bzalforno

My 296 hp 1999 996 had a very compliant ride with 18 inch wheels.
is it possible that with thet Approx 50 hp increase in my 2010 carrerat hat porsche has stiffened the spring rates and shocks to upgrade handling to deal with thextra hp? Given my reduced driving style, no more DE, could I install some 996 suspension parts without screwing things up badly?
thanks
bob

sandwedge

I mean no disrespect here but do you have back problems or any other ailments that makes you even think about this kind of conversion? I'm asking since I'm on my third 997 now, not just with stock suspension but with H&R springs and I've found the ride in all three perfectly comfortable even with the supposedly stiffer H&R springs. I may well be completely wrong here since I've never read or heard of this kind of conversion but it's really difficult for me to imagine the benefits of fitting 996 suspension parts on a 997 worth the cost. Maybe there would be a difference noticeable to some but I just have a hard time picturing a difference large enough to justify this kind of project. Hopefully someone else has better info based on actual experience with this kind of conversion.

bzalforno

Yes, some back problems,.
the car rides noticeably better with 18 mich ps 4 tires, but not as compliant going over the crummy roads and hyways in broke CT.
.
i had all stock 996 and it was best of 4 of. My 911 cars. Who would figure that car,s bad rep.
964 half converted into DE car. 996 which I drove from 55-105k miles with hardly any problems,
2006 997.1 loaded full leather, manual , was no car to drive to the south end of boston over nite.
sold it and bought the 2010 base carrera, pdk with paddles, nicely optioned last fall. 50k but sparkled with full recorded, the Indio German shop who the ppl was embarrassed to the full cause he could not write up anything.

but still remember how compliant the ride was on the 996 with Litewaight Carrera 5 spoke Mich PS2 rubber.
if there were the that car with PDK, I,d buy it in a minute but that’s not an option
with all of the vast experience on the forum here, I was hoping for a magic bullet or two.
so with vast experience here I thought there would be some seniors like me who wave done some mods to soften the ride, giving up a bit of track times but make an 8 month year daily driver a little compliant on the bad roads here in CT. Open to suggestions on adjustable shocks different springs, etc.
many thanks for ideas.
bob

Carreralicious

Can you just put some 18” wheels and tires on? That might help to soften the ride, no?

Tj40

996 Base Spring rates according to Rennlist 996 forum are;

Front 146
Rear 203 lbs/ft

997 Base rates are

Front 154
Rear 245

So stiffer but not much in the front....hope this helps

Bruce In Philly

2009 C2S 133K miles

Does your car have PASM? If it does, the DSC controller is the way to go... cheap, and instantly reversible.... but you need PASM. If you don;t have PASM, maybe contact them directly and see what they have to offer. I have the DSC controller and am very happy with the smoother and better controlled ride.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...y-opinion.html

TPC and DSC are the same guys

http://www.tpcracing.com/about-us.html
http://www.dscsport.com/


Peace
Bruce in Philly

Qwksnke

So you have been really happy with this Bruce? I think this will be a future mod for me. I'm ok with the ride in my car until about a 2 + hr drive. Then it starts to work on me a bit

Bruce In Philly

Again, you have to have PASM to install the DSC controller. Otherwise there are a million different configuration options out there.... I only suggested contacting DSC simply because they like a smooth ride. I am always skeptical when folks "upgrade" their suspensions because I have driven friend's cars who say how much "better" their cars are with the mod. I NEVER agreed with any of them. So, there is a huge amount of personal taste in this stuff.

Regarding fatigue... I had the same. Lower back and hips. But the DSC controller did not help this issue with me. I think I am the only person in Porsche-land who think these d@@m super-duper-for-your-pooper mega-adjustable sports seat suck. Yes, to me they suck. Porsche nailed their seat designs years ago and pretty much had the same seats in their cars for years... because they were great! These new "I'm a poser and look at the luxury item I purchased" seats suck.

I was really worried that I was either going to dump the car or replace the seats... as I was driving long distances back then. Then, either I got used to them or I found the magic setting, but they just don't hurt me anymore. I really don't know why. I definitely saved the magic setting in memory.

