tophand576

First, hello to everyone and I'm excited to begin my Porsche ownership. I recently bought a 2009 997.2 Carrera 2 Coupe. It is my first Porsche that I have spent a couple of years searching for the best one I could afford. I had a PPI done and a recent checkout done again by my local Porsche dealership after delivery. I had it shipped from Kansas to Alabama. It's in good overall condition, but needs a little work (major service, belt, brake fluid change) most of which I will try to do myself, plus a few things I want to change back.

My question, per the title is, does the 987 Cayman share suspension components with 997s? I have been searching for stock suspension components to replace the after market suspension on my car now. I want to return it to as stock as possible. I have have found more options at better prices on eBay for slightly used shocks and struts from 987s. Just wondering if they will work on 997s since they share many parts.

Thanks

Petza914

I don't know for certain, but would almost bet that both the spring ratings and dampener rates would be quite different between the two cars, even if the hardware physically fits. The rear engine 911 probably has stiffer rear springs than the mid-engine Boxster / Cayman, and that same platform difference probably uses different PASM shock profiles too. What is the aftermarket suspension and why do you want to replace it? If it's Bilstein coilovers or something similar, that's a very nice upgrade over the stock suspension. If you have PASM on the car (which you may not since I think you said it was a base Carrera 2), you can change the suspension control box to the DSC unit from TPC and be able to create custom suspension maps that have the car drive more to your liking (softer for example in Street mode).

Also, the stock suspension will likely significantly raise the body and create a lot of wheel gap, especially if it's a base model car, so I'd rethink the suspension change option unless there's something wrong with what's actually installed.

tophand576

First, let's get one thing out of the way. I grew up in Manning, SC and my wife and I are Carolina fans. Though my brother and sister are Clemson fans, so I get it. Also, I live in Alabama and probably dislike Bama fans more than Clemson fans, so we truly enjoyed the beat down on Monday. It was hilarious and fun to go to work on Tuesday. Congrats. Though I didn't want to turn this into a football forum.

As far as the suspension, I don't know what kind is on it now. I can't see any labels and I haven't removed the wheels myself to check. My local Porsche service manager told me it was not stock. The reason I want to change it back are mostly ride quality. It is just too harsh for a daily driver and I don't really intend on track use. Maybe the occasional autocross event but that's it. I want a good car that is close to stock that will be a reliable, yet fun DD. I don't care about wheel gaps or ride height. I believe that the engineers at Porsche knew what they were doing and the way it came from the factory is very good and enough for me. I just want a better ride. Go *****

It does not have PASM and I understand your point about the Cayman suspension likely not working. Thought it was worth the question though. Thanks for the reply

Bruce In Philly

First, get the Porsche parts Katalog... the diagrams and part numbers for your car. And then ONLY use those part numbers to obtain parts. I found that Porsche will use the same part in various cars but, in my experience, the part number will be the same. Further, be careful what you read on the forums.... I had read that the 997.2 and 997.1 were the same except for the engine and cometic bits.... wrong... the suspension was different... so the instructions for doing shocks were wrong.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

tophand576

Thanks Bruce. I do have the 997 Katalog and will stick to it from now on. I have already used it to find and purchase several little parts that needed replacing. It more of how accurate eBay is with "this part will fit your vehicle", especially on parts shared across several models. Good advice.

RidePcar