07C4S

Are there any options out to raise the car 1/2"-1"? Curious if it might be as simple as a spacer on the top of the struts? Guessing coilovers might be another option - but at a higher cost and I'd rather keep the Porsche components. Obviously I'd need an alignment as well.

Mbiondo

Have you considered 20" wheels with /35 series rubber? I am not a wheel expert, so I'd suggest you consult with someone who knows, but that may be the safest and most compliant means. 1" however, is a lot. Driveway rubbing issues?

07C4S

20" rims?????? That would be insane where I live unless I wanted to help my dentist and chiropractor buy a new yacht. 18"s would be better for more rubber - and I will definitely do that for winter shoes - but that won't get the car any higher off the ground. I've played around with all the various tire sizes - there really isn't anything that will work to increase the ride height.

dianic

You are likely to be affecting the dynamics of the car in a very bad manner, you realize? Stability at speed, aerodynamics etc.
I would certainly advise against it.

Get a set of coilovers that lift the nose at the touch of a button, they cost $3-4 I guess but they are certainly worth it compared to altering the dynamics of the car. I think KW makes a set and Techart.

07C4S

This isn't a track car. It's a 4S daily driver in a city with terrible roads and traffic. Properly aligned and not driving to the extreme the dynamics of the car will barely be noticeable. It actually looks like it would be easier to get the alignment correct with a modest raise vs. the lowering a lot do that require significant negative camber. The problem with the systems that raise the car "on demand" is that A) you have to know when to use it and B) it takes a significant amount of time to raise. If it was just my home driveway that was an issue it may be a good option. It's not an option for where I live b/c it is the roads damn near everywhere I go that are the issue.

vern1

Cayenne sounds like a better option if you are looking for ground clearance. I have a 4S and drive on some pretty bad roads on my commute but havent had any issues with ride height (not sure why the traffic would be relevant to the ride height?)

07C4S

I've been driving SUVs for 20 years and the Cayenne didn't even make the cut when I wanted a SUV!

B/c of traffic I can rarely go anywhere fast. An extra 1/2" of ground clearance would probably cut down on my front end "rash" significantly. I know I'm not going to eliminate it completely on these roads. The bottom of my bumper after less than 2 months is an ugly sight.

mzn50

Im running 20" Rims .. and I live in-between Montreal and Ottawa.. we INVENTED the Pothole and still hold them dear to our hearts as they are rarely repaired and multiple like bunnies..
BTW.. I also lowered by 20mm (EU standards)

Quadcammer

so what, its the bottom of your bumper.

Instead of spending at least 1k on raising your car, which will result in a generally worse feeling car, use that $1k for respraying the front bumper.

07C4S

oops - sorry for the double post.

07C4S

Potholes are more of a rim size comfort issue - raising won't help that. I'm OK with the 19"s but I wouldn't go any larger. I'll be getting 18" rims for the winter shoes which may prompt me to run 18"s year round depending if I think the ride is significantly better. The front bumper slowly getting destroyed is more from the very uneven transition of roads through intersections and speed bumps. Guessing the rim would be a casualty first from a big pothole but its entirely possible.

As far as the "driving dynamics" being destroyed and the impression the car will be unsafe at any speed....absolutely ridiculous. I'm not talking about jacking this thing up to take on Jeeps at Moab while also hitting Road America to race on the weekends. This isn't anything radical and I've talked to plenty of people who know 911s and track very expensive and high performance cars. They said I'll be fine and are very interested if I figure anything out. A well known shop in the area that does a lot of 911 work told me more horror stories about the people that lower their cars - which seems to be mostly for aesthetics then performance around these forums. A high percentage of the lowered 911s are done poorly and have worse "driving dynamics" than stock or they eat tires very quickly. He also said most drivers aren't pushing the limits of the stock setup anyway and are wasting their money. Spend the money on lessons and track time instead. (Don't get me started on some of the popular aftermarket inexpensive (aka poorly made) rims and the impact on driving dynamics.)

"So what - its the bottom of your bumper." Seriously??? I don't care if it easy to see or not. I always take care of my cars. I'd gladly spend $1000 once to improve the car as a daily driver based on where I live then repaint the front bumper a couple times a year. That's going to add up in a hurry.

jason74

You could trade it for a C4 (non S). That'd raise it by an inch...

Aerokitted

If you have a hard time avoiding scrapes on a Carrera, not sure if a sports car is suited for your driving skills and road conditions, sir.

zanwar

There's the mother of all invisible dips on the westbound section of Hubbard, between Halsted and Ashland. I've smacked both the front of the Porsche and the *Range Rover* on this one. So I don't think an extra inch of clearance will get you much, not unless the new springs are rock hard as well. Seems like it's the bobbing nose of the 997 that's the problem. You have to learn the weight shift behavior of the car. Get onto the brakes just before the dip, get back to the power before the far side and hopefully the car will bounce over the top without taking a hit. I believe a member on this board installed a custom skid plate under the front bumper, you could give that a shot. Or switch to a 991 or an R8, they don't bounce as much. The Maser is also quite decent in this regard, front mid-engine doesn't bounce a whole lot.

07C4S

Is it really an inch higher? That would help. Granted it must be unsafe to drive with the aerodynamics and driving dynamics destroyed. What was Porsche thinking!

When I was looking (in Florida - bought the car down there and used it there for several months) I wasn't specifically after an S model but there seemed to be a lot more Ss to choose from and they didn't seem to command a premium. The extra height and 18" rims definitely would have been better suited for Chicago. I really didn't think it would be this bad up here. It's not the potholes - those are easy to avoid most of the time. It is the dips and valleys and varying surface heights at intersections. Unless you want to get rear ended and try crawling through - which often won't help - there isn't much you can do about it.