I am debating Damptronics Bilstein coilovers vs just springs....have C4S with PSE, PASM....not sure if Ill track the car as I havent been to track for 5 yrs now.

1. I will only put 5000 miles on my C4S since its weekend car only...I would never do just springs alone if this was DD as I have done that with previous BMW's and after 1 yr the car suspension felt horrible(springs soften up alot after 1 yr and shocks needed to be replaced)....granted the first 6 months felt great.

2. recent Damptronics thread where shock pin snapped as there was a missing washer abit concerning.

3. main purpose is for looks to be honest as stock looks way too high...the car handles reasonably well but does have some roll...so secondary purpose is to improve handling...but it seems springs would lower the car adequately.

4. If I get high quality springs(given I will put low miles on this car) will OEM shocks handle it ok so not to degrade handling/feel after a yr or so? seems like having PASM is like flipping between 3 and 7 setting on coilovers(I have had PSS 9's and KW V3's on previous M3's) and diminishing need for coilovers???

Are there any other benefits from coilovers Im forgetting about????

 

Great question and I am eager to hear the answer(s). I'm thinking of going to Eibachs myself from OEM.

 

I went with Eibach springs for a few reasons; mainly these springs don't lower the car as much as other brands do, so you don't have problems with the shocks.

I know many will say "Coil overs or nothing" but I rarely track my car, and didn't feel the additional cost was worth it to me.

 

From what I've seen, the std Eibach springs lower the car by 1" front and rear. Is there a noticeable diff in ride/cornering ?

 

TechArt springs on my car (which I believe are made by Eibach). Drop is 15mm as my car has PASM. Perfect drop for me (even though I do have to be a little careful with my GT3 front bumper). Coming up on a year and no issues.

 

I had Techart Springs on my first 997C2S, and the second one, I went with the Bilstein Damptronics, and without a doubt it is a much better ride then the OEM shocks and springs. As well they have a lifetime warranty (if you bought them new), the install cost is the same, and they can be corner balanced. The only draw back is that the upfront costs, but these are Porsche's not some cheap car. I use my car as a DD and a lot of track use, and I haven't had a single regret.

 

When I first got my 911 I put H&R Springs on it. The ride sucked, the feedback, rebound, and overall feel was off. It was a foolish mod that ended up costing me because I had to pay for labor twice when I switched to Bilsteins. I learned a lesson.

I know guys with springs will defend them until they are blue in the face, but really the shocks are not valved for those aftermarket springs. If you take your handling seriously and aren't just going for looks then you need coilovers. The other alternative of course is to leave it alone.

I LOVE MY BILSTEINS!

 

I had Techart springs on my Turbo and switched to Bilstein. Both were good but I love the coilovers . Since they were on the same car I can describe the driving difference that i noticed. The springs were a harder ride and seemed to place more stress on the tires going into a curve. The Bilstein tends to absorb some of the car's roll through the suspension . BOTH setups felt well planted .

There are a few guys who opted for more harder track setups like JRZ but my goal was a street car that has track ability if i ever chose to use it. I also like taht the ride height can be adjusted.

Labor will cost about the same with either setup but the Bilstein parts are more expensive .

The thread where the Bilstein broke made most who read it think but I really think the conclusion leaned more towards picking the right installer . With the wrong installer even a spring setup could be problematic.

 

I agree. I learned the hard way... once. I would go coil-overs or leave the car as-is.

 

The thing that is puzzling to me is this...when I had coils, once ride height was set I never touched it again...matter of fact, I had the PSS 9's on 6 all the time and only put it on 2 while at track which wasnt often....but doesnt PASM with sport button essentially do the same thing???...so if springs drop the car height to reasonable level and PASM changes shock stiffness, where are the advantages to having coils?...now if ride quality on street and on track is substantially better with coils vs springs then I could understand that and that would prob convince me to go with coils...while I would rather save some money cost isnt primary motivating factor.

