993James993

After considerable research on Rennlist and lots of great advice from many members I chose to update the original OEM suspension in my '90 C2 with Bilstein HD's and H&R turbo springs. I picked up the car today and I am extremely happy with the upgrade. The car sits much lower and feels more planted. Ride quality is firm.

Here are before and after photos:





The photos exaggerate the ride height as I took them from a crouching position. From a standing position the car appears significantly lower than before. I wanted to avoid excessive negative camber in the rear wheels as well as any issues with speed bumps and driveways. I can see much more of the road when driving!

Here is one more photo taken at the shop when I picked up the car. The front wheel is turned in slightly.

90_C2_Cab

I just did mine recently with the Bilstein HD's and the H&R "Greens" (which come purple now) and really like it. The car feels much more controlled at high speed and over bumps while in a turn. It rides a little firmer than stock but not too bad.

c didy

Looks very good. Mine are waiting for installation.

"I wanted to avoid excessive negative camber in the rear wheels as well as any issues with speed bumps and driveways. I can see much more of the road when driving! "

Can you explain what you mean by these 3 statements?

90_C2_Cab

BTW D90's don't look bad once you lower the car. I had mine on for a few weeks after I did the suspension and it looked great with the new ride height. I have the Cup 1's on it now.

f3nr15

Nice!

C'mon, admit it - this car is getting under your skin.

You're going to be asking your son for a trade on your 993 by the time he gets back...

993James993

I only switched out the dampers and springs. Everything else is still stock. From what I understand, as one lowers the car, the the rear wheels tend to tilt inward (negative camber). Past a certain point this can cause uneven tire wear. While some negative camber was introduced by the new springs, it is not enough to cause an issue. I may have the before and after values but will need to find them. The rear wheels appear to be straight and not tilted inward.

There was room to lower the front more, but this had the potential of causing the front end to scrape when bottoming out in a dip in the road or going over a speed bump or driveway lip.

While sitting in the car and driving the front is lower than previously and I can see the more of the road and less of the hood.

My mechanic commented that had he gone any lower he would not have been able to get the lift arms under the car.

All in all I am pleased with the stance and rake, with the front slightly lower than the rear. From standing height the car appears much lower!

993James993

I have a set of Cup I's! They need new tires and my budget is blown so they will have to wait a bit. Luckily I love the D-90's as well.

993James993

I don't know about that, although the 993 now appears to be sitting on stilts! Actually when my son bought the 964 I noticed how similar it was to my car. Now they seem very different. Part of this could be the fact that he stripped out the sound padding, put in a g-pipe and removed the radio. This 964 is much louder than stock and somewhat more raw than my particular 993.

But you are right, once I return this car to him I will quickly replace it with a similar 964.

911Jetta

Sounds like a good plan!

Thanks for the suspension update; D90s really do look good on the car once it's correctly lowered.
What was the estimated "shop-time" required for the install...6-8 hours?

Geoffrey

When you lower the car, not only do you increase the camber, but the toe changes as well. You definately need to realign the car when finished.

AFKC

Looks great! I am having the exact same combo installed in two weeks on my 91 C2

993James993

Thanks for all the replies.

I've driven the car some more and I like the new set up a lot. The view from the driver's seat is more road and no hood. The wings seem much lower, almost like my 993. I still get plenty of feedback from the road and I feel more like I am part of the car than before. (I know that is a very subjective observation.) The car is much quieter, with several rattles that used to bother me no longer an issue.

I guess I thought that the car would have less tilt in hard cornering but that doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe new sway bars are in my future. It is called a slippery slope for a reason!

The mechanic who did the work set up everything, including corner balancing the car and then took it to an alignment shop to have everything finalized. As it turned out the rear top shock mounts were bad and had to be replaced. This added quite a bit to the total bill for new parts and expedited shipping from Germany.

All in all I am very happy with the results!

Vandit

The car looks rowdy now w/ the lower stance and D90s.

c didy

"All in all I am pleased with the stance and rake, with the front slightly lower than the rear."

that sounds right. Well done.

As for camber, I was under the impression that alignment could restore it and correct the toe. Also more aggressive driving benefits from some negative camber. What settings did you choose?

c didy

Does that mean the camber becomes more negative?