From what I have read here on the board it appears that PSS9 are the way go, my question is what makes the these so special compared to say H&R coil overs or another vendor (add name here). I am looking to stiffen my 2001 C4 to take care of the under steer in the front, lower the car to ROW level or a little lower what are my options. It seems a lot of money $2500 dollars for shocks/install/alignment...I hear great things from owners I would just like to know what other choices I might have to choose from.

 

H&R's I hear bad things about.....Others are less "forgiving" for street use....What makes PSS9's so good is its a "matched" system of springs and shocks. The shocks are designed and engineered to work well with these springs. If you buy just lowereing springs, yoiu need shocks designed for lowered springs. BUT you wont get height adjustability or dampening which controls the stiffness of the shocks. A set of springs and shocks may run you $1,000-$1,300 PSS9's you can get for $1,500-$1700....so you are spending a few hundred more for adjustability.....You can fine tune the ride height, the rude quality, and you can actually have a lowered car with BETTER than stock ride quality and WAY better than stock handling. You can also go x74, which is the Porsche sport suspension. It lowers it more that ROW M030 and has a stiffer ride, but its not very forgiving on the street. The one thing I have heard AGAINST PSS9's is that hardcore track junkis say even on the stiffest settings they want it stiffer for the track...Those people go with JIC's....the problem with those is they are a bit harsh on the street....

 

Where do you get PSS9s for that price?

 

Thanks newport966 your PM was very helpful as well...I am new to this so I just trying to get all the information I can before I make a decision. I really like the looks of your car with the Sport Design Black. I am looking to replace the chrome ones I have with something like that, maybe a brushed lip.

 

CLS I would honestly stay away from doing just springs. More often than not new folks come in hating their ride with H&Rs and we either swap their stuff for PSS9s or JICs which have shocks and springs that match. The handling becomes unsettled with lowering springs. You get a lot of pogoing...

 

Hey man... Before I was looking for suspension, I was in a debate b/w PSS9, JIC and X74. This is the skinny of the three:

JIC - most adjustable settings. The stiffest out of the 3, but the harshest for street driving. If this is your weekend/track car and/or you live in a place where there are decent roads, JIC might be the best option.

x74 - OEM suspension. Adjusted from the factory. This is a nice option to have as you know it is already pre-tested. However, this option only offers a mild drop (as compared to the other two) and you do not have any adjustability which was a negative in my book. The OEM is a plus though.

PSS9 - I found PSS9s to be the best of both worlds. More suitable for everyday, street driving. IF you are a track junkie, this suspension will definitely be too soft for you, but comfort was an key factor when I was picking out suspension and I'm very happy with the Bilstein set-up.

X74 and PSS9s can be had around $2000. JIC's tend to be a bit more at $2500.

 

Since you have a C4 you would want the x73 package. The x74 is for 2-wheel drives.

Best price I've found for PSS9's in the Atlanta area has been closer to $3K installed. That's like $1800 for the hardware and about $1000 for the install. They tell me its 12 hours labor and the good shops are charging $85+/hour.

Re: x73, is Carnewal the only place that has it? I think they are charging around $1200 for the hardware. My guess would be that it would take about the same amount of time to install the X73/4 as it would the PSS9's. So you might save $500 or so by going with the non-adjustable OEM package. Some people also think that it helps your resale to have an all OEM car.

 

$1000 bucks is about twice what it costs out here for install....$1800 is a pretty good price....about what it costs here is you look around....With regards to resale value...none of these will add value to the car for the most part unless you find someone who WANTS your parts...the best thing to do is save your stock system, when you go to sell the car return it to stock and sell the aftermarket stuff...Your PSS9's will be worth near what they cost new,. and there is a good market for them....

 

I had H&R's in my C4 and PSS9's in my turbo. Go with the PSS9's and spend the extra money. The ride is much better and they're adjustable.

 

People rattle off good prices for the PSS9's...

Can anyone confirm there sub 2000 prices with links?

-Keith

 

Unfortunately, its not that easy, you need to call around, look for specials, group buys, or a new set on ebay....the NORMAL prices on the websites are usually LIST prices....I would start with board sponsors (Lucent) and go from there....

 

agreed, call arling at lucent. he will get you the best price he can find and it's usually very good.

 

I have H&R's and compared to the originals...I love them, spend 750 incl install...I guess it all depends where and how you drive your P....I drive mostly PCH and 405/605....put them under 3 months ago and about 4000miles...still driving great

 

I assume you mean H&R springs alone, not the coilovers....The springs alone are fine, except that the stock shocks are not matched to them. Bilstein Sport shocks are designed for a car that is lowered. The stock shocks with stock springs can have a "pogo" effect unders ome conditions...On my boxster with just springs done, it had that effect when cornering at high speeds and encounteringa bump in the middle of the corner....it was very unsettling. If you add another $750-1000 for Bistein sport shocks..you are almost to the price of PSS9's...

 

thanks Newport....so I will be okay when I am changing my shocks too?? Can always do this in the near future when I feel the car is not handling the way I want....what is a "popg" effect??