 

Ride quality is a lot nicer with CO the lowered springs. I normal mode with springs the car wasn't as smooth over the bumps as it was with CO's. The firmer ride will the CO reduces the up and down of the suspension after the bump, yet is able to reduce the effects with bump.

I only know of one person who didn't like the Bilsteins, and he tracked his car a lot and switched to Moton CO's, every other owner has loved them!

 

does anyone know if changing the ride height of adjustable coilovers changes the firmness in the ride? Theoretically, the spring rate should stay the same, but do the dampeners change?

 

[quote=mact3333;2731491]I am debating Damptronics Bilstein coilovers vs just springs...

3. main purpose is for looks to be honest as stock looks way too high...the car handles reasonably well but does have some roll...so secondary purpose is to improve handling...but it seems springs would lower the car adequately.

4. If I get high quality springs(given I will put low miles on this car) will OEM shocks handle it ok so not to degrade handling/feel after a yr or so?


I also had the same wants (and doubts) before eventually fitting Bilstein Damptronics to my 997C2S (now sold). After fitting the damptronics along with a set of gt3 cup lower front control arms I found the ride certainly stiffened up more than I initially expected. There was also more mechanical type sounds from the suspension from the helper springs too (you get used to that). The porsche shop that did the install said they felt the car rode much like a stock 997 GT3. They had fitted a number of 997's with PSS9's but had never done damptronics before my car so they were curious to the outcome.

I too wanted the lower look plus as was doing a few track days wanted an improvement in the suspension that would settle the cars nose at high speeds...not that it was that bad in stock excepting that nose bobbing sensation you'd get over undulations etc. Since fitting the pasm coilovers and re adjusting myself to the firmer ride i can honestly say it is a worthwile mod. I did have my doubts initially tho with the firmer edgy ride...it can take time to adjust.

For street use only if you've got some rough rds to contend with regularly then i probably wouldnt recommed damptronics but if the roads are reasonably good on your regular routes you should be fine . On smooth highways its great. The car definately feels more planted and the suspension still rather compliant. It totally fixed the nose bobbing and the car certainly handled way sharper so you wont be disapointed with the handling over the stock set up. No body roll either .

Eitherway, if you need the lower look I would no way go lowering springs....it would be damptonics all the way .

BTW whoever fits the damptronics make sure they smear a bit of graphite grease on the top strut rubbers between the body. They can sometimes squeak when you turn the steering wheel if you dont do that, or if the car gets wet under that area .

Hope this helps .

 

[quote=speed21;2732196]+1 on the Damptronics - so far, the best mod I've made to my car. It now just feels utterly planted. Yes the ride is firmer, but the damping control is so much better. On smooth roads, the ride is better than stock as small bump intrusion into the cabin is less than stock and far better controlled. Over sharp bumps, the body moves more but doesn't crash or heave like the stock suspension can. Over lumpy roads, the body control is simply awesome - the nose never seems to ground-out any more, despite the lowered ride height.

I'd definitely not use lowering springs on their own. 1) They cause the stock dampers to operate far too close to the bump stops (and if you look at your stock suspension, once removed, you'll see it spends enough time on them already). 2) The spring/damper is no longer a matched pair so totally unpredictable behaviour can result. I certainly wouldn't want to be pressing-on in a 180+ mph car with suspension that wasn't properly sorted and could bite without warning!

As for the squeaky strut tops - I've just been back to my suspension shop this morning because mine were doing just that. They informed me that Bilstein have very recently changed the spec to eliminate this. There is now a small, blue, low-friction, plastic spacer that sits between the top of the main spring and the aluminum cup at the top of the strut, allowing rotational movement between the two. This replaces the large rubber washer that previously sat between the top of the aluminum cup and the top bearing for the steering. It was the cup/bearing moving against this washer that occasionally caused the squeaks. By allowing rotational movement lower down the strut, this is eliminated. My shop has ordered the updates from Bilstein and is fitting them for me FOC.

 

its a porsche, you bought it for the handling im sure.. so why not keep that in mind when buying suspension which is probably one of the most important parts of the car.