Well after 20 years I'm back as a Porsche owner. Wanted to write and get some opinions on my car's suspension. I have an 06 997 Carrera S. The previous owner spent a mint in upgrades to this car including Bilstein PSS9 w/ PASM and TPC Sway Bars. The car has about 12,000 miles on the new suspension paperwork says it's set up for aggressive street alignment and occasional track use. The care may even be lowered some but I'm not sure. I also just put new Michelin PSS tires on it. It's been a long time since I've driven a car like this so I have nothing to compare it to but gosh just everyday driving the car beats you to death on normal bumps and just around town. I have no service center close by me to take it to so just trying to get some opinions before I make a trip to a service center somewhere.

 

I don't know anything about your age or your goals for the car, but if you bought the car with that setup to cruise or as a daily driver, that suspension setup is way too aggressive for that. Did you drive it very far before you bought it?

I have Eibach lowering springs with stock style Bilstein shocks on my car and the ride is sometimes too rough for me. I have had second thoughts about that a few times since I did it. My car is a daily driver and your setup would be way too brutal for me to drive every day.

If you want to go back to stock, or even just to a less aggressive setup, I'm sure you could find someone on the board that would trade suspension parts with you.

 

My 997.1 C2S has about 22K miles. I'm on Eibach's with the OEM shocks and Pilot 4S'. With PASM on, the ride has more of that traditional lowered spring bounce compared to the stock springs but it does handle a lot better. It'll feel the road bumps more with PASM on but these things come with lowered suspension.

Feeling can be subjective but this is the trade off when you switch to aftermarket suspension.

 

If you have stock size tires I find the ride height to be good at 26.0" front / 26.7" rear. Stock ride height is ~ 27.0 " front / 28.0" rear. This measure from ground to middle of fender with stock size tires inflated to stock tire pressure spec.
If ride height is lower than 26.0" front / 26.7" rear then the ride will be pretty stiff.
Our suggested TPC sway bar setting for C2S is one from full hard front / one from full soft rear.
You could soften front bar one hole to make the ride softer, this is give up some corner exit grip if you're tracking the car.
Does the button with the shock absorber symbol work?

 

My apologies, OP for side-busting your thread.
Tom, I have seen your name inside a lot of suspension-related threads. Consensus seems to be you've quite the knowledge about our cars when it comes to the topic. I have something regarding my car/caster/alignment I'd like to pick your brain about if you'd be so inclined. Is there a preferred way to communicate with you directly?

 

I can take a quick call at the shop. TPC Racing 410-799-7223

 

I would consider a spring/settings change and/or DSC.
The reason is I have a similar set up with GT3 coilovers + Eibach Swaybars and endlinks. The ride is harsh in normal as reviewed on GT3 reviews for the 997.1 and just brutal in sport on regular roads (i.e. not a smoooooth track, which doesn't really exist in SoCal anyhow).
The Bilstein PSS9, if PASM compatible (I am not familiar with the different PASM and non-PASM models), are very similar to the GT3 coilovers (same manufacturer...). There are 2 relatively cheap things you can do. Both require some kind of specialist, so where you are will be important:
1. Change the springs and settings with a new alignment and corner balance. Every time a proper specialist has set up my cars, whether it is a Honda or a 911, it has blown me away with how much better my car is afterwards...literally, sometimes it has been night and day, just amazing difference.
2. Install DSC. for the 997.1, you will need someone to wire a 3 axis accelerometer on top of your existing 2 axis one. This is the only reason it is not currently in my car. I am trying to find someone I trust in LA to do the wiring because I do not trust myself to do it OEM level clean. However, DSC is much better than OEM PASM because it makes more calculations more quickly and has a wider tuneable range, so everything has heightened senses in a matter of speaking. Low speed bumps get smoothed out more, and the car reacts better in hard driving situations as well.
I think if you did 1 and/or 2, you would be happy, or you might be like me, and thinking it may be time to retire from sports cars as daily drivers... :-( .
In any case, as is, the GT3 coilovers are harsh on LA roads. Sport is almost unuseably bouncy on beat up LA roads. I want to mellow this out because I am 45 and look too long at 4Runners these days.

 

Tom, thank you for your time sir! Very informative and very generous of you to let me take you away from work for a few minutes.

Will be bringing the info you shared to the shop who did my alignment and maybe make a request similar to what you did.

Thanks again!

 

No problem. Hope you get it sorted it.

Sorry to the OP for off topic.

 

If you're near Laguna Hills perhaps consider Vision Motosports.