5 lug 914 coil spring front end

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 12:55 PM

I have a V8 car with a 5 lug, 911 front end using what I think are factory 914 T/bars. They have a brown paint on them. I also have Polly-bronze bushings and koni street shocks set on the lightest setting. No sway bar as yet.
I want to soften up the front end, how its sprung. I have herd there is one smaller, softer T/B but nothing that would make much difference. So I would like to use a coil spring and am reasonable sure theres room for street use.
Using a factory T/B as a gage how would one estimate a spring rate? Remember I wish to go softer.

It also seems to me I could back off the T/B settings and install a spring thats real soft just enough to carry the weight of a loaded car and use the T/B as its heavier progression.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 01:26 PM

a 914 torsion bar is 17mm, where a stock 911 bar is 19mm....

a 914 one is pretty soft... i saw a chart somewhere that had spring rates....

iirc, to do a coilover front, you need to beef up the upper strut mount, as it was never intended for spring load.

most people do that as part of adding in camber boxes...

a few things you should look at.
RSR struts.
aircooledclassics.biz offers converted porsche struts

and do a search here for bigd9146gt, as he did a badass coilover on the front of his car.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 01:27 PM

if you have a 911 front end, you CANNOT use 914 torsion bars as the splines are different. you must have 911 19mm bars (minimum)

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 01:29 PM

here is what aircooledclassics has...

http://www.aircooledclassics.biz/parts1.shtml

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 02:18 PM

I want to just make sure I know what I have,
5 lug, 911 vented rotors and calipers. Can I have these parts and still have factory 914 T/bars? The control arms and sub-frame I believe are 914.

Brando · Brando's Garage

No, you cannot. The spline count between the 914 tortion bars and 911 tortion bars is different. The hardware that attaches to the tortion bars is different between the two. You can downgrade to a 914 front end and pay for mueller billet hubs for converting to 5 lug, or go with softer shocks and adjust your front swaybar to get the softness you desire.

A front-coilover conversion is cubic-dollar and time consuming. Benefits of that are you can go with progressives and your spring rate options are multiplied by the hundreds.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drive-ability
I want to just make sure I know what I have,
5 lug, 911 vented rotors and calipers. Can I have these parts and still have factory 914 T/bars? The control arms and sub-frame I believe are 914.

if you have 914 a arms and cross member you DO have 914 torsion bars.

thought you had a complete front end off a 911.

so you have 911 STRUTS on 914 arms?

underbody or thrubody sway?

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Acox914
if you have 914 a arms and cross member you DO have 914 torsion bars.

thought you had a complete front end off a 911.

so you have 911 STRUTS on 914 arms?

underbody or thrubody sway?

Aaron,
I have a through body sway bar. I have a spare front end off of my donor car and it has the same size T/bars. The only difference I see is the spindle, rotors, calipers (and its 4 lug) are smaller. Oh, and the way the front shock fits in the strut housing is also different.
That leaves the strut housing, thats the only difference. The rest look like 914.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 02:41 PM

ok so you have the smallest torsion bars made... 17mm... so why do you want to go smaller?

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Acox914
ok so you have the smallest torsion bars made... 17mm... so why do you want to go smaller?

I want a softer ride.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 02:49 PM

get boge shocks.....

not bils or konis then... <_<

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Acox914
get boge shocks.....

not bils or konis then... <_<

Sounds too simple Aaron

I do have koni street shocks and they are set on the softest setting does that change anything?

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 03:33 PM

Now another question,
I have a 911 strut, its different than the 914 in the way the shock fits in the housing. My 911 has a screw top configuration with the threads on the outside of the strut housing and a cup W/threads which fits over and holds the shock in.
My donor strut/914 has a different configuration. The threads are inside the strut housing etc.
Ordering new shocks for the front would be for a ? year , model 911???

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drive-ability
Sounds too simple Aaron
I do have koni street shocks and they are set on the softest setting does that change anything?

thats pretty damn soft......

with a v8, there is no way that thing is stiff...

what springs?

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drive-ability
Now another question,
I have a 911 strut, its different than the 914 in the way the shock fits in the housing. My 911 has a screw top configuration with the threads on the outside of the strut housing and a cup W/threads which fits over and holds the shock in.
My donor strut/914 has a different configuration. The threads are inside the strut housing etc.
Ordering new shocks for the front would be for a ? year , model 911???

are they boge struts (911 struts)? you need to know what year struts you have to beable to order the right inserts for them....

drive-ability · 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Acox914
thats pretty damn soft......

with a v8, there is no way that thing is stiff...

what springs?

I have 200 in the rear, to compare them front to rear. The rear is stiffer than the front, but I still want a softer ride. There was a time I ran on the stops but thats long ago

It would be nice to go over a bump or divot and have the suspension take the beating not me.

djpateman · 05-14-2006, 04:09 PM

I can't believe you want a softer ride in the front than what you have. Are you sure the front suspension is not binding up or broken? This just does not make sense.

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by djpateman
I can't believe you want a softer ride in the front than what you have. Are you sure the front suspension is not binding up or broken? This just does not make sense.

The bushing are free, just want to make it more drive friendly.
I should run it by someone in the club and take them for a drive.

Acox914 · 05-14-2006, 04:23 PM

go to 140's on the rear springs then... should make a big difference in stiffness....

drive-ability · 05-14-2006, 04:29 PM

I was thinking about 170 with the V8 being a bit heavy for 140.
Thanks Aaron