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Are there any strut spacers that exist for factory shock/spring combination? It's something I've seen for other OEMs/shock manufacturers.
Essentially the factory strut with aftermarket lowering springs results in a visible .5" height difference rear to front (front is slammed). Maybe it's to address more weight on the back, but the only way I've seen it addressed is with coilovers (and the GT3/RS do not have this issue).
So what I'd like to do is add a small spacer between the strut and spring to raise the front a bit. Any options?
Yes I believe there are spring mounts available in different thicknesses - 3 or 6mm comes to mind. Bear in mind these will result in a bigger difference at the outside edge of the rim due to the lever effect of the suspension.
you should be able to look up the part numbers on PET, do you know what you have in there already?
what I’ve decided is to go with a factory PASM setup and DSC box, but have always been bugged by the wheel gap difference front and rear.
it anyone could point me to these spacers that would be great.
Originally Posted by Tj40
Yes I believe there are spring mounts available in different thicknesses - 3 or 6mm comes to mind. Bear in mind these will result in a bigger difference at the outside edge of the rim due to the lever effect of the suspension.
you should be able to look up the part numbers on PET, do you know what you have in there already?
These are spring spacer part numbers for Caymans... I actually had to use these with my Caymans Eibach Pro kit. Pro-kit calls for use of 3mm spacer with Cayman, but I did not want it slammed so much so I am using the 6mm versions. Some guys even used a 3mm + 6mm stacked together to give a 20mm drop versus 30mm the kit gives.
FRONT 3 mm = 996 343 511 00 FRONT 6.5 mm = 996 343 511 01 REAR 3 mm = 986 333 504 02 REAR 6 mm = 986 333 504 03
One other thing to consider is a worn out top strut mounts. The rubber bushing in the strut mount gets tired and stretches... Kind of like worn out motor mounts sag down, but in reverse for the strut mounts. The bushing can soften causing the front bushing to sag upwards and results in dropping the front lower than the rear.
These are spring spacer part numbers for Caymans... I actually had to use these with my Caymans Eibach Pro kit. Pro-kit calls for use of 3mm spacer with Cayman, but I did not want it slammed so much so I am using the 6mm versions. Some guys even used a 3mm + 6mm stacked together to give a 20mm drop versus 30mm the kit gives.
FRONT 3 mm = 996 343 511 00 FRONT 6.5 mm = 996 343 511 01 REAR 3 mm = 986 333 504 02 REAR 6 mm = 986 333 504 03
One other thing to consider is a worn out top strut mounts. The rubber bushing in the strut mount gets tired and stretches... Kind of like worn out motor mounts sag down, but in reverse for the strut mounts. The bushing can soften causing the front bushing to sag upwards and results in dropping the front lower than the rear.
Great. Do you have photos of the car's side to see how it sits? I'd be going with the Eibach cup kit also and trying to gauge ride height front/rear and what size above I'd need to buy.
I am in the process of doing the springs on my Cayman next week. I have all the parts waiting. Here is a photo comparison between 6mm and 3mm strut spacers. I ordered both since Caymans come with either one based on options and model range. I don't have pics, but my 997 C4S has the Eibach Pro kit and it has a 30mm drop = 1.2 inch drop. My Boxster has M030 ROW suspension which is closer to a 20-24mm = about 1 inch drop after settling in. My Cayman is my daily driver So I would rather have a drop closer to 25mm rather than the 30mm the Pro-kit offers using the 3mm spacer.
Not sure if you have the oem strut mounts but if they are worn, your car will sit about 0.5" lower.
Yes, I agree and mentioned that in an earlier post. I have always "HIGHLY" recommended replacing top strut mounts when ever you pull out the struts and make any changes. Fresh new strut mounts could add 1/4 inch to ride height.
Front shock/strut mount. $100 each side at sunsetporscheparts 997-343-018-01
The strut spacers are cheap. About $7 bucks each.
To fix your issue, if it were my car, is new FRONT strut mounts and try out a spacer. Maybe a 3mm, but it depends on how high you want to push the front up. I measure the distance from the ground to the high part of the wheel well arch. Compare front and rear. Then go from there. Our cars OEM / naturally have a little bit lower measurement on the front wheel arch due to stiffer springs in the rear because of the engine weight back there.
Is it the differences in aesthetics of the wheel gap between tire and wheel well arch that bother you? Do you want the gap smaller in the rear? A larger diameter tire could easily fix that too.
OR, is it that you really do not like how small the wheel gap is in the front and therefore want to raise it because you are happy with the gap in the rear??? Then in that case, yes, raising the front a bit is what you want to do.
Is it the differences in aesthetics of the wheel gap between tire and wheel well arch that bother you? Do you want the gap smaller in the rear? A larger diameter tire could easily fix that too.
OR, is it that you really do not like how small the wheel gap is in the front and therefore want to raise it because you are happy with the gap in the rear??? Then in that case, yes, raising the front a bit is what you want to do.
It's that the silver lip edge of the wheel has a different distance front and rear to the edge of the wheel well. Simply put - that should be an equal distance front to rear. Further - this is also another Porsche gripe, but the shape of the tire sidewall in proportion to the width of the wheel needs to be the same. The 991 from the factory was egregious with that - the front having a thick squared off sidewall protector while the rears were rounded. Gross.
I actually put an incredible amount of effort to get the right set of coilovers to be able to remedy this issue, and found myself disliking the ride quality day to day, hence going back to PASM with lowering springs but being very careful to get it right.
You clearly have an aftermarket setup there. Going back to a stock PASM suspension will remedy the situation. I would look at pictures of other people's cars with the spring setups you're looking to go to. Personally, I'd recommend a set of Bilstein B16 Damptronics coilovers. Not not only so they work much better than the OEM PASM shocks, but yiuld be able to customize the wheel gap, ride height and even corner balance the car. Paired with the DSC controller you can make the car ride however you'd like and get the benefit of fully active suspension.
You should have about a 1-2 degree forward rake for proper aerodynamics and chassis balance.
Don't forget that when you are on the throttle or cruising at set speed, it raises the front as the rear pushes forward. So when you drive around, your car car most likely looks totally levelled. If you want it levelled while sitting, it will look **** low as if you had your mother in law in the back seat while driving around.
Personally, I don't see an obvious rake on your car and can only see a beautiful silver 997 with a perfect "to me" stance. But then again I am also a Jeep guy and am used to see what a real rake is, as the wranglers used to have a sting bug rake look and begged for a1inch front spacer.
I have H&Rs springs and 6mm compensation plates in the front as I too did not want a low front end - it’s now very flat with almost imperceptible rake.
I also went a little overboard with researching tires as I prefer a square shoulder look with no lip/rim protector. I went with Cup 2s.
02-26-2020, 01:38 PM
Strut/spring spacer?
