Suspension upgraded and some thoughts..
- Thread starter AndrewCS
- Start date
I’m running on Michelin PS4’s, there’re about 4 months old and probably as good a road tyre you can get on 18s..AndrewCS said:
The intention is to track it for fun every now and then. I’ve tracked bikes in the past with dedicated machinery and it becomes a serious money pit. Instead, I really want to get the car in the Pyrenees because having done numerous bike trips over there, I know the car will be amazing fun with roads to bring out the best.
Anyone who has driven the N-260 will understand what I mean
Hi folks,
I added this on another site but thought others in a similar wouldn’t begrudge another experience..
Had KW V3 coilovers fitted, 3 new hubs, full set of drop links and castor thrust arm bushes, bushes plus a full geometry and corner weight setup.
Corners are insane, truly insane. I was never totally happy with the handling on this car and to me didn’t feel planted at speed. I think the 13 yr old suspension was tired and the setup not configurable enough to dial out front end issues. It truly is night and day, corners you’d previously brake for now don’t need any adjustment in speed. The new thrust arm bushes are solid so the feel in the steering wheel is heightened and increases confidence as you have excellent feedback at the wheel.
The ride height is lower, only 15mm and the front to back height is tilted forward. This helps to stop the front becoming light and potentially under steering with aggressive corner exit.
The general ride I would say is better being much more controlled and taught. There’s less pitch or roll and bumps are firm but upset the car less. So firm but not harsh or crashy.. I’m running 18s and did a lot of research into 18 or 19 inch wheels. I found that Boxster/Cayman race series use 18s so thought if it’s good enough for their handling needs then mine are easily catered for.. I expect the additional sidewall height helps to keep traction on our lovely roads too.. 19s do look better though ??
Braking pitches the car less and you can feel more predictable and tolerant behaviour. That feeling of bite is amplified and you can push on that with more confidence that you’ve got margin before a tyre is overwhelmed. It’s another plus for confidence.
Beside massive improvements in handling the stance of the car is now more sporty, not pimp my ride and not old skool 3inches around the wheels. You can get your fingers in between the arch and wheel but no more. It looks good and even though it’s not much lower you still feel it when driving.
It was a pricey enough mod but I wanted a great road handling car and I think it’s moved in the right direction with brakes probably being next.
I added this on another site but thought others in a similar wouldn’t begrudge another experience..
Had KW V3 coilovers fitted, 3 new hubs, full set of drop links and castor thrust arm bushes, bushes plus a full geometry and corner weight setup.
Corners are insane, truly insane. I was never totally happy with the handling on this car and to me didn’t feel planted at speed. I think the 13 yr old suspension was tired and the setup not configurable enough to dial out front end issues. It truly is night and day, corners you’d previously brake for now don’t need any adjustment in speed. The new thrust arm bushes are solid so the feel in the steering wheel is heightened and increases confidence as you have excellent feedback at the wheel.
The ride height is lower, only 15mm and the front to back height is tilted forward. This helps to stop the front becoming light and potentially under steering with aggressive corner exit.
The general ride I would say is better being much more controlled and taught. There’s less pitch or roll and bumps are firm but upset the car less. So firm but not harsh or crashy.. I’m running 18s and did a lot of research into 18 or 19 inch wheels. I found that Boxster/Cayman race series use 18s so thought if it’s good enough for their handling needs then mine are easily catered for.. I expect the additional sidewall height helps to keep traction on our lovely roads too.. 19s do look better though ??
Braking pitches the car less and you can feel more predictable and tolerant behaviour. That feeling of bite is amplified and you can push on that with more confidence that you’ve got margin before a tyre is overwhelmed. It’s another plus for confidence.
Beside massive improvements in handling the stance of the car is now more sporty, not pimp my ride and not old skool 3inches around the wheels. You can get your fingers in between the arch and wheel but no more. It looks good and even though it’s not much lower you still feel it when driving.
It was a pricey enough mod but I wanted a great road handling car and I think it’s moved in the right direction with brakes probably being next.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your input. At 13-years I’m guessing that you’re running either a late Gen1 987 or an early Gen2 like my Cayman S, so if it’s a reasonably high mileage it will have benefited from your suspension refresh and upgrades in the ways you’ve described. If you’ve had a car for a long while and accumulated a lot of miles it’s difficult to appreciate just how much the suspension in particular deteriorates with time. I think your driving style just compensates for this and you don’t notice the change … that is until you do what you’ve just done!
As you say 18” wheels are favoured by the racing fraternity and they will be lighter than the 19” option leading to a lower unsprung mass, to the benefit of handling.
Enjoy your revitalised Boxster.
Jeff
Thanks for your input. At 13-years I’m guessing that you’re running either a late Gen1 987 or an early Gen2 like my Cayman S, so if it’s a reasonably high mileage it will have benefited from your suspension refresh and upgrades in the ways you’ve described. If you’ve had a car for a long while and accumulated a lot of miles it’s difficult to appreciate just how much the suspension in particular deteriorates with time. I think your driving style just compensates for this and you don’t notice the change … that is until you do what you’ve just done!
As you say 18” wheels are favoured by the racing fraternity and they will be lighter than the 19” option leading to a lower unsprung mass, to the benefit of handling.
Enjoy your revitalised Boxster.
Jeff
I have a 2005 987 and fitted KW3 too. When bought the whole suspension needed changing so I did the maths and felt paying a bit extra was the best thing to do. I have Balance Motorsport in Henfield, Sussex fit them and KW normally have a Black Friday sale so I got them at a great price. I cannot recommend Julian at Balance enough.
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