Next time... next time.. I just needed something basic for the 993, for now..

 

+1 (MORE)
Try to get a ride in a 993 with the RoW M030 & HD Bilsteins. Better yet drive one.

 

In my particular experience, I purchased my car from porsche (germany). The day I paid for it, the car went through porsche full service, and later that day, passed the german T.U.V.
Came back to France with it, passed the obligatory Tech. control here, with excellent figures.
But the figures are not 993 good (suspension wise) why?
Because I took out the pretty new looking shock absorbers to instal the M030, and all four shocks were DANGEROUS.
You could tilt the head of the shock piston as if it was a gear shift.
The piston went forward and backward like more than 4 inches, and on each strut.
Remember, no leaks, pretty new aspect.
Conclusion, after changing the suspension, the car stopped like feeeet before it used to need to stop.
Braking on uneven roads was stable and confident, not rattly and scary. No more aqua-planning, no more sudden side drifting from the four corners.
reading the posts before, I but conclude that the 993 tricks the regular machines that measure if the struts are still good, especially the just 'press and release' to check for wobble.
I am ready to bet a tenner yours are shot as well.
just to surprise some, my shocks were m033 Boge,yes boge.

 

Anyone...anyone???

 

Give me a holla if ever you're in my neck of the woods..Tippy though...

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and offers. I'm feeling the group hug. I will try to corner Andreas or Trinitony one day for 10 minutes and have them drive my car. If they say it feels "wrecked", then I'm "all systems go" for getting the new "works".

I really can't imagine my car is going to feel $2k better than it does now, but I'm certainly open to it. Right now, it feels fantastic around town and the beltway. If it felt THAT much better, dang, I'd be in heaven!


Steve R

 

Damn, Steve, that photo makes me want to take up flying. Just gorgeous.

Good luck with your decision.

 

The first time I drove a 993, I stalled it trying to start off in 3rd gear. Sorry Mark....


Steve,
To be perfectly honest, your suspension did seem to 'crash' while going over rough pavement and speed bumps. I did take note of this, but placed it into buffer, as we were busy listening for the famed rattler.....

Andreas

 

Andreas: So... my suspension is beat, huh? It seemed to "crash"



when going over speed bumps? That's good enough for me.

I just mentioned this to my wife, and she says we can't do it right now, but in September my checks should be bigger and we can do it then. Yahoo! Then she came out with a real zinger. She says, and I quote : "Honey, you just put XM radio into your BMW - why don't you just drive that more? You could drive that till September if your 911 is that bad. I though you were going to drive the BMW most of the time now, now that it has XM?"

"Ha", I said. I reminded her that I put XM in there so when we travel as a family we have great radio, but that when the weather is nice, I ONLY want to drive my 993, even if the suspension is tired. I'm quite fine with only having talk AM/FM radio in the Porsche as I'm highly concentrated in my driving. I had thought about XM in there too at one point, but decided I'd rather use the money towards an actual upgrade to the car... like better handling.

Cheers,
Steve R

 

It is easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission...I would go ahead and do it.

 

I think you'll really be surprised what those ten year old parts look like when you pull them out. Keep us "posted"

Jack

 

I've used my stock CR-1 stereo one time. I think the date was September 14, 2005, and I was somewhere in the wide open plains of Saskatchewan, madly driving the 993 from Seattle to Baltimore. After a few minutes, I realized that the sound of the flat six was far superior!

Andreas

 

Hold off. The car can go a long time. Didn't folks post their high mileages on another thread and one or two mentioned they were running original suspension and (even brakes??) Anyway, if you don't know better, best to save the $.

I did the HD + Bilstein and it was a big difference from my worn stock setup. I didn't do sway bars (never been a big fan of sway bars in general, and I don't track). The car requires a bit more attention as it can catch road ruts a bit easier, but felt about the same (roughness-wise). I like the fact that it sits a little lower too. It turns in quite a bit tighter too. All very subjective, yeah.

I would do it again, mostly to fix the 4x4 look, but for me daily-driving it, it doesn't feel night-and-day. And the newness wore off just like my front strut bar did. You get used to it like any other upgrade. I'm sure if I went back to a stock suspension I would be upset, but if you don't know better, no need to rush in.

Trying to provide some balance to the arguments here. If you are debating doing the upgrade, you probably will be fine without.
good luck!
-terry
PS: And yeah, 993s rock!

 

Thx Terry - what you wrote does put it in perspective for me for sure. I will sleep on all this for a while and think about it. I mostly just drive my car around town and I'm sure the $2k upgrade will be noticeable, but it's just not utterly crucial right this second.

Steve R

 

Steve, just did M030 and HD with sways from VB. You can drive my car and make your own assessment. What is the name of your shop in Fairfax? PM me to setup a time.