Row m030 or....???
 

I just rolled over 100k miles this past week and feel like its time to do a proper suspension upgrade. Lately, I've been getting some hard knocks and vibrations through the steering wheel. Overall, just feeling sloppy with too much bounce. With that said, I just got all the bits for the front in the mail and waiting on the rear pieces to come next.

In the meantime, I've been researching what the best shock and pring option is for me. My cars a daily driver -- California highways / SF city roads. I do the occasional spirited drive up HWY1 and back country carving.

I've been thinking about the ROW M030 kit, but its gone up a bit in price since I last looked (Not really the margin it use to be). I've also considered doing Bilstein HD/Sports with H&R springs. I've dug through a lot of forums to find out which is best, but still can't decide. Any and all help / feedback is appreciated. What are some pro's and cons? Are the sways on the ROW kit worth the price? I read that the shocks included in the kit are Bilstein HD's?

Have you considered coilovers? I love my Ksports

Are you a member of your local PCA? Someone in your region should have a ROW setup that you could bum a ride in. Then you'll know if it's too harsh for your tastes. Blindly buying a ROW setup would be a pretty expensive dive into the deep end of the pool and one you'd have to live with for a long time. Good thing to research first. My brother has ROW on his 951 and he says it's quite a bit harsher on street use than his previous 951.

From your description, it doesn't sound like you need ROW. But that's Monday morning quarterbacking from 1700 mi away.

I recently put in a M030 ROW kit.
I am very happy with it,. I do track my car so I also out in camber plates.

I could not believe the difference, the car is on rails. The ride is a little stiffer, but not uncomfortable as my DD

I had looked at H&R with Bilstein B8's as well as the lower cost coilovers.

Another option is keep your stock springs and just replace the struts.

Bear in mind, I did buy the M030 struts and springs used for $200, so it was a little a case of cost.

If you don't intend to track the car, you really do not need coilovers. The M030 or the H&R/Bilstein combo are fine.

The H&R will lower the car about an inch and the M030 ROW less

I just took delivery of an 09 that has Bilstein BSS9's on all four corners. It handles amazingly. Slot car comes to mind. On the the softest setting, I feel everything. It's not harsh just really, really firm.

I just did HD's and H&R all the way around. It definitely feels
A bit more sporty. I did it more for the look which I
Really like. Bought springs used. Attached is a picture
So you can see the height. I will do a before and after.http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1488127344.jpg
http://986forum.com/forums/uploads02...1488127396.jpg

I recently rebuilt my 2002 base's suspension, front and rear. I got Bilstein HD shocks (which I understand are the equivalent damping to the M030 ROW shocks) and new M030 ROW springs. I didn't replace the stock sway bars. My intention was to do track days with the car, so I wanted a slightly more controlled set-up while still being streetable.

As far as the ride goes, it is much firmer than stock, especially in the rear. The ride isn't harsh, but you do feel every imperfection in the road. The best description of the ride I can think of is "busy". It does handle well, but truth be told, I'm not sure if the ride/handling trade-off is worth it, since the handling of a stock 986 is pretty great to begin with.

One of my racing buddies also has a 986, and was very eager to drive my car since he was considering the same set-up. After driving my car, he ended using the stock springs, as he also felt the ride was just too firm for the street. Keep in mind that we are both in our mid-50's, so we aren't as hard core as we used to be about wanting the ultimate handling for a street car. We've both spent enough years driving really stiff, harsh cars that we just want something that's easier to live with. If you won't be tracking the car, and the roads in your area aren't smooth, then I'd recommend you stick with the stock springs.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'm not interested in doing coil-overs. With that being said, would Bilstein HD's w/stock springs be the better option over the ROW M030 system? Also, what is the difference between the ROW sway bars and my stock 98' 2.5L ones?

Don't forget about the option of US-M030. It has the added stiffness of ROW-M030, but more ride height. Good for avoiding scraping the bottom of the car over rough roads and speed bumps, driveway curb cuts, etc, and keeping the car from getting buried too often and too deeply onto the bump stops, especially if you are using vey sticky tires. If you ever think about autocrossing the car on an anywhere serious level, US-M030 is SCCA stock/street class legal.

Don't forget to renew the bump stops, as they disintegrate over time and are really a critical component of the system that often works. Having fresh and well-functioning bump stops may actually be more important for handling than spring selection. Having fresh shocks and replacing any rubber suspension bushings that are torn, or joints that have play is also important.

I also tracked down a funny handling behavior of my car where the steering angle would change a bit on braking, as ending up being caused by leaky rear tire sealing bead. These cars are sensitive enough in handling that maintaining proper air pressure is even important!

Hope the info helps. If you are looking into shocks, very happy with some Konis I recently put on my 986, and would recommend them at least as much as any Porsche OE German shock. The Koni sports are stiffer "sportier" feeling, and have an adjustable feature. The Koni FSD are super-digressive, so have a characteristic of being both "feeling soft" while effectively resisting body motion some, at the same time. Factory-style bilsteins or other German-brand Porshe OE shocks (Sachs, I think is the other brand that is OE for 986 shocks) are also very good quality.

All the shocks available for 986's - either aftermarket or OE - that are designed for factory-style springs will also be twin-tube design, which is good for ride comfort.

Fwiw...
 

...I own the USA M030 on my 2004 SE.

Freaking PERFECT for a street car that is driven by a fast shoe.

I've spent a lot of time on race tracks, and spent years building dual use track/street cars, mainly Miatas, and I gotta tell you, the Factory USA M030 is THE BEST STREET suspension I have ever experienced.

Highly recommended

Koni FSD is an alternative. My previous Boxster was had a brand new ROW (as you guys call it) M030, current 550 has a tired M030 but soon to be Koni FSD with H&R "M030" spec -10mm springs.

My dealership celebrates its b-day soon and will offer a huge discount on tequipment stuff ONLY on that day.
Let's see what is on my wish list:
PSE
maybe a spare M030? hmmm...i am tempted, because you'll never know when they are gone for good