if you had to pick one, which would you get? buying advice
 

ok so if you had to choose only one, which one would you go with?
im kind of torn b/w the first 2

1. eibach lowering springs (free install)
2. side skirts
3. rear bumper diffusers
4. painted bumperettes

pros and cons...

DJ for your car:

1) No- you drive in Chicago (driveways and speed bumps) and the winter...too low
2) No- how would that look without a different front bumper
3) No- this would be my second choice
4) Yes- first choice

you and the bumperettes :) i do agree they do look nice painted.

I did mine in this order:

Springs
Diffuser
Skirts and bumperettes

I say do the springs first because they look great and you will feel the difference.

*new front bumper and sideskirts

One of the best mods you can do, and you get a lower look.

Springs. Nothing looks better than a lowered car.

i was messing in photoshop the other day, and i know this is a bit too low probably, but sure does look nice without new bumper or sideskirts.
dont mind it that i took a pic at 3pm with the worst sun out, but angle was good or whatever.
http://i22.tinypic.com/hv6v4g.jpg

I say add side skirts as first choice. Then do the rest if you want. Definitely paint the bumperetts. :cheers:

These are pictures of mine with the Elbachs on.
I think your photoshop is low for the elbachs but not for coilovers.

I think the car looks badass lowered like that.

dj,

I would say do the bumperettes first, then the diffusers, then the skirts, then the springs ( start from the back and work your way up )

Nick

DJ-
I say springs w/ the free install.

Then call/web paintscratchcom, give your paint code and get a can of spray in your color and do the bmperettes yourself for $20 ;)

win - win as I see it :D

DJ, your photoshop drop looks exactly as low as my car right now.

Would you be able to drive that in the snow?

BTW, Are you wheels always that freakin clean? I love the reflection of the Caliper off the lip!


P.S. Everything you listed is a must..........so just pick one.........you gotta start somewhere.

Springs.... Cosmetics are nice, but the springs will actually improve the handling a bit.

Marc

Performance trumps appearance. (unless you like being a poser ;) )

Not to hijack a thread...

But, you can just do springs? When I did my Audi everyone insisted I do Shocks AND Springs...

If I can get away with just doing springs I'll drop my car this winter!

Sure you can do just springs.
I dropped my 99 with just springs using oem struts for over 80k miles.

DROP IT!!!

WOW! I'm glad I read this thread today! It's going to be dropped!!!
Heck, I even got my Bentley book this past weekend too!!!

I would do the springs, no doubt. it's performance and looks. You wont need the skirts after the drop.

tough call
 

ok bro first of all that lowered pic looks amazing. lowering on our cars is a must but yet i havent done it either because of my driveway that sucks. sideskirt( if you get the right kind) can make a big difference, yet they will look better on a lowered car. I have aerokit 1 side skirts on mine and they look nice. they would even go with your stock front bumper, and hella easy to install. DONT PAINT YOUR BUMPERETTES. they look ugly still painted. get rid of them, I can help you with that.

so look at it this way. Eibachs are cheap 100-200 bucks i have seen. and free install is good. pros: better stance, handling, and makes your new wheels look better, sets the foundation for all other body enhancements to look better.

diffusers: I have them and they make a big difference in the appearance of the back, which is what most motorist would see. I got mine for 200 bucks painted

Sideskirts: make a subtle difference but look better on lowered car. I got mine 600 bucks not including painting.

Bumperettes: you can get them painted for about 150 but you still have them. its like painting a frog and pretending its a canary.

I would say look in your wallet and where you live and if your on a budget then lower or diffuser, but lowering will get you more than just looks.

thats just my $0.02 USD

good luck!

Do the springs, they are the only mod there that is going to do something to the enjoyment you get from driving the car. I drive this in the winter, and it sits even lower with the 16" snows.

yes you can do just springs, although I don't think its a good move on a car with high mileage shocks.
My old mechanic refused to do it on a previous car. He knew I would not be happy with even less travel on an already low sitting car and he dreaded the idea of having to charge me to undo it.

As for the choices.

I think side skirts is by the far the best bang for the buck mod I have splurged on.
With 18" or larger wheels, side skirting really balances out the lower aspect of the car. Makes the car look bigger and wider, less roadstery if you will.
LItronics being the worst bang for the buck.
Bumperettes are nice if you can get them cheap, and if you never park your car publicly. Those rubber pegs have saved me many times.
I don't care for the difusers, makes it too busy for my taste. adding a Euro spec rear bumper seems like a better mod for $1200 or so.

Oh sure, thats all fine until you bottom out your car because you mis-judged the angle of a driveway or didn't know that pothole you ran over was deeper than it appeared because it was filled with water. I'm just speaking from experience. I think our Boxsters are low enough as they come from the factory. Yes, it looks better and will help perform better, but it's just not practical for me as a daily driver. To many bad roads here in Dallas. :dance:

I say go from the bottom up like NickCats said earlier.

That is a gorgous front bumper is that RUF??

I could say do the painted bumperettes first.
Lowering really is not practical but if you must, I would make it second. Then side skirts, then the diffuser.
But I would invest in some bumperplugs and possible upgrade the bumper, or get a clear bra before any of the other ones, except the painted bumperettes.
And if you check out automotovetouchup.com they sell the correct paint relatively cheap so if you've got an air compressor and a paint gun you can do the painting on the bumperettes, side skirts yourself fot like $40-80.
Just my opinion! :cheers:

I was really amazed at what a difference lowering springs made on my car. I don't think the handling or ride smoothness was compromised at all and the looks are much better. Plus hey, you're looking at a free install, right? That sounds like a great deal. I'd do the springs first...

free installation?!!, :confused: which P shop will install your eibach lowering springs for free? normaly it will take a local P shop 6-8 hours to install plus realignment.

i dont use Pshops, so they wont be installing it.
my friend will install this for me, its a simple spring swap, and then ill take it in to get realigned.

i think ill do the springs at the end of the winter so its ready for spring/summer time and do the other ones sometimes soon

Helpful friend you have ;)
the porsche dealerships in the metro area charge between 120 to 150 per hours. It will take at least 6 hours to install lowering springs plus realignment.
If your planing to track your car then its worth the cost. However, if you do it for concourse, you may want to think about other exterior mods.

i am quite aware of the cost, hence the friend hehe
BUT, hes always in the garage tinkering with his car, so it will give him something else to stare at for few hours

Scratch that list... You need some muffler bearings my friend... ;)

Put my vote down for some tasteful side skirts followed by rear diffusers. I really like the painted bumperettes; however, in my opinion its not the same bang for your buck in terms of dramatic cosmetic improvements.

i think on your car they wont do anything, since its black. on mine it would really do something.

as for the muffler bearings, i would get them, but i would need a left handed screwdriver ;)