shock/spring to RoW M30
 

I have 01 2.7L 5 spd boxster
am going to replace shocks/springs with RoW M30 set.
besides the bellows and the rubber bumper stops, are there any other item that i need to purchase (should purchase) that's not supplied with the RoW M30 kit?
thanks in advance

It depends on what your applications are. If you are just content with the m030 set, you need nothing else. However, you may find some dust boots ripped, worn control arm, bushings etc. While you're in there, it would be a good idea to replace some items, however I just went and replaced my struts & springs.
I used these instructions, and they are pretty good.

http://gwl.rmsolo.org/hacks/suspension/

I changed the front top mounts when I recently did mine. All the wishbones and arms were also replaced a couple of months before that.

Top strut mounts & the strut bearings.

shocks are long overdue maintenance.. 135K miles. the car is my daily drive and some fun mountain drive.,. nothing more.

M030 was the least expensive way to go using Porsche new parts.

i noticed one ripped boot (i think the catalog calls this the bellows) so dust boot x 4
how about the additional rubber bumper on the strut shaft by the upper mount?

as for top mount and bearing with housing... what should I look for that will indicate replacement$$$

lower control arms were replaced as well as the swaybar drop links. did not "feel" any looseness on the lower arm or other parts of the suspension. did visual only
thanks
Tad

At 135k miles, replace the bellows & rubber bump stops. You will be surprised at the the difference between new & old.
As far as the strut mounts & bearings, you will need a wheel alignment for this project anyway so replace these as your mileage indicates it's probably due & you won't have to deal with it again.

Oh, and drop links.

The latest revision top mount part is a 997 shared part.

placed orders for the RoW M030 kit
all the rubber and also the shock mounts
thanks for all of your inputs.

Of all the parts spoken of, the strut bearings are the most likely to be worn. The bearings are tiny and carry the weight of each corner. They also affect the world-class steering of our cars. I paid around $20 each at Sunset Porsche. I just installed the ROW M030 kit on my car and it had half the mileage of yours. The only other worn parts were the anti-roll BARS. The bushings wore a bit of the metal away so they're worth changing out! You're in for quite a treat once you start driving your car again.

by bearing, they are only for the front struts, correct. purchased a pair along with M030 suspension kit. cost was 74 per 2.
RoW M030 comes with swaybars and bushings for them.
thanks for the tip

You are correct, the bearings are only on the front.

i had thought that i purchased all "rubber" wear parts. but I left out "compensation plates" which are really hard rubber spring seats at the top end.
there are two flavors, 3mm and 6.5mm for the front and 3mm and 6mm for the rear. All I could find is that these are"as required'.
I am contemplating using the thicker ones so that the car is 3mm higher.
any experience and or thought that you can share will be greatly appreciated.
thanks in advance
tad

May I ask where you found the MO3O kit?

The compensation plates are dictated by the paint codes on the springs. You can find the info in the Bentley manual.

It's RoW M030 kit and I purchased it fom Suncoast

I have Bentley manual... I should read more...thanks

Just installed mine this week, got it from Suncoast;

Boxster Euro Suspension Kit (ROW M030):Porsche Parts & Porsche Accessories - Wholesale Porsche Parts & Tequipment - Cayman Panamera Cayenn

My ROW fun
 

Well, yes, but from my research AND my newly arrived ROW M030 kit from Sunset (Oregon), the compensating ring code colors are all over the place:
1. White =3mm (check, my original white dot S front springs match 3mm rubber), but the new front ROW's have BLUE upper dots! No cross ref, I'm hoping blue is the new white, as 3mm front rings are the only ones normally stocked (Pelican etc).
2. Green= 6mm (check, my original green dot S rear springs match the fat rear rubber, and the new ROW rears), but on this forum I've see white and green tops on the same application rear springs.
'
Also: I don't know what Suncoast is bundling, but read this from Sunset:
"The ROW M030 kit for a Boxster S with a manual transmission has been discontinued through Porsche. They do still have the ROW M030 kit for the Boxster S with an automatic transmission. The only difference is the rear springs and they have been known to fit on a Boxster S with a manual transmission. Or you could get this kit and purchase the additional springs separately. Then you would have 2 sets of rear springs." (Note Tip cars are 100 pounds heavier in the rear).

That's what I did: the separate S manual rear springs are RED/SILVER 986-333-531-30 (not RED/RED). BTW that matches the Pelican part # and color for ROW M030. Fronts are RED/YELLOW.

The 986-333-531-11 RED/RED rear springs shown in another recent post are NON-S springs according to the knowledgeable folks at Sunset.

Regardless, the install is doable, but arduous. Ignore the "hack" method frequently ref'd, go with Wayne's (Pelican) method. The fronts only require loose control arm pivot bolts, disconnect upper struts (duh) and sway bar, leave he rotors on, and the struts pull out from under the fender :D.

The rears require dislocating the hub from everything (but NOT the ball joint) including the CV's, lay the assy down, and struts pull out and from under the fenders.

my spring color
rear white (top) red red bottom
front red or orange (top) red-yellow bottom

as for the adjustment plates, I purchased both pairs at the front as well as the back.

here's what Suncoast sent me as the parts list for their RoW M030 kit package



http://986forum.com/forums/uploads01...1376596327.jpg

Weird! I think you have front and rear backwards (orange and yellow base is front, red-red base is rear).
Is that a base Boxster? Tip?

Porsche Boxster Suspension - Page 3

I've just installed the ROW 030 but can't help because I ordered the Tip even though I have 6 speed because it saved me $250 and I got stiffer RR springs which would make the car be more neutral. What I got was a car that's far stiffer to the point that it doesn't feel like a luxury car anymore but slammed road/race thing that I would have thought was fine when in my 20's or 30's. The springs that came out of my car were red/red and the front were white/yellow. It came from the factory with M030 but someone must have switched them. The car rode nice and handled bumps while driving aggressively, much better. It had more RR roll than I wanted and now I'm thinking that the old springs with bigger bars may be the ticket for me. I can't say how it 'handles' yet as it took me until yesterday to get it aligned and I didn't push it prior.

got the car back from local indy.
the best that I can see,
the height to the fender wheel well using a yardstick plumbed through the middle of the wheel crest is 26.25 inches and 26.5+ inches front and back respectively. about 1/4 of an inch drop all the way around.
they installed the thicker of the two rubber seats for the springs at both front and back.
definitely less roll.

For future reference to all, I finally dug this up somewhere in the bowels of Rennlist:
"THE ISSUE IS FINALLY SOLVED!!! I am so happy. After trying everyone from forum experts, to dealers, to Porsche corporate, I finally found someone that could confirm the color changes on the RoW M030 tolerance code. A very helpful expert informed me that in 2002, they changed the tolerance group colors to Blue (for the old green) and Orange (for the old white). My understanding is that the model ID color codes stayed the same. I can finally put this thing to rest! Thanks for all the thoughts and inputs guys!"

update - shocks were in need of replacement. nice and tight.
A little stiff and can feel every bump in the road.
bottom line,
I don't know what component(s) contribute to what, but with the new shocks, shorter springs and swaybars, the car feels great.