas

joey bagadonuts

I used to run the RS coilovers--I'm now on the CROSS setup. The RS uses progressive spring rates:

Porsche Carrera 964RS springs
Front 250-308 lbs/inch
Rear 375-508 lbs/inch

As Thomas mentioned, the RS valving is a little odd. The fronts are very stiff--you need to maintain a fairly firm grip on the wheel otherwise you might lose it over road undulations. But it's definitely a very sporty setup and will serve you well on track. The progressive springs, though, are a little slow in transitions.

The CROSS offering gives you a variety of linear spring packages to choose from and are single adjustables. That's pretty handy for a dual-purpose car and they actually ride nicely around town at the softer settings. Shop around. You may be able to find some for under $3K and that includes shock mounts (cushioned monoballs) which are usually another grand ... at least.

pantera43

Thomas and Joey thanks for the feedback and info. Both of you have interesting setups. Gotta say I love your cars. My car see's DE's and the occassional early morning Sunday road romps. The Cross system sounds good. Joey how is their customer service? I'm trying to keep it simple without getting a system thats too sophisticated.

Dan

boxsey911

I've had the pleasure of many passenger rides around the track in a 964RS (euro). They are wonderful in that environment. However, all the owners say they are very awkward to drive on our bumpy roads in Britain. Full attention at all times is required to keep you on the straight and narrow. The only time they drive them on the road is when they are travelling to and from the track. I went for KW V3 and am more than happy with both their road and track performance.

joey bagadonuts

CROSS parts are sold through distributors, e-tailers or your local P-car specialist. My shop can provide them at a good price so you may want to see what your local wrench can do for you. They're also available through various vendors and Rennlist sponsors, so you may want to give them a crack at your business, as well.

But please make sure you request the right part for your model year. And even then, you may need to doublecheck production date. For 91's, the suspension parts changed Oct-Nov '90. Do a search if your car was produced around then--there's a serial # cutoff and visual check you can do to confirm parts needed. Otherwise, get the early setup for your 89-90 or later kit for a 92-94.

Suspension upgrades are awesome and really transform the p-car experience. I'm sure you'll be very pleased.

pantera43

Thomas, Joey and Boxey911 again I want to thanks for the input/information. The RS suspension does not sound like its for me. Perhaps if I was all track it would be fine. There are a lot of aftermarket suspension systems for this car. I'm in no rush. I hate to do a install and find out I need to change it out because it does not work for my criteria. The Cross sounds like a possibility with the KW. Joey thanks for mentioning the different yrs and parts change. I need to do some more research before making any decisions.

Dan

ThomasC2

No problem, and good luck! Buying suspension parts is allways difficult. You can ask around for the "right" set up for years. But in the end you just have to decide for something and go for it! The best thing to do is to test drvie cars with the kits you're interesed in. But that's not easy to do and even that doesn't tell you what to do because all cars have different parts like sway bars etc.

Thomas

D666S

Guys, would like to know your opinion.

I run on H&R Reds and Bilstein HD but now I have the chance to get an RS springs kit -only springs-. They have 50K Kms. (kilometres)

I wonder if those springs will work well with my Bilstein HD. What do you think?

Thanks,

David

joey bagadonuts

This might work, David, but you should consider two issues. First, the spring rate will be a bit stiffer than the H&R Reds: F 250-275 lbs/in, R 270-295 lbs/in. It's similar at the front but the RS rears, at 375-508 lbs/in, may produce too much force for the Bilstein HD's.

Second, the rear springs may be too short for your 89-90 dampers since they were designed for the shorter 91-94 parts. IF you have the Bilsteins with the larger thread adjustment, you might be able to raise the perch sufficiently to maintain appropriate ride height. If the dampers have a limited range, 2-3 inches, then you may not be able to raise the rear of your car enough to allow your tires to clear the fenders.

Insufficient range


Cup shocks with larger ride height range

pantera43

Steve, can you tell me more about the KW V3's ? Do they come with monoballs ? Any reason you chose them over the Club Sports ? What spring rates are you running?

Thanks,

Dan