cqhall

I'm about to pull the trigger on a set of H&R springs and Bilstein B8 shocks/struts for my 2003 C4S. What other parts should I service, replace, or upgrade during the job?

I'm sure this has been discussed before, if so, please link me to the thread or site. Everything I've found is more about the install process than the, "While you are in there..." parts.

Thanks!

996love

If you don’t do anything else, remember to replace the bump stops. You may have to trim them to account for the decreased spring travel.

I think it’s also recommended to replace all the rubber bushings. There are control arm kits that provide everything you need.

TheChunkNorris

Check the LCAs! How many miles?

cqhall

45K miles.

cqhall

Part of me is like, "Just save up a few more bucks and get coilovers.", but I never adjust my coilovers outside of raising them if they sag (which most of them have done). I've had them on at least half a dozen cars over the years.

As cool as coilovers are, they are overkill for what I actually do with the car.

996love

What do you actually do with your car? Maybe coilovers may be a decent idea…

GC996

Live a little. Get a good set of coilovers on sale and put them on the car and enjoy. Your car only has 45k miles on it, doubt you need to worry about replacing anything else.

cqhall

I drive around town. I open it up on the interstate periodically. Occasional winding mountain roads. Every now and then I'll use it for school drop off or pick up. I don't track it nor have any plans to (I've never had that itch).

I guess.

996love

Hmm, you may be right about it being overkill for your usage. But I’m also in agreement with GC996 about living a little because I’m sure this car can be transformed with some coilovers.

Sorry for muddying your decision.

PUZZ1

I had a similar discussion with my indie service facility which specializes in all things Porsche. He recommended B6 shocks and Eibach lowering springs and maybe spacers if desired. My usage is similar to yours with no plans to track it. He agreed coilovers are overkill. I'm going for the European M030 ride height and set up. May consider new sway bars too.

JTT

I’ve been running on B8 and H&R lowering springs on my 996.2 C2 for a number of years now. With mine, I had to also replace rear toe arms and add adjustable upper control arms in order to get alignment within a tire friendly street spec. I found the rear to be too low, so added some spacers recently to bring ride height to GT3 spec. After a number of years, I wish I had just spent a little more on coil overs, so that I could adjust ride height easier than making spacers.

cqhall

Here's the reality of it all:

H&R springs + Bilstein B8 (with taxes and shipping): $1,440
Ohlins Road & Track Coilovers (with taxes and shipping): $4,475

That's literally 3x the cost for the parts. That's a huuuge price difference.

GC996

I hear you.

Consider Bilstein PSS10s. They have been on sale for a low as $2300 recently. You just have to look around. Adjustable and durable as heck. PSS9s and PSS10s may possibly be on more 996s than any other coilovers.

Other option are Feals. Many guys love them here on RL.

We are all just giving suggestions. But at the end of the day, you gotta go with what makes the most sense for you.

cqhall

Yeah, PSS10s were tops on the list, but ECS tuning says they won't ship for at least 2 months (even though the website says 3 days) and FCP Euro has them no longer available.

I'm not opposed to using coilovers that aren't Ohlins, Bilstein, H&R, etc... I feel like coilover tech is old enough that the budget manufacturers have simply caught up. I've had good success with higher-spec D2 coilovers in the past on a E55 AMG.

For reasons mentioned above, I don't need race quality performance for how I use the car. Ride quality, build quality, and ride height are most important.

cqhall

Just to be clear: Are you referring to spacers to raise the height of the rear, not wheel spacers?

Did you fabricate these or buy them?