pfbz

Very happy with the H&R spring swap!

A few pictures from todays ride...

pfbz

The improvement in performance is superb, but I'll admit my original motivation was to get rid of the hideous tire/fender gaps with OEM setup...

Mission Accomplished!

(OEM ride height)

thstone

Looks great - exactly what I'd like to do. What is the ride quality like? And exactly which H&R springs did you use?

pfbz

I went from a very well set up 911 SC to the 996, and while I really am enjoying the 996, I was previously never happy with the OEM suspension setup and ride height.

I considered going with an X74 setup (no longer available unless piece-mealed together, $$$) or full coil-overs (PSS9's no longer available, PSS10's $2,500+, , but decided to try just an H&R spring swap first. Extremely happy... Even on the track the OEM shocks (which were in great shape) seem to handle new spring rates perfectly, and while corner balance capability and adjustable shock rates can be a tremendous advantage, few non-racers (including me) ever take the time to dial them in anyway or even change the adjustments after initial setup.

In the end, I decided to invest $300 instead of $3,000-$5,000, and I'm thrilled with the result. The floaty feeling is gone, much less acceleration squat, and most importantly I can throttle steer through corners with much more confidence. Highway/city ride quality is fine, but it's when you start to push the car that the mod will generate the most smiles...

H&R Sport Springs, part #29513. About $300 shipped, a few hours for me to self-install.

Comparison of the rear spring

Throttle

Looks great. Not too stiff?

Dennis C

Nice!

cpepper95129

I put them on mine a few years ago and they have been great. seats the car much better too.

nick49

You sold me!

Thanks!

I moved a brand new set in a box in my garage to another area less than an hour ago. I'm tired after a long day and as I bent over to pick up the box, I let out a little moan. My wife asked what was in the box that had been there for nearly a couple of years? I said, "springs to lower my Turbo". She replied, "put the box in your trunk, it will lower your car".

I thought it was pretty funny.

Anyway, thanks for your assessment. I guess I should put them on. ( or at least in the trunk)

pfbz

Barn996

Nice improvement over stock.

Gator996

On a scale of 1 to 10, what is the install difficulty?

thstone

pfbz - thanks! My 996 will not see much track duty but I would like to see the ride height lowered a bit and a little more firmness would also be appreciated. This looks like the perfect way to go.

pfbz

No more than a 5/10, but I guess it depends on your previous experience...

adg44's thread provided some helpful tips as did Wayne Dempsey article on the Pelican board.

Here's a brief outline of the job... See the above referenced articles or the service manual for details.

Install H&R Springs:

1. Gather up the proper tools.
2. Remove front trunk panels to access top of struts.
3. Remove rear seat panel to access top of struts.
4. Break wheel lug nuts loose.
5. Get the car on jackstands.
6. Protect fenders.
7. Remove the wheels.
8. Detach front calipers.
9. [Remove front struts, swap springs, reinstall]
10. [Remove rear struts, swap springs, reinstall]
11. Attach front calipers (85Nm)
12. Install wheels.
13. Get the car off jackstands.
14. Torque wheel nuts (130Nm)
15. Pump brakes.
16. Reinstall front trunk and rear seat access panels.
17. Put everything away, clean up.
18. Have car aligned, as things have definitely changed. The sharpie marks should at least leave things left/right symmetrical until you can get an alignment done.

If your comfortable doing all of the above except the tasks in orange, the additional work is pretty easy. For me, it's the above that is a bit tedious.

Spring swap brief outline. This is for a 2004 C2 Coupe. Cab's and C4's might have slightly different steps... Also, verify torque specs for yourself.

Remove Front Struts & Swap Springs:

1. Mark top strut bolt positions with sharpie.
2. Compress front strut assembly with floor jack, put on some super heavy duty zip-ties on front springs to keep them somewhat compressed*.
3. Loosen top strut nut with air impact wrench*.
4. Remove lower sway bar/shock retaining bolt.
5. Remove three upper spring strut mount bolts.
6. Pull strut assembly out of wheel well (a bit tricky, but not too bad)*.
7. Remove top strut nut completely (beware, slight spring pressure).
8. Remove old spring, install new spring. No compressor needed.
9. Install and torque top strut nut (80Nm).
10. Put strut assembly back in wheel well.
11. Loosely thread upper mount bolts, align with sharpie marks.
12. Install and torque lower sway bar/strut bolt (a bit tricky, use a pry bar, 85Nm)*
13. Confirm/align with sharpie marks, torque top mount bolts (37Nm)

* These steps have a few different ways of getting the job done... I did it with no assistance, no spring compressor, no special 'shock nut' tool. Pelican suggests loosening a pivot bolt to allow the suspension to droop a bit more, others suggest using spring compressors or having a second person to step on the wheel carrier to compress while you remove the strut. These additional techniques would probably make steps 6 and 12 a bit easier, but I managed without too much difficulty.

Also, an air or electric impact wrench makes removing the top strut nut a non-issue... If you don't have one, make sure you loosen it before removing the strut from the car and/or get the special strut nut holding tool.

Remove Rear Struts & Swap Springs:

1. Loosen top strut nut with air impact wrench*.
2. Remove sway bar end links
3. Remove lower sway bar/shock retaining bolt.
4. Remove lower strut mount bolt (might need to drive bolt out with drift).
5. Remove three upper spring strut mount bolts.
6. Pull strut assembly out of wheel well.
7. Remove top strut nut completely (beware, slight spring pressure).
8. Remove old spring, install new spring.
9. Install and torque top strut nut (58Nm).
10. Put strut assembly back in wheel well.
11. Loosely thread upper mount bolts.
12. Install and torque lower strut bolt (a bit tricky, use a pry bar, 100Nm)*
13. Install and torque lower sway bar links (both sides detached until both sides done, 46Nm)
14. Torque top mount bolts (46Nm)

pfbz

...diagrams of the front and rear struts.

Dennis C

I'd love to do something like that on my C4S, but I already scrape the ground going into driveways, parking lots, etc. I'm a little worried that this would make my car too low for a daily driver...