Cheep ebay coilovers
 

I get the feeling that I will be flamed for this one, but I have been thinking about getting some of the $700 coilovers on ebay. I know that chances are, they are made in china crap but I am broke and the shocks on my car are really, really bad, like dangerous bad.

I had planed on getting the m030 kit, but my car money has gone into an IMS bearing, AOS and a water tank. All failed, or were caught failing in the first year or so of owning the car. This has left my car reliable and great running, but awful to drive. At this point, I prefer the road handling of my wife's pos civic.

So now I am at a point where I need to put shocks in the car. The m030 kit is $1,100 + shipping. Four Bilstein shocks are around 1,000. The cheapest replacement shocks that I have been able to find are the $700 coilovers.

Has any one gone down this path and is willing to admit it? I should just save another $400-500 and get something better, but as my car sits, it's not enjoyable at all and I am curious if any one has given the ebay coilovers a shot.

Thanks in advance,

Reed

What a pity you are so far away Reed - I've got a set of 4 x ROW shocks & springs I took off my 2001 S model with only 55,000 easy miles on them. You can have them for cheap but the postage from Oz to Seattle might be a bit expensive (+/- $200 ??).....
As to your question re cheap coilovers, personally I wouldn't fit them - they would feel harsh and soggy at the same time. Would you fit Hung Low Chinese recycled rubber tyres to your P car ????
But thats just me.

Reed - check out Rennlist.com - under Boxster Forum there a guy (Tim Costa) who has got a brand new unopened MO30 suspension package for $900 / offers.
No affliate to me obviously....

Hold out for M030 Porsche tuned suspension. It will be worth it. Best bang for the buck by far.

Its hard to say what kind of performance or longevity to expect from Chinese coilovers - they are kind of an unknown. The damping and compression curves could be all over the place OR they could work great, no one really knows.

I went through a similar situation with my 2002 Miata. Most Miata owners aren't used to spending Boxster kind of money on repairs/upgrades so Chinese coilovers are always a current and hot discussion. I did a lot of research and read all of the forums that I could find, but there wasn't much real data available and the owner recommendations were all over the map - some say they worked fine and some say that they had a lot of problems. I have to say that it was very tempting to take a chance.

At the end of the day, I decided to spend more for a well known quality shock. They cost a few hundred more than the Chinese coilovers but I knew that they'd last and I wouldn't be looking for shocks again in 2 years.

The ebay ad specifically states the country of manufacture as Germany, not that that necessarily makes them any better.

Adjustable coilover Kit for Porsche Boxster 986 986s 1996 2004 | eBay

This brand has been kicking around Europe for ages. I can remember them 10 years ago. A lot of the cheaper brands are the same thing just with a different sticker. I can't remember exactly now but those Tatechnix are the same as V-maxx and a fair few others.

Reed: I've just removed M030 struts and bars from my car and installed the ROW M030 replacements. They're available to you for $450. My car has 80 000 mi. but the rears appear much newer than the fronts. The car handled beautifully but I couldn't resist the "temporary" offer at Suncoast. I am sure they have a few more years of good service left in them and can sell them with a clear conscience. I could meet you somewhere between Blaine and Lynnwood. PM me if interested.

That used m030 sounds good to me. I sent you a pm.

Thanks.