call911s

Yes, I am pussing out a bit here. Curious to see what my options might be to soften the suspension for my stock 03 C4S. Its a DD, so I want to make it a bit more bearable, if that's even an option. I don't do any DE, at least at this point. What choices do I have, if any, and do they impact ride height significantly? Don't want the thing to look like a 4x4! Thanks.

Nick

soverystout

Oh man, you are going to be tortured......

Best thing you can do is check your tire pressure. If you have it set to Porsche cold psi ratings 36 front & 44 rear (for 18 inch wheels) you can easily improve the ride "softness" by taking them down to 32 and 40 respectively. Fuel mileage may suffer a little but handling may improve as another benefit. No ride height impact.

Might be time to start thinking lexus....

ohdavey6286

Get a Lexus?

ohdavey6286

Ha ha ha I did not notice that

Tom M

Nick, which suspension do you currently have on the C4S? Is it the M030 or the normal one? Do you have a specific complaint that needs to be dealt with such as when hitting expansion joints on your route to/from the office? More info will help but the cheapest solution will be lowering tire pressure or adding padding to the seat

jyoteen

Also look into tire brand manuf differences (including sidewall stiffness), wheel size (can you fit 17s in there?) and as someone mentioned, tire pressure.

But really, we'll be talking about small differences overall...

Zookie

PSS10's

but to be honest get a Lexus :P

call911s

Awww, c'mon. Wearing the flame suit, but didn't know you guys were going to throw stuff too! Already had the lexus - nice, but not my cup of tea. Looking for opinions with helpful information, not just a beat-down session!

Tom M

Seriously, it will help if you have a specific complaint that needs to be dealt with.

call911s

I don't recall the setup - can look this evening as I didn't drive it to work today. Most of the issue is around expansion joints in the road, as potholes are an uncontrollable given. Hitting these seems to make everything in the car rattle, and I want to minimize it just a bit. A kidney punch here and there is not big deal, but these seem to be teeth-shattering.

soverystout

I'll admit that the Porsche recommended tire pressure is a bit unpleasant over expansion joints. At 32front 40 rear my car rides just fine with factory U.S. bigfoot suspension.

I'm still gonna buy the ROW M030 next year.....

Thundertub

It is just possible that your local Porsche dealership parts window guy might have the answer.

In other parts of the world, the C4 was available in a more standard version in your model year, not just the C4S we got here. That would mean springs and shocks that are more compliant than those on the US C4S. You might be able to cull a part number for those springs and shocks from the parts guy and order them from him. Expect to pay about a grand for parts, a grand for labor, and 500 for a fresh 4 wheel alignment.

You can probably search a year earlier and a year later without running into problems. However, I recommend going the extra step by also ordering new front and rear drop links. The new rubber grommets will help soften the current blow.

I just did the M030 RoW suspension on my car, added the drop links, and four new tires, and the car rides SOOOOOOOO much better, and quieter.

Barn996

If you can tell us which suspension you currently have it would help us make an accurate assessment. Look at the option sticker under your front hood.

EastBay

number one thing to look at is dropping tire pressure, like everyone else has mentioned. I have dropped mine and it definitely makes a difference and it is free

number two is tire brand and model, there is a huuuge difference getting off the stock Pirellis. I had a thread a while back on tires and the Kooks were supposed to be the softest tire. I got the Sumi HTRZIIIs and they totally transformed the driving experience for the better. I'll try the Kooks next time

Don't even think about messing with the suspension until you have done these two things

call911s

Thanks for the insight so far, guys. So I just checked - no 030 option. Based on that, what are your thoughts?