My 996 Turbo X50 is just a bit away from where I'd like it to be in the handling department, but I drive it over 10k miles a year (easily) and need something that's not too low. I already have issues with the custom front end on the car (MA Shaw GT2 with carbon lip). The carbon lip scrapes a lot of places here in Denver. If it was a garage queen it wouldn't be a big deal, but this is a daily driver.

So I'm sure I can raise a coilover setup high enough to keep it close to where it is now, but I'd rather just find a stiffer spring/strut package and leave it that way year-round. I don't really want to deal with realigning things every time I want to drop it for the track. It sees occasional track use, but mostly just a lot of spirited road driving in the mountains.

And I'm thinking of stiffer sway bars too. H&R probably, but I'll accept other advice.

I'm no newbie in modifying cars including Porsches for the record, but this is one I've searched the forums on and I'm not seeing people that want to stick with the stock ride height (or close to it).

 

Jeez not a single response?

 

I recently installed Eibach Sway Bars and track mine about twice a month, just the sway bars alone made a huge difference, next I will go Kw3 or Moton?

 

I see no reason why you cannot ride a coilover at stock heights. You'll retain stock geometries, and plenty of travel.

Only issue is higher CG which is marginal (and you've indicated this is OK) and perhaps a bit more air under the car at high speeds.

But nothing that would be worse that stock.

IMO

A

 

I just don't see the point of spending the money on coilovers if I'm not really planning to lower it. A good set of springs and struts would achieve similar results for less $$$. That's all!

 

I think the problem you will face with just springs and struts is the flexibility you are looking for. In all cases aftermarket sport springs and struts lower the car. With coilovers you can adjust ride height.

 

This is the problem I have had. In Scotland the roads are terrible in places. I want to run the car 1 inch higher, thats all, but come across the same problem . All the sports spring sets I could find drop the car, not raise it. I was also looking at adjustable coil overs. I did post on here 5 months or so back about it. I came to the opinion it was less hastle just to replace the front splitter when it came too badly damaged.
I also looked at Air suspension, but I wasn't sure if it would completely ruin that cars handling, even though the company said it would not.
Frank

 

I suggest dialing in some more front camber and getting a rear bar. The combo will dial out a lot of under-steer. The front tires don't wear that badly on these cars so that won't really be an issue.

You can also add 15mm spacers all around for a wider track. If you're into rolling your rear fenders, you can do 21mm rear spacers. Spacers fill the fender gaps and look much better. A lot like the way a 996 GT2 looks in the filling fenders department.

 

You can also get some of this air-suspension add ons that allow the front to elevate when needed. Some of the sponsors have offered this like Sharkwerks

 

I'm sold on getting the sway bars, so that's a given. I'm thinking H&R.

What are the springs that have the least amount of drop to them? I'd be ok going a tiny bit lower but not much, especially in the front. A spring/strut combo is just so much cheaper than coilovers.

I've got 3 cars I'm currently in the process of modifying, so funds go quickly. Parts for a G-wagen are all obscenely expensive! And my built off-road truck is getting a new motor and paint job, which will run me probably $10k total (or more). I'd like to save a bit for an exhaust and tune for my Turbo.

 

I would just do the sways first to see how it works for you. I think lowering springs generally do not improve handling and more often than not make it worse.

 

GT3 Arbs, Adjustable

B6 Gas filles Shocks from Bilstien, replaces the B4 oil filled you have at the moment. You can use the origional springs for ride hieght. Give better damping that does not fade.

GT3 engine mounts help too.


I have the above set up, and its night and day to the stock set up...

Then get the GT2 OEM Geo set up

 

Are TPC sway bars the best? How are they better than Eibach or H&R?

 

The GT3 bar will fit the front, but not the rear of our cars. What are you running in the rear?

I'll look into those shocks. Bilstein makes the best shocks out there. Interesting to hear the gas filled make such a big difference over oil filled, but it makes sense. Oil responds slower than gas.

How hard is it to replace the engine mounts?

And what is the "GT2 OEM Geo set up"?

I'm a bit wary of some advice when people haven't run a setup before, so glad to hear you have. I was the first to run H&R Sport springs on a 996 C4 with stock shocks that I know of (and I was a moderator of the main Porsche forum 10 years ago), and then went with the Bilstein shocks. People kept giving advice about the first setup but nobody had ever run it, and what they said all proved wrong. I knew it wasn't the "right" setup, but since I do all my work myself, I could try it just for the heck of it to see what happened. Those were supposed "experts" in Porsche tuning who said you should never do it. Just goes to show you, until you've done it, you really don't know!