suspension refresh 993

[zola]

Hi all
My car is now 17 years old and 74000 miles. Its still on the original springs and dampers. What are the views on when these components need changing?
If I do make the change ,what difference can I expect to see? All views welcome.

 

[Mike M]

Zola, I changed mine last year at 19yrs with about 65k. To be honest the ride was fine but I wanted a refresh whilst funds allowed. Went to Bilsteins with H&K springs. The car was totally changed, a far harder ride, not as comfortable but far more pointy and agile, that is probably because the outgoing set had gone soft. The fitter depressed the dampers quite easily by hand so they had lost tension. Id love to have tried a 993 in 94 so I could compare brand new then with what I have now! The car does look better though as its sitting 30mm lower. Check 911uk, there will be loads of write ups there if you dont get your answer here.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Cater_Racer]

Changed the shocks on mine last year, mainly because one started to leak...... a 1997 with 84k up.

I can't honestly say I noticed much difference, but it's a road car and I went for stock OEM replacements.

As I live in the UK and 95% of my mileage is on UK roads I think you're wasting your money on anything else, I have no wish to make the ride harsher.

 

[jboult]

I went with M033 springs and Bilstein HD dampers as my old units were far too baggy. The car handles far better, without a doubt, but I do question whether the added firmness is really useful on the UK roads. I'm not convinced, although the driving experience on decent Tarmac & track is excellent.

For comparison, I also drive a road/race legal 968 with the full (and very aggressive) M030 Motorsport setup. That actually feels even better, but again the state of the roads is always a concern.

If I did the 993 again I'd probably look at a more compliant spring/damper combination.

 

[KIRK]

I have a 1996 with 81,000 and changed dampers over a year ago. The standard springs were kept and I opted for Koni FSD purchased from Belgium as they were significantly cheaper than in the UK at the time. The Koni dampers provide very good control with sharper turn in and nice compliance even on poor road surfaces. Factory setting were used for the suspension geometry. Visually I should have probably also purchased a slightly lower spring but without additional stiffness. However, I understand that with FSD's there is a restriction on how short the spings can be.

Regards,
Kirk

 

[Mark Elder]

Another vote for Koni FSD on 993: My car was on about 70K and nothing like as planted as it had been on 27K when I acquired it. Like many others I intended to change to Bilstein HDs and booked it in to have this done (at CG) but subsequent discussions (both on here and phone calls) led me to believe FSDs would be best of both worlds: Better cornering than the original munroes but not as stiff as HDs on our dubious roads. Have a read about the technology they use. So I changed my mind before the CG date arrived. I'm very happy with the FSDs (done about 10K miles on them so far - mostly on pot holed fast Scottish A roads plus some Autobahn driving where the car was incredibly stable).[]

What we really need is a side-by-side test!

 

[nfearn]

I too have FSDs. I believe mine was the first car fitted with them that Chris at CG had tried and he came away convinced, and has since recommended them to a number of other 993 owners.

For my use of the car (principally UK B-roads) they are a very good solution. They're also fine for trackday work and for motorways and A-roads, so I'm very happy with them. I've completed about 20K miles on them now and there's no detectable deterioration.

 

[Wozy]

I've been saving and purchasing bits and pieces over the last few months as my 123k 993 is still on original suspension.
Got her back from service last week and the list of worn suspension parts was unbelievable, litterly most the rear was worn out and all the front.
So I've decided to replace the lot, no point renewing most, then finding out something else has failed 5k miles later.

I'm going m033 springs, FSD shocks and most probs m030 front and rear arbs.
I have to, but it's also good practice to replace the suspension top mounts when replacing dampers.

I'm going OE on all parts, but not Packaged in a Porsche box. This will save me up to 50% for parts, and this is a great saving as this will be an expensive exercise.

Hopefully then it won't be required for another 120k miles

 

[T911UK]

Top mounts, springs and ARB are available Porsche only, no OEM alternatives. TRW control arms should be easily available though and save a few quid over Porsche prices!

 

[Stewart Rix]

I'm having FSD's fitted on my turbo in a couple of weeks time, together with new RS engine mounts. Can't wait!

 

[szklarek]

Last year I went with M033 springs, Bilstein B8's and new A-arms - supplied by Gert Carnewal and fitted by Northway's. Made a real difference to the handling and steering - much more positive (mind you with 130K on the original springs & dampers it wouldn't have been difficult to improve it!) and I'm very pleased with the ride - not too harsh. Also changed to RS engine mounts. But at the end of the day it's all about personal preference.

 

[T911UK]

The good thing about the 993 springs is they do not deteriorate over time so you can use your old springs if you are happy with their spec.

 

[Hacki]

If nothing is leaking and no intention to do track days, at that mileage I´d do nothing. Had the dampers replaced on mine only because right front one was leaking at 100k mls..

Rgds,

Hacki

 

[T911UK]

Shocks will be shagged if original, mileage on them is irrelevant