Front Suspension

[tm944S2]

I need to replace the suspension on my 944s2 and I’m after recommendations on what to go for. I have searched the forum and seen a lot of praise for the Bilstein B6 conversion, but I haven’t seen many recent threads so I’m just wondering if this is still the preference for a road car or are there any other suggestions for a direct replacement? The GAZ GHA kit looks quite good value?

Whilst I’m at it, the front of the car looks to be sitting higher than the rear, with a larger gap between the tyre and the wheel arch at the front, is this normal? Would fitting a set of 968CS springs on the front achieve a small drop making the gap between the tyre and the wheel arch look the same as at the back? Would this cause any issues?




Is there anything else I should look at doing whilst I’m getting the suspension done?

Thanks in advance for any input.

Tom

 

[scam75]

Hmm, not sure of standard ride height, its been a while! But the rear looks like it might have been re-indexed and the front not changed?

I've got Gaz Gold and it only works with the rear lowered (so you may be ok), the fronts won't go high enough for a standard set-up. Maybe an option if your rear has been dropped? Looking at my car, its a bit lower than yours at the back. The car can also be lowered a bit on the eccentric mounts at the rear, would need properly checked out.

My rears are good after 12 years, but they are corroded. The fronts got rebuilt 5 years ago, but in the last 12 months both have needed a new rod and a service, god knows how I bent both rods. So that isn't fantastic. They are also corroded.

However, the performance is great with masses of adjustability. KW v3's are the best, but you'll part with over £2k for the units alone before fitting. I think Gaz Gold is about £800 and that also gets you front ride height adjustment as well as all round damping adjustment.

The Bilsteins can't be adjusted which always put me off. But they seem good units.

Stuart

 

[scam75]

And no, the car should not be higher at the front. Usual other stuff to check, roll bar bushes, control arm bushes and ball joints, castor mounts, strut top mounts etc.

 

[fxm911]

Gaz are really good and probably best value for money out there. I have got GAZ rears on my 911 and Gaz Gold coilover kits on my other cars...
They do different ranges depending really on the use of your car, the GHA are mostly for road use and Gaz Gold for trackday/racing use. But if you can stretch your budget, go for the Gold ones as worth the difference in price.

 

[blade7]

I paid £1100 for my KW's 15 years ago, and another £150 for a new pair of front springs from them last year. I think Center Gravity relieved me of £300+ to set up the geometry too, but 3 sets of tyres have worn evenly since.

 

[dlknight]

If you don't want fancy adjustable shocks the Bilstein B6 are more than adequate for road usage, there was a chap on here (or possibly the tipec forum) who offered a service to rebuild the front strut with the Bilstein B6 insert. But it isn't a massive job for an experienced mechanic.

Amazon used to have the Bilstein B6 for a very attractive price.

 

[dlknight]

I paid £1100 for my KW's 15 years ago, and another £150 for a new pair of front springs from them last year. I think Center Gravity relieved me of £300+ to set up the geometry too, but 3 sets of tyres have worn evenly since.

£300? I got in touch with them in 2020 and was quoted £650 for a 944 (full adjustment including ride height), they quoted 1/2 day if ride height wasn't needed at £350.

I recently found Spires Tuning in Leamington Spa (used by Harry Metcalfe on Harry's Garage for his SVR). Used them for a full geo on my 996 and was only relieved of £146. Good job, no issues, lovely clean workshop and very professional. Although when I talked to him about the 944 he didn't sound too keen because of the rear torsion bar setup.

 

[blade7]

I'd just fitted the KW's and had borrowed a camber gauge from someone, so the front camber was pretty close. I'd set the toe using string lines too, though they did equalize the lengths of the steering rods. I'd also set the ride height where I wanted it. So it was mainly the rear geo that needed setting. Plus I'd soaked the adjusters in WD40 beforehand, so everything at the rear loosened off ok.