'87 Carrera suspension updates

[porsche_addict]

I am looking at updating/lowering the suspension on my stock '87 Carrera Cab with 48k. My goals are to lower the car to Euro height and stiffen the ride up a bit from the stock setup.

The car is a weekend driver so I want to keep it relatively comfortable for touring and daily driving. I'm looking at a Bilstein setup but am wondering the difference between the regular and the sport line. What would I do with the torsion bars to match the Bilsteins? What do I need to lower the ride to Euro height?

[Jack Stands]

The front and rear ends are relatively easy to lower by adjusting the torsion bars in the front, and changing the spline position on the rear trailing arms. The car should be realigned after lowering.

If you want to keep a nice ride, I'd not go too stiff on any other changes as it's a cabriolet. Put the top down and enjoy the ride!

[Arne2]

Bear in mind that starting in '84, all US Porsches were delivered at the same ride height as the RoW cars. True factory spec "euro height" is the same height as your car was delivered.

If you are considering the fender heights 25.5" F and 25" rear (as is commonly espoused here as "euro height"), that is about 1" lower than true factory RoW height. Looks good, but does reduce suspension travel, and can cause additional bump steer.

[johnsjmc]

Stock 84 up shocks are likely boge. Bilstein might make an insert but I used Koni on an 86 Cab I had many years ago. They were adjustable but I ran them at 1 notch up from full soft. Agree the cab platform is not as stiff as it could be. Stiffer sway bars and T bars don,t work well on the cab platform. It,s pretty well as good as it gets already.

[Tidybuoy]

I use Bilstein HD in the front and sports in the rear. I would not go any stiffer in the front as the HD's are plenty stiff on their own. I like the ride that I have now but might consider switching (or trying) HD's for the rear - just to see the difference.

You might do a search for Bilstein as I've seen many threds on the use of HD front and Sports in the rear.

[Hodgey]

Bilsteins sports all round.......cant beat it with a big stick!!!

[michael lang]

With only 48K on your car I very seriously doubt there is anything wrong with your car's shocks. Having said that, if you feel the necessity to change the shocks and based on what you said how the car was used I would not go with anything stiffer than the HDs. I went from the stock suspension to a lowered car. It made a difference in the overall feel of the ride in that there was not as much roll or sway when cornering. A winter later I went to Bilstein Sports in front and rear, the difference in ride was huge. The car felt very planted on the road. If you plan on changing the ride height, do it after you install the shocks because once they are bolted in they will raise your car's body up. So much so it will make your car look like a 4X4.

[porsche_addict]

Originally Posted by michael lang

With only 48K on your car I very seriously doubt there is anything wrong with your car's shocks. Having said that, if you feel the necessity to change the shocks and based on what you said how the car was used I would not go with anything stiffer than the HDs. I went from the stock suspension to a lowered car. It made a difference in the overall feel of the ride in that there was not as much roll or sway when cornering. A winter later I went to Bilstein Sports in front and rear, the difference in ride was huge. The car felt very planted on the road. If you plan on changing the ride height, do it after you install the shocks because once they are bolted in they will raise your car's body up. So much so it will make your car look like a 4X4.

You're probably right that the shocks are ok but I wouldn't mind a bit firmer ride. I guess with the cab chassis I am probably better off with nothing stiffer than the HDs. You definitely feel the cowl/chassis flex with these open top cars over rough and uneven surfaces. I am guessing my '87 probably has Boge shocks? Will the Bilsteins just slide right into the front strut assemblies without too much hassle?

What other bushings should I look at given the age of the car? I hear the Turbo tie rod kit is a popular upgrade but I do not know what the advantage to that upgrade would be on the car.

[Tidybuoy]

Originally Posted by porsche_addict

Will the Bilsteins just slide right into the front strut assemblies without too much hassle?

What other bushings should I look at given the age of the car? I hear the Turbo tie rod kit is a popular upgrade but I do not know what the advantage to that upgrade would be on the car.

1st: yes, Bilstein inserts will slide into the Boge Housings easily. You can do this without removing the strut from the car and just disconnecting the top nut, compress and the strut can be pulled out from under the fender - still attached at the bottom.

The '87 inserts are slightly different from the earlier cars as the securing nut screws onto the outside of the strut vs. inside on earlier struts.

By the way, I have a brand new set of what you need for sale on the classified ads which I purchased when I was doing a brake upgrade - long story short, I got the wrong struts and they are new, in the box, and about 4 months since purchasing.

Here is a link to my strut inserts:
FS - Brand New Bilstein HD Strut Inserts for Later 911 w/Outer Threads at top

2nd: Another item to consider is replacing the factory rubber bushings. Even with low mileage, they wear and get deformed. Elephant Racing sells Factory Rubber bushings that are superior to many of the other rubber bushings available. Poly bushings are crap and squeak. Others will chime in about poly/bronze, which are good but overkill for your application.

3rd: Turbo tie rods are much better than stock because they use a ball-type joint. The advantage is smoother steering with more "feel" for the road. The stock joint is like a U-Joint and are not as smooth as the turbo. They also have rubber bushings in them which wear out, unlike the all steel turbo version. This is a very common upgrade and easy to do yourself (will need alignment after changing).

Hope this helps a little.