Suspension Lowering Question
 

I got these gembella springs a while back that lower the Boxster a full inch (from someone on this site) and my question is can I simply drop them in place and realign the car or do I need to add drop links or something else to prevent excessive tire wear if I install the springs?

Thanks,

-Steve

A knowledgeable alignment person should have no problem dialing in the right amount of camber without resorting to additional camber plates. However, when you refer to "simply" dropping them in, there's nothing simple about it. Its quite an undertaking, and it requires an experienced person to do it right. I'm sure that you know that.

+1 on the installation. None of it is difficult if you have the right tools, but you're looking at 2 or more hours per corner to do the spring swap, especially if it's your first time.

When I put in coil-overs and lowered my car, I put in these adjustable rear control arms (the top one) so I would not experience uneven and premature tire wear:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Adj-Rear-Toe-Control-Arms-Porsche-Boxster-986-97-05_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem439e7ed23bQQitemZ290 421920315QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAcces sories#ht_1313wt_1167

They were not from this seller though.

We had a great lowering thread a few weeks ago find it with the search function and read the whole thing it should answer a lot of questions!

hmmm
 

so does lowering the car one inch really require adjustable control arms? Would I really wear out the rear tires faster w/o the control arms?

One inch really does make a lot of difference in the camber adjustments or lack thereof when you lower the suspension... making rapid rear tire wear on a boxster even worse.

I decided to put on adjustable toe links in the back due to the math. They were only the price of one rear tire one time. Not two rear tires more frequently and repeatedly.

The Boxster's rear suspension consists of a lateral link, a longitudinal link, a toe link, and the strut. Porsche designed the car so that as the suspension compresses, the wheels toe in to enhance stability. When you lower the car, not only does the camber increase, but the rear toe goes more negative. There isn't much camber adjustment and there is no stock toe adjustment. The adjustable links, like Randall's, help to reset the toe so that there isn't excessive tire scrubbing just going straight.

Lowering the car still gives alot of camber even with the adjustable toe links, which is good for stability, but not good for tire wear. The RoW suspension lowers the rear of the Boxster 10mm, Porsche has alignment specs for that that are achieve-able. Lowering the car more makes the alignment specs impossible to hit without more adjustable parts.

toe links
 

That makes sense, thanks guys. So who has the best and cheapest adjustable toe links that last a while?

-Steve

Toe adjustment doesn't need aftermarket toe-liks, does it?
And why would you only replace springs while the shocks are likley to be worn out? I

I only have 18K miles on my 2001 garage queen. Looking to lower it for the heck of it...

-Steve

Steve, I don't know if mine are going to last a long long time but they're well built and not terribly expensive compared to Tarrett Engineering ones designed for racing applications. The bushings are polyvinyl instead of rubber.

The link I posted above is what I'm using now. I've had them on the car for nearly two years and they are in great shape. I also go over some horrid road conditions here in Houston, birthplace of the unrepairable pothole (the traffic plus the amount of rain we receive regularly on asphalt pavement is the winning recipe).

Thanks, I thought Chicago was the pot hole capital of the US with all the salt that we dump on the roads!

I found what I was looking for on this thread

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/20886-upgrading-your-sway-bar-drop-links.html

Thanks Randall for pointing it out.

-Steve