Do I fix the ride or sell the car

[Daryl80]

Hi All,

I've been caught in a bit of a dilemma of late and sought the opinions of other lovers of the 986 to help stop me in making a bad decision! And I wrote knowing I will be getting an (un)biased view here. :)

So I own a 1997 Boxster done 77k miles running 17 inch tires and I must say the ride is starting to really annoy me. Moreso my wife is also starting to dislike the car as its quite uncomfortable and even for me I'm struggling to justify why we shouldn't get something softer. Some of the symptoms are very little absorption on shock, rattles from the suspension area (tho I really have no idea what is causing it) compared to my friends 350z my car just feels so much more loose and rattly and has lost what I feel is the taught, tight Boxster I once knew and love.

So it got me thinking could I look at improving the suspension and tires to at least something a little more compliant, or do I concede that the ride is always going to be performance bent and hence the only solution is to sell

Anyway to let you know my thoughts, I do love the handling of the Boxster. It's extremely focused and still corners wonderfully. I'm located in Australia and believe I have the ROW030 suspension set up (only as this is a car bought outside of the US) but given the horrible potholed excuse for roads here, it's not fun as my daily driver. The tires are the factory recommended Michellin Pilot Sports and whilst have no complaints am curious to hear of other peoples opinion in a more comfortable set of tires that won't blow the bank.

As for suspension I'm thinking of changing them to the Bilstein HDs which seem to get a good wrap here. But am wondering should I also think about changing the control arms or bushes at the same time as well. Or can i get by with the existing items. Oh do I need to change the factory springs if i go for Bilsteins? Do springs get worn out?

Please help, I would be happy to go the upgrade path for the Boxster, but again the realities of life mean I can't drain my total wage in maintaining it. I know it's a challenge we all face so thought I'd ask a sympathic ear to here your perspective.

Loom forward to your replies

Daryl

[byprodriver]

1st I would check your air pressure. IF it is already at spec I would lower to 27psi front & 33psi rear. Next open your front trunk lid & see if option 030 is on the option list label if it is you should find someone to swap standard springs & shocks with you.

[logray]

+1 get new shocks, perhaps tires, proper pressure and balance... should be golden.

I would go for stock suspension if you are looking for the smoothest ride a boxster can provide (short of something custom, or really cheap shocks at a short change interval).

I've had "standard" Bilstein shocks on other cars and the pcar and they've always ranged from slightly more aggressive than stock to dramatically more uncomfortable.

On my 996 pcar, the stock suspension was much more compliant than the pss10's I slapped on.

[Daryl80]

Thanks Guys,

Really appreciate your thoughts and feedback. So I confirmed I was running 30psi in the front and 33psi in the back, so I think that was in the realm. As for options, it does show 030, so thank you for letting me confirm that.

So if I am to go back to stock suspension (should I presume that is the US standard option?) I'm just not sure how its termed over here in Australia.

Alternatively, could "stock" be equated to the Bilstein HD's? I'm ok with that, but just wanted to confirm as I read somewhere here, that stock and Bilstein HD's were an interchangeable term.

Finally, I'm hearing that shocks is all I need, and there is no need for a new control arm, sway bars, springs or bushes etc...... Is that a safe assumption?

Thanks guys

Really appreciate it.....

[byprodriver]

Thanks Guys, Really appreciate your thoughts and feedback. So I confirmed I was running 30psi in the front and 33psi in the back, so I think that was in the realm. As for options, it does show 030, so thank you for letting me confirm that. So if I am to go back to stock suspension (should I presume that is the US standard option?) I'm just not sure how its termed over here in Australia. Alternatively, could "stock" be equated to the Bilstein HD's? I'm ok with that, but just wanted to confirm as I read somewhere here, that stock and Bilstein HD's were an interchangeable term. Finally, I'm hearing that shocks is all I need, and there is no need for a new control arm, sway bars, springs or bushes etc...... Is that a safe assumption? Thanks guys Really appreciate it.....

