Hella-Buggin'

The PASM Shocks in my 06 S feel tired. They actually feel way more compliant than usual lately.
It's kinda nice but not natural and I'm sure not sustainable. I just notice a softness to them that shouldn't be there.

So, my situation is this:
I track the car a few times a year but don't want to ruin the street ride on CA's terrible roads for a few days a year on the track.
I was going to just go with OE shocks but of coarse there's always something to sidetrack me.

I think the OE shocks are Bilstein B4's. But what's the difference between the B4 & B6 Sports.
Is there a noticeable harshness to the B6 that I'd want to avoid?

Then when you add all of this up I'm looking at about $2k in parts.
Then maybe I should consider the Ohlin R&T coil-overs.
I've heard great things and I'd get more adjustability from them.
As it is now, I only activate the PASM stiff settings on the track. Yes, the button is convenient but I'm OK with climbing underneath
to twist a **** when the occasion arrises. I have similar shocks on my Jeep and I like the varied flexibility depending on ride conditions.

Thoughts Appreciated.

-Mark

Linnm

What are your tire pressures?

Hella-Buggin'

33/37 PSI Cold on AD08R's which have very stiff sidewalls. The car has almost 90k miles on it.

Bruce In Philly

You should seriously consider the DSC module with the accelerometer. The thing is infinitely tunable with a laptop.

Regarding your shocks feeling tired.... well I suppose that is possible. As I understand it, they either leak or are fine. It is pretty easy to tell if they are leaking .... I just use a white paper towel and rub it around in there.... you will know. I had shocks on my Boxster S for like 150-175K miles and they were fine. I replaced them on a bit of a whim.... not much difference (couldn't really tell as I changed the springs due to a broken one). System was a bit firmer, but it was most likely the springs IMO.

But the DSC thing is a pretty amazing system..... and you can still swap out your Porsche Bilstein for other Bilsteins later and the DSC system will still work.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Wayne Smith

What Bruce said ...

Hella-Buggin'

I hear you. I was just thinking that for the money of new OE shocks (either needed now or soon enough given milage and age) with the DSC Module puts the price above the Ohlins.
Sure the DCS computer makes the OE shocks great but I'd prefer a more analog ride. The Ohlins also allow corner balancing which is a plus. But Setting them up will be more complex.

Ptech1

Ohlins R&T all day over factory based shocks, especially PASM. Even with the controller, you'll never get the shock tuning designed into a proper coilover set up. Have them, track them (A LOT), great product as expected from Ohlins. They come set correctly ride height wise out of the box for most street cars, but the full adjustability will let you do whatever you want with the addition of adjustable end links to dial out preload for corner balancing. The road feel on street cars will change your life on the first drive, recommend them all day to clients!

kisik

Ohlins R&T is a great setup but it will cost way more to run and maintain. It will give you more if you were able dial in correctly which requires a lot of suspension knowledge or at least a reputable shop. We had GT3 guys switched from stock PASM to Ohlins R&T and loosing track time. After spending almost $4k installed and tuned they were very disappointed with its head spin trying to make a right click with damper settings. Perfect when it is done right ideally tuned for each track.
Better value is GT3 PASM.

Ptech1

Wrong. From a guy who is experienced and does it for a living, not 3rd person through some GT3 guys who obviously weren't set up correctly (which can easily make it handle worse than stock).
The whole point of the Ohlins R&T (not TTX) package is as a bolt on package that is dialed in for that car. Especially for a mostly street driven 997 as he stated. It can be left as is out of the box and will out perform the factory set up in most capacities. Ride height near perfect, settings set soft enough for street driving, done. And all for less than $2500 all day. Can also use Bilstein B16 for continued "PASM" function.
Or, have a reputable shop corner balance and use their experience and judgement for the tracks you run.
The GT3 is an entirely different animal, and chassis tuned for track use to begin with. You do have to know what you are doing and add products that are greater than stock (Ohlins TTX, JRZ, MCS, EXE-TC) in order to do so.
Sourcing used or, even worse, new GT3 PASM sounds like an even worse idea price wise for a Carrera S.
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kisik

No need to be so strong judging others. This is a form for free ideas exchange. Someone will filter all that info and hopefully makes a wise decision. Unfortunately, I haven't perhaps met such an experienced suspension specialist like you who would guide my through the tuning process. All I am saying is that Ohlins is great system in professionals hands (just like any 2,3 way coilovers) yet stock PASM is good right out of the box and with a push of button on my DSC that I can switch from a rain track day to aggressive dry day.

Ptech1

Apologies if you thought that was harsh, or a judgment of you personally. Not intended as such, just my opinion based upon my professional experience with these cars, including my own.
And you are correct, someone will have to filter through the varying and often opinionated information provided on these forums in trying to make a decision that works best for them. I just don't feel they should be scared away from buying a package they are already interested in, and that has already been proven, based upon someone else not setting up cars properly or because of further settings to play with if you choose to do so.
Trust me, I wish my life was as easy as a PASM button, that would be awesome! I just don't feel they offer as much as a true coilover can (shock functionality alone) within the same price point. Again, just my opinion.

Presto

I went from stock pasm to ohlins r&t. I’m no suspension expert but straight away right out the door I could notice a significant improvement in the handling.
im still playing around with the damping settings to get it to where I want. I do agree fine tuning it and getting your ride height and alignment right is certainly time consuming but the rewards outweighs the effort at the end.

other option i considered was the dsc with new bilstein pss which would have cost $4k or so. For the price I think the ohlins are great.

1990nein

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scorcherjf

I'm just going to echo Ptech1 here. If you want a good coilover setup for light track use and sportier road use, Ohlins R&T is great. The TTX is obviously the motorsports line and costs 5x more so I'm guessing you aren't considering those.

I have the Ohlins R&T on mine and it's the best setup I've had so far. I've tried the DSC box which helps but in the end you're still using OEM springs and shocks, where the DSC is acting like a "fake spring" by forcing the shock to flow less, giving you the feeling of stiffness because transitions are slower, but actual bumps in the road will be harsher due to it. If you're serious about handling, you'll want a quality damper that can absorb bumps with proper rebound/compression as to not upset the car. Adjusting the Ohlins isn't that bad anyway, and I actually prefer it to the PASM system since it's actually quite simple and easy to adjust at the track (i.e. I don't have to whip out my laptop to adjust G-tables on the DSC box in the pits). Being able to corner balance is a plus as well, and the Ohlins have a separate height adjustment from the preload adjustment - something Bilstein Damptronics don't have. My lap times are significantly quicker with the Ohlins (proven with an AIM solo datalogger). The ride is definitely firmer on the road, though - not gonna lie about that (linear springs with double the OEM rates, what do you expect, but the better damper quality helps smooth things out). It's perfectly tolerable for me, but your significant other may object...

MrClean