bebbetufs

I have a set of adjustable Koni shocks on my M030 Turbo S. They are now 21 years of age and have done 63K miles. They don't leak and I have no reason to suspect they should be replaced. I'm just wondering if anything can/ should be done to compensate for age/wear.

Should I increase rebound dampening slightly? The roads here are very bumpy due to frost in the winter and I feel that the rear end goes a little light/ unsettled sometimes, especially when breaking hard. I'm not an accomplished driver and I want the rear to stick under acceleration, so I don't want the rear too stiff. Is the looseness just a result of the limits of the stock suspension and the compromise between ride quality and handling?

Fintro11

any spring can start to lose it's elasticity over time, Have you noticed any change over the years ?

bebbetufs

I have limited experience driving the car so I would not know.

PorscheDoc

21 years old they are more than likely shot. I have seen very few factory original shock setups on these cars that are still good at this age. Most don't notice the difference until they replace them with new, then it is night and day.

stogie25

Well put Doc. I thought my car handled great. The front was done with 222lb springs and new shocks when I bought it. I did the matching torsion bars and new shocks in back. When I took out the shocks I was surprised to find out that they were totally shot. I could collapse them with one finger. The new setup is like night and day.

bebbetufs

Ok, but what do you make of this from Paragon?Is compensating for wear not really possible meaning I should order new shocks now?

Oddjob

Thats kind of BS, you do not use the shock adjustment to compensate for worn out/leaking seals.

Probably best to keep the Turbo S/M030 front struts intact - I would not recommend cutting them apart to install inserts. They are more valuable as complete struts. They can be rebuilt by sending them in to Koni/ITT North America or Truechoice. Not cheap, but is the best long term option.

Rears are not rebuildable, and can be replaced w/ the koni single adjustable sport yellow shocks. I think the porsche dealer pricing for the 951 part numbered M030 rear shocks would be cost prohibitive.

bebbetufs

Too late

Are not the the koni single adjustable sport yellow shocks a replacement for the OEM ones? Do they have different valving?

bebbetufs

Ok.
I took the rears of the car. Really hard to break loose the bottom bolt.
I can't find anything obviously wrong. They are the originals for sure, once the dirt was wiped off they looked new. (yes I know it says nothing about the dampening, but it does say something about the car )Both shocks retain the gas/air charge and rebound at the same speed. They were set at 1/4 turn in from full soft. There is 1 - 1/2 more turns to full hard.

One of the shocks could be slightly low on oil as it sucks air at the very top of it's rebound travel, or is this perhaps normal, as there is no sign of leakage?

I'm reluctant to buy new shocks right now, but I'm going on my first track day in a short while and I want to know that things are in order. Is there any hope of keeping these for a little longer? They've done 62K miles.

If I keep them should I go another half turn towards hard or will that be too much for the torsion bars to keep the wheels on the ground?

bebbetufs

I'm sorry for being such a nag, but I would like to move ahead with this. I would like as much feedback as possible before I make a desicion. TIA.

mikey_audiogeek

Factory manual notes the correct adjustment - don't think it is 1/4 turn from fuul soft. I'll see if I can find it.

mikey_audiogeek

Found it - 1.25 turns from full soft. Torque the bottom bolt to 91ft.lb (123Nm)

bebbetufs

Okay!!! That may explain why the rear has been so jumpy....I'm looking forward to trying that setting out.

Hmmm. Perhaps the shocks have been replaced once then...they have paper part no. stickers on them...could this be an indication of having been replaced?

carlege

bebbetufs: got any pictures of the car since you brought it back to running condition? As i remember this was your dads car that wasnt touched for a long time (5- 10 years) right?

Back on topic. If they are rebounding at the same rate and are as you describe then i would keep them on the car.

M758

The factory M030 rears should ahve a 951 part number stamped on them. My 88 Turbo S has original shocks front and rear and it has rear stamped with 951 part number. My newer Koni yellows on my race car do not have Porsche part number stamped on them.

My Turbo S has 144k on it. It could use fresh shocks, but is not horrible either. I will get the front rebuilt and probably replace the rears with yellows same as my race car. I will keep the rears as maybe I will rebuild them one day for orginality. I bet one day the origial rear shocks with the 951 part numbers on them will be come a rare find for any one wanting an original Turbo S. Then again maybe not, but better to keep them just incase.

Oh.... I have no plans to make the fronts double adjustable or anything. Just keep them stock. I did hear it takes weeks to get shock turned around. Fine for me since I don't track my 944 Turbo and don't need to daily drive it either.