suspension upgrades

[pae]

OK, it's suspension time now. I'm no expert on suspension, and don't have much history on my car, so let's start with the assumption that it's all original quality (and probably age [:'(]). And also the 924S doesn't have blistering performance, but I'd like it to feel more solid. Oh, and we're talking road here, not track set-ups.

Where do I start to improve/tune the suspension? The car feels quite 'lively' on poor-ish surfaces at speed (for example, when I'm changing lanes on a dual carriageway across a bad surface - not potholes, but where you get those ripples along the surface). It seems to 'bounce' across the bad bits.

This might be as simple as tyre type or pressures, but I'm not at all experienced in suspension diagnosis. Tyre pressures I can experiment with easy enough (and I've plenty of bad roads to try it on []) but what bits change what exactly?

Should I uprate (or at least renew) the shocks? It doesn't seem to 'bounce' when you push down and release each corner, but then again it's pretty stiff in the first place. And how much 'bounce' is OK?

What effect will different ARB's have?

What about lowering?

Help !!!!!! - where do I start? I am trying to organise for a 'local specialist' to have a drive and advise if (a) what i've got is worn out anyway and (b) what are the most sensible improvement steps to take.

advice appreciated..........Phil

 

[pae]

ORIGINAL: pae

..........I am trying to organise for a 'local specialist' to have a drive and advise if (a) what i've got is worn out anyway and (b) what are the most sensible improvement steps to take.

Just arranged this bit - will feedback details when I get an opinion.

Phil

 

[937carrera]

I suggest you simply replace what is worn, maybe go for adjustable rear dampers, consider marginally stiffer anti roll bars and most importantly make sure camber / toe in are correctly set on all 4 wheels.

Lowering is a possibility, but you are looking at least at replacing front springs, or maybe even the front legs. Would definitely leave the option for trackday use then []

 

[vincematthews]

You don't say how many miles the car has done but to avoid unnecessary expense you need to check what condition the parts are now. You'll be suprised at the wear on some of the bushes. Simple things like age of the tyres (look at the DOT code) and wheel balance (are the rims true too) all make a difference. Look at the present wear pattern on the tyres for clues. Have you worked out whether it is the back or front that is skittish on bumps? Shock absorbers may need replacing.
Work logically from the road back to the bodyshell checking each item.

If you have the confidence, get a Haynes manual and get in there - you'll learn a lot about how your car works.

The 924 was a fine handling car when new; I would get back to the as new condition before trying to 'improve' it.

E-mail me if you have specific queries - I've refurbished the front suspension on my 924 and it rides a lot better.

 

[pae]

Thanks Vince, good ideas.

it's got 90,000 on the clock, and I don't have much history so everything could be as it left the factory. I had Parr do a full geometry check a while ago and it was all OK. They changed the front ARB bushes, but didn't suggest anything else.

I changed wheels a while ago and am using the tyres that came with the wheels (Yokohama A520), so again they may be old - I'll have a look at the code. I did have them re-balanced at the time of fitting and the car is absolutely solid in a straight line so I don't think this is an issue.

it's the back that I'm more worried about - probably a good thing, as i guess it must be a lot easier to try different shocks there than at the front. New bushes would be a good idea too, and again pretty straightforward.

I'll keep you informed.

Phil

 

[Johndstratford]

Phil

See my recent posting "924S new shocks and springs"

I still can't believe the improvement it has made to my car. It has completedly transformed the handling, braking and general road manners.

Enjoy and hope to see you at the frontrunners day?

regards

John Stratford
Black 924S

 

[pae]

I'm having it test-driven on Friday. I'll let you know the verdict.

Phil

 

[pae]

Well, I've had Paul Robe (boss-man at Parr) take it out and he reckons it all down to the tyre type and pressures.

He gave it a clean bill of health - "a very tight car, goes and handles well" were the exact words he used - and says there's nothing adverse in the suspension department, but the tyre compound feels hard, the tread is very 'blocky' and the leading edges on the tread blocks are very sharp. Also suggested playing with pressures a bit more. I'll do that for the moment and enquire about prices for new tyres. There's some miles left in mine - perhaps I'll put them up for sale as a trackday set to fund some more.

He had a good look around on the ramp and it alll ooks fine. He is doing a quote to lower the suspension - say's it should be quite easy because there's enough adjustment on the rear spring plates to avoid re-indexing the torsion bars, and they won't need to re-align it at the front (and he should know)

So, I can spend my money elsewhere..... []

Phil