I'm planning on doing some suspension work soon, but I had a few questions first.....
1. what's the average lifespan of the 996 shocks? My car has 70K on the odometer now, and I was wondering if they SHOULD be replaced at this point

2. If the shocks are fine, I was wondering what peoples opinions were of installing only the H&R springs? I would love to do a complete PSS9 install, but it's hard to justify the cost if my shocks are ok. (and I'd really like the car to sit a little lower regardless, so if I can get away with just springs, I'll do it.)

3. I also have swaybar questions, but they're still kind of vague... so I'm going to do a little more research before I start asking random questions.

Thanks in advance!
John

 

I think you would be happy with the PSS9 kit and GT-3 sway bars. You have the option of variability in the ride height and a lot of adjustability in ride and handling characteristics. The stock setup has no adjustability and can be improved upon significantly. With 70k on the clock your shocks are worn. The above setup can be had for under $3500 installed and you will be blown away by the difference.

 

You're shocks were done 30K miles ago. Time to replace them or opt for coilovers.

 

well...... I guess I was looking for an excuse. PSS9's it is....

In regards to the sway bars; what advantages do the GT3's have over the stock 996's? I have read what I can about aftermarket sway bars, and the main differences I find are weight and rigidity. Are the GT3 sways either of these things? I guess I just don't know enough....

Thanks for the input Greg & mojo. Now all I have to do is save up a little more.

 

johnny , help us to understand how you 're not able to "justify the cost" of adding a very nice set of adjustable aftermarket coilovers. i'm thinking it's more, i don't have the funds because it's clearly justified if you're in this forum in the first place asking about this. pss9s are a huge upgrade to the stock suspension in both looks and handling.

if u can scrounge up the dough, you will not regret going for the pss9s. getting springs to stock shocks is a waste of money. go big or stay stock.

 

Pss9s or Pss10s or other coilover kits from KW or JIC will make a huge difference.
I went with the 9's and H&R swaybars on my 996 and I luv the way the car handles.
Someone was selling Pss9s for 1700 the other day...and H&Rs were 350-425 I think.
You will need to have the car aligned and/or corner balanced if you so desire

 

I'm definately going to need the alignment, but I doubt my driving skill is at a level where corner balancing is going to make a difference for me. As I said, I guess I just needed a bit of a push to make the purchase.
In terms of "justifying the cost" - I was speaking mainly in terms of justifying it to my fiance. I've read enough 6speeder posts and reviews to already know that I would love the upgrade. (I think I was waiting for you to speak up Ben; if there was anyone who could push me, I knew it'd be you)

Thank again everyone. Time to start saving / hunting for deals.

 

My stock 996 shocks were done at 25k miles. Adding springs is not the right way to go.
You don't need a corner balance. Get your final alignment done AFTER driving your car for a week or two with the new coilovers. Getting alignment done at time of install is a waste. Get your alignment done to "GT3 Street Specs", this data is in the shop's alignment computer.

Look in the group buy forum for deal price on KWv3 coilovers. I had them on my 996 and it gave an incredible ride. Considering the recent price increase of PSS10, KW's are priced the same and offer a lot more for the money. Whichever way you go, any coilover is going to blow your mind after all this time riding on those worn shocks. It will feel like a whole new car.

 

My PSS 10's are great, you can even make them softer or harder.

 

Just installed PSS10s from Tire Rack. At approx. $2000 they are a little cheaper than the KWV3's. The ride with the PSS10s is fantastic and the look of the lowered car is an added bonus. If you like to fiddle with your suspension setup you may prefer the added adjustability of the KW's. If not you cant go wrong with the PSS10's.

 

If the diff between pSS9s and 10s is more than $500 then go for the pss9s. that $ diff would be put to better use on good labor (alignment, install)

with that said, corner balancing is a waste of $ unless you've got a track superstar type car / mentality / interest.

note that your awesome 911 from the factory is NOT corner balanced cuz it can't be done. and i highly doubt even the ferrari factory cars are corner balanced, but this statement is just a bet.

btw, my car is corner balanced . i admit i'm irrational sometimes.

 

either save $ and buy PSS9, or up the ride quality and buy KWv3.
PSS10 adds one extra click, that's it.

If you have not owned both KW and PSS9 or 10, then don't offer comparative opinion on KWs. From my expierience KW's are superior to Bilsteins in several aspects and the "fiddling" simply allows you to get your preferred ride.
Bilstein has 3 "real" settings. Soft / Medium / Firm.

KW has separate bump and rebound adjustment, and also a factory set high-speed bump. One or two clicks on the KW's makes a noted diff, and being able to set your rebound a bit softer than your bump makes for a sporty but comfortable street driver. With the high-speed bump valve, you can have your bump settings very sporty but not lose a kindey hitting a pothole.
Not to mention all stainless contruction and progressive rate springs.
-KW does not void your warranty for track use like Bilstein (did this change with PSS10s?).
-You constantly hear about cars setting Nurbergring speed records rocking KW's. Where's Bilstein?

i'm not saying Bilstein's are bad, they work great. However, considering the close price between KWv3 and PSS10, the KW's (to me) are a no-brainer.

 

I haven't owned both but drove cars with both suspensions prior to making my purchase decision. I agree and stated that if you like to fiddle and tweak your suspension that the KW's where a better choice. I actually choose not to go with the KW's because I didn't feel I had enough knowledge or patience to get the most out of them and was concerned I would actually end up sub optimizing the overall performance. The differential I payed over the best price I found for PSS9's was around $200 for newer technology. Again I was able to get them from Tirerack for just over $2000. The difference is more that one click. The detents are much more positive and others have observed that the difference between the detents is more noticeable. I agree that the KW's ride seemed to have better bump compliance over rough pavement but in my opinion they were not $800 better. Which was the differential for the group buy price and what I payed.

If I was rocking the track on a regular basis I would have purchased the KW's. It ultimately comes down to what you want out of your suspension setup and how you plan to use the car. In the end I preferred the simplicity of the Bilstein and saving $800 was an added bonus.

 

KW setup is easy, they are not like Motons or anything- Price diff of KW vs. PSS10 should be less than $500 with GB price on the KWs.

Bilstein or KW, either way you can't go wrong- I still feel the KW is a much better choice for both DD and track in this price range.

 

you sound like a kw salesman.

bro, all three here are street coilovers so trying to say one is better than the other outside of price is splitting hairs. and who the hell has time to tweak coilover settings assuming we all have real lives here.

+ you would think based on your assessment the kws offer some magical handling advantage over the proven pssX series.

i agree with you: save $ and go PSS9s but i'd also recommend this route even with the KWs included.

go big or stay home meaning in this case, go PSS9s or really up the ante by going with motons/penskes etc.

if you want to feel good about telling people you have all this adjustability, feature by feature type comparisons and this is worth the extra $XXXX, then go for it. otherwise, stick with the 9s as the lowest cost, safe bet upgrade.

do you even begin to track your cabriolet? c'mon man. let's get real here.