tspin

the struts on my 1993 M030 (155k miles) are leaking. The only option to fix appears to be to send them to Koni for a rebuild. Correct?

thanks

Yogii

No you can get new inserts for the struts. I believe minor machining my be required.

-Yogii
AKA 968 Novice

chudson

No Yogii, not even close buddy. The M030 strut is a different animal. You don’t cut it open and machine it the way you can the standard struts. They are made to be disassembled and rebuilt. Search…

OP, I have 2 used 030s and 2 NOS that I purchased a few years back but yes, IIRC the last time I inquired Koni no longer rebuilds them and refers you to an “approved” rebuilder. I’m not sure how well that is working. Anyone have any experience with this?

Cliff

Yogii

Thanks for correcting me!
That is why I am a novice...

-Y

quick968

I have a pair currently being rebuilt by Performance Shock in Sonoma.

https://performanceshock.com/

They are one of just a few authorized Koni rebuilders. They aren’t cheap as you would expect. Nor are they fast. It took them nearly a month before a tech could get to them. Mine were in decent shape, just needed new seals and wear items, not even having them repainted. Total just under $800 for the repairs. I believe Porsche still lists new ones available for close to $1500 per side.So $400 per side for a complete overhaul is a “bargain” 😂

Best
Mikey

chudson

Thanks Mikey. Yes everything is pricy and this was the range of numbers that I was getting years ago which is why I purchased new ones. I wanted not only a new shock, but I wanted it to also look new. That being said, when you get these NOS shocks, they are ancient the day you take them out of the boxes because they were all built years ago. So that being said, how good are the “new” ones?? And as for the set I received, the threaded sleeves were of a different shade of aluminum. Not a concern to most but to a fanatic…

Cliff

quick968

Performance Shock will also strip and repaint them on request, for another $200 per side. Threaded sleeves and spring perches are simply raw aluminum, not even clear anodized, so a simple bead blast will have all those pieces the same shade in a jiffy. As for how good the overhauled units are, they use all new production O-rings and Viton seals, the rest of the guts are steel or aluminum, so it’s a brand new shock when you get it back. Good for another 30 yrs and miles of abuse. These guy primarily work on Motons, Ohlins, JRZ, for the race teams. They know their stuff, people are racing multi-millions in equipment so they’d better know it. 🤣🤣

Best
Mikey

tspin

Thanks everyone for the info. I'm calling Performance Shop (the Ohio location) today to find out the turn around time.

sm

Can they revalve the M030 struts and shocks so they are less “crashy” and therefore ride more comfortably like a modern suspension?

quick968

What’s your definition of a comfortable modern suspension on a modern sports car? I have an R35 GTR and no matter what the suspension is set to, comfort, sport, or track, all settings are crazy stiff on the street. No, to my knowledge they can’t be re-valves but you can call Performance and ask them. Bottom line these M030 shocks are “sport” shocks front and rear. Even when adjusted to full soft they are pretty firm in comparison to the stock suspension dampers. Adjusted to full firm they work quite well on track for DE type events. If you want a wider range of adjustability to go softer then you should look at KW V3 or similar systems. M030 will never be a “comfortable” system on these cars though comfort is a highly subjective point.

Mikey

Yogii

I do not have the Mo30 suspension. However, my car is lowered about an inch, it has the thicker sway bars front and rear. Nearing a 100K my OEM shocks, they are almost done.
Thinking about the Koni, non-m030 option or the Bilstein options. I understand that front OEM Boge shocks are still available but not the rears. Maybe the other way around?
Car rides firm. It is only uncomforatble over rough roads. I do 3 or 4 auto-crosses and maybe one DE day per year. Any suggestions? Right now a coin flip between the Koni's and Bilsteins.

-Yogii
AKA 968 Novice

quick968

You need to call Jason at Paragon Products in Corpus Christi. He's been supplying and advising on 968 suspensions longer than just about anyone. Yes, he owns one of the 4 968 Turbo RS cars, there's nothing he doesn't know about these cars. A wealth of knowledge, and a helluva nice guy with prices competitive with anyone in the industry.

https://www.paragon-products.com/Por...sion-s/199.htm

Mikey

DSMblue

My fronts are shot, and I am going to do the Bilstein conversion using the stock housings. Just have to get clutch issues sorted first before diving into that project.

chudson

+ 1000 ! They don't get any better than Jason!

Cliff