My 993 and some suspension question
06-17-2014, 06:09 PM
#16
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The car has over 60K miles on it, as most examples have by now, it likely has replacement (upgraded) aftermarket struts already. If the aftermarket struts on your car are H&R or Bilstein (most common brands) and some time in the future need replacement, they can be rebuilt at a substantial savings over buying new – saving at least $1500 over a new set.
Many US cars have had their springs swapped out with aftermarket springs early in their life to lower the suspension to more sporting height. Over time these aftermarket springs can sag. Replacing struts, springs or both as a complete coil-over kit is a surprisingly easy job done with jack stands and one of these: “MacPherson Strut Spring Compressor Set” transforming the ride of the car. Also see “How to jack the car up” safely. An inexpensive height adjustable coil-over option I have had great daily driver results with for the last several years is the H&R Street Performance Coil-Over kit 29954-1 , both springs and matched struts for all four wheel-ends, cost < $2000 if you shop around, I got mine on e-Bay. You can reuse the existing rear anti-sway bar down-links with this kit. The only additional parts you will need for the job is 16 replacement lock-nuts for where the strut mounts attach to the body at the top. Lots of aspiring track guys buy kits with adjustable valving for a considerable premium over this kit, to each his own I say.
Many US cars have had their springs swapped out with aftermarket springs early in their life to lower the suspension to more sporting height. Over time these aftermarket springs can sag. Replacing struts, springs or both as a complete coil-over kit is a surprisingly easy job done with jack stands and one of these: “MacPherson Strut Spring Compressor Set” transforming the ride of the car. Also see “How to jack the car up” safely. An inexpensive height adjustable coil-over option I have had great daily driver results with for the last several years is the H&R Street Performance Coil-Over kit 29954-1 , both springs and matched struts for all four wheel-ends, cost < $2000 if you shop around, I got mine on e-Bay. You can reuse the existing rear anti-sway bar down-links with this kit. The only additional parts you will need for the job is 16 replacement lock-nuts for where the strut mounts attach to the body at the top. Lots of aspiring track guys buy kits with adjustable valving for a considerable premium over this kit, to each his own I say.
. I think i will go with the H&R coilovers, especially since i found that great deal on this forum, adjustable valving is not really needed in my case. I will not tackle the job myself, especially since i live in a condo, but I would really love to. 
Thanks again.
06-17-2014, 10:00 PM
#17
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I bought my Bilstein HD M030 suspension with sway bars here and couldn't be happier:
http://www.carnewal.com/Suspension#P93
And Gert was very responsive to emails during the install process.
http://www.carnewal.com/Suspension#P93
And Gert was very responsive to emails during the install process.
06-18-2014, 09:52 AM
#18
Three Wheelin'
I bought my Bilstein HD M030 suspension with sway bars here and couldn't be happier:
http://www.carnewal.com/Suspension#P93
And Gert was very responsive to emails during the install process.
http://www.carnewal.com/Suspension#P93
And Gert was very responsive to emails during the install process.
OP - You should keep those wheels on until you get the new suspension on there.
06-18-2014, 10:16 AM
#19
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Hey congrats! Your 993 reminded me of my very first one which was also GR. Deciding which combo to go with is really tough. It all depends on what you like. Do you prefer oem comfort, or stiffer ride, ROW ride height, RS ride height, or somewhere in between. From what I know, Konis/M033 will get you to ROW height (not low enough for me). Rear Konis aren't height (not threaded) adjustable if you care about corner balancing. They do offer a comfy ride. HD/M030 rides the firmest but the HDs will allow you to drop down pretty low to RS if prefer. My 4S has HD/H&R. Again HDs will allow you the ability to go lower than ROW. All 4 bodies are threaded. The H&R springs are more firm than M033, but less harsh than M030. My 95 NB rides on Eibach. The stiffness is comparable to M030. I'm no suspension expert by any means, but hope I was helpful in some way.
06-18-2014, 01:38 PM
#21
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Hey congrats! Your 993 reminded me of my very first one which was also GR. Deciding which combo to go with is really tough. It all depends on what you like. Do you prefer oem comfort, or stiffer ride, ROW ride height, RS ride height, or somewhere in between. From what I know, Konis/M033 will get you to ROW height (not low enough for me). Rear Konis aren't height (not threaded) adjustable if you care about corner balancing. They do offer a comfy ride. HD/M030 rides the firmest but the HDs will allow you to drop down pretty low to RS if prefer. My 4S has HD/H&R. Again HDs will allow you the ability to go lower than ROW. All 4 bodies are threaded. The H&R springs are more firm than M033, but less harsh than M030. My 95 NB rides on Eibach. The stiffness is comparable to M030. I'm no suspension expert by any means, but hope I was helpful in some way.
