N/a 944

So... I am thinking of doing some suspension upgrades for my '86 944 N/a.
I would like to keep the price down... but now walmart-esque parts.
So any help would be appreciated. I am a newb to rennlist so, I dont get all of the acronyms!

i was thinking of 968 sways... front/back or both. and shocks. and other than that, had no idea

FRporscheman

Well first things first, there are no shocks on the front, just macpherson strut cartridges. Same function though. But maybe you know that already.

M030 is an option code which signifies if a car came with factory upgraded suspension for that year. 944 M030 is not as good as 968 M030, for example. Usually the best way to upgrade on the cheap is to get used 951 or 968 sway bars, from someone who has upgraded to M030 or weltmeister. Keep your eyes open on RL and on craigslist and ebay.

Before you dump a month's salary into Koni shocks/struts and super-stiff springs, do some research to see people's responses to the results. Sometimes people love it, sometimes it ends up too harsh for daily use. Figure out what your goal is and how much you want to spend.

Go check your shocks/struts... If they are pretty much dead, then this is a good time to consider buying upgrade parts instead of OEM replacements. Springs never go bad but it would be good to upgrade them if you upgrade the shocks too. HTH.

CarbonRevo

Like Arash said, you'll pay dearly for Koni's. 968 sways would be a good buy for your car, and will do quite a bit for you. As far as springs for the front, you could go welts. Do search to see what people have said about them and their end results.

I suggest 968 sways and new upgraded rear shocks, and see how you like the change. If you want more, then you can get a little more serious and start looking at springs and torsions.

Also, are you daily driving the car, or a weekend cruiser? Your not going to want to have to stiff of a ride if the car is your DD. I have been there done that, it's not fun.

xsboost90

i suggest some weltmeister 220lb drop springs up front- www.paragon-products.com
get some koni inserts up front and rear shocks if possible, lower the rear accentric bolts and get some 25.5 or 26.4mm front sways, and 18mm rears which came on 944 turbos, 968 and s2's.

J Silverman

Konis shocks cost $600. You can get Bilstein HDs for about $400. I wouldnt waste my time with anything else. If you are keeping the stock springs, Id go for the bilsteins. They are a better design than the konis, they just dont handle spring high spring rates like the konis can, but they are good up to around 300#. Youd really be surpried how much of an improvement just shocks can make with stock springs. As far as sway bar Im a big proponent of keeping them as small as you can and use them to tune ths chassis. If your car doesnt have a rear sway bar Id start with one of the OEM bars. It will help dial out some of the understeer the car has from the factory. Then Id drive around and see how the car handles before touching the front.

Funn944

How much $ is too much ? I put a whole Ground-Control Package w/250 lb springs in the front. Koni yellow shocks are in the package as well as camber plates. Lowered the rear with the eccentrics (they are EXTREMELY tight to get loose) Also put Weltmeister Stage II sways front and rear, then got a good four wheel alignment. It handles great and isn't a harsh ride at all.

yellowline

I would not go with 968 M030 sways if you're on a budget. I purchased 951S swaybars for a good bit less than the cost of a new 968 M030 rear bar. I gave up ~3mm in the front and only 1mm in the back, although mine isn't adjustable. Look for a setup claiming 26.8mm front/18mm rear diameter.

If you go KYB for shocks, you'll end up replacing them in 30,000 miles. My PO did that and I got stuck with aging shocks within 5 years. For that reason, I would spend the extra money and buy Bilstein or Koni. I have what appear to be factory Bilstein HDs up front (M4-something option), and they're solid, though.

Tenacious_G

When my dad put the 968 MO30 sways on his S2 I got his old sways -- 25.5 in the front and 19 in the back! Also put adjustable drop links in the back -- the difference was monstrous!! I have an 86 NA as well, so if you're looking to go all out with springs and new shocks, etc, consider starting yourself off with these modifications to get things going.

chitown928s4

I have a set of 86 turbo sways and drop links for $140 on ebay...

Tenacious_G

The drop links stock?

N/a 944

the car is completely stock.
so you guys suggest getting used 951 sway bars and then seeing how I like that? I have yet to check if there is even a rear swaybar on my car.... but I will look soon.
Thanks guys!

GodSpeed

I would get the 968 bars over the 951 bars.

jmporsche944

When I had my 84 944 I put turbo sways on it and it was the best decision of my life. On my turbo I have a weltmiester in the back and 968 m030 on the front. Fine tuning with the welt bar on the back is great, but it comes at a price!

eohrnberger

On the topic of spring rates, see rate below (rates were speced out with the stock torsion bar in there on purpose by Paragone).

In Mi we've got some of the crappiest roads around, and it's not too harsh for a DD, yet it's a darn good improvement for the DE events on the road track.

Next suspension upgrade will be bigger anti-roll bars, and then that's about it I think, but we'll see. Gotta save for kids college fund you know. :-)

Tenacious_G

Yeah, I meant to clarify in my earlier post -- the 951 sways on an NA are badass, but I imagine the 968 sways would be truly amazing, so when I said start with those mods, I meant the 968 sways, because they're better.