RobbyK

I am looking for a better ride for my street car it has factory sport suspension but has been lowered (not sure how) and runs very hard you can feel every thing you hit. It's not that I dont like this its just there are way to many imperfections and pot holes due to bad climate changes in the winter that make it hard to deal with.

M758

Are you shocks old or new? Old worn shocks will transmit more noise and harshness to the car than new ones will. New ones will be much smoother.

I reciented replaced the old worn shocks on my 83. I went cheap an just installed KYB's. They really firmed up the body motions and atucally soften the ride over harsh bumps. Before the would seem to be very sharp. Now they much easier to live with.

Peckster

Right try some new shocks and make sure the rubber pads back here haven't hardened and compressed, which they probably have.

Didn't the 928 have some kind of passive steering input from the rear wheels that worked in conjunction with the fronts?

inactiveuser92616

the weisach rear axle, patented by porsche on the 928, created passive rear wheel steering when cornering.

M758

What you are talking about is toe effect from the Weissach axle design. I forget the details, but by placing a compliant bushing in the right spot and with rest of geometry just a certain way, the rear toe would change under braking (toe in I think) such that it would satablize it and improve on road handling. Typlically race cars tend to go away from this effect as makes the car more stable, but also slightly less responsive.

The design of the 944 rear is prone to toe out under braking thus making the rear less stable. Two fixes exists, but nither can overcome the limits of the basic design. Simplest and cheapts is to add in static toe in so that when it does move the toe out is not that bad. Problem is that it strubs speed on the srtraights. Other option is to replace the rubber bushings with steel or harder material to reduce the compliance and therefore the toe out effect to some degree.

L8 APEKS

If all you're looking for is a better ride because you can feel everything you hit...put stock springs back in, and get new struts. Boom - I just saved you about $3,000.

You can mail the check to me later. lol.

83na944

Robby,

I put Boge on the front (to match the struts mounting) and bilsteins on the rear of my '83. All new bushings and ball joints. That was about $500 in parts and $200 labor (I got a deal). I think the car handles really well for a street ride. The stock suspension is pretty good if everything is tight and properly aligned.

reno928s

When I drove the 928, the stability it had at high speeds through the turns was incredible. I was able to floor the car through the turns with confidence. Whereas the 951, I have to let off the gas to position the car and at the same time watch my speed. Will rear coil-overs give me that affect? Reno

L8 APEKS

Reno,

The cars have a different track and probably different alignment settings (toe, camber, caster). I would tend to think that you could replicate that stability much easier by adjusting the suspension that's already there...add spacers to widen the track for more stability in corners, and adjust the geometry accordingly.

These are just two completely different beasts you're comparing...apples to oranges. The 928 is a heavy grand tourer...some of that "stability" may just be a result of weight. It's not nearly as agile as a 944. But you appreciate the agility when the long sweeping curves turn into tight switchbacks and hairpins. At that point, I'd rather have the more agile car...not the more stable at speed.

It's just a little bit of a tradeoff, it always is unfortunately.

As far as the coilovers...I can't really say. I haven't been in a 944 equipped with them. I *have* been in high performance FWD cars w/ coilovers, and to be honest, I don't think they are worth it.

I think it's more important to match the susp. to the car (struts that have rebound/dampening characteristics in line with the spring rates you're using). Sometimes manufacturers package a strut/spring combo together (a la Sachs and Bilstein).

I think you would be hard pressed to find a driver who could tell the difference between a store-bought (and usually not properly adjusted) coilover package, and a matched strut/spring setup, that's all.

Best of luck! I'm new to 944's, but not new to setting up cars!

M758

Coilover will not change the handling or feel of the car. Their only impact is from any spring rate change that happens when you install them. They do allow for faster easier adjustments.


Stock 928 set-up is NOT a coilover, but does use coil springs.