Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

Thanks for the advice. I've done extensive research on the forums, but the questions above have come from the multitude of different opinions I've come across. I'm probably going to end up with Wilwood superlite 4 piston calipers with Cayenne 330mm rotors up front, and 951 front rotors on the rear for brakes.

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

lots of good info here. Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll probably go a little tame to begin with, using your idea of 400/600 and figuring out sway bars later. Thing is with springs, I've come across a lot of people buying and selling springs, even plenty willing to trade, so I'm not worried about being able to find the spring rates I want, I just want to hit as close to the mark as possible my first time around.

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

You are one of the lucky ones...you have LEDA'S!!!! I would LOVE to pick up a set of Leda coilovers for this car...but they seem to be relatively unobtanium...can't get them, and those who have them aren't letting go of them! Would you suggest sticking with my idea of replacing old rubber bushings with new rubber, to keep a little bit of the harshness out of the ride, while still going with a firm suspension to give this car a good feel?

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

Also, I HATE understeer, I'm one of those that would much prefer to drive a car with a bit of oversteer that i can control with my right foot than have understeer that i can't. I've even noticed with the current wheels and tires i have that i have a bit of understeer, although turn in is considerably improved by the setup, the staggered tire sizes definitely gives me a little less confidence in the front end vs. the rear.

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

Thanks for the advice concerning the cost/time investment of removing rear torsion bars. I am well aware of what it takes, and I have no problem going for this project. I mean, i built this car myself, a shop hasn't seen this car for 4 years...except for the one i work at occasionally that'll let me do oil changes in a spare bay if they have one!

Thanks for your advice, it is greatly appreciated!

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

yeah? Howabout we swap titles for 2 months...you give me your title plus 7K. At the end of the 2 months we swap back, I keep what's left of the 7K, and your car now has an LS motor in it...deal?

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

Hey all,

Here's the background:

I have a 1987 Porsche 944 with a 1997 LT1 V8 (cam, lightly ported heads, valvesprings, rockers, intake, headers, exhaust). It puts out pretty good power and torque if i say so myself. I recently put some decent tires on nice wheels on it (see avatar). They are Eurotech wheels (not super light, but decent) with Sumitomo HTR ZIII summer tires on them, 265 rear, 225 front. I'm planning on probably going up to a 255 front eventually to get a more square setup, but that's going to be after this winter, in which i will be running some skinny winter tires and storing those wheels so my shiny-ness doesn't get ruined!

Here's what's going down:

I've been putting off doing the suspension on this car for a VERY long time...many of you who have met me and gone for a drive an attest to the fact that my suspension is SHOT.

I mean...totally shot.

Everything on the suspension side is stock. And old...i have receipts from the PO that new struts were put on 10+ years ago, they were stockers. The rear torsion bars are also stock. This makes for a very unpredictable, squishy yet shockingly harsh ride.

I have spec'd out and plan on purchasing a set of Bilstein Escort Cup coilovers for the front and rear. I am planning on deleting the torsion bars in the rear and running a straight coilover. I have received mixed suggestions about spring rate suggestions and would like to discuss and clarify some elements of my build before i go spending big coin, only later finding out i have to change something because I am dissatisfied.

I have heard with the Bilstein Escort Cup coilovers, a higher spring rate is desirable, because of the valving of the shocks. I have done EXTENSIVE reading on the forums, going through all of the technical discussions and working to understand the math going into calculating spring rates for the front and rear of a car. I have been suggested everything from a 300/400 lb/in setup, 350/550, 450/550, to 550/750. I have been told that the spring rate should not be split more than 100 pounds front to rear, but I have also read that the actual rate at the rear wheel equals about 42% of the measured spring rate, requiring a higher rate in the rear to be comparable to the front.

So, if you've read this far I thank you very much. I'll get to the nitty gritty now.
1. What spring rates should I run with the Escort Cup coilovers...remember I have a bit more weight in the front of the car, and a LOT of torque, which on the stock suspension equals SQUAT in the rear.
2. What should I do about sway bars? I have considered buying a set of 26.8/18mm turbo sway bars BUT...I have read that it can be beneficial to run WITHOUT a rear sway bar on a car with a lot of torque and NO LSD, because it will not allow the inner rear wheel to lift as easily, keeping the wheel from skipping under acceleration. This car is going to be mostly for street, in fact it is my DD and will stay that way, but I am less worried about pure comfort and more worried about a safe, stable ride, that I can take to a DE event and be confident in.
3. While I'm in there I will be installing a V8 swap trans mount (the product offered by xschop). It is a solid unit with poly isolators. I have had issues with my trans mount flex killing cv joints in the past, i do not want to recreate that problem.
4. What suspension bushings should I replace while I am installing the coilovers? I will most likely be running a set of camber plates, since my stock strut mounts are completely gone, and it is cheaper to buy high quality camber plates than replace with OEM rubber units. I do not want to break the bank on poly-bronze this and solid that...mostly I will be replacing old rubber with new rubber, to keep what sharpness out of the suspension I can. NOTE* I have relatively newly rebuilt front control arms (Rennbay). So I am not planning on doing much there, unless i absolutely have to replace a bad rubber bushing.
5. Where should I get such bushings for a decent price?

Thank you for sticking through and reading my post, and thank you in advance for your help!
Ethan Cooper

Originally Posted by mikey_audiogeek

Gidday Ethan, you have probably read about my setup. Still works for me, and I drive it EVERYWHERE. I've said enough about the theory of the setup in my other posts, 400lb front/850lb rear. I won't add any more here...

Regarding bushings etc: get the best camber plates you can. I would suggest Racer's Edge. You won't regret it.
As you suggest, you will need a stiffer gearbox mount. I did the urethane mod (fill it with windscreen urethane adhesive, cost $18) which is still surviving after 60,000km.
Otherwise, consider the torsion tube mounts from Racer's Edge, they take some of the lag out of transitions.
I like the idea of no rear sway, go for it. With 850lb springs it makes next to no difference whether it's 16mm, 18mm or 19mm anyway. I have the M030 bars but am considering going back to stock 26.8 at the front as an experiment. Try with stock first and see if spring rate gets you where you want to be. Why spend the money when you don't have to

Originally Posted by lovemyp-car

Hey there,

I've read a lot about your setup, and that's why i raised this question...you're really running 850 lb rear springs? Did you go to a double shear rear shock mount? You are where i got the 42% effective rate for the rear suspension, so that's why i was edging toward going with higher spring rates. What valving is your suspension? is it the stock escort cup valving?

Thanks for the suggestions on the bushings!