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Suspension. Comparing damper options

maldren

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Joined
7 Oct 2016
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Last summer I had Ohlins fitted with standard springs and I'm now sure they are too stiff for UK road use so what's the best option?

911UK posters have fitted standard and M030, various Bilstein options, Konis, KW etc as well as Ohlins with different springs and posted their views but (like me) it's usually comparing with previous worn suspension.

911 & Porsche World editor Steve Bennett has been through the Ohlins options with Center Gravity so I contacted him with the idea of having a comparison day and we're looking at sometime in late July at and around Bruntingthorpe. CG will not only bring their expertise, they will also have some accelerometers and recording gear to add a degree of objectivity.

Obviously there are too many variables for this to be totally objective (tyres, C4 vs C2, early vs late cars, suspension settings and age, engine and gearbox mounts etc.) but we have decided to base the comparison on 996 coupés (not turbos, GT3s, cabs).

If you have any ideas/comments, please add replies below.

So far we have Ohlins with standard, soft and very soft springs pencilled in. If you have one of the alternatives and would like to take part, please PM me and we can take it forwards.

Mike
 
Hi Neil,
you already have a pm

Mike
 
Hi Mike
You have a pm.
Stephen
 
I suspect that budget / circuit or road use / complexity are deciders for going coilover route or sticking to lowering springs and uprated damper option?

Could you compare apples with apples ie if available, Ohlin's / KW's / Bilstein PSS / any other coilover.

Then group 2, Koni / Bilstein B6or8 / MO30 etc. Together with their Eibach or H&R or MO30 springs?

Could maybe then draw comparison with best of group2 with coilover?

Potentially a big test!
 
Yes, we do need to set some objectives. My initial interest is ride quality for road use but we should also be able to do some handling assessment as well.

Perhaps we need to set up a slalom on the track?

I'm keen to see how much difference there really is between the different options. For me it's the Which magazine conundrum; they rate everything with stars but I'm never sure whether there is actually much difference between 1 and 5 stars.
 
Sounds interesting and fun.

I had a ride in cobrars' C2, fitted with Ohlins and set up by CG, and I was very impressed.

I thought the ride quality, at below 30mph, was very very good and better than my old C2 (MO30, never replaced / renewed AFAIK) and my current car. Obviously mine's chassis is stiffer and with different hardware & set-up but nevertheless.
 
PM sent, just fitting a full new M030 kit...
 
My car is on Koni's/H&R ARBs/RSS engine mounts. I can attend late July, but no later than that as I have Fastnet 1st week in August, then I'm off to Spain for 3 months.
 
I don't mean to jump in from the sidelines but it occurs to me that it would be really useful to collect the spring rates from the manufacturers so that you can compare one set up to another properly (with the information for the rates for the front and back separately), although obviously there is a key difference between the progressive rate springs and straight springs.
 
Id be happy to come along, dates dependent.

1999 3.4 Carrera, Bilstein PSS9's, Eibach ARB, every bush & arm replaced. All suspension parts where new 6k ago. Car is known by and setup by CG.
 
Just a placeholder, we now have most of the suspension options.

I'm waiting for CG to confirm dates and I'll add a list of everyone who is interested and a starter for 10 on what we should aim to achieve.

Mike
 
This is a first class idea that will be very useful to everyone that is a member on here. I'm in Northern Ireland so this isn't handy for me but will be watching with great interest. I recently fitted spax springs I got second hand on my original mo30 with 75k on the clock. I think that they are slightly softer than the mo30 springs but I found those very hard for my part of the world. I'd like coil overs at some stage but way down the line as I've a lot of other work to sort first.
I haven't look at a geo set up yet as I will do a lot of the bushes in the next while.
It'd be interesting to also see how standard vs poly bush makes a difference but you could be there for a week sorting all the different options.

Anyways, good luck and thanks as this will help us all :thumb:
 
If you want compliance and performance in numerous parameters you're going to want masses of adjustment. High and low speed compression and rebound etc but then you'll need a suspension guru setting it up each time you go out!
 

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