~~DIY Suspension Install for Dummies~~~
03-31-2006, 09:23 AM
#76
Rennlist Member
Thanks a lot for your help Bob. The set up is clearly not perfect but it is a massive improvement. Maybe PSS-9 next year. I will go for a good alignment. If I take the values posted by Jeff above or the RS factory values and go to a Just tires or a good alignment shop will they match it pretty well?
03-31-2006, 09:32 AM
#77
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AG -
I realize that you are asking Bob your question, but let me recommend taking your car to a competent Porsche alignment shop and NOT a tire joint/run-of-the-mill alignment shop. If you have changed your ride height and not checked your kinematic toe, most likely it needs to be adjusted. You will find that there are a limited number of places that have the required tools and know-how to really align these cars--seek one out that knows what they are doing.
Two a couple of cents from me.
I realize that you are asking Bob your question, but let me recommend taking your car to a competent Porsche alignment shop and NOT a tire joint/run-of-the-mill alignment shop. If you have changed your ride height and not checked your kinematic toe, most likely it needs to be adjusted. You will find that there are a limited number of places that have the required tools and know-how to really align these cars--seek one out that knows what they are doing.
Two a couple of cents from me.
03-31-2006, 09:33 AM
#78
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Make sure that they can do the Kinematic toe adjust. Just Tires or any of the run of the mill places will not even have a clue what to do here. Their machines do not have the capability to check or adjust this key function. Only use a place that has the proper tools that can align it. It is there on these cars for a good reason and it works. It can also work improperly if not adjusted.
03-31-2006, 11:45 AM
#80
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Originally Posted by agdamis
Point taken fellas. Kinematic Toe is the "toe" whose value is indicated by Jeff as .04 front and .30 in the rear?
Therefore, you will need your car aligned to your desired specs (in my case, the RS Specs with increased camber settings) AND also the Kinematic Toe set to within 1.5 SKE.
Make sense?
04-27-2006, 05:38 PM
#82
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There have been a few corrections here and there in this DIY since the original posting. Therefore, if you are getting ready to use it, be sure to print a "fresh copy"--use the forum software menu in the upper right corner to select a 'printer-friendly' version.
04-28-2006, 11:39 PM
#83
Instructor
OK all,
I've been in my garage all day today.
The front RoW springs, bars and HDs are in. I also put on a Gert's front bar and a strut tower
bar - the KLA one that Jeff used.
Also, the rear suspension is taken apart. Tomorrow I put in the new rear suspension.
One or two things:
1) I took off the whole front plastic part under the front sway bar. I advise anyone doing the
DIY to also do that, it makes the front bar really easy to deal with - and that's the part Jeff
said was the most difficult. It only takes an extra 5 minutes or less.
2) THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I hope it won't happen to anyone else. My shocks on the front
were labelled incorrectly. The left one had a decal for the right shock and vice versa. Looks
like Bilstein still has issues with their production control. It took me an extra half hour or more
to convince myself that the shocks were labelled wrong. The kicker was the pics I took of the
suspension before I began. The key is this: the ABS can goes towards the rear of the car
and the brake line goes towards the front of the car. That's all you have to know and if you're
in the same position you'll be OK. Be prepared for your shocks to be labelled incorrectly...
3) I had a heck of a time getting the 18mm bolt back in at the bottom of the front shock
housing.
4) I had a difficult time getting the eccentric out on the left side. But it did eventually come out.
I just weaseled it for a while with the flat part at the bottom and it finally came out.
IT helps if the suspension member is pushed towards the outside of the car while weaseling
the bolt.
5) I had to remove a small bolt that holds a heating pipe on the left side in order to get at the
18mm eccentric bolt on the left side. There's a 10mm nut on the top and a hex bolt at the
bottom that is fairly easy to get to.
6) Buy the plastic clips for the new shocks. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be
getting the old ones off in one piece.
7) Use a dremel to make the cutout in the front shock brake holder as Jeff shows. It looks like
a 59 hour job getting the cut in the front shocks on the car using a hacksaw blade.
8) THere are no instructions to change the front sway bar links, I guess Jeff didn't have to do
it which means he has a C4 :-) So here's what you do. You get a 16mm wrench into the space
between the upright and the link. There are two flat spots that a wrench will get onto.
The "69" numbered link is for the left and the "70" numbered part is for the right. This is a nice
little nugget from Viper Bob.... Any Porsche mirror image part will be odd numbered for the left
and even numbered for the right. Cool thing to know. The plastic covers one one end of the
drop links get thrown away - they are just to protect the captive bolt on the link. The captive
bolt on the link gets bolted into the front upright. You will get 2 big bolts and those will bolt the
drop link to the new sway bar.
9) My suspension was out of spec. The right side was 3 mm lower than the left side, and the
rear was about 15mm lower than it should have been relative to the front given the numbers
Jeff posted in his writeup. Weird.
OK I guess that's enough for now. I spent most of the day doing this job, but overall it is
really not too difficult. It's just a bunch of work. I'll post again when I get a chance to drive
my new Porsche.
Over and out...
I've been in my garage all day today.
