Suspension refresh advice needed
 

Hi guys,
I would like some advice from you about suspension refresh for a 986S
The car see 50/50 street/track, it feels strong enough to me but starts to squeek sometimes on the road, I suspect some joints or rubber degradation.

my idea is to revisit:

FRONT:
tie rods
steering rack tie rod
lower control arm
sway bar links


REAR:
lower control arms
rear sway stabilizer bar link

What parts would you start to replace? would you add or remove something from the list? OEM or what manufacturer is best here?
Would you go with Powerflex bushings (the purple ones), for all parts? motor mounts?

thanks :)

Cool, suspension refresh is never wrong considering the age on these cars...

First, me personally I would stay far away from Powerflex or similar "stiffer" bushings. Why? Well consider what movement each joint is supposed to do, are they supposed to give resistance to movement? Not really, they are suposed to be precise, with no play.. But you would want the resistance to movement to be handled in a controlled fashion by the shocks/springs and swaybars. At least that´s my view. Anyone think I´m on thin ice here please let me know, I´m here to learn!

When it comes to front engine mount I believe there is more or less a consensus that for a street car the OEM 987-mount is the one you want.

Unfortunately I´m not experienced enough to tell you what parts are most likely to be worn. I have so far only had issues with the outer joint in the front LCA:s but this winter I´ll tear it all down and replace whatever seems to need replacing, will go to coilovers and solid bushings so maybe I´m not a good reference..

One thing that´s not on your list that might be in bad shape is the top mounts btw!

Good luck!

Replace everything. Age matters more than mileage here. Also note the load is a bit more on the rear than the front.

I would do inner tie rods too they wear almost more than the outers do. (maybe that's what you mean by "steering rack tie rod"?)

Tuning fork arms (also called thrust arms or caster arms) too x4. Get the stock ones, avoid the polyurethane bushing aftermarket one. Factory was a monoball so they are really good stock, seems many people don't understand that and get the poly ones which actually reduce the mobility of the arm (dumb).

Strut top mounts x4 as well for sure. Those wear out often.

I have run Powerflex bushings on a 911. Honestly I would not recommend them. I did not notice that much benefit, installing them was a pain, and they squeak after the grease wore out. If I was going to do one thing to improve the stock suspension I would switch to solid caster pucks (thrust arm bushings in middle of the lower control arms). You can see by looking at them how much potential play they have as the rubber has big holes. The inner bushing on the LCAs is pretty much solid rubber, does not move around much. You can get the pucks from Tarett or Rennline. Getting the rubber bushings out is a bit of a pain, heat and an air chisel helps, but it's doable if you are a decent DIY'er.

I have a new in box set (2) of the adjustable caster pucks $75 plus $10 shipping Continental US
Thanks