ross74

My car is a CS2 PDK, intended mostly as a DD, rarely to be tracked, but used often in fast road conditions and looking to max out its precision as a driving tool without compromising its comfort quality.
I am thinking of installing the Bilstein B16 kit so my question is the following:

If I set it up at its softest mode and only lower the suspension by 15mm which is the minimum reduction of height available how much (if any) will I lose in terms of ride comfort? And in what terms? Does the car become just harder and jiggly or is it a feeling of more controlled damping?

Any experiences would be most welcome

utkinpol

unless you do it for track performance imho it is not worth it to destroy 997.2 PASM system.

as of actual 'comfort' - it depends of what springs you will put there. usually PSS10/9 come with 450/600 springs which are a bit too soft for track. I run on 600/700 springs on JRZ RS and they are perfectly streetable. you will get more noise from suspension, be ready for that.

Alan C.

I switched to Damptronics on my 09 CS. To me the soft setting feels nearly the same. The stiff setting is noticeable. I daily drive and track my car. I don't regret the change.

utkinpol - It is still a PASM system.

ross74

So, you re saying in its softest setting it is almost like the factory PASM setting?
Does the suspension become indeed more noisy? or harsh?
Does the car feel more precise in its responses?
Again I am mainly interested in fast road driving rather than track

utkinpol

IMHO factory already made best possible road suspension - one you already have. most suspension mods are aimed to make car to sway less, make car stiffer, less comfortable overall but faster on a track.

if all you want is to lower your car a bit - keep original shocks but put on eibach PASM springs lowering kit.

ross74

no , lowering my car is not my only aim, I assume that coilovers will give the car a significant improvement in its handling, I am just wondering about the potential compromise in ride...I would appreciate some more feedback from people that have done this mod..

MichaelL

I had Damptronics put on a C2S cabrio, along with toe steer kits, rear upper control arms, drop links & adjustable sway bars. Lowered 1/2 inch. Great cornering, but the is no "softest mode". The ride is significantly harder and sport setting is not really usable unless the road is smooth. The ride is harsh on rough pavement. Have the added benefit of grounding the nose of the car much more frequently. Considering getting an axle lift kit. Handling and turn-in is better, with nearly no body lean, but it comes at a price.

jrgordonsenior

I think Michael L's experience above is reflective of taking all the rubber out of his suspension, not the shocks & springs. I loved my Damptronics on my C2s. Factory springs are not 450/600, more like 300/400 when I talked to Bilstein about them and PASM worked just fine.

Lowering springs are the worst compromise you can make regardless of who makes them. Car looked great, but I took them off in 2 weeks as the ride was just awful. Yes they were properly installed and aligned. The Bilstein's transformed the car. Still sorry I sold it....

ross74

Jrgordonsenior your view is more like what i have read in most forums that the Damptronics offer very good comfort which i am trying to confirm

Mike in CA

I strongly suggest before spending considerable $$ on suspension mods that you sample the ride of a similarly equipped car. Relying on someone elses opinion of what they think is comfortable is problematic. I've done suspension upgrades on many cars (haven't used Damptronics) and I think MichaelL gives good input; you can improve handling but at a price. Expecting to improve handling AND maintain comfort is a very tough chore. If you're going to change the suspension in a way that improves handling, it's going to affect ride comfort. It almost has to, unless you are making changes so insignificant that it's hardly worth the money and effort to do it in the first place.

IMO, it's going to be very hard to improve on the factory's compromise in this area for a street car, which is what you say you want to drive. You are going to have to give something to get something and the only way to decide if that new compromise is worth it, is to sample it for yourself.

mdrums

For a street car I'd stick with the factory suspension...unless you just want to mod it and have a suspension that is ride helight adjustable....if that is the case the Damptronic is the way to go for a car that is street and some track use.

RonCT

For a mostly street car I wouldn't mess with the stock suspension. For a dual use street / track car I wouldn't either. I tried it and pulled out the Damptronics and returned to stock. That was a 997.1 PASM Gen 1 suspension and the Gen 2 is so much better on both street and track.

On my current car I have OEM Sport PASM, which is a great DE-oriented package. But even if I had regular Gen 2 PASM, I'd leave well enough alone.

The issues I had with Damptronics is documented here. At 7/10 it was fine, but by 9/10 there was so much "hop" at the rear end the car was actually slower than with stock. We're talking about a 1:02 lap at Lime Rock, which for an otherwise stock 997.1 C2S is moving along nicely. So with Damptronics 1:05 was OK, 1.04 was rough, and I couldn't even get to 1:03 (where with the bone stock suspension I easily reached 1:02). Also, on the street I experienced an ever so slight "bounce" at the rear end due to the different spring rates.

Everyone probably has different experiences and I agree - Do Not commit to a multiple-thousand dollar experiment. Find somebody with the suspension you are considering and drive their car. Otherwise, you may end up doing what I did - pull it out, return to stock, and sell the Damptronics for 50% off.

WTFitsCarter

I have a set if bilstein damptronic's for sale c2 fitment almost new! I will give someone a great deal. Email me at wtfitscarter@yahoo.com or pm me!

I have jrz's for sale too!

Thanks
Carter

mdrums

I've never driven Lime Rock but yeah I'd say you are moving really good, knowing that the GT3 Grand Am race cars are doing a 1-1:01 min lap I believe. Nice!

Ryan Perrella

I'm also interested in adding these to my 2008 PASM equipped Boxster RS 60 Spyder.

My main objective is to lower the car a further 15-20mm but I too have had bad experience pairing aftermarket springs (H&R's) with factory shocks. That was on another make altogether but I don't think I'd go aftermarket spring with stock PASM.