Hello everyone, I just bought my first 911 a couple weeks ago, a 2003 996TT. Loving the car so far except for one major issue: the owner prior to the gentleman I bought the car from installed H&R springs back in 2007 and currently the car is sitting so low that it's nearly undrivable. If i hit a moderate bump in the road the tires hit the inside of the wheelwell or the front lip hits the pavement. I just measured the clearance between the top of the tire and the lip of the fender and its barely 0.25"...my good friend and business partner also has a 996 turbo with a stock suspension and his measured about 2.75". I've been reading up on forum posts here about people that have the same springs as I do and the general consensus is that it should only lower the car about 1-1.5" not 2.5". Could the springs have sagged to this level due to age? Should I replace them with a different brand like Techart or try purchasing new ones from H&R? I've been trying to find a set of stock springs for sale and haven't had any luck. I would greatly appreciate any recommendations/suggestions! Thank you

 

Clearly something is not right. You will probably have to replace the current springs. If you are going that far might as well go all the way.

https://rennlist.com/forums/996-turb...-coilover.html

 

If you are looking for the stock feel, getting OEM springs will be your cheapest and simplest option. However, if you want the benefits of having adjustable suspension, aftermarket is the way to go. I use BC Racing coilovers which were very affordable and have all of the adjustability of coilovers 10x the price. They are very competent on the street and can be set up to feel "stock" at any height you desire or stiffened to feel like a 997 with the sport suspension setting activated. If you want to take your 996tt to the track often it will be worth the upgrade to a more expensive set, but I fully stand behind my set from BC Racing for predominantly street use, especially at its price point.

 

Thank you for the response. Agreed, something is definitely not right. I'm worried though that just replacing the springs might not entirely fix the issue and raise the car up properly. Unfortunately I'm not very knowledgeable about this so I'm not sure what else might be the culprit, maybe the shocks or struts? Would those have an effect on the ride height?

 

If the H&R spring install utilizing the stock struts and other stock bits was done properly the only part that will effect the ride height is the springs.

 

I was in the same circumstances last year. Bought a car where one of the prior owners put hr sport (red) springs over oem struts. That’s a big NoNo in my book, now. Oem struts are not valved and designed for that short of an operation. Over the years springs sagged and put even more load on oem struts. Car was I drive able and unenjoyable. I cringed before hitting any road imperfections.
only solution is swapping.

you can go with someone’s used oem take offs. They are plenty to go Around and they are cheap. But if you are doing the work ( or paying someone) labor is high value and I would recommend new bits.

I went with Ohlins and never liked a suspension this much. Better than oem on the street for comfort, adjustable and performs when pushed.

during the install, I decided to change strut hats and tie rods as well.

good luck.