968 springs

[flash968]

yup - if value is at all a concern, then you're stuck. long ago i tossed any thought of value out the window. i only wanted to create the ultimate 968, while retaining the features the factory intended, but update it to the performance of cars today.

that being said, it was not cheap. i have over $160k into my car to date. it is finally very close to being done. all mechanical and interior work will be done friday. then i just strip the paint again and redo that, and i'm done. the paint will wait for a year or so though. i really want to drive the car for a while before i once again take it off the road for 3 months.

i think there is something wrong with your struts and/or shocks. i would drop the swaybar, then drop the control arm with the strut intact, removing only the upper nut. then i would manually compress the strut and see what it does. on full soft, you should be able to compress it with a minimal amount of effort, and it should expand back out fairly quickly. if it is jammed or does not expand, you have found your problem. this entire process will take less than 2 hours.

[mueller944s2]

Originally Posted by flash968

yup - if value is at all a concern, then you're stuck. long ago i tossed any thought of value out the window. i only wanted to create the ultimate 968, while retaining the features the factory intended, but update it to the performance of cars today.

Value is no concern for me considering how much has been dropped in mine.

[flash968]

then you may want to go the route i did. it made a huge difference in ride quality. no jumping or twitching when you hit a bump.

[mueller944s2]

What did you do?

then you may want to go the route i did. it made a huge difference in ride quality. no jumping or twitching when you hit a bump.

[ernie9944]

[QUOTE=flash968;7322130]yup - if value is at all a concern, then you're stuck. long ago i tossed any thought of value out the window. i only wanted to create the ultimate 968, while retaining the features the factory intended, but update it to the performance of cars today.

that being said, it was not cheap. i have over $160k into my car to date. it is finally very close to being done. all mechanical and interior work will be done friday. then i just strip the paint again and redo that, and i'm done. the paint will wait for a year or so though. i really want to drive the car for a while before i once again take it off the road for 3 months.

Flash I'm glad that you created the ultimate 968 and I'm no way jealous of your achievement.But let's be fair who the heck on this forum can afford to drop $160K in their 924s/944s/968s.Let's say that I got great respect for the research and the work you have done over the years trying to improve our car either mechanically or esthetically,but lol flash be reasonable when it come to giving advices to peoples using your car as example.Most of us woudn't even be able to invest that kind of money in their machine unless lol they sell their property & move in a room and board.So with all the experience you got why don't you give the OP some sound down to earth advices about his suspension set up which won't cost him a fortune,because you know darn well he won't be able to afford the type of suspension you got on your car value concern or not.Take care

[flash968]

perhaps not, but most of the guys i know have no problem dropping $20-30k into their car.

as for giving the guy sound advice, i did. i think he has something wrong in the car. it isn't about setup. i think his struts are jammed. there is no way that an S2 with the same or softer springs should ever be stiffer than a 968, assuming that the dampers are working properly.

beyond that, for about $4k you can have your cake and eat it too, and install hydraulic double adjustable struts and shocks, and whatever springs you want, and get it aligned and corner balanced. just about anybody should be able to afford that.

[mueller944s2]

I'm going to do the shocks over my spring break, guess the struts will have to wait until the summer since I'm still a broke college kid.

[Makis]

You may need to check if your springs are the original ones. It may be previous owner swapped the original springs with stiffer ones.

[mueller944s2]

Originally Posted by Makis

You may need to check if your springs are the original ones. It may be previous owner swapped the original springs with stiffer ones.

they're original. We've had the car since 1999 so I pretty much know it inside out!

[Makis]

I understand that you have Koni's so is possible this is a M30 suspension setup which indeed come with stiffer springs all round. M30 setup on a S2 will be stiffer then a standard setup on 968 and the ride will be harder.

[ernie9944]

Originally Posted by Makis

I understand that you have Koni's so is possible this is a M30 suspension setup which indeed come with stiffer springs all round. M30 setup on a S2 will be stiffer then a standard setup on 968 and the ride will be harder.

Originally Posted by mueller944s2

they're original. We've had the car since 1999 so I pretty much know it inside out!

Maybe check your options code.

[flash968]

actually, M030 front springs are not any stiffer than stock late S2 or 968 springs. all are 28nm. only the rear got stiffer stuff. the M030 front springs are progressive rate though, unlike the straight rate 968 and S2 springs, and the struts have a 25# gas charge, which can be a bit jarring. it is not at all uncommon for those to freeze up too, which is what i suspect is going on.

[Gawernator]

Originally Posted by flash968

actually, M030 front springs are not any stiffer than stock late S2 or 968 springs. all are 28nm. only the rear got stiffer stuff. the M030 front springs are progressive rate though, unlike the straight rate 968 and S2 springs, and the struts have a 25# gas charge, which can be a bit jarring. it is not at all uncommon for those to freeze up too, which is what i suspect is going on.

28 nanometers? Damn, Bob.

[Makis]

Not aware that late S2 have any stiffer springs then early ones. My one has 24mm rear torsion bar while the M030 version has 25.5mm. This means the rear is stiffer which also means that Porsche will up the rate at the front. As far as I know 968 only comes with 24mm rear torsion bar with standard suspension. Which means no need to alter the front rate either. So S2 with M030 springs and Koni's will feel certainly stiffer then a standard S2 or 968.

[flash968]

gaw - sorry. it's N/mm not nm. i did newton-meters, which is just as wrong as foot-pounds. it's lb/ft not ft/lb

clark's garage is wrong. the 968 comes with a 25.5mm torsion.

the standard S2 and the S2 with sport shocks up to 89 has 23.8 N/mm. If you had the turbo running gear or M030 they are 28, just like the 968.

similarly, the S2 had 24mm bars, unless you had the turbo running gear or M030, which then became the same 25.5 as a 968.

[mueller944s2]

I don't have the M030, my dad had put on the Koni's about 10 years ago and he has a bad back so it must've been smooth considering it was his DD for 7 years

[flash968]

more an more it just sounds like your struts and/or shocks have gone bad

[Gawernator]

Sorry Bob couldn't resist poking at that. And check your dampers... I just pulled off completely blown OEM struts... No uncompression at all lol

[flash968]

the oem non-M030 struts are hydraulic. they won't uncompress on their own. they rely on the spring to do that. that's exactly why hydraulic rides smoother than gas. no preload charge trying to bounce back up under light load.

[Gawernator]

Which car are we talking about? I am pretty sure the OEM Sachs struts I replaced on my base 944 were gas inserts. But hey maybe I'm wrong. The other thing though is I compressed it with only one finger... Thought it should be a lot stronger than that.