What suspension is on my car?

[longrowe]

Hello. I have a 1998 RoW Carrera Tiptronic. I purchased used from a dealer about 2 months ago knowing there were a lot of upkeep issues. I am looking at updating the suspension as there is a clunk in the from end going over speed bumps. The OPC says new wishbones, control arms, shocks all around. Based on the age that is probably a good idea. The maintenance history is spotty and the OPC in Bahrain is the only one in the country. There are quite a few Indy's though happy to work on your car. Looking at what other people have posted about their fender height, mine seems way below stock. The fronts sit at 24.5 (622mm) and the rear is 25 1/8 (640mm). That is with a 1/2 tank of gas and nobody in the car. 

 

As I am looking to replace the shocks and reuse the springs, after I pull the wheel off, how can I tell what type of springs are on the car? I imagine I should be able to see a serila number on the shock itself and that should give me an indication. Can anyone tell me if I am heading in the right direction or if I am way off?

 

Thanks. Couple of pictures below.

 

[Hilux2400]

What size wheels and tyres are on the car?

[longrowe]

Sorry! 225/40-18 front and 285/35-18 rear

[Hilux2400]

With 18" wheels all round, a front tyres of 225/40 would match a back tyre of 285/30 so that they have a rolling circumference that is a close match.  You can check for the correct tyres sizes in your handbook.  There's quite a bit of interesting stuff there and on the inside of the fuel filler cap cover

 

The 285X30 has a profile height of 85.50mm and the  225X40 a profile height of 90mm making them a close rolling match.

 

You have 285X35 on the back with a profile height of 99.75mm which is about 10mm bigger in radius (20mm in dia)  than the front tyre.

 

It's a start in your investigation.  When I bought my C2 996 it had both the wrong width wheels with the wrong offsets and the wrong tyres.  There's a lot of it about. 

[longrowe]

I know the tires are incorrect. The tire placard specifies 225/40-18 and 265/35-18. That is another thing to change when the tires wear down.

[longrowe]

Ok. I measured the ride height at the bottom of the car. I am 4in (101mm) in the front and 4 11/16 (119mm) in the back. So I am sitting about 40mm less than stock. I pulled the front wheel and the shock part number is 996-343-041-04 which is the stock shock for my car. Soooo... when I go to order new shocks should I order Bilstein B6 for normal springs or a B8 for lowered springs? The service manual says there should be colored bands on the spring but those are long gone. Any guesses?

[Y2K911]

You seem to have the same stance as my 2000 C2.  A previous owner modified the suspension with lowered H&R coil springs.

You might still be able to see the H&R markings and part # on the front shocks after you cleaned the grime with a rag, if it is those.

They are popular because they are a relatively inexpensive mod.

Edited April 21, 2015 by Y2K911

[longrowe]

You seem to have the same stance as my 2000 C2.  A previous owner modified the suspension with lowered H&R coil springs.

You might still be able to see the H&R markings and part # on the front shocks after you cleaned the grime with a rag, if it is those.

They are popular because they are a relatively inexpensive mod.

 

Thanks. Guess I need to get back under there and look more closely the the springs. Hopefully I can find some markings.