Wait a second here...

If you have new PSS9s, who set them up? These are adjustable (obviously) and the shock valving has a profound impact on transient response and turn-in. I wouldn't spend any money until you have really put some miles on them and even made some minor adjustments.

If it were me, I'd soften the front rebound a bit. If it gets too soft before you see the change you are looking for, then stiffen the rear rebound a bit. One of the reasons for adjustable shocks is to tune the suspensions response to steering and road inputs. IMO, most people with double or triple adjustable shocks never take full advantage of them. It takes a lot of time and trial and error to find the optimum settings and they won't necessarily be the same from car to car. Also, using someone elses settings may be a starting point, but the joy of adjustable shocks is to tune the car to YOUR driving style and preferences.

If it's too much trouble, I'd be willing to swap you for a set of new Bilstein HDs.

Sway bars are primarily going to affect steady state corning, not transient response. From your post it sounds like you are looking for help with turn-in to get the car a bit lighter on it's feet.

+1 for the alignment verification as well. This is critical.

Good Luck!

David

 

Sways make a big difference in when the car sets (i.e., how quickly the weight transfers from one side to the other). I never drive mine hard enough on the street to notice, but on the track, stiffer sways take the Buick out of the 993 especially on long fast corners. The difference is huge. Caveat, this may only apply to cars with no rubber in the suspension, a siffly sprung suspension (much stiffer than the PSS-9's), and Hoosiers etc

 

Remember that seeking more turn-in responsiveness will have negative effects. It's a matter of trade offs. More toe and neg camber = more tire wear. Stiffer sways = more skiddish behavior and worse ride quality.

My guess is that it's your alignment. Our OEM sways are already pretty beefy.

 

All excellent input guys. I will climb underneath and find out exactly what the settings are and see if I can find part #'s on the sways. I did not get the alignment settings from the dealer who set it up including the KT settings. They are going to fax it to me later today. The ride height was set at the top end of the RS specs in the rear (to allow for proper KT alignment) and at about the mid-point of the range in front. I asked for the camber to be rather benign to allow for decent tire wear so I suspect the toe up front was not set very aggressively either. The PSS9s are in no way even anywhere close to being broken in at this point. The car is mainly used for weekends around town and not on the track so I rarely test the limits, but I do like to push it from time to time. I'll see what I can find out about alignment and damper settings to start and go from there.

 

You should be in the same part of the range for both front and back heights so the proper rake is achieved. Assuming that you are currently at the top of the RS range in the rear, you should be at the top of the RS range in front, too. I'd estimate that you're either about 10mm too low in the rear or 10mm too high in the front.

Not sure what to make of having the rear at top end of the RS spec to allow for KT alignment. To my understanding, KT is set after the height is set and is not dependent on having a certain height.

-Jim

 

Jim,
Two different alignment guys at two different Porsche dealerships (Santa Barbara Auto Group & Rusnak in Westlake Village, CA) both told me that you need to be at the top of the range for the RS settings in back to allow enough adjustability to get the KT done correctly. I was told if its too low in back it doesn't provide enough range of adjustment. I know zero about KT adjustments, just that if its not right it costs me about $200+ per shoe way too frequently than my wallet likes. I'm pretty sure the range of ride height in the front was pretty small to begin with and the stance looks very good and balanced front/rear. Rake may be off slightly making it a touch lower up front but its really not noticeable if at all. My avitar was with the M030 RoWs and its a little lower now in back plus a fair amount lower in front. Handling-wise I doubt it will make much of a difference for street use. If I wind up using the car for the track I'll get all the extra goodies for the suspension and set up the alignment/ride height accordingly. Right now its about asthetics, the feel, and something better than the handling I got with the M030 RoW springs and worn out Monroes. Besides, I didn't like not having "PSS9s" in my signature. I also don't like not having "Twin Turbo" there either!

 

For RS cars, the procedure is to jack up the rear of the car (on the engine, i believe) until the suspension arms are horizontal, then check the KT. It's in the workshop manual. So it can be done, they just didn't want to do it this way.

Incorrect KT settings won't result in substantially increased tire wear. It's *toe* that has the big effect on tire wear, not *kinematic* toe. Just wanted to point that out.

 

Sway bars are essentially momentay springs. At rest with both wheels on the same axle, the sway bar does nothing. When the body start to roll over in a turn, the sway bar then adds additional spring pressure essentially to those outside wheels. What this means is that you need to account for this in your suspension decisions to insure that you have the proper dampeners. If so, then you have a car that is great on the street with literally no downside, and is much better in the turns and if seyup properly will have good turn in. So HDs or PSS9s with M030 bars? Good setups. Shocks are up to the task. PSS9s are the only shock (well unless you want a JIC or a Race Shock) to consider if you are with RS or even better TRG bars.

 

What is wrong with the H&R coilover set up? Not the one that includes the monoball shock mounts .

http://www.carnewal-europe.com/cpx_p93021.htm

 

Eric (the other one),

So you are suggesting that the KT could have (should have) been done the way you describe? I love finding this stuff out after the fact. Just makes me feel sick! The setup right now is good. I wouldn't mind if it were a touch lower but with the RS splitters like you, you know you need to be very careful. The ride height is pretty good where it sits.

I know at least one person who put on RS bars with his PSS9's. I'll try to take his for a spin if he'll let me. I want to see how much different it feels. I think he kept his alignment pretty mellow on camber etc as well.

 

I have had SOOOO much trouble with H&R. Rebadged PSS9s is one of their products. In theory revalved with H&R springs. Their lowering springs for the 993 are progressive and the coils bounce off each other and cause noise. Their sway bars are a joke. SOOO freaking big that there is no rubber around them so they wear through. Try to get their customer service to do anything is next to impossible. And the list goes on. I just won't sell them anymore.

 

Thanks Bob. I don't have any experience with the H&R coilover set but thought it might be a good alternative to PSS9s.