bonedog

My one 'nit to pick' on my beloved 2011 BS is that the street ride is less compliant than I (and my wife) would like. Sporty is good, handling is essential, - but I don't need to 'read' every centimeter of road surface by brail - with my tush!

I do not track the car but do take it on back roads and the twisties here in Northern California as often as I can and drive it pretty hard. I do not want to give up handling for comfort if I can help it. I've considered going to 18" wheels (from the 19" ones on it) - but really like how the 19" ones look and would prefer not to.

I read a bit about the Ohlins Road and Track suspension but haven't found many posts from those who are running them on the 987's successfully. If anyone has experience with these or other aftermarket suspension packages they can recommend - I'd be grateful for the feedback and advice.

2011 Boxster S , PDK, Sport Chrono ,19" wheels - otherwise stock

mrd_spy

all after markit kit seems to have 5x the spring rates !!!

olegd

I would try 18" wheels if I were you. I had 19" on my Cayman when I purchased it and the ride was rough. Since then, I've downsized to 18" and installed X73 (Cayman R) suspension. The ride is more comfortable now even though the X73 springs are stiffer, but my no means is the car anywhere close to being pleasant on bumpy roads and you won't get that with any wheel/suspension combo in a Cayman.

BillC3

I would suspect anything labelled "road and track" would probably be stiffer than the stock shocks.

I did try the Bilstein PSS9s on my old '06 Cayman. You can dial them down pretty soft if you want to.

And, +1 on the recommendation to try 18" wheels -- that's probably the easiest way to soften the ride without compromising handling.

Gillito

Bonedog, I installed a set of KW-V3's on my 987.1 CS and actually the ride got considerably better, since you can adjust the compression and rebound.
I am considering a new set for my new (to me) 981 CS for the same reason.

Cosmo Kramer

I have Ohlins R&T on my 996. Even though they are sprung heavier then stock, the ride is firm but compliant. The stock suspension tends to be under sprung and over damped in my opinion. Ohlins are the nicest riding coil overs you can buy .

Apex1

I have Ohlin R&T on my 07 Cayman S for almost a year. Once I got used to the different levels of compression/rebound that is available for the road and track (autocross), they work flawlessly. I would recommend a spring rate of 60 n/mm front and 70 n/mm back rather than 70/80 that come standard if you are not going to race your car.
Most owners chose the high spring rate, but in your case, no need for the additional bounce back on back country roads. I had my car lowered about 30 mm due to corner balance and rake which changed the ride height some during my install. I also had Tarett GT adjustable swaybars and drop links installed as well. This is an excellant package. You may want to change to 18 inch wheels, like I did. Light weight, monoblock forged Signature 9 inch in front and 10 inch in the rear. Offset in front was 47 and rear was 35. On these I mounted Bridgestone RE71R's 255/35/18 f and 275/35 R. What a transformation in handling, you want canyon driving, you will have the tool to make you giggle and smile. I also added Tarett Cup lower control arms to give more camber front and rear. These control arms really made the whole suspension come alive. The -2.7 front camber and -2.5 rear really does not wear the tires out if you specify 6 minutes toe out on front and just a little toe in in the rear. You will need adjustable toe links in the back with this amount of camber and reduce ride height. The only issue you may have with this system is the tire noise from the RE71R's for around town driving, so Michelin 4S in the same size would work very well for you. Enjoy.

khoahtran

Ken Lau

how much you gonna sell the v3?

brur

Apex1, nice looking car. Not sure why I find it so pretty. Sounds like a well-thought suspension.
I'm going to guess Bremerton is where you had that pic on the track, judging by the debris on the surface. Have they done anything at SIR. It's been a number of years since I've been up there.

ekam

+1. My friend who has a Mini sat in my car and he said the ride is compliant. Different (perhaps less aggressive) set of tires will reduce your car from "reading the road" as well.

Apex1

bruh, thans for the kind words. Yes, that picture captures an early season autocross run on a damp Bremerton runway. I will be at Seattle Race Way as well as the Ridge in Shelton this fall, so will report back on those tracks. I am working my way to a full on track car in a year or so. Cargraphic headers, Cantrell roll bar, race seats and harness will be my next upgrades. In the meantime, getting seat time is important and trying to move up the PCA autocross standings.

bassie81

soundaround

Where are you now on this? Still happy? I have a difficult situation PM discussion might be helpful. Your post was insightful and may be part of my path forward.

Apex1

Still happy with the suspension. In fact, just updated some of the parts, like adding a little more camber to the front as recommended by Hoosier to protect the outside shoulder of their tires. When going through this update process, I replaced a track link in the rear that wore out and was creaking on throttle on and off. The interesting part was that I thought my Ohlin springs had settled a little bit, but on the alignment lift rack, no spring sag, nothing moved except for toe in the front. I find that even with the ride height slammed, I have not bottomed out the car. So now you know that all is well with my Cayman, how can I help you? We can trade messages. Thanks,