f1ava

Hi all,
Just looking at some 993s, I came across this shock absorber which didn't appear to look stock:



Can anyone help with identifying which Bilstein part it is? Also also whether it's actually any good??

I can only assume the spring is stock, but that is an assumption (!).

Thanks in advance for any help, .

Vq-1

Looks to be HD shocks, there should be a part number right below the blue protective boot. Also, ROW turbo rear springs(red dot)?

f1ava

Thanks for the quick reply.

I couldn't see a part number/ID and I don't have access to that car now to have another look... You mention HD, but a quick Google image search shows they tend to be yellow and blue (?), these are silver and blue (should that make a difference).

No idea about the springs, or what the red dots indicate. The car was not lowered at all though, and being a C4, if you mention it was sitting on Turbo springs, it should appear lower than stock?

Paul902

Looks like a Bilstein HD to me as well. Silver and blue are how mine came, not yellow.

The three red dots also say RoW Turbo to me, if they are Porsche springs. PN 993 333 531 16 504. The RoW springs are a bit shorter than NA springs, but the Turbo spings are also a bit stiffer than normal C4 springs so a C4 would tend to sit higher on them. Of course, it also depends on where the perch is sitting on the shock. From your picture, there does not appear to be much in the way of threads to lower the perch on these Bilsteins.

Kika

Probably HD, they came in both gold and silver. They look to be the older ones with limited threading, the newer ones have more threads to adjust height.

f1ava

Appreciate the quick answers.

So it seems clear cut then, Bilstein HDs. With no ability to adjust height.

What confuses me a little is the mention of Turbo springs...
This ^ would suggest the car should sit HIGHER (?) than normal... to be honest the car didn't appear to sit higher or lower than stock, but then again I have little to compare against.

Interestingly, the rear of the car had stock suspension, and it sits very close to exactly level as the front of the car.

It seems fair to assume then, if lowering the car was desirable, new/replacement components would be required as opposed to using the existing set up...

Kika

This looks like the front shock/spring to me, which I believe, contrary to Paul902, is a 993 343 531 00 spring, which is not a turbo spring, which would be orange and green 965 343 531 01.

The rear spring on a turbo is red, 993 333 531 16.

I think you have a standard RoW spring with a Bilstein HD.

Do you know what is on the rear?

Violet or grey is 993 333 531 02 or 03
Pink (Carrera 4S) is 993 333 531 23

Red as mentioned above is turbo, 993 333 531 16
Brown is M030, 993 333 531 11

M030 springs would lower the car, and threaded shock provide additional adjustment.

I would guess the PO was not trying to lower the car, but needed new shocks and just did the fronts.


All part numbers from Adrian Streather's 993 Essential Companion.

f1ava

Kika, thanks for your opinions.

Correct, it was the front .

Thanks for clarifying.

This sounds about right and also matches up with the records, from memory. There was nothing re: springs, but 2 shocks only.

Unfortunately I didn't get a photo and I cannot remember... I just remember thinking it looks 'factory'.

Thank you, so there is potential for M030 springs to play nicely with these HD shocks? I was led to believe springs and shocks would typically be installed as a set. But if Bilstein HD shocks can be run with M030 springs, that's promising.

cmat

Are the dots on the springs in the photo red or orange? They look orange to me in which case they are USA MO30 (964 343 531 12) which give standard USA height. The only lowering would be the result of the threading on the shock.

Paul902

The part number I posted was for the rear. Sorry, I got thrown off by Vq-1's post and thought it was a rear spring, too.

Kika

I have trouble telling the difference between what Porsche calls red, orange and even brown. I was hoping there was a picture of the rear spring, which could help.

17 years of dirt and fading doesn't help either

Warehouse33.net

Here is a pic of a HD shock for the 993.

-Jason

Kika

Absolutely, in fact the Bilstein HD / M030 spring combo is very popular on 993s, and is exactly what I have.

There are also many other options, depending on what your end goal is, street, street+track, track+street, track.

Lots of different price points as well.

f1ava

Thanks very much for all the responses, (especially Kika), you've helped a great deal.

OverBoosted28

Sorry to be OT, but am I the only one that thinks there's alot of rust/corrosion?