New Suspension Reassurance. Ksport, GT3, 030

[Christeon]

I have a 97 Boxster I bought it new. I ordered it with the 030 suspension and loved the way it handled. I just rolled over 115k miles and it is obviously worn out. Couple years ago I did a 3.4L swap and that I've never regretted. After researching here on the boards and deciding I'm looking for a little more performance than the original 030 (felt it was kinda soft for a true sports car) I'd like to get some feedback on my choices to make sure I'm not making a mistake. My wishes are something in between 030 and a track only setup.


possible relevant Car specs: 97 Boxster, 3.4L, option 030 original, 993 turbo Hollow spokes.


My coilover choice at the moment is Ksport's Kontrol 5.3kg/mm front 7.9kg/mm rear springs, these seem worth a try at their low price point.

Front: GT3 sway bar + drop links

Rear: new 030 sway bar (these do wear out right?)

The consensus so far it seems I cannot go wrong with the GT3 front and in the rear going stiffer than the 030 with 3.4L will cause traction issues. I'm confident about getting the GT3 but in the rear I'm real hazy. When I do the swap I plan on re doing the wheel bearings because of the mileage and adding any aftermarket bars to get the suspension back into specs.

Please advise me if I'm off, I do plan to start tracking the car for fun and DE.

[Lucky]

Originally Posted by Christeon

I have a 97 Boxster I bought it new. I ordered it with the 030 suspension and loved the way it handled. I just rolled over 115k miles and it is obviously worn out. Couple years ago I did a 3.4L swap and that I've never regretted. After researching here on the boards and deciding I'm looking for a little more performance than the original 030 (felt it was kinda soft for a true sports car) I'd like to get some feedback on my choices to make sure I'm not making a mistake. My wishes are something in between 030 and a track only setup.


possible relevant Car specs: 97 Boxster, 3.4L, option 030 original, 993 turbo Hollow spokes.


My coilover choice at the moment is Ksport's Kontrol 5.3kg/mm front 7.9kg/mm rear springs, these seem worth a try at their low price point.

Front: GT3 sway bar + drop links

Rear: new 030 sway bar (these do wear out right?)

The consensus so far it seems I cannot go wrong with the GT3 front and in the rear going stiffer than the 030 with 3.4L will cause traction issues. I'm confident about getting the GT3 but in the rear I'm real hazy. When I do the swap I plan on re doing the wheel bearings because of the mileage and adding any aftermarket bars to get the suspension back into specs.

Please advise me if I'm off, I do plan to start tracking the car for fun and DE.

Definitely do the wheel bearings (rears at a minimum) as part of your refresh. Your original bearings will deteriorate quickly once you start track driving.

I only have direct experience with US M030, ROW M030, and PSS9 suspensions, but the chatter on Ksport has been generally positive. PSS9 is ultimately not quite stiff enough to be a top-flight track suspension.

The lowering from ROW, PSS9, and other after-market suspension kits significantly enhances handling... but keep in mind that with a significantly lowered suspension you will need adjustable toe links in the rear and/or adjustable front lower control arms (GT3 style) to achieve an ideal alignment. Factor these additional parts into your parts & labor budget.

[Stroked & Blown]

The Tarrett (sp?) rear bar and end links seems to be the rear sway of choice, though I don't have any experience with it.

[renzop]

I recommend Tarret end links for the front bar.

[Christeon]

I do like the Tarret products. Bushings, bearings and the like I view as consumables and with 115k miles and 12 years of driving I'm sure most will need replaced.

I'm mostly concerned about the proper rear sway bar for the car as I have it now. From what I can find a lot of attention is placed on the front with the rear just tagging along for the ride. I'm also ignorant as far as the life of them, common sense to me says that it would fatigue.

[Kirk]

My feel on the general concensus is that sway bars do not fatigue and wear out. I think you'll be fine in the rear with the bar that you have now. The sway bar bushings may be another matter though. You certainly may want to refresh those, but not the bar.

I agree that the front bar seems to be more critical than the rear. Go check out the Boxster Spec board at www.boxsterspec.com. They've often discussed the best bar setup for racing and autocross. It seems that just recently I read about some folks doing SCCA autocross very successfully with just the stock or M030 bars in the rear. However, almost everyone switches the front to the GT3 bar.

I've personally got the GT3 in the front and stock S bar in the rear and the car feels very neutral. I want some adjustability to play with, so I'm planning to go to Tarett in the rear, but given how well balanced it is right now I'm in no hurry.

Kirk

[insite]

the sways don't wear out. the tarrett drop links are expensive; if you want a less expensive high quality option, PM me. i recommend using adjustable links so you can go half-steps on sway bar adjustment & so you can dial out pre-load if you corner balance.

i think your setup is good, but will still understeer a tad if you choose the proper spring rates. the GT3 bar is THICK & needs some roll stiffness in back to balance it out. i would go with an H&R rear sway. run the GT3 sway full soft and the H&R sway full soft on one side & full stiff on the other.

FYI, i have run many, many combinations of suspension hardware & i regularly take to the track. my current setup, which is AWESOME on the race track, is KSport w/ 400lb front / 500lb rear springs. i use the GT3 bar up front & the H&R in back. i use adjustable heim-jointed drop links all the way around.

one issue w/ your proposed setup are your spring rates. the KSport OEM spring rates are essentially 300lb/441lb. this is to rear-biased and makes the car too tail happy. you can rectify this by EITHER increasing the front rate or decreasing the rear rate. there ARE some possible issues w/ harmonics if you don't choose properly. if you tell us how important ride quality vs. performace is to you personally, i can help you choose rates that will work well.

as lucky said, definitely do your wheel bearings if you haven't already. everyone says the rears go before the fronts. oddly, i've replaced my fronts three times but have NEVER replaced my rears; they are original w/ 140k miles on them!

[Jamesleeworks]

Hello Insite, I read your threads regards K-sport. Can you tell me how long you've had them and are they still good? are they durable, no leaks?
I am considering suspension, I don't care if I am riding on rods. what I am after is pure track experience. at affoardable price.

I don't follow the site much if you are ok with it, please send me an e-mail. jlee@hra.com

[RandallNeighbour]

Christeon, I've got the Ksport Kontrol setup that Insite recommends above.

They ride rough but the car rides on rails. I can take turns at almost twice the speed as stock HD struts.

However, I'm freaked out now because everyone who has put Ksports on their car has had them leak on them and they're a real bear to swap out, even if you can get the Ksport reseller to get you a free replacement.

I'd highly recommend you buy the PSS9's and sleep at night knowing you bought coilovers that are track proven.

That's what I'll eventually put on my car after these start leaking... they're out of warranty now

[landrovered]

Not to hijack but does anyone have any experience with D2 coilovers?

[Johnny Danger]

Originally Posted by landrovered

Not to hijack but does anyone have any experience with D2 coilovers?

Go back to the thread titled "lower?". I posted some comments and images regarding KSport and D2 coilovers.

[landrovered]

I will read it, thanks.

[Johnny Danger]

I set up my vehicle with H&R front and rear sway bars. The front is 22 mm and the rear is 26 mm, and I have the rear adjusted to the stiffest setting. I am very satisfied with how this dialed in the balance and overall handling of the vehicle. Especially the front end.