Which 986 Lowering springs go the lowest?

[markzeronine]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

That's a bit of an exageration isn't it?

IMHO, really slammin' a Boxster makes it look like any other Ricer - all that's missing is the coffee can muffler.

Lowering some for performance/aesthetic is OK, but I have seen some I consider too low. Again, IMHO, if you're rubbing that's too low.

Also, too low, and you need to change control arms, and such to maintain the proper geometry... it's a slippery slope.

It is of course an exageration, but not by much lol.

Lowering springs won't go very low, I've had many cars on fully adjustable coilovers that had the oppertunity to lower the car 3-4 inchs.. I'm just looking for a nice compromise for my daily driver boxster.

IMO the difference of a boxster being lowered 1'' or 2'' dosn't make or brake it being a ricer or not.



Thanks to everyone who has posted the pictures, I'm still making my decision. H&R's seem like the way to go. I had an Eibach prokit on a previous car and liked the look also so we'll see.

[blue2000s]

I've had the RoW M030 for a couple of years and really like it. Handles even better than stock and looks very "correct". I'm not a fan of very low riding cars either from an aesthetic or dynamic standpoint. In my view, the RoW is just about perfect.

It's a factory set up, so there's an achievable alignment setting that isn't too hard on the tires and you get the correct shorter struts to match the new spring rates and make up for the reduced ride height. It's a complete package, which is nice to have.

The US M030 is the same ride height as the stock US suspension, just as the RoW M030 is the same ride height as the standard RoW suspension.

[23109VC]

blue2000-

your photos of the ROW M030 are nice - although I can't say it looks "lowered" vs a non M030 car... the photos of Crios car and the others who have actual aftermarket lowering springs looks VERY low compared to the M030 cars.

depends on what look you like. my car is NOT lowered, but I kinda like the "lowered' look. the lack of any fender gap gives the car a very aggressive stance.

how would a car like mine with US M030 react if I took off the Porsche springs and put in Eibach or H&R or some other brand of lowering springs? I would assume that since my stock shocks have almsot 75k miles o them, it would make sense to replace them at the same time..

anyone try aftermarket shocks OTHER than full blwon coilover setups - like Koni sports, Tokico Illuminas, etc? i think my car handles prety well and it would be a shame to spend $1000 on new shocks/springs and wind up with a car that doesn't handle any better than how Porsche set it up! i'd like to get my car looking lowered - but ONLY if it would make the car handle AS WELL or BETTER than it does now.

i don't want to drop big $$ o a coilover setup. suggestions?

anyone else have photos of more cars iwth ROW M030 to see how the ride height looks?

[Sboxin]

How about a used set of H&R for $??? +shipping ?
We used them for 2 years on the track with very good results along with sticky R-Compounds on 18" BBS 8 and 10s, with maximum camber.


Good luck!

Ed

[JAAY]

I'm using eibachs..

[Lil bastard]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

... I would assume that since my stock shocks have almsot 75k miles o them, it would make sense to replace them at the same time...

MAJOR MISCONCEPTION!

Springs fatigue... in other words, wear out.

But shocks DO NOT! Only if they're leaking are they performing out-of-spec. If they're not leaking, they're fine

[spine911]

I have the full ROW M030 suspension setup with 19 wheels(HREs)...See pics below.
BTW, Gemballa springs are made by H&R--same springs, same height, same quality(but H&Rs are waaaay cheaper--why pay more$$ for the exact same thing).
I can guarantee you that if you go the full ROW M030 set-up you wont have to worry about alignment issues, unlike the other lower springs.
Be prepared for serious $$$ when you go full ROW M030(springs, shocks, sway, etc..etc), do it right the 1st time...not a half-baked job.

