DC from Cape Cod

The car I am looking to buy has this suspension. I have been told that it is like the M030 suspension but it differs in that it lowers the car a bit less than an inch and that it comes with adjustable sway bars.

It is currently set with the front having 1 degree negative camber and zero toe. The rear has about 1.3 negative camber and about 10 min toe.

Can someone please describe this in layman's terms. I am new to aftermarket suspension and need to confirm that this will work for me (before either I or the seller goes through unnecesary motions).

Am I going to lose my teeth on every bump? Is the car going to scrape and bottom out?

JC in NY

In my opinion this is the suspension that all Carreras should come with from the factory. It is quite low yet streetable - but quite stiff. However the Porsche 911 is a sportscar and this is what it should feel like, no? If set to the proper Carrera RS ride height it will be almost 2" lower than the USA height. It looks alot better too. As far as scraping you have to take it easy on speedbumps, dips and driveways but it is not impossible. Certainly lower would start to be a problem - for example a true Cup ride height would be impossible for the street.

I am not sure of the exact springrates but I think it is quite a bit stiffer than the M030 sport suspension. A true Carrera RS will have monoballs fitted too. But again, this is a street suspension in Europe, not a full race setup. As far as performance it will absolutely transform the car into what it should be. With this suspension the Carrera will instantly transform into a incredible handling machine and it will give you feedback that will give you alot of motoring enjoyment that is not possible with the stock or even M030 setup. My car is fitted with the H&R equivalent to the RS suspension and I am *very* satisfied with it for street use, autox and track. Wow.

DC from Cape Cod

JC - thanks.

You say that a true RS suspension would have monoballs too........if not, would this just include springs and sway bars?

How about shocks, etc.?

JC in NY

If it has a genuine Carrera RS suspension then it would be the following components, all OEM with Porsche part numbers:

1. A full set of Bilstein struts - probably green in the front and silver in the back. These will have threaded sections with movable perches for height adjustment. The main rod will be beefier than the stock components.

2. Carrera RS progressive springs, front and rear. Probably black with green dots?

3. Monoballs will be silver cast aluminum with a huge aluminum cover nut on the top and there will be slots to allow different camber adjustment ranges.

4. Front stabilizer bar will be 5 way adjustable and rear will be 3 way adjustable.

5. Optionally there will be a camber strut brace in the front and different Carrera RS front uprights and tie rods.

Now, in reality the OEM parts were probably not used. The guy might be stating there is an "RS" suspension when it is really an "RS-like" suspension like the H&R coilover package which is a replica of this setup and closely approximates the string rates and damper settings. For the stabilizer bars the OEM bars are probably used in any case.

Bill Gregory

[quote]<strong>Carrera RS progressive springs, front and rear. Probably black with green dots?
</strong><hr></blockquote>
Black with yellow markings.

Gert

This is what the oem RS shocks look like :

Craig W.

Hey Gert,

How much do those shocks cost, and would they be a good substitute for the Bilstein HD shocks that would offer more variation in front ride height?

JC in NY

OK, so I got most of the colors wrong. So sue me...


<img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" /> <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

DC from Cape Cod

I know that the car has at least the RS Springs and the RS adjustable swaybars, front and rear. I was told that these are factory parts...I am in the process of verify exactly how it is set up right now.

Gert

[quote]Originally posted by JC in NY:
<strong>OK, so I got most of the colors wrong. So sue me... </strong><hr></blockquote>

Sorry, John

Martin S.

No this will not work for you. You need to swap suspensions with me...M030 RoW with 22mm front bar, and 21mm rear bar with 2 adjustment points.

There are not too many 993 cars in the US with 993RS suspension, enjoy!

DC from Cape Cod

Would this be considered desireable then?

How about if it is just springs and sway bars?

How much lower than the standard suspension or M030 is it?

It sounds like it has an adjustment for ride height as well - correct?

Sorry for my lack of knowledge but I need to know this BEFORE I buy it, not after. I have no problem with a stiff ride and I would prefer that the car not lean but I don't want to be extremely limited (because the car is too low) in where I can drive either.

What do you think of these settings?

It is currently set with the front having 1 degree negative camber and zero toe. The rear has about 1.3 negative camber and about 10 min toe.

Your help is greatly appreciated.

Craig W.

Martin: hmm, what shocks you have?

GERT GERT GERT:
Bonk! you posted on this thread and did not answer my question, LOL!

DC: I'd go ahead and buy the car, but I would not pay anything extra for the suspension. Worst case, it it's too stiff and low, you can put a M030 on it. The alignment settings are fine for street/some track. They are definately a "compromise" setup. You may get some inside edge tire wear, but that wil just tell you that you need to hit some twisties more often to even it out.

Flying Finn

I'll swap my M030 suspension with that RS suspension! <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Get the car man, don't even think about stock 'school bus' suspension if you have a chance to get RS!

DC from Cape Cod

OK - so what I am getting from this is that if it is the complete RS suspension then it is good. The only questions are if it is complete and if it is too low to be usable.

Is there ANY negative aspect to the RS suspension in terms of drivability, service, resale, etc.?

Exactly how would it compare to the US M030 suspension in terms of heigth, roll, handling and ride?