Oh, as Boxtaboy suggested above, if you have 19" rims, you can put OEM 18" rims on your car. Your model could take either 18 or 19 as an option. You then tell the car's computer what you have installed. It will help a bit.

Peace
Bruce in Philly

Petza914

Also, how old are your tires and what brand and model are they. Tires get stiffer and less compliant with age and some tires have softer sidewalls than others.

You can go to 18" wheels to get more sidewall, you can lower your tire pressures a bit to maybe 30-32 F / 35-37 R, but preserving that around 5 psi F/R differential is important for handling as the 911 has a lot of weight on the rear tires.

If you have PASM, definitely get TPC's DSC controller. I have a full track suspension (Bilstein coilovers and no rubber bushings in the suspension at all) and 19" wheels and I don't hesitate to jump into my 997 for a 4 hour trip. In Street mode, I have the controller keeping the suspension at full soft until 40% on the g-force table and its totally compliant, but tightens up automatically for on ramps abd exits. In Sport mode, it's a different animal where the suspension starts stiffer and incrementally stiffens to full stiff through the g-force table.

This DSC module and the Gundo hack for mufflers are the greatest bang for the buck mods for 997s.

ATSR

I have a base 997.2 Carrera, no PASM. With the original SUV ride height suspension and 19” wheels, the ride was harsh and I would feel every bump all the way to my kidneys.
I went with 18” wheels and Eibach springs and my car now rides almost like an S-Class compared to how it was stock.

holgum

I love the DSC - to me it made a huge difference. PASM 'normal' mode isn't as floaty, and 'sport' mode isn't as harsh. Don't know if it would be enough for you to not have back issues though.

Don't forget your tire pressures. You don't want to run with the 'full load' pressures normally. Go with the 'partial load' values (34/37 on my car). It makes a definite difference.

Finally, as much as I hate to say it because I decided that I liked the 997 better for lots of reasons, the PASM on the 991 series (as well as the boxster/cayman 981) is far more compliant/comfortable, even with 20" wheels.

Qwksnke

Yeah I have PASM (C2S)
I agree with you on the seating. For my car to have comfort seats, Porsche could have done better. I haven't gotten sore yet from driving but I have been fatigued.
Miss my seats from my old AMG C63. Side bolsters were tight but the seats were very comfortable

ADias

The problem is these cars were designed to be driven in reasonably maintained (not necessarily perfect) road surfaces. Not the case in the US today.

This has been recognized by manufacturers and recent models either are softer sprung or like the new 992 come equipped with 'helper springs', which take various forms, but are components that are very compliant to high frequency bumps and work on top of the regular/appropriate springs.

Shock valving control like PASM and PASM/modified by DSC helps but not as much as a helper spring. Shocks damp motions, but helper springs respond to motions and level the chassis much better.

I rather see our dollars paid in gas taxes and DMV fees be spent for road maintenance instead of diverted away for general fund expenses or projects penalizing the everyday driver. But that is what we have now, pretty much everywhere, with some exceptions.

gulshan

Maybe same total cost wise. ie., incrementally tinker till satisfactory ride comfort is achieved via 18" wheels/touring tires, DSC controller ..or go with a complete coil over suspension upgrade like KW V3 that you can adjust till satisfied. If you plan to keep car for long coil over is the way to go..

bzalforno

thanks for all of the replies.
the car has no PASM, button, but does have sport and sport Plus buttons. i have popped those on for shorter trips, where the highway has been repaved recently. what a blast.

wheels are 997 5 spoke Carrera OEM's, tires are brand new Michelin PS4 S. I used to put PS2's on my other cars, but reviews for the new PS4 S 18" were great for comfort. plus much longer tread life. there has been a noticeable improvement in ride quality from the 19's with Conti's.

I always thought coil-overs were for "higher" performance adjustability. can they be dialed down to give a more compliant ride also?
how does one choose between Bilsteins, Koni, KW?
i would rather spend it once, and correctly. it's a pretty big install. this car will be my last 911, and will go to my 30 something son down the road.