951 suspension swap

[alutto944]

will turbo sway bars and strut/ shocks fit on a 85.5 944 n/a ........will they just bolt right on or are modifications needed?????

[kdjones2000]

If it's an '86 turbo suspension then most things will swap over without issues. Anything later is late offset, which means the struts are different lengths, and other things might not work so well.

Even for the '86 the struts won't, unless you change the spindles as well or you drill out the strut holes to fit the NA spindles.

So in short, most things will other than the struts. Look in PET and do some searches on here to see what has been done.

[Rasta Monsta]

Only '86 951 strut assemblies will maintain your current suspension geometry without also changing control arms. You would also need to swap to turbo spindles and brakes. In the process, you would lose the convenience of your cartridge-style front dampers.

I would usually recommend starting slow on NA suspension mods, because you will probably be satisfied by tweaking the factory setup without spending a load of dough.

Stage One: Inspect control arm bushings, ball joints and tie rod ends, replacing as needed. Install new shocks, and the largest junk yard sway bars you can find. Use new bushings to install these.

Shock choices: Sachs, for reasonable stiffness and factory ride. Bilstein, for very stiff bump damping, somewhat harsh ride, but excellent smooth road handling. Koni Sport for slightly less bump damping but adjustable rebound. . .nice stiff ride but less harsh than Bilstein, great handling over more surfaces.

This "Stage One" setup will substantially change how your car drives, and may very well be sporty enough to get where you want without breaking the bank.

[alutto944]

my mechanic told me that my 85/2 struts are enclosed and inserts wont work

[Rasta Monsta]

Ah, sorry. Koni makes an insert kit for the late housings, sold by Paragon Products.

[Gawernator]

? 85.5 and 86 have rebuild able struts, you can drop in Koni sport inserts.

[bordin34]

The 85.5 and 86 have a strut that takes an insert. However, koni does not make an insert for that strut.
There is nothing special about the turbo struts unless they are Koni.
All turbo struts have spacing the same as late offset cars, they will not bolt up to an 86 or 85.5 N/A spindle.
Struts from the 86 turbo and 87+ turbo are the same except for the strut mount.
Camber changes for the late offset cars are in the spindle not the strut.

To upgrade to the turbo suspension get some turbo sway bars and konis.

[alutto944]

my mechanic put my 85.5 on the lift and said its enclosed unit i guess he is wrong

[Gawernator]

Here you go! Porsche 924, 924S and 944 Koni Koni Sport Front Strut Insert

Koni for 83-86. I have swapped once with Sachs, will be going to these front and rear whenever I get around to installing my 'new' suspension setup.

[911tracker85]

looking at similar threads and thought this may be a good one to post my question.

I have the Tbars, shocks, and front springs off of an 86 951 as well as the front struts and f/r sway bars. did a complete suspension upgrade to that car a couple years ago.

recently picked up an 87 924S in rough shape. runs but needs a lot of work. since I bought it for $500 may go the lemons racer path.

my question is if the rear Tbar, front springs, and sway bars will go onto the 924S suspension? saw the post about the front struts, but may look at modding them when I get to that point.

[kdjones2000]

Torsion bars are all the same across years.

Springs should work across years.

Sway bars work across all years.

[911tracker85]

thanks KD. from comments about the difference in the turbo and NA struts/hubs, will probably get a set of new shocks for the front. had to do the koni cut and bolt on the 87 944S as it had sealed struts.

[911tracker85]

KD,
are the tbars and front springs from a 951 stiffer than those from a 944/924S? I am suspecting they are.

[kdjones2000]

Suspension Information and Upgrades

[911tracker85]

thanks.