ok, after hours and hours of reading on the subject, and with all of your help, the RoW M030 is in!!! i can't tell you how happy i am with it!!!!! it's just so unbelievably different, i didn't think it was going to be this good. the softness and floatiness in the front is gone, the car turns in better and tighter than before, and doesn't give up. as for the ride, i thought i was going to be in for a bone crusher, and although it is definately a felt difference (FIRM), it was quite pleasant both on the city streets and highway. it was exactly as everyone said it would be: it's the way the car was meant to be. i think the most important point here is that the ride suits "me," i'm not going to track the car, and all i was after was Porsche OEM and a lowered ride height. as for the RIDE HEIGHT, in MY instance the car was NOTICEABLY lower, not just a little bit, but definately lower. it was everything i bargained for and more. now all of a sudden i don't find myself longing for different wheels, nose or skirts, although i know the mod bug has bitten me hard. i'm soooo happy i chose this as my first mod, i can't wait for the PSE which i will do next. details as follow:

-purchased thru Gert at Carnewal.com (great price, lots less than US)
-arrived here in los angeles in 4 working days.
-rusnak pasadena handled the install and alignment. they were very courteous and helpful. they didn't flinch when asked if they would install it for me. I would have chosen Lucent but i didn't have the ability to take the car to the west side (i live in pasadena). i thought their rates were EXTREMELY reasonable, matter of fact, only a few hundred $ more than the next alternative.
-$2000 all in. everything.

Guys,Gals, thanks for helping me out during this decision making process. i'm elated. AND YES, THE PICS ARE DEFINATELY COMING...will post them to my pic site.

oalvarez

cc: rennlist

 

That is fantastic. I think this is one of the best upgrades you can do! Next to the PSE that is.

 

olavarez, sounds like you have a winner. Can't wait to see your pictures on the Ride Height. I'm considering row030 also.

 

I have an 04 C4S and although I like the suspension, I too find it a little high and mushy, and yes, the front end is a bit "floaty". I am trying to decide between an RoW M030 and the X73 package. I understand from other posts that the latter is a further 10-20 mm lower and stiffer.

What factors should I consider in choosing between the two? This is for a daily driver that is unlikely to be tracked. I'd hate to go around scraping the spoiler chin on every little ramp, nor do I want to be completely punished when I go over a minor depression in the road. On the other hand, I'm concerned I'll go through the expense of the M030 and wish I'd done the X73.

I just want to eliminate much of the remaining pitch and roll during dynamic manoeuvres.

Does anyone have personal experience with both (or (C2) with X74)?

Does anyone have X73/X74 and find it too harsh or too low for a daily driver?

Thanks for any advice.

 

write,
i have the same issues. mine is 03 C4S.
the turbo guys seem to really like the X73. thats probably the
way to go.
roy

 

No personal experience with the x73/74, but evo magazine had this to say in their review of an '04 Carrera with the x73 option:

"So what about Porsche's new 3.6-litre Carrera, the ultimate car in our ultimate line-up? Well, first impressions are hugely encouraging thanks to an almost GT3-like stance. Sitting some 30mm lower than the standard 911, on shorter, stiffer springs, re-rated dampers and a set of 18in alloys, it looks the absolute business. A lift-reducing aero package, featuring a new front undertray, side skirts and fixed tail spoiler, adds to the visual drama, while slung out back is the rortiest sports exhaust system you've ever heard. Inside, there's a pair of leather-trimmed, fixed-back bucket seats and, er, no rear seats (a legal requirement if you have fixed-back fronts seats). It's a factory-fit options inventory that adds £7436 to the list price, but if you like your 911s with attitude, this is the baby for you.

As soon as the flat-six clears its throat through the sports exhaust you can't help but fall in love with this car. That deep, chesty rasp is a magnificent soundtrack when amplified sufficiently and it immediately elevates this 911 above the rest of our group for sheer aural class. Combined with the lower stance, you almost expect the Carrera to accelerate like the GT3, but inevitably the added low-rev and mid-range shove of the new 3.6-litre engine fades at the point where a GT3 would really come alive. It's as though the more aggressive chassis makes a promise the engine can't deliver – a crazy thought since the Carrera still has thrilling power.

