Well, decided to make this a suspension weekend. I got sick of seeing the 4x4 ride height and barge-like floating suspension of my wife's CLK. Pulled her suspension off and replaced the springs with H&R's. The CLK suspension is really simple, and the job was pretty easy. The H&R's give the CLK a 1.5" drop and now it finally looks like a sportscar. The ride is much tighter, but still nowhere near auto-X capable.

Next, it was time to tackle the nice goodies Mike from AWE sent me from Bilstein


Really a nice looking set of hardware. First I measured the old ride height of my car with the Techart springs, and also marked the strut hat nuts locations in the front to give me an idea where I would want to set the car.

Next, pulled off the fronts




Reassembled the hats to the new Bilsteins.




Notice how primitive the stock suspension looks compared to the PSS10 unit.



Back installed and tightened up.



Moved on to the rear, which is a simpler job. Removing the rear strut:



Unbolting the rear hats from the inside



Comparing new Bilstein vs stock



New rear Bilstein installed




Impressions: went for a 5 minute drive, and have to say it is a very nice and compliant ride. No error lights, no harshness or chop, no noises whatsoever. The regular PASM mode feels tighter than before, but smoother at the same time. Sport mode is even better - tighter but without any harshness. If the Techart springs were an 8/10, these are a 9.5/10. I cannot wait to get the car aligned and on the track in 3 weeks!

 

Impressive job of DYI. I've always find your posts very informative. Was it easier to replace the whole coilover vs. the TA springs you did a while back? Did you need any special tools?

 

Thanks. The most difficult part of the job is getting the struts out. The shorter springs make it easier to get out the struts, so yes this time was a bit easier

 

Very cool. How does the handling of your Turbo compare to your GT3 now?

 

The GT3 was still a much harsher ride. On the harsh scale where 1= a 70's Eldorado and 10= 996Gt3 with 1000lbs springs my limited observation so far is:

5 = stock 997tt in nl mode
7 = stock 997tt in sport mode
7.5 = stock 997gt3 in nl mode
9 = stock 997gt3 in sport mode
5.5 = Techart spring 997tt in nl mode
6.5 = Techart spring 997tt in sport
5 = PSS10 in nl mode
6 = PSS10 in sport mode

The TT now has even less body lean/roll and brake diving than before. Really feels like a sharp tool steeled knife on the road. Maybe still a touch less precise than the Gt3, but by far a better overall package for a street car. Believe me, no GT3/RS is going to shame this car on a roadcourse due to hardware shortcomings. I have no more excuses if I see those familiar twin tailpipes running away from me at the track!!

 

Nice job!

 

Now you just need some adjustable sway bars and you're set!

 

I haven't seen or heard of any adjustable sway bars for the Turbo yet. What options are available out there?

 

GMG has a pretty nice set.

http://www.gmgracing.com/porsche_suspension.shtml

 

Very awesome! A 6 compared to a 9 in sport mode but the handling characteristics remain relatively the same? With the added weight in the Turbo how do body roll/lean and brake dive with the 9's on now compare to that of the lighter GT3? I must say thus far the 9's sound like a pretty amazing product!

 

Sport mode is very tolerable - i don't see a need for normal mode unless taking the wife to dinner. GMG's sways are delayed - I put a deposit down in July and just cancelled. AWE has the H&R adjustables available now which I will probably look at. Not sure if I really need it anymore, but will know after the Dec track weekend.

 

What would be the benefit of getting those GMG sways for someone like me who drives on the street as opposed to on the track? Should I even consider getting them?

 

Jason,

For a street car they would probably add nothing and possibly deteriorate the ride

 

Agreed, unless you car pushing the car hard enough to produce an uncomfortable amount of body roll/sway and or under/oversteer then sways (IMO) are a waste of money.

 

Ok, thanks for the tips. I upgraded the sways in both my M5 and MINI Cooper and they made a noticable change but I guess that's a different case in the Turbo.