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I don't know anything about suspensions but while bleeding my brake fluid today I noticed this ancient looking front shock (strut?). I figure the suspension is original and needs updating. Reading another thread, it seems like the Koni FSD kit would be good for me. I don't track the car but once in awhile I do an autocross event. Do those rubber bits come with the shocks or do I need to order things separately? Also what else needs to be replaced/ordered?
If the suspension is original you need everything with a rubber bushing. Shocks, springs, control arms, drop links, sway bars, etc. Expect to spend $3,500 minimum with alignment. Take it to a Porsche specialist and get an estimate. Probably cost $120 to find out what you need.
If the suspension is original you need everything with a rubber bushing. Shocks, springs, control arms, drop links, sway bars, etc. Expect to spend $3,500 minimum with alignment. Take it to a Porsche specialist and get an estimate. Probably cost $120 to find out what you need.
That would basically make the car feel and drive like it came of the showroom floor. From there if you want more performace I would go with a set of coilovers. Theres allot of things you can do but thats where I would start.
Bill, I just went all over mine ('03), it doesn't have to be that bad. In fact I anticipated having to replace pretty much everything but actually only had to replace two front control arms and drop links (although only one front was starting to show wear), as well as shocks and bump stops (no, they don't come with shocks/struts). All others I was expecting to be worn out after 15 yrs were tight and rubber supple. Even top mounts on struts were good. I repacked top mount bearing with fresh grease and put her back together. Roughly $1500, with labour done by me (really pretty easy job).
In my humble opinion, there is absolutely no way original 20 year old rubber bushings are functioning as intended and/or are still good. A brand new never used tire left outside is worthless after 8 years. All rubber will dry rot and degrade over time. As someone who replaced all original suspension parts on my 996....the difference is night and day. I thought my suspension "wasn't too bad" a little creaky, maybe a bit harsh over bumps, steering seemed reasonable. Wrong. It's like walking around in 10 year old sneakers and thinking "wow these still have a lot of life left in them." Then you put on a new pair of shoes and realize you have been walking around on cardboard.
I forgot to mention that the car has 68k miles on it. Would it make sense to do the just the shocks (and maybe springs) now and the other pieces at some other time or should I just bite the bullet? I'm not looking for performance improvement, I just want to maintain the car.
I enjoy working on the car and I've done plugs and tubes, water pump and thermostat, and a full brake job, and a few other repairs. I've never worked on a suspension. Is this better left to the professionals?
In my humble opinion, there is absolutely no way original 20 year old rubber bushings are functioning as intended and/or are still good. A brand new never used tire left outside is worthless after 8 years. All rubber will dry rot and degrade over time. As someone who replaced all original suspension parts on my 996....the difference is night and day. I thought my suspension "wasn't too bad" a little creaky, maybe a bit harsh over bumps, steering seemed reasonable. Wrong. It's like walking around in 10 year old sneakers and thinking "wow these still have a lot of life left in them." Then you put on a new pair of shoes and realize you have been walking around on cardboard.
I don't know -- bushings aren't exposed to UV or heat cycles like tire rubber. I'm embarrassed at how many things in my closet are ten years old and still serviceable.
I wouldn't recommend poly bushings for control arms, or any bushing that deflects in 2 or more planes simultaneously. Poly bushings are very loose compared to OE rubber bushings -- that's why you need hellfire and hydraulics to get old bushings out, but can press in poly bushings by hand. Poly bushings wander on-center and then take up very abruptly when they get loaded. This will yield twitchy handling in a RR/MR car with light front suspension loading.
If money is no object, replace it all. If it is (and often is,) take the suspension apart and inspect it before you order parts. Take a real hard look at the front control arms, all balljoints, swaybar mount bushings and drop links, and bump stops. The stock springs are very soft on these cars and they use the bumpstops.
I like Koni yellows, but don't have them on my 996. I'm going to tackle this job myself as soon as the scab on my wallet from IMS/RMS/brakes/clutch/etc falls off.
I looked at the parts list for he complete suspension and decided to take it into a respected indy. I was told to replace the bump stops, shocks, and 1 drop link and he insists the car is driving as should. I personally think it's still harsh over bumps, so I dunno. I wish I could test drive a car where everything was replaced - if you can, you might want to do that get a baseline. Then you could piecemeal it until you know it's right.
As bad as your bump stops look, I’d suggest checking all bushings. I’d also strongly recommend stock replacements over poly bushings. In a race car you delrin or heim or spherical bearings. A car used on the road is better on rubber. Many OEMs make higher durimeter race rubber bushings too which can be great. Poly needs to be lubed regularly and the car will squeak and rattle way more if you go that direction.
Im a huge fan of high durometer OEM race rubber. My V8 Miata project will get all new mazdaspeed rubber bushings at all mounting points.
Thanks. I think I'm going to replace the shocks, springs, and bump stops. After that I'll take it to my indy to see what else he recommends and have him do it. I think that plan will save me some cash.
05-01-2018, 08:21 PM
What do I need beside shocks?
