Guys,

I have H&R springs and new Bilsteins in my 993 C2 running 18" RS Speedlines. Shocks were replaced about 9 months ago. I didn't notice at first but more and more the ride has become very hard, especially over bumps- it crashes and thumps and really shakes the car loose. The rear feels very hard and I'm worried it's causing rattles in the interior parts.

If I wanted to retain lower than stock height, or even lower than the H&R I have now, but have a supple comfortable ride, what setup would you recommend?

Thanks for your help.

 

How much tread is left on your tires, especially the rears? I've been shocked at how much this affects the ride, in much the way you describe.

 

Switching over to 17" wheels will soften the ride considerably. It would be helpful to know what other suspension work have you done or not done? You may have worn-out bushings. What kind of subframe mounts? Solid sub frame mounts = harsh ride.

 

Thanks you for the replies. I have had no other suspension work done. So assume stock arb's and bushes all around. Car has 60k miles.

Regarding tires they should be good- I have newish Michelin PSS (last summer) with about 3k of miles on them.

 

I see two potential causes for your ride becoming harder. One strut failure, I can only see this on such a young suspension if the struts are bottoming out and damaged the struts from the impact. In any event, check if they can be rebuilt under warranty if this is the case.
Alternatively, the jam nut for the purchase of the spring has come loose and the ride height adjustment has moved. In this case, readjust your ride height so it falls in the range of the suspension and mark the barrels of the struts with a vertical Sharpi pen line so if things slip in the future you have a visual representation of it.
A quick check of the ride height may be in order. The height should not be lower than the European (ROW) lowered height as measured in the attached chart. Any lower and there may be problems getting an alignment within factory specified settings.
Just some thoughts.
Andy

 

Soft and low does not compute, otherwise you are always on the bump stops. Firm and low or soft and reasonable. Suspension is a compromise,.looks great handles and rides like sh*t. Go for RoW ride height perhaps sport and you'll be ok as long as the roads are well maintained. RS spec is fine as long as the suface is reasonable. I run RS spec and it's like the princess and the pea.

 

Who installed the rear struts? Be sure they are rotated correctly that the drop link mounts are not hitting.

 

Thanks. How do I check for that?

 

Update- the drop links are not hitting. I did notice I have B6 shocks (see image) in some other threads there were warnings about matching them with H&R springs which is what I have on the car. Anyone have a view on that?

 

This thread had a lot of input, maybe help with decisions:

https://rennlist.com/forums/993-forum/1040784-want-absolute-softest-ride-993-a.html

 

I have the same Bilstein/H&R setup. Rides firm but in a good way. Not harsh or pounding. Check to see if everything is installed correctly.
Gert at Carnewal sells this setup together. I think they match each other well. It might be your ride height as well. I'm at RS +10

 

Endlessly reading suspension threads on this site until my eyes bleed...sounds like a typical complaint of bilstein sport shocks compression damping. Nature of the beast and some are more bothered by it than others. Analog tech and more tradeoffs between extremes v active damping on modern cars.

If everything checks out function wise and you want to make a change, one option often mentioned is to send the dampers to bilstein and have them digressively valved to match your springs.

 

Thank you for that view. What does that mean in layman's terms? To digressively valve a damper?

 

I'd search out some of the threads Bill V has posted here about the subject. Or a quick Google will get you the idea in layman's terms (my terms). Stuff that quickly goes over my head!