Bryan,
I have no clue what the difference is but RUF and H&R. I think if you are looking for seeking for lowering for looks , and a sporty feel to the car, you will be fine. I did not change out my shocks, kept my oem shocks. I have over 70k miles on them and they felt awesome till I took them off.


Thanks for the compliment but i'm only as good as the car is. I like to learn to extrack the maximium of even the crappies car , so much to learn about driving that one never stops learning.

 

Springs it is.

Anyone know the best place to source RUF or H&R Springs? Are they available in the used market often? I will check here and on ebay.

Is there any special spring that I will need (pounds) or part numbers to reference? I'm guessing a stiffer/stronger spring is needed for the rear of the car?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

RUF has an office in Dallas,

H&R sourced by many and for the couple hundred bucks it dont matter new or used id say.

 

Well, just ordered springs today... H&R lowering springs. It should give an inch lower stance. I will post pics when completed... probably a month or so.

The RUF Springs are just H&R powdercoated green with a new part number.

Thanks for all the help,
Bryan

 

Any updates/ pics?!??

 

I have the springs but have not put them on the car yet.

I have attached a few pics of the car with the new wheels. I do realize it is too high but doesn't look that bad if you ask me.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
Bryan

 

The car doesn't look bad,mine looks the same,but when you get to install the springs it'll be a big difference.

 

For cruising and occasional spirited driving, H&R coilovers. Affordable and perform well for what you want to do with car.

 

I had both setup, and the X73 was too rough for enjoyable street setup. imo

PSS10's = awesome

 

Any update?? I just bought a set of springs but haven't received them in the mail yet. I'm curious to see how these are working out for you

Does anybody have an idea what a ballpark cost is for install of springs? My local shop quoted my $1000 and said it was an all day job. Seems more like a quote for install of coilovers.

 

Sorry I have not updated since I haven't put them on yet. Still debating whether or not I will install or buy coil overs.

Regarding the quote that is not too bad... it could be better but could also be worse than coilovers. The OEM struts will have to be removed (just like with coilovers). When you think about it, it may actually be more work since they have to compress and remove your old springs and then add the new ones. Both jobs will require an alignment when finished. A 4-wheel alignment would probably cost around $125 - $150 or possibly more depending on how comfortable they are with doing it.

I plan on removing/installing myself, get them as close to the original position as possible and then drive it a couple miles to get it aligned. Not that big of a job once you get in there if you have helpers and the right tools. You can even borrow a spring compressor from a Kragen/O'Reily if you dont have a spring compression tool. You could also drive the struts with new springs to a shop and have them remove and reinstall the new springs. They may charge you $50 which might be worth it not to fuss around with doing it yourself and could be quicker.

Hope this helps. I plan on doing it this winter when I am not driving as much and will do it over 2 weekends or so.

Regards,
Bryan

 

Well it got the front down to a reasonable level. The main complaint about the 996 is that even parked it looks like it’s going uphill. The back is still a bit high but gives the car a nice raked look. This may also be a blessing in disguise. The rear eccentrics of the 996 do not give you enough camber or toe adjustment to deal with much lowering. If you went with coil overs and lowered it closer to GT2 height you would have had to also install rear adjustable upper control arms and adjustable toe links

 

Is the attached picture of your car with the RoW suspension or does it have the X73?

 

Does your car have the ROW suspension or does it have the X73 which is even lower than Row?

 

I'll chime in here, although my data relates to then 997, I think it applicable. I recently installed Ruf springs on my 997TT. The Ruf springs are wound by H&R to Ruf specification, they are not the same thing with a paint job. Just as Champion springs are made by H&R to their own specification. You have to realize there are only 2 TUV spring manufacturers in the world, H&R and Eibach, all springs are made by someone else. Furthermore I have driven/owned Champion springs on a 997TT, they are different from the Ruf, Rufs being a bit stiffer.
Also I think the OP is misinformed about the install, it is the same for springs and coilovers as you must reuse the tophats on most street applications. So labor should be virtually the same. You don't actually need a spring compressor but it will make the job easier. We did the install in about 4 hours including adjustable toe links.
Whatever you decide to do make sure you get a good alignment.