ploglet

So I am going to be doing some suspension/handling upgrades in the next month and had a few questions.

1. I am going to be using the car predominately on the street with the odd track time (no track close to me), are PSS9's overkill for the 4S? If I dont go the PSS9's route, what are the other recommended coilovers to purchase? Anyone have specific ride height to set the suspension at?

2. I plan on replacing the sway bars at the same time I do the suspension but dont want to over do the stiffness. What diameter are you guys running on your cars that spend most of their time on the street? Any recommended manufacturers ( and yes, I will use a sponsor retailer to purchase)?

3. Is it worth putting a strut bar in place? I would think that this would add a lot of stiffness in the front area but again dont want to overdo it as I do use the trunk area.

Thanks ahead of time.

e9stibi

It might be overkill for your purpose but you will not regret going with PSS9 (better 10). I went RS hight plus 10mm and never looked back.

I would also recommend a strut bar. There are models that fit under the carpet -> no impact on storage and look.

porscheralph

My experience is based on street only use:
1. I have HD Bilstein's, M030 springs and sway bars at a ROW ride height. I have had this set up for over 5 years and really like it - it is a little "rough" by some standards. I used this set up as a daily driver for three years and it worked fine for me. I now have 18 inch MY02 wheels and they have increased the rough ride by a little. I do not have experience at lower ride heights but I will say that even at ROW heights you must be careful at many driveways - a FPB is a MUST!
2. I also have a strut bar - my car is a cab so it needs all the stiffness help it can get - but even if you have a coupe I would advise the install of a strut bar - it will help.
Some have complained about the rough ride of set up using the M030 or the PS9 (now PS10 I think) so if you can find someone in your area that already has them installed try to get a ride. I would NEVER go back. My 2 cents and good luck.

Richard C2S

The PSS-9 or PSS-10 package would be great for you. The beauty of it is that you can easily adjust how firm you want the car to be. So, keep the shocks set on the soft side for the bulk of your driving. When you do have the opportunity to get on the track, you can adjust the shocks to suit your driving style and ability.

I have the PSS-9 set-up with ROW 993 Turbo sway bars. Frankly, I wish that the PSS-9 set-up was about 20% firmer throughout. If I ever have to remove anything, I'll send the shocks back to Bilstein to be re-valved.

Stealth 993

PSS10's are all you can get now. The 9's are gone, except for old stock.

They are NOT a track suspension, just a sporty street setup, & yes, sway bars, & strut bar will help.

Honestly, my PSS10's ride smoother over 90% of the bumps out there over the stock M030 suspension. It's only the real big hits that you know the 10's are stiffer. I've been toying with getting my 10's revalved & use a higher spring.

Steve Weiner-Rennsport Systems

Hi,

PSS-10's (nice improvement over the -9's) would be just the ticket and allow you the ability to adjust the suspension for how you drive and your local roads. Don't forget that tires & tire pressures play a big role in ride quality,....

For street use, I'd use ROW Turbo bars but thats a personal preference. RS adjustable bars are nice but not cheap anymore.

A strut brace adds some precision to the steering and reduces some body noises in the cowl and windshield area.

One thing,..its critically important to corner-balance the car together with a proper alignment by personnel familiar & equipped to do 993's. I cannot stress this enough,...........

JMHO,....

axl911

I completely agree with Steve here. A corner balance is required with a new suspension. I have been through this with my car. Even if I have set my ride height according to spec and have the car aligned properly by a shop /w the kinematic tool, I still get harness and bounciness over different surfaces.

The problem was that my car was corner weigh was not even, therefore, each corner behaved different because of the difference in weight on it. Corner balance fixed this problem and smoothed out the ride.

Mike J

When were they ever cheap?

Cheers

Mike

travanx

As an alternative to the Bilsteins, I have KW's. You will notice KW is slowly getting more press. They are also stock on a lot of high end cars. Such as the Black line of Benz cars. I drive downtown LA at least once a week, and these things are still pretty comfortable. Still no clue what the limit on these are for cornering. Hope to eventually find out.

David in LA

+1 on the KWs...I have the older variant 2s and once they were dialed in properly they are awesome...even for the crappy streets of Hong Kong

Richard C2S

Five years ago, or so, when I put the PSS-9 kit on my 993, the RS adjustable bars were about $500 each, if I remember correctly. That's exactly why I went with the ROW 993TT bars.

I think that KW may be the supplier of the fancy/adjustable/very expensive suspension used on the Audi RS4.

Stealth 993

My big problem with KW is they are twin tube, VS OEM & Bilstein Monotube. It's old tech, & not as stiff, or as good compression/rebound wise as a Mono design.

That being said, they are a very good twin tube.

ZombiePorsche44

+1000%.....Without taking the time to do what Steve has suggested, you have nothing but a bunch of expensive suspension parts on your car

TheOtherEric

I believe you're thinking of the TRG bars; 5 yrs ago they were about $600. RS bars at the time were like $1100 or so, IIRC.
I'd recommend: (1) that turbo bar that you can drill an extra hole in (I forget which one), or (2) RS (if you're ok with the price) or else (3) just stay with stock. Don't go crazy here with a street car.

boulderbobo

Hey ploglet,

I am planning similar suspension upgrades to my '96 C2 this Spring and am also trying to sort out all of the different suspension upgrade options. Definitely PSS10s, strut brace (there are only about 20 to choose from) and sway bars (not sure the way to go here yet). As part of this project, I'm sure there are other suspension pieces and parts that will need to be upgraded or replaced that I don't even know about yet.

I noticed that you are in Boulder and was wondering if you are planning to do the work yourself? If you are, I'd like to offer my assistance. I have installed performance suspensions on 2 other cars (BMW 2002 and Audi S4) and its nice to have a second pair of hands and someone around to bounce ideas off of.

I am a NOOB to 993s but FWIW I have spoken with Steve Weiner and he definitely an authority on 993s.

Good luck with your project, and let me know if you think you might want some help.

Bob-