divil

Does anyone else find their 951 to be really harsh on rough roads? I've always thought mine was. I've never driven another one though, and I always assumed there must be something wrong with mine - worn suspension stuff or whatever. But I've replaced pretty much everything by now and haven't seen much improvement. The worst is those little ridges between the slabs that extend the whole way across multiple lanes...don't know what you call them or why they're there, but every time I drive over one in the 951 it feels like I've broken something.

Comparing it to my M3, the same bumps can be felt for sure, but they don't feel harsh. Mildly uncomfortable, but not unsettling at all. The thing is, that car has at least as high a spring rate as my 89 951 if not higher. It has very little body roll in corners. And if anything the bushings are probably older than anything in my 951 at this point. After thinking/reading about it for a while, I've come to the conclusion that the difference must be the linear vs progressive springs. In the 951, you feel the full spring rate immediately, whereas in the M3 it's a lighter rate until it compresses a bit.

I'm just curious to know what other people think. Are linear springs more harsh for a given overall rate? Has anyone ever tried progressive springs on a 944? Or is there anything else that affects that that I haven't thought of? I don't necessarily have to do anything about it, I can live with it, but it would be nice to understand what's going on.

V2Rocket

my 944 with 200# front springs and 26mm torsion bars rides like an empty dump truck over bad roads.
like a truck, it gets better when you have some weight in the car. but the very short wheelbase and the prehistoric rear suspension are big negatives for ride comfort vs more modern stuff.

PaulD_944S2

Not knowing much about your 944 and suspension, your choice in tires and tire pressure can have a significant impact on ride quality.

divil

Yeah I hoped that mine would get better with new rear bushings, and it actually did a little (even though I used polybronze and spherical trailing arm bushings). But it really made me realize that it's the front that's the real issue. When the front wheels hit those ridges, it feels like I've crashed into something solid. The rear tends to hop and lose traction briefly, but doesn't feel nearly as harsh.

Everything is pretty much stock except for a few bushings in the rear (but it's the front that has all the harshness). The springs should be around 160 lbs, the front control arms bushings are Elephant Racing 'sport hardness' but my understanding is that that's supposed to replicate the original M030 compound. The caster blocks are 968 blocks which do have a bit less rubber...maybe that contributes to it, although I don't remember it suddenly getting harsher when I installed those. The strut mounts are actually pretty soft. When I replaced those I actually used the standard late turbo mounts instead of M030 because that's all I could find. The tires are Bridgestone Potenzas because that's the only tire I could find in the Turbo S sizes (245/45/16).

Paulyy

Let's be honest here. You're not driving a sedan or a SUV. And you cannot compare 2 cars that are 13yrs apart with suspension either.

The 944 is a proper 80's sports car, The suspension is stiff for it's time,
And the m3 is not a true "sports car" It's a coupe/sedan GT car. they're a bit softer, more luxury... So you can't even compare the 2.

If you upgrade to KW V3 suspension, it'll ride smoother but stiffer around corners thanks to the high and low speed valving. High speed valves take the harsh bumps and the low speed valving work when cornering to get less body roll ect.

962 kid

I'll second Paulyy on this. My car with K3 V3and 18x10 and 11 + M030 sways rides way better that a stock car.

87944turbo

I think part of it is just our roads around here. My car also seems to slam over the expansion joints I think you're refering to. Even worse than the Porsche is my WRX. Sometimes when I hit those things it sounds/feels like I bent both front wheels. I'd offer to let you take a ride in my 951 for comparison, but it's under the knife at the moment.

divil

Yeah the roads are definitely the main problem. Thanks anyway...I hope it's nothing too serious with the 951!

87944turbo

Nothing too serious, just switching over to LS power

JustinL

When I first bought my e46 M3 I was expecting a really harsh sports car ride. The forums were full of people saying that it's the stiffest car they've driven etc. Sure, it may be stiff compared to a standard sedan, but it felt like a marshmallow compared to my modded 951.

"Any suspension, no matter how poorly designed, can be made to work reasonably well if you just stop it from moving."
Colin Chapman

notny41

The previous owner put yellow koni's on and had all of them but 1 set to the stiffest setting. I changed them all to the softest setting and it made a HUGE difference in ride quality. Had to take the rears off the car to adjust them. One of the rears was already at the softest setting...go figure...

V2Rocket

i spent a long time trying to figure out how, and attempting with actual work and changes, to make my 944 more pleasant on a daily basis.
quieter, smoother, comfier. not that it's particularly harsh, it is "fine" most of the time, but you know, better.

i came to the conclusion that no amount of time and money will make a 944 car into a 7 series. so i bought a second car that met those comfy qualifications and now can simply enjoy the 944 as it should be...a scalpel, with a hammer behind it.