I believe the 030 springs is the main factor to your rough ride so you shoudn't have any problem finding someone that wants to swap with you. If anything else is excessively worn in the suspension you should replace it with oem quality new parts to fix the "loose" feel. Assuming your shocks are worn you will probably want to replace those at the same time as the springs & hopefully the shocks are the only cause for the "loose" feel. Setting front psi at 27psi will make a big improvement now.

[Daryl80]

Well lowered the psi down to 27 in the front and 33 to rear and started looking for potholes, tram lines and the like to run over and hey it feels better! Hehe

Thanks for the tip. Still not completely there and give visually how low the front tires are, not sure from a tire life perspective how sustainable that is. So keen to hear more people's opinion on the Bilstein HD and whether these are comparable to stock.

If it's the springs and not the struts causing the problem who wants to swap with me?

[infocusf8]

Well, I had the opposite experience when I bought my '99 with 74K miles. Although the car handled very well, compared to the cars I'd owned before, it had a harder, mushier ride than I expected from a Porsche. All the road imperfections (we have bad roads where I live) were being transferred right into the seats and my back was bothering me enough to contemplate selling the car. I decided to install the ROW M030 Sport suspension and the minute I drove off in the car it felt new again. The new suspension absorbs all the bumps and no longer transmits every jolt up my spine. I'm really happy with the handling now as it is what I had expected when I bought the car.

[Daryl80]

Hi all,

Infocus that's great. So it sounds like the symptoms you and I share we're almost identical before you upgraded to the 030s. And that's what I'm worried about, that I simply need to buy a new set of suspension assuming that mine are worn.

Anyway it's been 24 hours since I lowered my tire pressure and this is my impressions, the car definitely feels softer but the handling is also not as sharp. Due to somebody more focused on their cheeseburger rather than the road, had to swerve as they were pulling out of maccas. So with the evasive move definitely could feel the suspension working harder. Also seems I need to accelerate harder to get the car going.

So all in all, it's pretty much what I expected, still looking for opinions on what parts I should change, just the struts, springs or more? But yeah thanks guys for the feedback

[logray]

You can tackle the suspension in pieces, but sometimes the solution to getting a ride that feels "brand new" means replacing everything. Most people slap on new struts or shocks and it will solve the problem. Mind you that is just a general suggestion without being at the car and looking at it or driving it.

Bushings fix the squeaks, pops, and a "loose" feeling in the steering. They are inexpensive, but moderately difficult to replace.

Shocks/struts fix the spongy, soft, bouncy feeling. They are pretty simple to replace, but IIRC you need a spring compressor to swap the stock components out.

Springs fix sagging, dipping, alignment, handling. Typically springs last longer than the above components, and different springs can have different "feels" as far as harshness, especially in cases where the ride height is lowered.

You can also run coilovers which combine the spring and strut into one. They are typically much more aggressive (stiff) than standard suspension setups.

Don't forget tires. Very worn tires can make a ride more harsh, regardless of tire pressure.

Edited January 21, 2012 by logray

[leonidasb22]

On 1/19/2012 at 9:45 PM, logray said:

+1 get new shocks, perhaps tires, proper pressure and balance... should be golden.

I would go for stock suspension if you are looking for the smoothest ride a boxster can provide (short of something custom, or really cheap shocks at a short change interval).

I've had "standard" Bilstein shocks on other cars and the pcar and they've always ranged from slightly more aggressive than stock to dramatically more uncomfortable.

On my 996 pcar, the stock suspension was much more compliant than the pss10's I slapped on.

logray, I'm thinking of the B16 (PSS10's). What you say "the stock suspension was much more compliant than the PSS10's" can you elaborate on the ride of the PSS10's. 

 

Also, how much did you lower them? And what number setting did you choose? Did you change any other factory OE suspension parts to aftermarket like bushings or mounts?

 

I'm trying to decide between PSS10 or RoW Springs and B8's.