I like that..... ' sexy wide rear end '....

 

Then in a lot of ways, a 3.6 is the perfect car for you. You will lose much less money(maybe even make money) than you do on others cars that move thru your inventory.

Have to had a chance to drive one yet?

 

I've said before if you like old-school raw, the get a 911/930, or modified 965.
If you want modern go 993 or later. GT3 was boring on the road for me!

Power steering is not as sensitive as 911, but lowered it will feel heavier. Made better still with RS wishbones.

I can honestly say that my 3.3 is perfect for fast road, I could not wish for better

 

I would say that on the track you will not notice so much the suspension difference as you will be trying to learn how to 'drive on the boost'. If you let off you are toast and all of the handling issues are moot. That will keep you busy for a lot of track days - just getting the knack of that. On the street these cars are extremely solid with the right suspension set up and being 2WD Turbo are 100% point and shoot.

 

I wouldn't be that crazy...I'd leave it for the next generation. But this car will never leave my family while I'm still here.

Maybe I'll design a 964 turbo coffin. LOL. Hmm...maybe new business venture! Carcoffins.com!

 

I have a lot of street and track experience with turbo cars, and for a street car, the 965 suspension is a noticable upgrade from the older platform. While still simple ie trailing arm rear, it is more compliant and provides for better handling. When compared to a 993 suspension, it really depends. There are a number of 993s that have been lowered too much which causes some significant problems at the rear end with rear bump steer where the rear will toe out. If you upgrade the dampers and springs on a 965, you'll notice a large difference from stock, and a significantly large difference over the 930. You will not notice a significant difference between a 965 and a 993. In my opinion, the Bilstein sport and HR Red springs are a very nice street package and would recommend them over the PSS-9s.

On the track, again, I think the 965 rear suspension is simplier than the 993 and is not as affected by alignment issues (or out of alignment issues) than a 993. Bottom line is that you can't go wrong with either, however, the awd of the 993 turbo dumbs the car down too much (my opinion).

 

Geoffrey, I was thinking that the 993 would have to undergo an AWD-ectomy to be feasible for me. As I transitioned through the 56 (lol) watercooled cars I owned, I had a C4S. The AWD system was terrible IMO, b/c of what it did to steering feel and the system was just sort of wonky on track. I couldn't go back to that and be happy.

I haven't driven a 965 yet; hopefully on Saturday.

Today, I did wail on a Lotus Elise. Holy crap, talk about steering feel. The steering feel crushed every car I've ever driven. Too bad the Elise has so many other compromises that I don't really consider it a feasible option for me.

Tomorrow, I may be able to drive a 993 TT. Would really like to get a good baseline on this car to compare the 965 against.

 

I drove a RUF 993tt yesterday (AWD) on the track and really don't like the AWD. This has been my impression after every time I have driven these cars. However, this issue is not related to the suspension feel/design the poster is talking about.

I've also driven the new version of the Exige and thought the car was interesting, but not for me. Plus, you cannot defeat the traction control completely, it comes back on just when the car starts to slide and upsets the car.

 

the 965 will never feel like and Elise. That being said, with the coil-overs I have installed, its a grat ride. Just don't lower the car too much, and the rear end behaves just fine. I cant say as I agree with your friends ideas on the chassis issues. At lower speeds and big bumps, its not perfect, but under load, its a pretty darn stable car. At high speeds, I think its fantastic. It is a drivers car, so you do need to pay attention, but with your track experience, I think you will find it a hoot to drive. Step out the rear end a bit, plant the right foot and hang on. Just don't pull that right foot up!! Enjoy the Saturday drive, I look forward to your thoughts. But the stock suspension is too soft.

 

Geoffrey, can you give your thoughts on why you think the HR reds/Bilsteins are a better setup than the PSS9s? Is there something funky with the damping of the PSS9s? Sure would be cheaper!

bogey, I'll definitely report back! I'm jonesing already. Today would have been the perfect day to take the turbo to work. Light traffic, great weather. Grrrrrr.

 

I'd be interested in the PSS9 thoughts. My set came from FVD and supposedly had some special damping tuning for them.

 

For a street car perspective, ie not tracked, the 964 probably has the best stock spring / damper rates from the factory in the M030 format. The car is an excellent driver and livable every day. The HR Red springs are slightly more than M030, and the bilstein dampers are matched to those spring rates. If you simply add the HR Reds, the M030 shocks are slighly underdampened...not too bad...but noticable. This combination, because they are progressive, the car is very livable, but if you push the car on the backroads, the stiffer spring rates make the car handle better.

The PSS9 suspension is not progressive, but has a single adjustable rate. Too many people have these adjusted wrong and create handling problems. I've driven a number of the PSS9 suspension cars on the track and they are not set properly. For the street, they are too stiff for a daily driver (my opinion)

 

Geoffrey,

In your opinion, how much of an upgrade is the JIC Cross suspension over Bilstein shox and H&R red springs?

 

I have no experience with the JIC cross setup. They seem like a good value, however, without ever experiencing the spring rates and shock dampening, I can't say if they are good performers or not. The other thing I'd look into is the warranty on them, how many do they have in stock or do they need to go back to Japan or wherever to be replaced. I'd certainly feel more comfortable with Moton Clubsports available from Steve W.

 

Steve's the man on specing Motons for the aircooled cars!