Single most effective upgrade to susp

[911Brian]

What is the single most effective upgrade to a 24 year old suspension?

[Joeaksa]

Bilstein (or Koni) shocks.

JoeA

[DJB]

Yup a set of Konis on the Cab - unbelievable difference. 18's also made a huge difference in many ways - but IMHO the Konis win.

[k9handler]

Tyson

[sfmlaw17]

Bilsteins

[chuckr]

all good advice.... what are your driving habits ? Koni's are the best for
some... Bilsteins are good for others. either way lowering the car made the biggest improvement for me.

[chrisp]

If your shocks are bad then start there.

If your shocks are good then I suggest (in order)
lowering to Euro spec (don't go much lower with OEM torsion bars)
sway bars
torsion bars
bushings

Lowering is free except for the alignment.

Overall except for shocks and sway bars the rest will require a realignment once it's done. So, I would group lowering, torsion bars and bushings together.

[ischmitz]

bushings ?

[widebody911]

http://www.unlimitedlaps.com/
http://www.tracquest.com/
http://www.ncracing.org/
http://www.trackmasters-racing.com/

[masraum]

I'm surprised Thom was the first to suggest seat time. It was the first thing i thought of when i saw the thread title, but first make sure the suspension/car is in good repair.

Hmm, I would suggest this in this order

Great tires (they are the most important part of the car, if they suck it doesn't matter what the rest of the suspension is doing)
bushings
Shocks (I second or third the Bilstein vote)
Lower, Corner balance, and alignment
Lots of seat time (learn to drive the thing)
and these last two are hotly debated, so they are in no particular order
Sway bars
Torsion Bars

[island911]

Originally posted by 911Brian
What is the single most effective upgrade to a 24 year old suspension?

Education. If you don't understand how suspension components interact, then you likely go into a very expensive trial & error mode. (good for those selling suspention comp's though)
Also, there are track people who will push the "stiffer is better" . . if that is your ultimate goal, save yourself some headache and buy a go-kart, and kick some tracked-911 butt . . .just don't drive it on the street (it will rattle your brain loose)

IMO, those Porsche engineers got the balance of the components right . . .for a street car. So, like masraum said; make sure the suspension/car is in good repair.

If, however, your 911 has the stock US ride height, then lowering will be by far the single most effective suspension upgrade. (The suspension design intent was sacrificed to the bumper gods, circa 1980) Of course, with lowering, your bumper-height may nolonger adhere to the laws of 1980. (oh darn)

[911Brian]

Thanks for the replies! I know I need much improvement myself. I autocross as often as I can. As far as I know, the entire suspension is 24 years old and stock and most likely a little worn out. Just looking for the most bang for my buck right now to get it at least to where it was 24 years ago and then some.

Sounds like seat time and new shocks are the way to go for now.

[Randy Webb]

Define "most effective" - do you include cost? If not, shocks. Tires aren't really part of the suspension; otherwise them too.

If cost is included (and you provide the labor), then you need to replace every single piece of rubber in that worn, stiff 24 year old suspension -- and that includes the top F shock mounts. For the street, use stock rubber, or Elephant's bearings. Search the forum.

[KTL]

Also, shocks are pretty easy to replace relative to other cars.

On the SC, the top nut on the rear shocks are kinda hard to get at because of the CIS and airbox assembly. Other than that they are straightforward.

Fronts are a bit stubborn but easily doable with a couple big pipe wrenches and two people.

The bang for the buck is good when it comes to shocks. Noticeable improvement instantly. And probably desperately needed after 24 years. The two front shock jobs i've done (86 & 87 Carreras) had worn out shocks that were amazingly soft. The amount of damping left in them was very minimal.

One other thing that wasn't mentioned is tie rods. The Turbo tie rod upgrade/replacement is a good improvement. Makes the steering nice and tight again. Also a good thing because you are forced to feel the improvement every time you drive the car.

[zotman72]

Counter to the rest of you, I would say torsion bars. Changing up from stock sizes made all the difference for me on my '72. I already upgraded my dampers (shocks) to Bilsteins but the effect of stiffer spring rates reduced my body roll, along with same time lowering. My sways are stock but I do have a good front strut brace. HTH.

[911Brian]

Originally posted by Randy Webb
Define "most effective" - do you include cost? If not, shocks. Tires aren't really part of the suspension; otherwise them too.

If cost is included (and you provide the labor), then you need to replace every single piece of rubber in that worn, stiff 24 year old suspension -- and that includes the top F shock mounts. For the street, use stock rubber, or Elephant's bearings. Search the forum.

I will provide the labor. I would love to do it all but don't think I can afford that right now. I would love to get some of Elephant's bearings but right now, looking for something that would provide me with less body roll. Not really looking for a "stiffer" ride but a little better cornering in mainly autocross. I am still learning how to control the car but am itching to start upgrading slowly.

[Eric Coffey]

Lower CG and less overall weight.