The front RoW springs, bars and HDs are in. I also put on a Gert's front bar and a strut tower
bar - the KLA one that Jeff used.
Also, the rear suspension is taken apart. Tomorrow I put in the new rear suspension.
One or two things:
1) I took off the whole front plastic part under the front sway bar. I advise anyone doing the
DIY to also do that, it makes the front bar really easy to deal with - and that's the part Jeff
said was the most difficult. It only takes an extra 5 minutes or less.
2) THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. I hope it won't happen to anyone else. My shocks on the front
were labelled incorrectly. The left one had a decal for the right shock and vice versa. Looks
like Bilstein still has issues with their production control. It took me an extra half hour or more
to convince myself that the shocks were labelled wrong. The kicker was the pics I took of the
suspension before I began. The key is this: the ABS can goes towards the rear of the car
and the brake line goes towards the front of the car. That's all you have to know and if you're
in the same position you'll be OK. Be prepared for your shocks to be labelled incorrectly...
3) I had a heck of a time getting the 18mm bolt back in at the bottom of the front shock
housing.
4) I had a difficult time getting the eccentric out on the left side. But it did eventually come out.
I just weaseled it for a while with the flat part at the bottom and it finally came out.
IT helps if the suspension member is pushed towards the outside of the car while weaseling
the bolt.
5) I had to remove a small bolt that holds a heating pipe on the left side in order to get at the
18mm eccentric bolt on the left side. There's a 10mm nut on the top and a hex bolt at the
bottom that is fairly easy to get to.
6) Buy the plastic clips for the new shocks. I can't even imagine how difficult it would be
getting the old ones off in one piece.
7) Use a dremel to make the cutout in the front shock brake holder as Jeff shows. It looks like
a 59 hour job getting the cut in the front shocks on the car using a hacksaw blade.
8) THere are no instructions to change the front sway bar links, I guess Jeff didn't have to do
it which means he has a C4 :-) So here's what you do. You get a 16mm wrench into the space
between the upright and the link. There are two flat spots that a wrench will get onto.
The "69" numbered link is for the left and the "70" numbered part is for the right. This is a nice
little nugget from Viper Bob.... Any Porsche mirror image part will be odd numbered for the left
and even numbered for the right. Cool thing to know. The plastic covers one one end of the
drop links get thrown away - they are just to protect the captive bolt on the link. The captive
bolt on the link gets bolted into the front upright. You will get 2 big bolts and those will bolt the
drop link to the new sway bar.
9) My suspension was out of spec. The right side was 3 mm lower than the left side, and the
rear was about 15mm lower than it should have been relative to the front given the numbers
Jeff posted in his writeup. Weird.
OK I guess that's enough for now. I spent most of the day doing this job, but overall it is
really not too difficult. It's just a bunch of work. I'll post again when I get a chance to drive
my new Porsche.
Over and out...
04-29-2006, 12:45 AM
#84
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Hi Jeff,
Somehow I missed this thread, it must of been when I was on holidays...what a great job on the DIY! I wish that I could have done such a nice job on my DIY engine rebuild...I don't know where you get the time.
I sure could have used this when I did my PSS-9's..
Cheers,
Mike
Somehow I missed this thread, it must of been when I was on holidays...what a great job on the DIY! I wish that I could have done such a nice job on my DIY engine rebuild...I don't know where you get the time.
I sure could have used this when I did my PSS-9's..
Cheers,
Mike
04-29-2006, 01:36 PM
#85
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Glad things are working out for you, Wayne! Good notes also.
Mike, thanks for the kind words. It pails in comparison to the complexity of your rebuild, but at least it's been useful for some here.
Mike, thanks for the kind words. It pails in comparison to the complexity of your rebuild, but at least it's been useful for some here.
04-29-2006, 09:34 PM
#86
Instructor
Jeff,
I really must say that with your post here the job becomes a fairly simple task. Without it, the
job would be MUCH harder. So thanks for taking the time to make the instructions available to
all.
I completed the install this afternoon, no troubles. Monday it goes to the shop for an align and
the coup de gras will be a set of new Michelin PS2s.
I took the car for a very short spin and it sure feels more planted. Couldn't tell much, it was
a quarter mile drive only.
Looks much much better without the SUV gaps between the tires and fenders.
I think for anyone mechanically inclined, with Jeff's writeup it is a very accessible DIY.
W.
I really must say that with your post here the job becomes a fairly simple task. Without it, the
job would be MUCH harder. So thanks for taking the time to make the instructions available to
all.
I completed the install this afternoon, no troubles. Monday it goes to the shop for an align and
the coup de gras will be a set of new Michelin PS2s.
I took the car for a very short spin and it sure feels more planted. Couldn't tell much, it was
a quarter mile drive only.
Looks much much better without the SUV gaps between the tires and fenders.
I think for anyone mechanically inclined, with Jeff's writeup it is a very accessible DIY.
W.
08-04-2006, 04:33 PM
#88
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Rennlist Member
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Question: Where does one obtain the Teflon or silicone grease used on the bushings? I looked today at Schuck's (i.e., Kragen) and the best they had was Mobil 1 synthetic grease or lithium grease.
TIA,
Brett
TIA,
Brett
