Boxster S 550 Spyder Anniversary Edition suspension ROW or USA?

[JayG]

What M030 suspension does a Boxster S 550 Spyder Anniversary Edition have, M030 USA or ROW on a USA car?

From what I have read, the Anniversary edition is 10 mm lower than a normal 986 S. Does that mean it has the ROW springs/struts?

[navair]

Well, I installed ROW M030 in my '02 S, and that's about where it sits now, so I'd guess yes.

US M030 is no lower than standard S.

[johnsjmc]

If equipped to be sold in N America it must comply with US bumper height regs so if it has m030 it MUST be the US version. I have read on Rennlist or Pelican the US spec m030 can be up to 10 mm lower than standard suspension The ROW version will be about 30 mm lower than standard and slightly raked to the front as well.
A standard US Boxster S doesn,t have m030 if a 550 spyder has it it will be listed on the option tag under the hood .

[Nine8Six]

Jay,

I'd say get the row if you have the stock panels all over. That is going to give it a nice sporty stance. You want to lower center of gravity as much as you can is the second other good reason to get the row.

If you plan on adding a fancy bodykit, trust me get the US version. Parking entrances often have tight up&down slopes (dragged the front lip about 25times). ROW is very low for side skirts also, if your rear tire enters a pothole deeper than 80mm you'll need to jack-up your car to get out of there lolll Of course none of that happened to me

So what this all means is, you can play in deeper potholes with the US M030. I think

[Nine8Six]

According to the press release pdf from pcs the 550 do come stock with the row sport kit (-10mm). Who knows for sure

[10/10ths]

....and it is the USA M030.

Here is the build sticker:




Here's my car parked next to another Boxster S. I tried to get the best angle for ride height as I was curious, too. This was at a gas station on a road trip and the other Boxster owner was giving me dirty looks, so this was the best shot I could get for ride height.





Good luck.

FWIW, I love my suspension, perfect street car compromise. I have a Miata that I turbocharged and added Ground Control coilovers with adjustable ride height, and getting too low causes ALL kinds of trouble on the street.

Cheers!

[JayG]

I am not trying to lower the car.

The reason I want to know for sure is that in our club rules, I can only use a suspension that was available on a USA car as standard or an option either from the factory or as a dealer installed factory option if I want to stay in Street Stock.

We specifically do not allow a ROW M030, it must be a USA M030 spec, however if it is what came on the 04 S anniversary Edition, then I can use it as Porsche delivered cars in the USA with it

If someone with a USA Anniversary Edition could check the color code on their springs, that would tell me exactly what comes standard

For M030,
ROW has red/yellow front and silver/red rear
USA has yellow/white front and orange/brown rear


Joghnsjmc, that is the first time I have heard that the reason is bumper height regulations. The ROW suspension lowers the car 10mm, not a USA spec one. The ROW standard suspension is 10 mm lower in the front and the rear is the same as USA. the ROW M030 is a further 10mm in the front (total 20 mm) and the rear is 10 mm lower.

[johnsjmc]

I have never seen the PCNA press release BUT I have a 2001 S with factory m030 option. It is called something like reinforced or stiffened chassis on the original window sticker with option code m030 on the option sticker under the hood. I still believe to be sold in N America it must be m030 Not ROW m030 Row stands for rest of world for a reason . Row m030 doesn,t comply with US bumper height regulations ,which is why 2 separate similar suspension pkgs exist in the first place.
The package sways are the same, bushings same ,Bilstein shocks are valved the same ,with slightly longer shafts . The spring rates are the same too but the springs are slightly longer in the US version.
If Porsche did anything special with the 550 ,they could have hand selected low limit US springs and end up 10 mm lower . There is a +/- 10mm range shown in the height measurements you just posted.
I haven,t been on this forum long but have been on Pelican for years and have owned and worked on P cars since the 70,s Porsche used to fit a 1/2-3/4 inch thick spacer above the struts on US delivered 911 SCs to achieve the same elevated front ends to meet US bumper (and headlight ) heights regs.

[10/10ths]

....away from car until later this week. I will jack her up and shoot the springs for you. Earliest I can post will be the weekend.

[johnsjmc]

Out of curiosity I have been looking at the various posts here, Pelican and Rennlist. I am convinced the US suspension m030 pkg is the only options which would be legal on a US delivered car. However. Pet does show a selection of spring seat spacers about (5-10 mm thick), which would normally be there to quiet the spring NVH and can be assembly line selected, to adjust corner balance between slightly longer/shorter springs.
If I were required to use US m030 for competition I would attempt to use them with no or thinnest spacers which would get the car as low as possible on stock springs and go from there.. As I said above if Porsche did anything special they could have done this to a 550