SC2993

I just had new H & R Springs and HD Bilstein's installed on my NB 95 993. The very first thing that I noticed before getting into the car was the height difference, the car now has a more purposeful look, a much more aggressive stance.

I did not change the sways for concern that the car might be too tight to enjoy road trips with the wife. I am running stock Cup Wheels with 17" tires. After researching this fourm this seemed to be a good balance for strictly street use. My car has 46,000 miles on it and still had the stock factory suspension.

I could really tell more about how much lower the car was when I put my foot inside the drivers side, when I sat down I could really sense the difference in height. I drove the car down the street from the shop and could feel the spring and shock difference right away. The suspension felt much tighter, more planted and secure.

I took a left turn and could feel that the car did not nearly sway as much as with the old stock suspension, there was considerably less body roll. I was still on the surface roads and felt the feedback through the steering wheel, it was not harsh or jarring, more of a sports feel. This is when I knew that the original suspension setup was tired.

I made a good left turn with a little speed and could now feel how much more the new springs and shocks made in the handling of the car. I drove the car for about 10 minutes to get the feel, over some minor expansion joints on the surface road. I am happy to report that all of my porcelain fillings are still intact, I did not want the car to be too rough. The shop that I used road tested the car for about 6 miles to seat everything in prior to releasing the car back to me, everything was working fine.

I headed onto the tollway, there wasn't much traffic at 2:00 pm yet, there are a couple of good sweepers at this stretch of road. The car felt very steady, the old suspension now seems floaty, much softer. I felt that the car now has better control, the springs and shocks not so soft as before, less body roll. Now this is the way this car was designed, I am very pleased with the way the suspension performs as compared to before.

At 70 mph the car felt great, very steady and sure, what a huge difference in the handling. With the higher profile tires and stock sways, I know that my wife will still enjoy any long rides that we have planned.

Of course I have included some photos for you all, I know what is expected here!

IamSMC

No wonder the dramatic difference. Most OEM suspension are shot at around 20k miles. Some even less. And on top of that, the OEM suspension is now 9-12 years old.

Nice ride height. Thanks for sharing the pics.

Ed Burdell

Great write up, and nice pics!

scss98

They look a bit low for the street, perfect for the track however. what spring rates did you put in? I had mine done back in 95 when I first purchased the car. there were no PSS9s available back then so I used Biltstein motorsport shocks and had them custom valved and added more droop. I rode in a student's car at Watkins Glen with the PSS9s and must say I am quite impressed with the handling and ride quality. One very important thing you have to be aware of for a lowered car is the setting of the dynamic toe in the back which can only be done with a special tool. when the rear compresses, the link changes the toe angle. the geometry is very different for a lowered car. One good thing about Bilsten coilovers is that it gives you a lot more room to put wider wheels and tires.

Falcondrivr

That looks great! Would you mind sharing the total cost for the project?

rcwelch

Nice write up and very nice "look"...it is as it should be.

Texas993

Wow, I didn't realize you were going to upgrade so soon. Looks great and thanks for the report. I need to get mine done sometime soon.

Remind me, where did you have the work done?

Enjoy.

Deanriffs

Looks great - glad that you're enjoying it. I lowered mine earlier this year, and looks you have just about the same height. You should consider a front protection bar (available from RL sponsor Carnewal/Gert, no affiliation) to avoid rubbing your front bumper. Many RLers have done this, and they are very easy to install.

It's amazing how much better, as you say less "floaty" feeling, the car is with this upgrade. I am enjoying the upgrade immensely. Have fun!

JChiles

Nice, very good looking car with a very tasteful ride height. I did the same a couple a weeks ago so I know what you're talking about.

SC2993

SCSS98- The rear toe was set to 0.37 when the alignment was performed.

Falcondrivr- I was charged 8 hours labor + alignment for the installer. I purchased the springs and shocks from one of this sites sponsors.

Patrick- I had the work done at RUF Autocentre, they are fantastic and have a lot of nice toys in their shop.

Deanriffs- I bought a FPB during the group buy through Carnewal last month, it installed very easily within 7 minutes.

95 C4 993

Im on the same page with the suspension upgrade. It handles just as well at 70mph as it does at ................