DanR

Hi

My ordered Carerra comes in 3 weeks and I have gone for 19" OEM wheels. What is the best / most cost effective way to lower it by 10-20mm to make it sit better.

Does this cause problems with grounding?

Advance thanks from a new member

Chris from Cali

H&R springs and a good alignment... If you want to do it properly the first time, get Bilstein PSS coilovers and a good corner-balance and alignment.

As far as hitting the ground, the only issue I faced was with really steep driveways, otherwise clearance was not an issue.

DanR

how much should I expect to pay for this inc fitting?

PAULSPEED

Hi,
Putting in H&R springs will blow out the stock shocks after
20,000 miles. I would just get the Bilstein Pss9 coil overs.
Paul

RonCT

As with run-in / break-in you will find many posts on this subject. There are always possible issues with lowering a car using oem shocks - I've read reports about people blowing out shocks in as little as 10,000 miles. Stock shocks are designed / valved to stock springs. If you change the springs, you should change the shocks.

My personal feeling is there's no reason to lower the car if you are driving it on the street. Is this to be a dedicated track car? If so, then you don't want stock shocks and lowering springs anyway.

I find that the ride height stock is almost too low for this as a street car - very hard to get around town without scraping bottom. The car is very planted on the track stock.

Do yourself a big favor and get the car, drive it for 6 months and learn what (if anything) you want to do with it. If you still have the option of sticking with 18" wheels, go that direction. Almost everyone that tracks a 997 ends up on 18" wheels for many reasons... I wish the 997S came standard with 18s - superior street wheels and tires and lower cost.

NorthVan

significantly shorten the life expectancy of your stock shocks. In Europe the 997 sits lower then the NA models and they don't seem to have any problems. I think that it makes sense that it will cause the factory shocks to fail sooner, but it will also depend on a number of other factors, such as road conditions. I don't believe that anyone can tell you the exact life expectancy of a factory shock once it is lowered.

I agree that the Pss9 is an excellent upgrade, but for the money probably not worth while considering that the factory shocks are still good. I will most likely replace my factory shocks with them when the finally do fail, until then I will continue to drive on the stocks.

Enjoy your car, if you like the looks of a lowered 997, then go for it. I think that it looks better then the stock.

BTW I have Techart Springs.

Edgy01

The PASM cars are 10mm lower than the the Carrera models. The European models are 20mm lower,--if that option is selected. I'm asuming that you're going for the 'look' vice handling improvements. Right? Rethink that. Porsche sets these cars up pretty well right out of the box.

oalvarez

agreed. the cars handle like no other right off the showroom floor. like many of us, you want to lower it for looks. if looks, and you don't want it extremely low, then use Techart as i think they lower the car a bit less than the H&R's. with the Techart's, my C2 (non-pasm, not an S) scraped continuously. if you have the $, go the PSS9-PASM route.

regards

Dr 997

Everyone says they lower for "looks"... well, IMHO, I think lowering the 997 makes it look cheap and trashy, like a pimped Honda Civic. It already "looks" great as is... just my opinion, for what its worth. If lowering it makes it a better track car, then go for it. (I know nothing about tracking!) I do agree with 18" wheels being better, tho. I drove a 996 before my 997 and I liked the 18" wheels much better, both in looks and performance.

Jimmy

jrgordonsenior

My $.02 from a GT3 cup car racer and a guy who loves his lowered 997S garage queen.....

Those who say Porsche's handle well out of the box must be comparing them to SUVs. Porsche's are engineered to understeer for the past 15 years or so since they accrued so many lawsuits from the 930 Turbo era. I actually laughed the first time I took reasonably fast right hand turn in my 7S. The next week I lowered it with H & R's and increased the neg. camber to the maximum, about 1.5 F/1.7 R. The difference in handling is remarkable. Instead of pushing across that right hand turn like trying to turn a aircraft carrier, it now bites the pavement and plants it's rear tires like it's supposed to when coming on power at exit.

As for shock damage, failure may well be a manifistation of less shock travel but I doubt it. I would like to feel and drive a "failed shock" before I would believe it's possible. Tire wear could give you a similar feeling. Regardless, you could always send them back to Bilstein for a rebuild at about $150. per. Alternatively, the PSS9's at $ 2,500. + install seem a cost effective alternative for a combo street/DE driven car.

FWIW, a friend and fellow racer installed H & R coilovers on his 7S and found them too stlff for street driving, but fabulous on the track.....

oalvarez

^ so porsche 997's don't handle well off the showroom floor? i totally understand your example but you're probably referencing going fast into a slow speed turn...right? but in general terms, the 997 is a good handling car. it must be. if not, why do so many people buy them and leave them stock? please tell me it's not just for vanity sake!

regards

jrgordonsenior

Of course it's just for vanity....

Whether heading into slow or fast turns a Porsche will greatly understeer out of the box. There's a whole lot more car available with a little suspension setup. It's all a matter of degrees, but in general terms, the Porsche is a good handling car compared to a SUV....

Bob/Ft. Worth

My 06S was lowered by Ruf. Would I do it again? no. I love the look but as has been said above, it's a bit much for street use. You have to watch driveways but more important changes in road surface have the potential for the car to bottom out. As a result, I slow down when I can anticipate a problem. Ride comfort goes down too. Some will say that it's hardly noticible, I think lowering turns it into a seat-of-the-pants car and is less comfortable. But we all have different tolerance levels. Who knows, I might go back to OEM...

bob

mdrums

Guys. here are the real questions:

1-Since the Euro spec 997S w/ PASM sits 20mm lower than the USA spec, does anyone know for a fact that the shocks are the same on both Euro & USA spec cars?

2-What makes the Euro spec 997S w/ PASM sit 20mm lower? Is it the springs only or a combo of springs and shocks?

thanks, Mike

RonCT

Last question first. There's no -20mm PASM I've ever heard of. There is a "Sport" suspension option in ROW that is -20mm and on the S you can get PASM or the -20mm Sport.

The "lower for looks" - I also don't "get it". How does a car look better or worse if it's 1" higher or lower? I just don't get it. Now if one were to say "I'm lowering it to move the CG and dial in more negative camber", then I'd understand. But the looks thing?