Hey guys,

so I'm starting a thread for my new suspension. I came from stock and changed a lot!
I wanted to go with !just! springs. Then I contacted Jeff and he found HR reds and Bilstein HD here for me, just a day later for sale.
What a coincidence, I had to take them.
Then he mentioned something about sway bars. Damn you! So away the money goes! Talked to Steve at Rennsport (Highly Recommend him!!!!) and ended up with RS swaybars. Oh and while Im at it - some Goodrich Steel braided lines.
Since this setup cant end up on D90s and 10y old tires - CUP1 and HankookRS3 are mandatory.
And since Im driving a cab with a weak body, Fabspeed strut brace!

Im working all week and Im low on tools since Im in the US for just a year so I had Alan and Jerry from German Car Repairs put the stuff in and do the 75k service.

We ended up turning the car way down. The first spring rings are touching. Also camber is at -2 else the Bilstein wouldnt go in. Tire killer but handling is great. Maybe Ill go for adjustable strut plates.
The sway bar setup range is wide. 3 on the rear * 5 on the front. I started out middle. Just using RS bars makes the car go to more oversteer (If you have the ***** to take a corner that fast lol). I ended up with middle in the rear (affects the car way more since other geometry and more load on the axle) and one softer front which pushes more oversteer. Its changeable even without removing anything else.

So after test driving around the street and some lots: Its just crazy.

I have driven several cars now. I had a fairly new AudiA4 for some time, which was pretty low and was handling great. But you just felt the weight. Then I had a Mini Cooper. Also great handling and very predictable, but crossing the limit and a strong understeer kicked in and it was reeeaaally hard to catch it. And a 996 for a test day. Stock.

All of them (well the 996 was pretty good...) did not come close to this. The car is just glued to the road. Steering commands are transferred DIRECTLY to the road. Bumps while hard cornering are no problem. Just a slight kick in the steering wheel. The wheels just snap back to the road after it. If you really push it hard, the steering commands get watery, play with the throttle and you get well controllable oversteer.
The braking experience is remarkable. The combination of not 2years old fluid, stiffer suspension and steel lines transformed the pedal in a brick. Make sure you have dental insurance for your passenger before hitting it.

I know theres even more after that - but for a road setup its really cool. Im sorry I cant provide any tips for changing the parts itself, because I wasn't there
. The guys at German Car Repair did a good job so far. Steve at Rennsport was a great help for setup issues.

I opened this on request, but any input on what else to change (just free stuff, please ) or just saying its cool are very welcome, since this might get me over the fact that I will have to eat grits for at least a month to cover the expenses.

If some1 is looking to change something, Ill gladly help. I can highly recommend it since it just transforms the car.

Before:



After:

 

Congrats on getting the set up right. It really does make a difference. I am still gathering stuff for my transformation.... Did it to my 79 SC and it made into a whole different car. I like the ride height.... RS? RS+/- ?

 

Cant tell you since I don't know whats the RS height. But its nearly as low as possible with 17x7 in the front

 

Wonderful, glad it all works.

 

You car looks like it's sitting just about perfect! I can only imagine how much corner grip it has w/ the stiffer suspension, lots of negative camber, and those RS3s. Very nice.

 

Looks good for sure. Big improvement.


Did you have to fabricate a spacer to fit the rear shocks?

 

No had the new model mounts already. But I spoke with Bilstein - they make their shocks for new and old, just ask there if you got an old model.