MMK110464

Thanks svb.
By the way, your avatar is impressive.

Slamuth

Has anyone done the spring swap themselves? I'm wondering what the DIY difficultly rating is. Anyone have an opinion or rating? Where does it fall on a 1 (easy) to 10 (uh oh, what have I gotten myself into) scale?

I suppose the natural back-up question is, what would the experienced Indy/Dealer time or cost be?

myw

that looks amazing. did you end up painting the front and rear bumper plastic lips at the side?

gota911

Send a PM to Rennlister Wheeler. He has recently done a DIY swap of his springs.

Slamuth

Thanks, I'll do that.

wheeler

PM replied....

Well, I read all the DIY stuff and guys saying it was no big deal. And it's not...provided you've actually done it before and have all the tools! :-)) I have a lift, air tools, etc. and it was a bitch. That said, I'm very satisfied that I completed the job myself, learning a LOT about the suspension in the process...which was the goal. I can do this job in my sleep now, as it's burned into my brain! So 1-10 for a first timer, that has tools (don't need a lift, but good jack stands) I'd say a 7 to 8??

Tips...

Do not get cheap spring compressors...Harbor Freight is not your friend here! You can use those to get the old springs off, but the H&R springs are actually a lot LONGER and the coils are tighter, so those fat cast hooks will not fit. That and when you start cranking them down, it's an uneasy feeling. The compressors I found were at Autozone, thinner solid steel hooks. And even with those I could only get one hook at each end to grab the spring.

If you have PASM you'll need to drill/hack a socket or buy the special socket that has the slot for the wire.

I had to run and get a cheap set of THIN box end wrenches at Walmart, need one to hold the back nut on the front suspension.

And a decent ball joint separator, the kind you tighten down.

Air tools are a must!! Yes, you can do it without but that's in another realm of patience and bull$hit I don't deal with in my life anymore.

I will also add, that if anyone is looking at pics and thinking the drop is not enough or whatever, you have to see the car in person really appreciate the drop. I think the pics in this thread are actually the best ones I've seen where the tire gap wasn't flashed with a camera making the gap still look large. The drop is perfect and barely acceptable as far as scraping...any more and it would suck for street driving IMO. The ride is fine, I don't get the bucking back and forth, but I have PASM. Also recently add the DSC (dynamic suspension control) unit from TPC Racing...hands down the best bang for the buck performance mod you can do for a PASM car. Absolutely transforms the car.

Slamuth

Thanks Wheeler, helpful feedback! Anyone know the stock ride height for a 997.1 C2S with PASM (from ground to top of fender in the front/rear)? Going from 18s to 19s is messing with my visual perception. My car seems higher than I'd prefer, and I'm wondering if my new 19" OZs and MPSS combo is taller or the same as stock lobster forks (which I never had on my car, it came with 18" turbo twists believe it or not).

Carrera Mike

I did H&R springs on my 997.1 Carrera S which came with the 19" wheels, has PASM and is already lower than the Carrera. The drop is the same drop as what youre getting, and IMHO, I wouldn't ask for more if your car is used in the streets a lot. Ive seen cracked engine sump hitting debri on the road for lowered cars.

I did the DIY myself and if you've worked on suspension before, its not hard at all. Find out the factory spec torque values for the the shock towers and linkages.

Here are the difference in height pictures.

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...r-springs.html

Slamuth

Thanks for sharing these pics. I remembered that old post with the pics, but it wasn't showing up in my search when I looked for it. Your pre-HRE fender height is exactly where my car is now. It's amazing how different the ride height looks with 18s. My fender height with the 18s was close to yours after the new springs. 1 inch sure makes a surprising visual difference!