mdsarch

I am looking forward to becoming more familiar with my 964 both on and off the track and a big part of that is becoming a member of this forum. I have been on PP for some time but the 964 discussion here seems a little more active. I am spending some time this winter trying to sort out some suspension issues and I am sure I will be asking a lot of questions in the near future. I know photos are appreciated so here are some from my first time at AMP this past fall:

HiWind

wow - great color and nice shots Mark - Welcome!

Rey Gunn

Great looking car! There's just something about a silver Porsche. Very smart looking. Classic to say the least. Welcome aboard!

vagluv

great color! whats the name of it?

911Jetta

Welcome to 964 Mark.
I see you're from Charlotte, let me know if you're every in the Triangle or head up to VIR.
Best,
Udo

911Jetta

double... please delete.

mdsarch

Thanks for the warm welcome! The color is Diamond Blue Metallic and is a bit of a chameleon color. The day those shots were taken it was very overcast. I haven't made it to VIR but maybe 2014 is the year. I had an SC and until recently a longhood so enjoying all my new found torque!

Vandit

What suspension issues are you sorting?

mdsarch

Vandit, the suspension issues may be related to the fact that I am used to a 73 that was really low and set up perfectly, to my taste and I am not used to the heavier 964. In any case, I know that suspension tuning is based on the "whole" system and each driver has their own preferences but getting it just right is part of the fun. My suspension system is as follows:
• Bilstein HD struts & shocks
• H&R Sport springs (Red/Turbo)
• RS Front 5-way adjustable and rear 3-way adjustable anti-roll bars
• RSR strut tower brace
• ERP Front Camberplates
• 7.7/9 x 17 CUP 1 Wheels
• Hankook RS-3, 225/45/17, 255/40/17

The first issue I am having is I feel that turn-in at medium speed turns (think turn 1 at Road Atlanta) isn't as responsive as I would like. I currently have the rear bar at full stiff and the front at full soft to try and alleviate this. I haven't been back to RA to try out (I had it set up in the middle) this new set-up but when I was at CMP, it felt a little better. I have recently read that some are running full stiff in the front, so I am unsure if I am going in the right direction.

The second issue is that I would like to get the front (and rear but that isn't the problem) of the car about 12 mm lower (again to help with turn-in) to get it to euro RS height. The spring/strut/camberplate combination I chose is maxed out, for lowering however. I have been reading about the lowering collars that FVD sells but only for the factory struts. A recent conversation with them revealed they are making some for the Billstein HD struts so I am patiently waiting for their arrival. This MAY prove to be too low but I want to try. Anyone done this before?

The third issue is the corner balance I had done seems off as my right rear is 12 mm lower than my left rear...kinda odd.

So those are the three items I am trying to get sorted. Does my strategy make sense?

Vandit

I run the same spring and shock combo.

Here's how it sits and I can go down about .5-.75" lower, but I rather not have issues w/ ground clearance and even more importantly, suspension stroke travel.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v5...psc089670c.jpg


You might also want to look at the condition of the rubber bushings in the car, especially the lead bushing on the front control arm and the rear spring plate in-board mounting point.

mdsarch

Your car sits plenty low and your comment on suspension travel is a good point. Are you also running the camber plates as well? I wonder if that is causing my front to be higher. I know this isn't an accurate way of measuring but my front fender dimension to the ground is 25.75" and am told I can't go any lower. Thoughts?

Vandit

Stock top mounts front and rear.

tbennett017

You might also find some deeper conversation relating to suspension here:

http://rennsportsystems.com/forum/

Steve W. might be able to set you up with the right combination to achieve your feel.

mdsarch

So after doing some more reading through the 964 threads I stumbled across the one describing camberplate options and found out that by adding a camberplate, it raises the ride height by 20 mm or so. (Thanks Nick for this great description: Depending on how much ride height adjustability is left on the spring perch, you might be able to account for the extra height by spinning the collars down. But you have to make sure that the strut/shock piston doesn't run out of bump travel because the piston rod will be sitting further into the body of the strut/shock. In which case, you would need a shorter body. ) I was wondering why I couldn't get any lower as others with my same springs/strut set up could get to euro RS (and lower) without any problem.

So, once FVD remake their lowering collars to work with the Bilstein HD struts (4 + more weeks), I am going to try those to see if the combination of the Camberplates/H&R Sport Springs/Bilstein Struts and the lowering perches will get me to RS height. My thinking is I am trying to get 25 mm lower in the front and the lowering collars are supposed to lower the perches by 38 mm - I figure I can then raise the bilstein struts by the threaded adjustments up 13 mm arriving at my goal. Does this sound reasonable or should I just go back to stock top mounts?

mdsarch

I just got an email from FVD and the lowering collars for the Bilstein HD's are now available and are on their way. I just made an appointment with the local suspension guru to get them installed next week. Looking forward to the results and will post a before and after pic when completed.