Last edited by Kacey; 06-18-2014 at 02:15 PM.
06-18-2014, 02:08 PM
#22
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New wheel day!!
18x8 +50
19x10 +65
996T hollow spoke twist reps that i bought used.
Falken Azenis FK-453
225/40/18
265/35/18
Rides very nice..a little more responsive and twitchy..man i really need new suspension.
18x8 +50
19x10 +65
996T hollow spoke twist reps that i bought used.
Falken Azenis FK-453
225/40/18
265/35/18
Rides very nice..a little more responsive and twitchy..man i really need new suspension.
06-18-2014, 02:21 PM
#23
Rennlist Member
The combination of PSS10 & 18" wheels on my C4- (lowered to the practical limit for wheel fender clearance without rolling) has resulted in a much harsher ride than I expected. I'm glad they are adjustable because mine are set on number 3 for livability on our horrible Michigan roads. I think the 18" wheels are no help for harshness either. The sportiness of this new set up very quickly became a frustratingly bumpy ride until the dampening was dialed down.
A 993 friend with M030 (us spec) + eibach lowering springs really wishes he had chosen different (less firm) lowering springs . Again- maybe just a Michigan thing...
Here is My C4 with 18" and PSS10.
A 993 friend with M030 (us spec) + eibach lowering springs really wishes he had chosen different (less firm) lowering springs . Again- maybe just a Michigan thing...
Here is My C4 with 18" and PSS10.
06-18-2014, 03:03 PM
#24
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I'm sure Michigan and Montreal are comparable in terms of their terrible road conditions.
KC, wheels look great. Can't wait to see it with a drop.
G-MASSA, your car looks great as well. Never saw that wheel combo on a 993 before.
KC, wheels look great. Can't wait to see it with a drop.
G-MASSA, your car looks great as well. Never saw that wheel combo on a 993 before.
06-18-2014, 03:09 PM
#25
Three Wheelin'
Wheels look awesome, and will look even better at RS ride height.
I still can't get over how high stock NA ride height is, thats just wrong.
Now time for some wide oval tips, it'll give the back end that more aggressive look over the stock tips.
06-18-2014, 03:31 PM
#27
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I'm going back and forth on whether I should try to DIY this (have the springs, still need to order the shocks). Seems like just turning bolts, but the part that scares me is compressing the spring enough to install the top cup. I've seen too many YouTube videos where the compressor slides off the spring and spring flies off at some enormous speed narrowly missing the person's head.
I think I could handle everything else, except for obviously the alignment. Is there anything that is better than this, but not huge/pricey like shops would have wall-mounted.
I think I could handle everything else, except for obviously the alignment. Is there anything that is better than this, but not huge/pricey like shops would have wall-mounted.
06-18-2014, 03:58 PM
#28
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I'm not sure if this is normal but i just noticed that the wheels are not really equally centered in the wheel wheel from drivers to pass side. anyone know why this would be? I'd say it's almost 3/4 of an inch more forward on the drivers side.
pass side:
Drivers side:
pass side:
Drivers side:
06-18-2014, 07:10 PM
#29
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You don't want that, since you will then have to deal with bump steer.
And this is the only real way to solve the problem while retaining RS ride height:
http://www.carnewal.com/products/P93...ersion-Package
And this is the only real way to solve the problem while retaining RS ride height:
http://www.carnewal.com/products/P93...ersion-Package
06-18-2014, 09:21 PM
#30
RL Community Team
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Wen you settle on ride height it is best to not go any lower than ROW lowered height as you may not be able to align the car to Porsche specification. When I installed the h&r kit in my driveway with jack stands I first adjusted the ride height on all 4 wheel ends and then took it in for an alignment. The shop manual has a picture showing where on the suspension to measure the ride height. To put ride height in perspective see the attached chart. The H&R threaded coil-over allows for an adjustment range well beyond the range of appropriate heights that the suspension will allow for proper alignment.