[blue2000s]

Originally Posted by 23109VC

blue2000-

your photos of the ROW M030 are nice - although I can't say it looks "lowered" vs a non M030 car... the photos of Crios car and the others who have actual aftermarket lowering springs looks VERY low compared to the M030 cars.

depends on what look you like. my car is NOT lowered, but I kinda like the "lowered' look. the lack of any fender gap gives the car a very aggressive stance.

how would a car like mine with US M030 react if I took off the Porsche springs and put in Eibach or H&R or some other brand of lowering springs? I would assume that since my stock shocks have almsot 75k miles o them, it would make sense to replace them at the same time..

anyone try aftermarket shocks OTHER than full blwon coilover setups - like Koni sports, Tokico Illuminas, etc? i think my car handles prety well and it would be a shame to spend $1000 on new shocks/springs and wind up with a car that doesn't handle any better than how Porsche set it up! i'd like to get my car looking lowered - but ONLY if it would make the car handle AS WELL or BETTER than it does now.

i don't want to drop big $$ o a coilover setup. suggestions?

anyone else have photos of more cars iwth ROW M030 to see how the ride height looks?

RoW lowers the car about 1/2-1". Not much, but noticeable. You can definitely see the increase in camber. The difference in handling with springs, struts and sways is also subtle but noticeable. On the street, there's absolutely no body roll. Changing lanes quickly is pretty entertaining.

I'm sticking with the stock 17" wheels, that may be why my car doesn't look as lowered as other RoW cars. They're lighter weight, take a little more of the edge off the ride and handle just fine for my taste.

On my car, I noticed more shudder out of the chassis when I went to the harder springs. I don't know if everyone else did, but I can feel some twist and see some motion from the windshield over sharp bumps that wasn't there before. 100% worth it though, it's the way these cars should come stock.

[RandallNeighbour]

If you do lower the car with springs alone, get ready for accelerated rear tire wear if you don't buy some adjustable toe links to put in the back to correct the additional camber lowering the car will do to the suspension.

I was all ready to buy lowering springs and then decided to throw another $500 at the car and put Ksport Kontrol coilovers on. The car rides as if it's on rails now. No noticeable body roll like before.

It was worth the extra money.

[spine911]

Markzeronine,

To answer your question: Which 986 lowering springs go the lowest?

Answer: (From Lowest drop, to mildest)

1: Eibach (lowest)
2: Gemballa/H&R(same springs-id go for the cheaper one)
3: Intrax
4: ROW M030(mildest- doesn't need camber toe links/kits)

I dont have the exact degree of drop, but use this as your guide for further research. There's tons of info. out there.

[crios]

[QUOTE=RandallNeighbour]If you do lower the car with springs alone, get ready for accelerated rear tire wear if you don't buy some adjustable toe links to put in the back to correct the additional camber lowering the car will do to the suspension....QUOTE]

I didn't buy the adjustable toe links, and yes, the chamber is a bit off, but looks and drives fine....very close to spec, not too concern about tire wear, drive less than 6K per year and been trying to get rid of the current set I have for a couple of years

I also bought my Gemballa springs on Ebay auction for $250....so keep an eye there for good deals.

Last, even with this low cost in springs, and some DIY, I did the fronts, $300 for the rear, I paid out close to $1000, so it's not a cheap upgrade.

Springs - $250
Tools - $100
Rear Install - $300
Alightment - $200

[markzeronine]

Thanks guys.. I work at a Porsche shop so I installation and alignments won't be a problem. I just wanted to get a general idea of which go lowest strictly on a visual basis. I have the knowledge to figure out what else I want out of them

It looks like I'm getting Ed's H&R's so I'll be good with those for a while.

Don't let that stop the pics of lowered boxsters though, I love them

[eVoMotion]

just an FYI - check your Ksports for leaking. I had a set on my Subaru two years ago and ended up having what I thought was poor build quality. I had to rebuilt 3 in 1 year due to leaking. One of them twice.

I chucked them and went for someone else brand and so far so good.

Originally Posted by RandallNeighbour

If you do lower the car with springs alone, get ready for accelerated rear tire wear if you don't buy some adjustable toe links to put in the back to correct the additional camber lowering the car will do to the suspension.

I was all ready to buy lowering springs and then decided to throw another $500 at the car and put Ksport Kontrol coilovers on. The car rides as if it's on rails now. No noticeable body roll like before.

It was worth the extra money.

[cvhs18472]

I just put on a complete ROW MO30 kit on my 98 base. It lowered about 1" and looks much better. The handling is unbelieavable. I picked up the shocks, springs, sway bars and bushings for $1023.00 delivered which was actually the cheapest upgrade available and it was engineered by Porsche for my car. I'm happy. Ed