911vet

The new Bilstein HDs are on and the car has been for a test drive. WOW! What a difference. The old Boge inserts were completely limp (which I discovered only after removing them). My perception is that I have less body roll now. The car stays rooted to the road like it's on rails.

As with any modification, there is undoubtedly a placebo effect. But when it comes to suspension, I think maybe newfound confidence is as importance as any measureable, tangible difference the component makes.

Especially in a 911 known for throttle-off oversteer.

With my old struts, I used to let off the gas in the curves because of fear. Not a good thing to do in a 911 ! Now, I'm spending less time on the brakes and more time on the gas pedal. So that alone makes the car handle better.

Real or perceived? Who cares... the car is awesome with the Bilstein HDs.
I'm headed for the Tail of the Dragon on the way to the Parade in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

(oh yeah, those are my new brake lines in the background, gotta be able to stop if I'm going faster)

911vet

Installation wasn't too bad. Thankfully, I had help from a friend with muscles and tools. I have to disagree with the consensus. I found the rears much more difficult to install than the fronts. Reaching the strut tower in front of the engine was difficult. And holding the piston while turning the nut was a challenge. I HIGHLY recommend anyone attempting this installation buy a 17mm ratching box end wrench for the job. That would have made this far easier.

Also, take the cover of the airbox off and then remove the bracket attached to the back of it that holds some hoses (a/c and air hoses I think). I wrapped a string around them and lifted them up out of the way. Helped tremendously.

An important detail missing from the 101 Projects book was you need two big pipe wrenches to remove the cap nut on the old shocks on the fronts. You also need it for installation unless you have a spanner for the Bilsteins. Pipe wrenches scar up the nut but it's hidden behind the dust shield anyway.

There's no way I'd say this is a one-person job. Trying to compress and hold the new Bilsteins is not an easy task. It wasn't bad with two people, don't think I could have done it alone.

One last tip: To remove the cap nut on fronts, pull the shock out of the tower, remove the dust shield, then REPLACE the strut back into the tower before removing the nut. If you don't, you risk damaging the ball joint when you start twisting the pipe wrenches.

Do the same for installation. Put the strut into the tower without the dust shield on. Tighten the nut with your spanner or pipe wrenches. Then you have re-compress the Bilstein piston so you can pull it back out of the tower. The Bilsteins are more "energetic" than what you just took off, so you're gonna have to push the piston down with a long screw driver or something that will fit through the small tower hole. This is where having two people is key. Because as soon as you compress it, it's trying to push back up fast! You've got to get the dust shield on and get it back into the tower. Not easy alone.

The job wasn't too bad. I couldn't have got past the first bolt without the help of my buddy. And I wouldn't recommend you try this without a buddy of your own.

Good luck to anyone doing the installation. From my initial test drives, I'd say IT'S WORTH IT!!!

old man neri

Shannon,

I am happy all went well. How did you know it was time for you to replace them?

-matt

911vet

I can't say I did know. I did the "bounce test" by pushing on the corners and watching for excessive oscillations as it returned to stop. I got no oscillations on the fronts and maybe one on the rears.

By that "test" I wouldn't think I needed new shocks. But one day I was out with other Porsches and I noticed my tires broke loose a couple of times when theirs didn't. Could have been the rubber but I thought it might be my suspension.

Also, I thought I felt a little body roll occasionally. In a Macpherson strut car, it's the springs that determine that. But I thought it could be shocks in a t-bar set up.

When I took the Boge inserts out, I couldn't believe it. They were totally used up. You could compress them with one finger. And they had no rebound. I have no idea how the car handled as good as it did.

But now I realize how poorly it was handling.

If in doubt, get the Bilsteins! I don't know if Sports or HDs or a combination is the "best" but anything would have to be better than old Boges if you have them.

Amber Gramps

Good job Shannon, glad to see she is making you happy. I only did the rears and it made a world of differance. It fixed the camber and I really didn't know what I was missing.

imcarthur

Good job, Shannon. I replaced my rears with stock Boge as a stop-gap a couple of years ago. The fronts still squish but not with any passion, so Bilsteins are in my future.

I just did ball joints & bushings & that tightened things up nicely. Every little thing you do to the suspension makes a difference on these cars.

Ian

Rob's968Cab

Any opinions out there about mixing Bilsteins HDs and Sports to achieve increases or reductions in oversteer or understeer? Any value in using Sports on the Front and HDs on the rear? Trying to minimize diving during braking and turning in. Don't want it too stiff in rear.

imcarthur

I believe you always want equal values or softer in the front - never the reverse - due to the weight of the engine. Do some searches here & on Pelican.

Ian

rnln

Shannon,
Does your car sit higher now? If it does, do you know by how much?

Doesn't anyone know if HD is harder or Sport is harder?

imcarthur

Sports are firmer than HDs. But the thing to bear in mind, is that the suspension is a system that all interlinks. If you move to Sport shocks, you should also increase the size of your torsion bars & sways.

Decide what you want to achieve & talk to a suspension expert like Steve on this board.

Ian

bourgeois911

I would think that new shocks would make a huge difference living in the Hocking Hills area. Beautiful country, lots of rolling hills and curves, but probably one of the worst areas in Ohio to get to. I had a kid who went to Ohio University and I dreaded driving through Lancaster every trip there and ended up with a couple speeding tickets from the local fuzz. Just about the time he graduated they completed the bypass on route 33, a little late to help me. Incredible scenery in the fall though.

I might have to check my shocks out now, not because I perceive a problem but because of what you observed after removal.

Hooverwi

Way to go - I replace w/ Bilsteins as well - tremendous difference. I'll look for you in Charlotte and say Hi!

swing2hard

How much money do you think you have into changing the shocks? the mechanics where I live want $1800 to change them out with Bilsteins.

Celle

Replacing my Boges with Bilstein HD's took me about 5 hours of work, including three coffee/smoke breaks of at least 15 minutes and a half-hour lunch break...

And I'm not a mechanic. Don't know about wages in the US, but 1800 dollars seems like a lot of money for this job, even if the price of the shocks is included (less than 600 dollars for all 4 at Pelican).

911vet

It does sit higher. I didin't measure before and after so I can't give you a quantitative answer. It is a noticeable difference. My car sat so low before, I had assumed the previous owner had lowered it below European specs. Now I know it was just sitting on totally worn out shocks.

I would like it to sit a little lower than it currently does. I plan to lower it and have it aligned after the Porsche Parade trip.