mdj577

What are the best relatively simple mods I should do to my mostly street driven 86' 951?

My desire is to be a little flatter in the corners and a little less squat under acceleration.

I have been reading a lot of threads on this and the options are numerous. Every time i think I have a good grasp on which way to go, I end up getting myself deep in the quagmire.

Need some clarity and I want to do this right the first time.

What is the best way to proceed to achieve my goals?

Thanks

Smudo

I understand that you want to drive that car on a street, thus you don't need stiff suspension and coilovers. Regarding first one - I would use 30mm (front) an 19mm (rear) sway bars. This will reduce the body roll without making the suspension stiffer. To reduce the squat you would have to install stiffer iprings and torsion bars, but it's quite a lot of work. For a street I would use weltmeister springs (220 lbs if you want the car to be the original height or 200 lbs if you want it lower). I would pair them with 25mm TBs (and use the adjustible 19mm rear sway bar to adjust it for more over or understeer) and definatelly would not go above 26mm. And I would also change the old bushings if you havn't done it and do the alighnment (bit more agressive than the OEM if you like to go fast in the corners). And of course put on good tires. In the end this will be quite a lot of work but the handling will improve a lot.

mikey_audiogeek

Good reply!

V2Rocket

good post above.
i've been running 200# springs/26mm t-bars, 25.5/18mm sways and the car is excellent around even sharp corners. depending on throttle position and entry speed it will kick the tail out or it can turn a little wide if you're too fast going in.

it is pretty bumpy though, i wouldnt go any higher than the 26mm t-bars for a street car unless all your roads are super smooth. the turbo S 25.5mm bars might be perfect, but i could never find a set in 2 years of looking.

pcleary1210

What do you guys recommend for front spring rates?

mdj577

Thanks. This is the kind of advice I was looking for. I have been toying with the idea of coil-overs but may be overkill as you say.

Smudo

Depends from the whole set-up and where you will drive the car. I have 250 lbs Weltmeister springs, with 28mm TBs (I planned to go with 27mm for neutral handling, but they were not available when I did my suspension) and 30 and 19 mm sway bars. With 225/50 bridgestone potenza re002 adrenalin tires this set-up is fine on the track (I have some oversteer due to 28 mm TBs) with no noticeable body roll. If I would go with wider and more stickier tires, I might need stiffer suspension. On good road and highway this setup is quite comfortable in the front (the rear with 28 TB is still quite stiff and you feel it all the time although it's still fine on good roads at high speeds , but in the city if the roads are not so good I would not recommend it. As mentioned above for street I would not go above 200 or 220 lbs springs. Many use them with OEM TBs, but it will result in increased understear (corrected), which could be reduced with 19mm sway bar (stiffest position) and square tire setup.

JustinL

Did you mean understeer?

Smudo

Hi, yes, I meant understeer. Thanks for noticing.

Alan 91 C2

As discussed the Turbo S I have is 25.5 and about as stiff as you would want for street work. My 87 951 is much softer ride, but does have quite a bit of vertical rear end travel under power application. But it is SOO nice to drive on bumpy roads.

For street the 25.5 to 26mm TB would be max to harsh.

V2Rocket

speed bumps are butt killers at anything over 1-2 mph.

black944 turbo

I am quite happy with my setup. It has very little squat under acceleration and corners very flat.

I have koni yellows all around, 968 m030 sways (19 mm adjustable rear and 30 mm fronts), sway bar stiffener bracket, 200# springs in front and 968 m030 caster blocks.

Jason @ Paragon Products

Very popular way to go.

black944 turbo

Hi Jason, you were the one that suggested it and I must say it is the best thing I have done to the car by far!

Paulyy

If you've got the money. KWv3. I love the way it drives. Previously i had koni yellow double adjustable front and rear, 200lb front springs and stock tbar rear.

The difference is day and night. It is so smooth and when you corner, the shocks just stiffen up and just turn.