My 2008 C2S is now a year old. I have 14,300 miles on it. It has become my daily driver. It has had zero issues. The kids fit, and the golf clubs fit. It is easy to drive around town and in traffic. It also great on long drives and for hard driving. It is actually smoother at 140mph than at 80. I love the X51 engine option; it revs hard to red line and pulls away from standard C2S with ease.

It has a new suspension from GMG (H&R springs and GMG GT3RS sway bars) that was installed in March. I also got an aggresive alignment from GMG. I did not intend to track the car, so I went with the simpler spring option. I am pleased with the work and support from GMG, but I would say that the springs are not the ultimate solution. I like it, but it isn't perfect. The sway bars are AWESOME though. On smooth or predicatable surfaces, the turns in sharply, tracks through corners cleanly, and can be throttle steered.

It also has Michlin PS2s now. Initially, I did not like the PS2s and posted here about it. Ultimately, I played with the tire pressures and found 2 additional PSI per tire worked for me. I will try another tire when these wear out based on my personal preferences. Please don't crucify me for this opinion.

The future: I have always intended to get the Dension iPod kit and will get to it eventually. I think Damptronics are in the future. I also want to put in a Quaiffe LSD. The last twelves months have been interesting business-wise so these projects will happen when events permit. If things go real well......

Bottom line, this is the BEST car I have ever owned. Thanks!

Belin

 

HR springs are more for show than go- in the long run it was $ wasted, you will really want a good CO setup like KWv3 or if you want to retain the damptronics, PSS10.

The prob I have experienced with HR springs on stock shocks is a bit of harshness on compression and lack of control on rebound, makes for a bit of washyness at higher speeds / dips in corners- You'll notice this more as you get up to the 20k mile mark.

You'll be flat out amazed how your pcar's handling transforms with a good set of CO's. PS2's are pretty much the best tire for these cars, I would balme the suspension more than the tires at this point.

1yr of 997 ownership for me, daily driving and all, has been nothing but miles of smiles... This is truly a "best car".

 

Great post. I enjoyed reading how the last year has been fullfilling and how the time you've spent customizing your car has been part of the experience . I feel the same way about mine . I'm now on two years with my Turbo , have 8.5K mi , and it's not a daily driver . Interestingly this is my first Porsche garage queen and I find that the less I drive it the more I enjoy it when I do.

 

I couldn't agree with your more, these cars are awesome to drive every day, and a ton of fun on the track! I don't drag the kids around in my car, but everything else this car is far beyond anything else that I have owned!

 

Nice post and congratulations on your anniversary. I can't comment on the springs, but I went directly to the PSS10's (I didn't want to give up the PASM) and am very happy. I will say that it took some fiddling with the ride height to get the best handling. At first, I set the car too low and, coupled with a bit of settling, found a lack of compliance and unsettled handling. I then lifted it just a bit to 117/138 (f/r) and it is just perfect.
I also think that the PS2's are the best. When you said you added 2lbs all around, what are the new settings? I'm pretty sure I run mine too hard.
Finally, what are your sway bar settings? Perhaps not comparable, but I've got H&R's and am not sure I've got the right set up. They're set to max stiff front and rear. I'm about to start fiddling...
Oh, and like you, it's the best car I've ever owned.

 

Thats a great post and I heartily agree. I bought a new 997 C2S in July 2007 and have driven it hard. I did not buy it to become a garage king/queen but to drive it and have put 30K miles on it since that point even though I don't drive it in the winter months here in Boston.

It is a great car although it takes a lot of TLC with it being black on black - a labor of love.

 

Yorks- I tend to buy dark color cars (black, midnight blue etc), labor of love but just can't beat it when they are clean / waxed. I am looking into Cilajet paint coating, which seems to be a little known secret but widely used. Check out the leno vid and info at www.cilajet.com - interesting!

 

It's nice to read about a well driven 911.

 

My 08C2S will be one year this month, no issues, daily driver, 9800 miles, the kids love the back seats, and the tennis rackets fit just right!

 

My car was running strong at the one year mark too...miss those days .

Hope your cars continue running great as they should

 

Thanks for the report, it's good to hear as Im a first time Porsche owner. What psi are you running on your car fronts/rears? Thanks.

 

Sorry for the slow response. I can't view this website from work (thank you compliance).

I am running 39lbs front and 46lbs rear. My rears are turbo sized (305) optioned by the factory.

The sway bars are said to be 90% stiffer than stock by Fabryce at GMG. Front and rear are set one slot away from full soft. Coming in and out of parking lots here in SoCal, the inside front corner always gets full air.

I want to keep the PASM, so it will be the Damptronic Bilsteins. So much for saving a buck during economic turmoil.

 

Holy cow, that's some intense tire pressure. I'd watch that you don't wear the center of your rear tires early. I thought the 39 lb rear recommended pressure was too much. I was considering lowering mine. It'll have a big affect on ride quality.

I've read from someone that the Bilsteins are not quite an optimal solution. The "soft" setting may be okay, but the sport setting becomes brutal. Instead of the PASM alternative solution, you end up with a suspension that really only has one usable setting. Search for comments.

 

I agree with Ryem3- I personally do not care for the settings of the PSS10, it is either too soft or too hard. If you don't mind getting away from the push button mentality of PASM, going with a set of KWv3's will rock your world -both for DD and any track use. Ask anyone who has driven with a set of KW3's on their pcar, you will never hear a single complaint. In addition, there are some great pricing deals available in the vendor forum section.

BelinM3- keep in mind that stiffer sways will add a bit of harshness to your street ride, that's just the way it is. But of course the handling will feel greatly improved. This may cause some flaming, but IMHO I don't see a need for adding aftermarket sways if the car will only see street driving and no serious use at the track. The car already handles phenominally well, it's only "weak spot" off the showroom floor is the soft factory suspension. Again JMHO..

 

According to the tire pressure guide on the door sill, the stock recommendations look to be 37 front and 44 rear. I am running the turbo sized wheel/tire combo though. As for uneven wear, I'll just replace them when necessary. It's a nice problem to have.

I have not been a "sway bar guy" for what is essentially a street car in the past. In 1990, Korman Autoworks did a spring/shock combo for my e30 M3 but no sways. It was the same with my e36 M3 and the e46 M3. The guys at GMG swore on a stack of bibles that I would like the sway bars. They were right.

The car doesn't understeer at all now. It is very neutral and can be throttle steered through corners. Above all, it is absolutely FLAT in corners. It feels flatter than the Formula Fords I used to race. Some of this is also due to the alignment (-1.0 camber front and -1.9 camber rear).

I will do some more research on the coil over matter. I want a spring/damper combo that is well matched and where the damper valves are well tuned for compression and rebound. I am inclined to keep the PASM because I actually like it despite the fact that I had strong reservations about it.

But all of this is just icing on the cake. My 997 is AWESOME!