The suspension is a serious step on from the standard settings, and though I'd be lying if I said it's anything but an uncompromising choice, it does give the 911 a feeling of connection with the road that the standard car can't match. There's a significant deterioration in ride quality but a moderate increase in steering feel too, which is welcome, as the new 911's helm is no match for the original 996's. If only some more of the GT3's geometry could be applied (impossible, sadly) this would surely be the next best thing to Porsche's last great road-racer. Mr Hayman would marry a GT3 if he could find one that fancied him, so it's encouraging to find that he approves of this particular 911. 'This suspension pack transforms the Carrera from what is now quite a soft car GT car into a sharper driver's car.'

I know what he means, but the more I drive it the less I'm convinced. While feel has increased, the Carrera's ability to parry bumps is dramatically reduced. Hit a series of bumps at speed and the whole car jiggles and skims where the standard car would steamroller. Alarming at first, the lack of wheel-travel feels worse than it is over moderate bumps and imperfections, but as your pace quickens and the surface deteriorates you can feel the front end run out of suspension movement, ultimately forcing you to back off. Brake hard on such a lumpen surface and it's no surprise to feel the efforts of the ABS system pulsing through the middle pedal.

To be fair, this is the most extreme chassis set-up, aimed at those who mix fast road driving with track days. We reckon the less aggressive sport suspension pack, which lowers the car by 10mm, is probably the optimum road set-up. What you can't ignore, even with suspension more suited to track than road, is what a wonderful challenge the 911 is to master. In terms of sheer point-to-point pace it has to give best to the STi, with the enhanced Elise snapping at its heels, but the thrill is still there. That rear-end weight bias still requires skill to exploit, as you have to master the 911's characteristic reluctance to turn in by backing off ever so slightly as you commit to the corner. Suss that bit and then concentrate on feeling the weight transfer to the rear whilst simultaneously feeding the power in to maintain the slide. It sounds hellishly tricky, but the addictive, rewarding and challenging process of learning the limits and traits of a 911 is still one of the best driving experiences you can have."

 

I have a GT3 (Mk-I). Similar suspension to X73 I think. I use it as a daily driver, and only on really bad surfaces do I find it punishing. Most of the time it can best be described as "really firm but not uncomfortable", which I like a lot. Combined with the bucket seats, the firm suspension serves to really connect your nerve endings with the road. And the lowered suspension geometry makes for lively steering feedback. The true sports car experience. I had a C4, and my brother has a Turbo, both with standard suspension. There is no comparison - I'll take the GT3 any day.

There is some downside. On really bad surfaces the ride can beat you up a bit. And under hard braking on any surface less than perfectly smooth, the ABS is often active. More bothersome however, is that unlike on a race track, real world corners are not perfect, and bumpy corners cause the GT3 to jiggle and skip a bit. I find this a little unnerving with that heavy lump out back ready to swing around. Then there's the biggest annoyance of all - scraping the nose on driveway entrances. It's really, really low.

I have no experience with the ROW 030, but I suspect it's a better compromise for daily use than X73/74. I would even wager that ROW 030 could win an around-town street race vs. X73 due to it's ability to better handle real world bumpiness. But for me, the exciting feel of the GT3 suspension is more important than mere pragmatism, even if I do have to enter driveways at an angle. And it's still comfortable enough for daily use (although I do have some friends who complain when in it). I've done cross-country trips in the car and loved every minute.

I would go for X73 over ROW 030 every time. But the choice is more subjective than objective.

 

oalvarez, did you get the u.s. suspension kit or euro kit?

 

Phil, i purchased the euro kit (RoW M030) from Gert at Carnewal.com

 

Thnx

 

Silver, SpeedGeek, thank you both very much for the information. Hmm...

 

oalvarez any before/after pics showing wheel gap/ride height difference?

 

hopefully later this afternoon .....have not been home before sundown, and i go to work before sunrise!!

 

It appears my rear wheel gap (tire to fender) is about 0.75 inches and the front wheel gap is about 1.5 inches... I.e. the back appears to be abnormally low to the point where the headlights are now pointing too high at night.
Has anyone have experienced this? Any ideas what could be wrong?
Cheers, Alex