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I am looking to lower my 981 Cayman, primarily for aesthetic purposes. The roads I regularly travel are relatively flat and smooth, and my driveway has a very gradual slope, so scraping is not something I'm overly concerned with. I'm also not looking for something that will perform better on the track, because I don't really track my car. I may do a DE or Auto-X at some point, but it won't be a regular occurrence. What I don't like is what I feel is an unattractive amount of wheel gap with the stock setup (non PASM, non X73).
The problem I'm finding is that suspension options seem to be geared more toward the hardcore track enthusiasts, and I'm not looking to drop $2K+ on an adjustable coilover set up that I won't plan on ever adjusting. It's overkill. I would be happy with a set of lowering springs as long as I had some sense of how long the stock shocks would last when paired up with non-OEM springs like techart or H&R. Since the labor to swap out the shocks is around 8-10hrs, it's not something I want to do frequently. The X73 sport suspension seems to be a good compromise, but at $1550 + $1K in labor, we're still at $2500+ just to lower the car an inch, which seems kind of wasteful.
I guess my question is more geared towards those that have used springs... which brand did you go with, how many miles have you had them on your car, how is the ride quality, and what did you pay for the labor? Or, is there another option that I haven't considered?
For reference, I had the H&R springs on my former 997 and I did not find the ride to be too harsh/stiff or the car too low to function. I only had the car for about 10K miles though, so I couldn't assess the longevity of the shocks. My 981 Cayman I plan on keeping for a long time.
I'd go with X73 and do it right. Springs on stock struts are okay IMO too though. The car will drive better and more sporty with X73 even without tracking it.
I'd go with X73 and do it right. Springs on stock struts are okay IMO too though. The car will drive better and more sporty with X73 even without tracking it.
I retrofitted the X73 on my base 2014 Cayman and the setup is just right. Lowers the car about as far as you can go without too much scraping. Might add some spacers eventually.
Here's deal though, doing springs right isn't that much less labor than new struts and doing it really right. You can get lower springs with rates close to stock, but ... i guess the spyder i picked up has the X73 setup on it, and, it's really really good. it's worth the extra $.
My initial instinct told me to go with the X73 as well, and it appears everybody is agreeing with that. I thought the H&R Springs on my 997 looked good, and the ride was fine, but as I stated in my first post, I Didn't really get to test out the longevity. My Cayman is the sports car for the long-haul for me And I want to make sure whatever I get last. The Delta between going with springs and going with the x73 is roughly $1,100. Labor is virtually the same no matter which one I install. I do like the H&R ride height though. Most think it's too low, but I think it's perfect.
My initial instinct told me to go with the X73 as well, and it appears everybody is agreeing with that. I thought the H&R Springs on my 997 looked good, and the ride was fine, but as I stated in my first post, I Didn't really get to test out the longevity. My Cayman is the sports car for the long-haul for me And I want to make sure whatever I get last. The Delta between going with springs and going with the x73 is roughly $1,100. Labor is virtually the same no matter which one I install. I do like the H&R ride height though. Most think it's too low, but I think it's perfect.
You could also find a low mileage used x73 setup - found one with everything but the sway bars (which I ordered new from Suncoast), so I was at about $700 for parts and I found a local dealership that would do the install for about $750. So, all in (with alignment and everything), I want to say $1.7k. Money well spent - looks GREAT at the new height & I like it more than PASM on my 911!!
The car I got the x73 equipment from had less than 3k miles - they don’t come up often but keep your eyes peeled! -Dom
+981 on retrofitting X73 (new or used take-offs). Sure it's "just an inch" but the end result is sublime. The engineers really did an outstanding job baking in so much goodness into a balanced package.
Definitely go X73. I had the dealer do it for me when I purchased my 2015 981S. Its amazing and perfect for the street. Allow the drop does not seem like a lot, its a big visual difference over the stock ride height.
Since this seems to be the suspension upgrade thread, I have a 981 Cayman S with SC/PASM/PSE. Does anyone have any opinions on X73 vs a DSC controller in this situation?
Since this seems to be the suspension upgrade thread, I have a 981 Cayman S with SC/PASM/PSE. Does anyone have any opinions on X73 vs a DSC controller in this situation?
Everyone with PASM seems pretty happy with the DSC controller instead of X73. I haven't driven both to compare.
06-23-2018, 10:51 AM
981 Street Suspension/Lowering options
