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Figure the most prudent thing to do was to set up an appointment with my indy to put the car on the lift and do a stem to stern inspection to take a look at what needs replacing. I'll share my spreadsheet so others can reference parts/part numbers (including things I may not need to replace) if anyone is interested.
Took the new suspension to the track last Sunday for a track event put on by the Z club and have had a bit of time to drive it on the street.
I'm very happy in both environments. On the street it is a little stiffer than stock, but not jarring. Go to the track, hit the sport button, and things firm up nicely. I did not want to push hard, but the new set up is an easy second a lap faster and I could consistently run times within .3 seconds a lap of each other.
Had a prepped STI want to play. It was surprising to be faster on the straights than he was, but he could push me in the corners pretty good. With is turbo He should have less loss from our altitude. I let him by after a few laps as it was only the second session with the new bits; right after he passed me he pulled to the side of the track. I talked to him in the pits afterwards: he complemented my driving, was surprised my car wasn't a turbo and told me it looks like he blew his engine. Porsche 1, Subaru 0
I also have a street/track car, and for 4-5 sessions a year, you do NOT require suspension upgrade! I have no idea what's the cost difference of OEM replacement vs. Damptronics, but if close, I'd definitely stick to OEM, get 18" tires for winter, get EMC box for better PASM management and have a street car that's track-worthy.
I'm going into the shop on Monday for a more detailed run-through of the worn parts to figure out what should be replaced at this point.
Originally Posted by alexb76
I also have a street/track car, and for 4-5 sessions a year, you do NOT require suspension upgrade! I have no idea what's the cost difference of OEM replacement vs. Damptronics, but if close, I'd definitely stick to OEM, get 18" tires for winter, get EMC box for better PASM management and have a street car that's track-worthy.
Oh, I wrote off Damptronics a long time ago...just deciding if I want to go with B4s or B8s at this point. Lowering the car on eibachs is appealing, but may not be the most prudent thing to do with the road around Boston...
Took the new suspension to the track last Sunday for a track event put on by the Z club and have had a bit of time to drive it on the street.
I'm very happy in both environments. On the street it is a little stiffer than stock, but not jarring. Go to the track, hit the sport button, and things firm up nicely. I did not want to push hard, but the new set up is an easy second a lap faster and I could consistently run times within .3 seconds a lap of each other.
Had a prepped STI want to play. It was surprising to be faster on the straights than he was, but he could push me in the corners pretty good. With is turbo He should have less loss from our altitude. I let him by after a few laps as it was only the second session with the new bits; right after he passed me he pulled to the side of the track. I talked to him in the pits afterwards: he complemented my driving, was surprised my car wasn't a turbo and told me it looks like he blew his engine. Porsche 1, Subaru 0
Too much pretension at neutral and when you turn you can get strange oversteering or understeering effects (depends upon a lot of suspension effects including front to rear sway bar stiffness ratios). In extreme cases you can get a snap steering effect coming out of a turn. If feels like the car suddenly steers on its own in an unexpected way. It can be quite scary and very dangerous at high speeds.
Hey, thanks semicycler, incredible information! That all sounds pretty scary, I'll have to get the front sway preload checked out at some point. So I would notice it only when coming out of a turn, and it could be either understeer or oversteer?
Yes, that would be very helpful. Thanks. Btw, what year is your 997.1 S ?
Following up on this, since I said I would, albeit a little later than anticipated. For those just catching up, this a suspension update for a middle-aged car (90K miles) that's getting mostly street time with 4-6 DE/autox events/year.
I welcome any and all thoughts/feedback from those more educated on matters of suspension upgrades. Any other wear items I should consider?
Regardless, here's what on the docket to be updated (timetable/wife's permission pending...):
Front Suspension:
Bilstein PASM B8 on Eibach springs
GT3 LCAs (Litronic adapter + shims for stock GT3 alignment)
Edit: nevermind.. reread the thread. Only thing missing IMO (if not going damptronic) is the DSC box.
Also, don't forget to buy new nuts for the top mounts too.
Edit: nevermind.. reread the thread. Only thing missing IMO (if not going damptronic) is the DSC box.
Also, don't forget to buy new nuts for the top mounts too.
Good tip. Already have the 2-mode DSC installed, so it will be a matter of fine tuning with the new bits.
I have received everything, EXCEPT the rear B8s. Originally factory back-ordered until Aug, then Nov, now Feb...and a frantic nationwide (ongoing) search reveals ZERO inventory.
The car doesn’t *need* the suspension replaced, and it’ll be garaged once they start salting the road, so waiting isn’t the worst thing, but there are no guarantees that the backorder date won’t push again.
Other than continuing to call parts dealers, anyone have a suggestion?
So, two and a half years after I started this thread, the car is done! The B8s finally arrived in December and the car is wrapped. In addition to what I'd listed above, I sprung for a set of GT3 sways with adjustable drop links, a set of 18" OZ wheels with Michelin Pilot Sports. And since I had a small RMS leak, and the car was already in the air, I went ahead and swapped in a new clutch and lightweight flywheel. Overall, I'm very pleased with the outcome even if it did take a lot longer than anticipated...but I suppose you can order from Bilstein with some level of comfort seeing they've finally gotten their act together (maybe). Looking forward to DE season.
09-23-2016, 09:03 AM
