Hoping someone knows the answer to this front shock install question. I've replaced OEM shocks first with HR RSS Coilovers, and now changed back to Bilstein / HR sport springs for more comfort. In both cases I reused the OEM top hat with new bearings, since the top hats are in near new condition.
The picture below shows the OEM instructions stating what appears to be a specific orientation of the 'top hat' piece. I did not see this information on my top hats and installed just as they fell into place. In both cases they work well with no obvious issues. In both cases I can see a portion of the top hat inside the body hole and all part number information is to the front of the car, so that seems consistent.
Just wanting to confirm I don't have to take front shocks back out to check for orientation. Anyone know about this?? Thanks

 

For future reference - if someone has this issue...I was able to easily drop the struts/top hat and rotate to confirm handing and orientation. The marking were very clear, but somehow I missed confirming this at install. Luckily it was all correct so no changes required. It seems like it would be very difficult to orient incorrectly, the top hats want to fall in the correct orientation and any other way is very awkward.

BTW the Bilstein/HR combo has an excellent feel, seems like what Porsche should have installed stock!

 

Did you change front and rear? Can you please update with PNs? Thanks.

 

I installed H&R Sport Spring Set and Bilstein B8 Performance Plus shocks/struts - purchased from TireRack.com
So far, seems like the perfect suspension for 996 Turbo. I have not pushed it hard yet, just got alignment a couple of days ago. This set dropped my vehicle ~1.25", pretty low but not extreme - still have to watch drive entries.
IMHO this is the setup that should have come stock with the car.

 

100% facts, just completed this myself including Tarret drop links and rear H&R bar. My oem stuff was 18+yrs old, way overdue.

 

couldn't agree more. i ran MO 30's w h&r sports for years and finally replaced the MO 30's with the b8 ( essentially the same damper though MO 30 is a porsche designation for their "sport damper ) and it's absolutely rock solidly perfect. same as "before".

i never understood the "need" for coilovers on this or my previous tt and while i know it's sacrilege to say. but i prefer the stance and handling out of the box and never wanted to fiddle with adjustability per se.

this combo suits the bill and car "perfectly" imo. took me awhile to source new b8's though. good to see they are available again.

 

COs are the bomb for track adjustability, but I couldn't justify the cost. If I were building a track car, different story.

 

Just curious, looking at my options to refresh my setup. Thx.

 

i'm sure that's right and is the general consensus for those in the know. but i've driven many of these with coilovers and was very close to swapping my dampers for a full gt3 conversion ( axles etc ) when running rwd. but opted to stay with what i know and find no fault with. i never really could tell the difference TBH, but it was always canyon carving. not tracking at trip digit speeds.

so simply "refreshing" with b8's was the "right" decision for the car, and it's now mostly sedentary lifestyle lol.

caveat: i just broke in my new clutch am again enjoying seeing 1.3 sustained - until i chicken out.