Noobe here. I hope this is the right place for this post. I have a 2008 C2S and am discussing suspension mods with local shop. Bilstien Damptronics. I read about them on this forum and found mostly favorable comments. I like the idea of keeping PASM. So Im going ahead with this. I asked about changing sway bars and the shop recomended only replaceing the rear with an H&R unit. He said that is the best set up. This is a good shop: lots of trick Porsches and exotics. They are fairly well knows and do cornerweighting and all the good stuff. What gives with the sway bar set up? Why is a front one offered if only the rear is needed. And what about using a GT3 bar?

 

I just did H&R front and rear yesterday,i must say its really remarkable.The turn in at fast or slow bends are very neutral and i did not notice any flex,i was very happy and i went around the roundabout and hairpin over and over again,Just to enjoy the the cornering abilities of the car.I am also using a set of Cargraphic springs on the car.So i suggest best is to install booth front and back for optimum performance.

 

I got Bilstien Damptronics install, also replace front & back sway bar I can feel a big different when I took my P-car to the track.

 

I have the Damptronics and F&R Sway Bars (H&R), my car handles amazingly well. I would change both of them. and adjust the rear bar as you need it.

 

Is that why you are so much faster than me at PIR?

I need to learn your fast line around turn 2 next year.

 

No actual experiance with a 997 but if your purpose is to reduce body roll (not a problem in street driving) then replace both front and rear sway bars with a stiffer set, this will keep the handling (in terms of understeer and oversteer) close to stock but it will increase the hardness of the ride.

If you put a stiffer bar on the rear only you will reduce understeer and increase the chance of oversteer. These cars tend to have a lot of understeer "dialed in at the factory" so unless you are driving very agressively you should not run into trouble, getting rid of a bit of understeer at track would not be a bad thing, just don't leap of the gas (or apply brakes) in the turns.

 

Tim,

It is part of why I can go around the track faster. The other mods help too, burn the real reason is practice, no substitute for seat time.

 

Can a rear sway bar be installed myself or is it pretty difficult?

( I installed a rear sway bar on my friends R32, but i know my 997 would be totally different)

Also does anyone recommend the H&R or GT3????

 

sways are an easy mod.

H&R's are a direct bolt on, I have heard that GT3 bars need a few other parts and end up costing more in the end.

 

I've seen some hollow sway bars to reduce weight. Do they work as well as there solid siblings?

 

My 2 cents: As a one step improvement, adding a stiffer rear bar will help your handling significantly. If you want to be able to tune your suspension then you'll want front and rear bars with adjustability. Most importantly, you'll want to tweak your allignment specs to take advantage of the suspension mods and R coupmpound tires which will mean GT3 or Cup front control arms and other things if you want the full monty. The only mod needed to fit GT3 sway bars is a change in the front drop link length. Your shop can modify the stock 997 links or you can buy aftermarket links (which I would strongly recommend).

It all depends on your intended goals in making the mods and its best to talk to someone who has experience (Synergy, GMG, Imagine Auto, Sharkwerks, etc.) modifying these cars so you end up with a reasonably optimized set up.