Dave in Clarkston

I conducted a search but found nothing that would help with the following:

Given that the car is 19 years old with 83K miles it really needs (or should have) all rubber suspension pieces and shocks replaced. I believe that the inserts and shocks are original. I spoke with the shop that does my maintenance and they are suggesting that I go with factory bushings with the Koni reds that I am interested in. The car is very clean and original so I am fine with the factory pieces and I really will only use the car for weekend fun drives with no DE’s planned. It’s hard to explain but the suspension just does not feel as tight as I think it should. I don’t really have a good reference point as I have never owned a car this old or with this many miles.

My questions are: I think I know the answer, but is it a sound decision to go with the stock bushings given how I will use the car? If I end up replacing all suspension bushings and the Koni’s what would be the estimated cost? I will not be doing any of the work myself. Thanks for any suggestions or ideas on what I am looking at spending.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi Dave:

At 83K & 19 yrs on the clock, I'd say that its time for new shocks and bushings to restore the handling and ride quality.

The choice of factory bushings for a street-only car is not a bad one at all but one needs to understand that its a serious investment. Porsche doesn't offer replacement bushings since they come molded onto their respective components: A-arms & rear spring plates. This means that you'll need to replace those items to get the new bushings and you should be ready to spend around $ 2K for those things.

Depending on how you drive the car, there are some other bushing alternatives (Elephant Racing Poly-Bronze) that are far less expensive ($ 540) and can work better for you.

I'd also offer a strong recommendation for Bilstein HD inserts and shocks instead of Koni's. IMHO, Bilstein's not only ride better, but they last far longer than a Koni and with a much better warranty.

Dave in Clarkston

Thank you very much Steve,

I was expecting the quote to come back in the $2K range but it sounds like you are saying that the parts alone will be in that range. After posting this morning I have found out more about the factory bushings being molding into the suspension. That said I think that your suggestion of using the Elephant Racing poly-bronze bushings is one I'll be exploring. Funny but a buddy told me the exact same thing about the Bilsteins. I guess I'll be changing directions there as well.

Hope the rain has let up in Portland. I used to reside just across the river in Vancouver. Wonderful area but way too much rain in the winter. At least there I didn't have to shovel it like here in Detroit!

theiceman

Dave don't complain, we have had it pretty good this year, I think I only shoveled once or twice.

PS I just did my shocks all round, I originally wanted Koni adjustables but after some good advice ended up with Bilsteins. I did get the sports instead of the HDs but I have Bilstein sports on my Audi and I really like them. I did all the work myself ( really easy ) but haven't taken the car out out yet.

ice

911Dave

Rather than buying new A-arms to get the rubber bushings, just send your existing ones to Smart Racing and they'll press new rubber ones on for $400. And go for Neatrix spring plate bushings instead of buying all new spring plates. The Neatrix bushings are very cheap and they don't have the issues that poly bushings have, nor the expense of the ER ones. Do all that and you'll end up with the same original ride quality and it'll only cost you about $500 plus installation.

Dave in Clarkston

With additional research I decided that the Elephant Racing SP1 (Street suspension) looked like it would meet my needs. I asked the shop I work with to quote me the install. The parts from Elephant Racing are about $1,800 to that add labor, alignment, corner balance and lowering to ROW specs I was provided with an estimate of $4,562 including tax. At $3K I would most likely say lets do it but now I think I’ll need to drive a car with a similar Elephant set up. I’ll try to get with a buddy to drive his in the next month or two.

I don’t have a good reference point at this time in order to push me over the edge. Thanks to all who offered suggestions. I may go an alternative route if I don’t think the suspension change meets with my expectations when spending that much money.

911Dave

Also keep in mind that the Elephant Racing products are unproven as to their longevity, and they will transmit more road noise into the car. The original rubber bushings last a couple of decades and are the quietest solution available. I'm not knocking the ER bushings - they are the best performing ones out there. But almost all suspension upgrades involve a tradeoff in ride quality.

911S3.6

Hi Dave,
A lot of good and bad advice on these forums. Been through similar agonizing as you are going through. Fortunately, in the end, I only did the suspension once-the right way. Talk to someone who has raced, built, and worked on 911s for a long time. A cobbled car is a nightmare! Your best bet is to call Steve Weiner @ Rennsport Systems and discuss your needs, your desires, and your budget. Steve has 30+ years with these cars and is responsible for guiding the development of mine-which is spectacular. By the way, the Elephant racing polybronze bushings for front A-arms and rear spring plates are phenomenal-very fluid. The neatrix are cheap-and squeak like a dollar *****.
Good luck,
Nick

2002M3Drew

I have the ERP bushings in my SC. It is an absolute night and day difference between these and stock rubber ones. It would be impossible to go back! It's like you get the feel of hard bushings with the sound deadening of rubber (well, almost all of it). I highly recommend them.

911 Rod

$4,562?
I'm in the exact position.
I've ordered the ER bushings from Chuck plus a truss bar.
I already have the mon-*****.
I'm looking at maybe $1,300 for everything.
I will do the install myself.
I guess it really helps to be one with your car mechanically for budget purposes.

Dave in Clarkston

911 Rod,

You’re lucky to have the skill set and patients to tackle the job yourself. I don’t have the tools garage space nor do I trust myself to do this work. Of my total cost about $500 was for the corner balance and alignment. Even if I would do the install the car would still need to go out for those items. What ever I were to do it’s still a costly undertaking.

I am still going to have to drive a car with the ER suspension to determine if I can cost justify the whole package or perhaps I’ll just go with the Bilstein HD’s this spring and wait for later in the year to tackle the rest. I have another car I had plans to mod this spring and I hate to blow most of my budget on just one car.