I know I'm resurrecting an old subject but there doesn't seem to be any recent (within years) posts in the following articles regarding 996 suspension upgrades:

• https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-x73-74-a.html
• https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...coilovers.html
• https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-struts-3.html
• http://forums.rennlist.com/rennforum...-question.html

I have a 2002 996 C2 that is a daily driver but I track it 3-4 times a year...hopefully more...and I drive fairly 'sprited' when on the street. As an FYI for engine mods, the only thing I have done is Evo CAI and IPD Plenum.

The "problem" is that I have the stock US struts. I have upgraded the Sway bars to M030 and love the difference it made...but I still feel the floatiness when pushing it a bit so I'm looking at my options for strut upgrades. Currently, it seems that these are the options:

• M030 springs only from suncoast - ~$600 (includes special shipping from Germany + 3 weeks lead time)
• X.74 strut upgrade from Carnewal ~$1800 (http://www.carnewal-usa.com/cpx_p96079.htm)
• PSS9 - $2300 (tirerack)
• PSS10 - $2600 (tirerack)
• JRZ RS (dual adj + adj camber & caster (I think)) - ~$4000

On the new M030 springs from Suncoast, I thought these were the whole strut but the cust svc rep said they were only springs....that were out of stock and are +20% since they have to be special ordered from Porsche, Germany. Are these supposed to go on the US strut housings? if so, aren't I losing travel?

PSS9 vs 10 sounds like it's worth it for the external adjust-ability in the pss10's, anyone disagree? Sounds pretty good for the price but no camber adjustment included...any other drawbacks?

And then there's JRZ...there's definitely an argument for "about another $1400" and you get full adjust-ability and added caster adjust-ability (at least some models do, not sure if the RS model does). Sounds like there can be leak issues? is this with mileage or "street" abuse? is this serviceable by the common mortal? is it worth it?

============ to the point =========

Anyone care to vote for one of these at the costs of today knowing what you have been through in your travels the past few years?

PS: I'm also trolling to see if anyone wants to get rid of any X74 or PSS9 struts if you have upgraded to something else! A good used deal would definitely sway me for the short term gain!

thanks...
Tim

 

I ran X74 for several years on my 02 and loved it. I like the fact that it was a street/track setup from the factory. I have fully adjustable stuff on my track car and I just don't want to mess with setting it up on a car that spends 80% of it's life on the street. I'm not talking about PSS 9/10 as I have not used those, I'm talking about double or tripple adjustable setups...

Good luck.

 

Thanks TPup,
Sounds like sound advice

I'm definitely leaning towards x74...Gert (from Carnewal) got back to me and stated that the x74 sway bars are the same as the M030 sway bars...but the x74 kit comes with "reinforcement parts" when you get the sway bars....anyone know what the "reinforcement parts" are exactly?

thanks
Tim

 

You should look at JIC coilovers as well...

 

what about KW V3?? got to drive a 996 tt with them on and it rode well subtle yet stiff when needed! I currently have the ROW030 and find it sits a bit too high and is quite stiff, The KW's are adjustable in every way and seem to ride very well with the fancy valving. I'm looking to change to the KW's soon. Just wondering if there is too much adjustability....?

 

Thanks, I'll have to look more into JIC and KW v3's if folks have had good experiences with them...but (right now) I'm leaning towards the x74 direction mostly for cost but also since it is a factory setup. Right now I can get the x74 struts for about $1600 + shipping. This is at least $500 cheaper than the adjustable kinds (that I have seen so far)...I think I saw the KW's for ~$3k and about the same for the JIC, right?

I'm also not convinced having them adjustable is *all that* given that you'd need to align it with any major height change so you're not going to do it very often....prolly just once seems to be the consensus. The only benefit I see is being able to "dial it in" to some special height, but that seems like a corner case. The controllable compression/dampening might be the big difference maker, but even then...$1500 for that? If I'm going to go that route I'm going to have to get a lot more for that additional cost (camber adj, caster adj, compression/dampening control, etc.) and yes that will likely be in the $4k-5k range...

Thanks for the responses guys, I didn't know folks were having good luck with KW & JIC....

cheers
tim

 

The JICs come with adjustable camber plates. JICs high value for what you pay.

 

The reinforcement parts are short metal strips that run along the rear taillights and body. I wish I knew what they really reinforced because it does not look like much..

 

yeah, I have heard the same thing from a couple different folks now...I'd like to see the stock vs. upgraded metal strips side-by-side to self-eval but in the end prolly not a big deal from what I gather from these types of comments...

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Does anyone have a pic of their M030-ROW or x.74 setup 996? I'd like to see what 20mm & 40mm lower really looks like :-) Any complaints after having yours on the street for a while (harsh-ride, scraping everywhere, etc.)?

Just heard today that the roads in the Norcal Bay Area are among the 10 worst in the nation...we got a D+

 

There is no stock versus upgraded. There is only the strips that come with the X74 kit.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...uspension.html

 

Thanks pmkazz,
I would have responded to the PM but I guess I'm too much of a noob

Also, thanks for the update on the x.74 brackets, I couldn't find that thread previously...
--------------------------
Good advice, much appreciated...now I'm leaning towards the M030 ROW (unless I come across a deal on some PSS9's). I don't want to beat myself up too much for a few track days per year...

cheers
tim

 

get the x-74 from Gert w/o the sways- he sells just the strut/spring assembly- you don't need the xtra piece for rear - you'll love the X-74 -
i put it on my 02 996 after i got it about 4 yrs ago and its night & day- i love it no regrets at all-not to stiff and ride height is perfect-
our track closed here so i don't track it. With our rough
streets here, its perfect as daily driver- plus you never have to mess with any settings- get the rear engine protection plate also helps protect with
steep curbs- i find rear more of issue, not had any front issues at all. hope this helps

 

bgrpph, where the heck do you drive here in Honolulu??? Only back and forth on Kapiolani?
I've got the X74 on my 996 and personally find it too stiff for Honolulu's absolutely crappy roads. I was thinking about getting the PSS10's to soften things up a bit.
I do think the drop is perfect, not too low or to high. But the engine skid plate is an absolute must. I've lightly scrapped it several times coming down driveways.
However, I do know that most of the roads in the mainland US aren't too bad so maybe the X74 would work. For the price it's hard to beat it given that it's factory tuned and tested.

 

You also have to consider adjustable drop links with a PSS9/10 setup if you decide to lower the car. Then, you might as well as upgrade the sway bars too. I went the route above but if I had to do it over again, X74/X73 would have been my choice and be done with it. The extra money would have been spent on extra track days or other goodies.

 

I vote for x74 if you can live with it on your roads. With the ROW, you'll wish you had more at the tracks. FWIW, I had ROW and sold it and repla ed with gt3