Need to Improve the Ride
 

Driving a Boxster in Hong Kong is a pain in the rear. If the traffic isn't crawling, there are major roadworks around every bend (five on the 7km stretch I drive on every day!).

On 18" GT3 wheels, the Boxster has a hard time coping with all the bumps, ruts, potholes and manhole covers. It takes all the enjoyment out of driving,

Even if it means sacrificing handling and/or roadholding, I need to get a softer ride.

Would switching to 17" wheels and higher profile tires help any?

Are there any suspension kits that would help?

Any and all ideas welcome. TIA.

Ed

17 or 16 wheels would help a little, you could always switch to standard US boxster springs and US struts. It would be expensive to buy new, but i bet you could trade someone your ROW struts and springs for US standard shocks and springs for free. That would increase ride hight by an inch or so and be softer. Still compared to a sedan it will be stiff.

17in wheels will help a little, but not much. I use 18in wheels in the warm months here and 17in in the winter with snow tires, and although the 17in wheels/tire combo is a bit softer, it's not a dramatic difference because the suspension is still a sport oriented ride. If you want comfort, you should get a Benz for your daily commute. :)

Ed, the car's just not designed for bad roads and gridlock traffic. There's not much you can do to improve the ride to make it really comfortable.

I've been to HK many, many times (both the island and the Kowloon side) and while there I saw a number of high-end exotics (Porsches, Ferraris, Maseratis, etc.) and wondered why on earth they'd be using those cars as daily drivers!

Buy a Lexus as your DD and leave the Porsche in the garage for very early morning drives in the twisties I found in your part of the world :)

First thing to do is check your tires air pressure. Factory spec is 29psi front & 36psi rear. I would drop to 28psi front & 32psi rear this alone will make a noticable difference. Changing to smaller wheels & tires will make a big improvement in ride comfort & the car will feel more nimble handling wise. I consider my S funner to drive with 17" than 18". Consult with Tire Rack to find a tire with soft ride & minimum width wheels for softer ride. You can obtain a Major improvement in ride comfort thru changing tires &/or wheels. Don't forget air pressure is key as well. ;)

Thanks for the replies.

Randall, it never ceases to surprise me as well. There are very few places in HK where you can let rip in those cars. I live in Shek O, Island South, and the Shek O road is a fantastic drive. But there are roadworks almost every kilometre! I'd buy a more suitable DD if it made sense, but I don't have a garage. The only parking here is the beach car park and it's a no-no to have two cars parked there.

BYprodriver, I've tried lowering the tire pressures and it seemed to help. But I don't want to go too much below the recommended pressures. Do you how low I can safely set them?

Cheers,

Ed

Ed, the drive up to the observatory or whatever it's called on HK island looked like a blast.

Now as to having more than one car and a garage, it appears you are doing well financially to own a Porsche in HK... no small financial feat there. You just need to make more money to purchase a home with a 2 car garage.

We're all pulling for you. We know you can do it. Then you will have room for a Lexus DD and the box for weekend fun.

I am sure you can run 27 & 30 but watch for uneven treadwear.

Ummm...yeah, right. :rolleyes: Have you seen the cost of houses here recently? There's a three-bedroom pad in Repulse Bay in the paper today going for US$8 million, almost US$3,500 per square foot! It does have two garages though.

Not sure about the Lexus. I tested a VW Polo with 7-speed DSG a few weeks ago. European Car of the Year 2010. Sweet, and very suitable for the roads here.

BYprodriver, thanks again for the advice. I'll give it a go.

I fully realize a home on HK island with a two car garage is astronomical. I was just joking around with you :D

I do think that if you did your homework you could find someone to rent you garage space for the boxster and pick up a more comfortable DD... of course, all this has to do with your income level. This in and of itself would be a very expensive option, and one I would never be able to afford personally.

BTW, I run 29 all the way around because of my coilover setup and I've seen no unusual wear problems.

In addition to keeping an eye on uneven treadwear at lower pressures, I would be concerned about bending wheels. The lower the air pressure the great the likelihood of bending a wheel, ceteris paribus. Just food for thought.
If I were you I would ensure the stock suspension is in good condition and use soft-sidewall tires. Moving from 18s to 17s would help, but not a ton. The difference in sidewall height between those two (assuming proper tire fitment) is pretty minimal.
18" sidewall height is about 3.7"
17" sidewall height is about 4.16"
That's a difference of about 12%

+1 on the softer sidewall tires before you invest in new wheels.
Roads in the city im currently living in are horrible, some brick-paved and driving around on my worn BFGoodrich G-Force summer tires was teeth rattling.
I just put a set of all-season Continental Extreme Contacts (also z-rated) on and the ride quality improved drammatically. Softer sidewall will take away from steering wheel sensitivity alitle though, which may not be much of a problem since you have 18" wheels, I have 17''.
Good luck

Thanks, guys. I appreciate your comments.

Ed

Just out of curiosity, are you an expat? I was just there in Nov for a family wedding.

Get all-season(this may be a foreign term to people outside of North America) tires with softer sidewall. 17"s will help but I doubt you'll have an easy way to source wheels that will fit the 986.

As an extreme measure you can remove the front & rear swaybars, but I remember one of them (rear??) is a bi*ch to take off.

Hi ekam...I'm originally from Ireland, but have been in HK for 20 years.

I thought 17" wheels were standard on the 986?

I've spent my last 15 years away from HK. :) I figured you aren't local, as most drivers I've seen in convertibles over there are not! :p

16"s were standard for our generation Boxsters, 17"s were standard on the S due to the bigger brakes. 17"s off of the 987 Boxsters & Caymans will fit as well.

I spent 2 yrs. in HK working for a US firm. Was great fun, and even drove a couple of my friends' cars (getting used to the steering wheel on the right side was not that difficult). They were all coupes though, as it's usually too hot and humid there for a convertible to make much sense.

To give people an idea...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1721692_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._1366412_n.jpg

1.00 USD = 7.76337 HKD

The quoted areas are gross square footage. That includes the stairs, walls, elevators and common areas.

So 1,800 sq ft actually gets you about 1,400 sq ft.

And the prices have probably gone up since the photos were taken. :rolleyes:

Back on topic: I took the tire pressure down to 25/30 and there is hardly any difference. I think I'm just going to have to look for another car. It's a shame, but I don't look forward to driving the Boxster any more. And that should never happen. :(

OL, it sounds like you've arrived at a solid conclusion about Porsches. The car is designed with a really tight suspension so it can handle at speed. I don't think they cared much about the daily drivers and potholes and uneven city streets due to the compromises it would require.

My BMW is my DD but the suspension is far stiffer than my older DD, which I still have as a beater, my Lexus LS400.

In my opinion, a Lexus for city commuting is the most comfortable car one can own and it has some status attached to it, which is important in HK.