Boxster Suspention Overhaul?
 

Hi Guys,

I am in the process of overhauling my suspension on my 1997 Boxster with 60k miles. The shocks are done/near done and the car makes odd rattle noises in the rear shock area so I just want to replace as much wearable parts as I can too make sure it fixes the issues.....Cant stand weird noises!!!

When reversing and turning at the same time the front driver side wheel feels a little loose/sloppy also .... think this may be Tie-rod related.


To be honest I dont know 100% is the shocks are bad but the car doesnt take bumps very well(actually pretty bad). I did the old test of pushing down on each corner of the car and it seems to pass that but how accurate is that really?

Things I think I will replace are:

1.) all 4 shocks
2. )Front OUTER Tie-Rods
3.) Plastic sway bar bushing things.



Things I have questions on replacing:

1.) INNER Tie rods....Do I need to replace these already at 60k miles?

2.) How many Sway Bar bushings are there?

3.) Drop Links ....... Which specific ones for the front and rear generally need to be replaced?

4.) Shock Mounts ..... do these generally need to be replaced at only 60k??


Any insight or recommendations are much appreciated?

Subscribed. I tool would like to give my suspension a minor birthday. I are about to fit rear track arms and would like to also replace any other small affordable items while I'm there. Curious to know what people suggest.

Sam

Dirk, I just did all 4 shocks on a 2000 'S' with 54k miles. The shocks that came out were like new in the front and barely warn in the back. I did it for fun and to firm the car up a little. I put Bilstein HD on front and Bilstein Sport on the rear. I'm taking it in for alignment Wed.

I learned a whole bunch of things along the way. I used Wayne's method on the front with a twist I made up so I wouldn't have to loosen the main bolt holding the wishbone to the frame (not an easy bolt to get at). On the rear I followed these instructions http://gwl.rmsolo.org/hacks/suspension/index.html (they include the front but it isn't necessary to do all that). The rear are a lot of work.

- You may or may not actually need shocks. Are the roads real bumpy? Your issues maybe unrelated. It can't hurt to change the shocks though. Shop around though i got mine for very cheap.
- Doing the outer tie rods is simple and inexpensive and certainly can't hurt. Mine were fine.
- You can very easily take out a sway bar bushing and check it. Mine were fine so so I left them. Should be just 4 (2 front 2 rear). Again real cheap just to buy them and put them in.
- As for the inner tie rods, once you get the outer ball joint off the wheel hub you should be able to feel if the inner tie rod has play...heck you can check the ball joint on the outer also.
- Drop links, my fronts were like new...once you get them off you'll see, just check the play in the ball joints. My rears were a little more tired but still no play, just more free. They are cheap and easy to replace though.
- Shock mounts...It would be really surprised if they are worn out. Mine were like new. I did buy new bearings just in case and used them but the old ones were just fine. You can have my old ones if you want them...if they fit. It is possible for a shock mount to get loose. Pretty easy to check that.

Since you are planning on replacing shocks you can test most ball joints along the way and if needed buy any control arms/wishbones/tie rods that have warn joints.

I'm not an expert but I would think your driving conditions, weather conditions, and any number of factors will play a big roll in how much you should do or need.

Hopefully the problems you talk about will be isolated to just a couple simple things. If you have any detail questions about how my recent project went let me know. Good luck.

Thank you for your reply bud ..... anyone else shed light on these matters from personal experiences?

Lemme know if you're interested in a brand new set of Porsche/Bilstein ROW M030 struts...

I'd be interested in a price on those and the other gear you have for sale. PM me.
Sam

DirkDiggler...love the name....loved the movie!!

Go here...get this kit. You will never look back!

http://www.design911.co.uk/fu/pt65_1385_-cma81-cmo82-ct287/Porsche/Boxster/Boxster-986-25L-1997-99/Porsche-Kits/

that $599 price seems too good to be true though.......right?

That's 599 GBP, which is about $970 US

Figured he would pick up on that at checkout.....For what you get in the kit, it's a bargain! Design911 in the UK are good people to deal with. I received my kit in no time after ordering. Crazy fast service!

Mine was upgraded a few months ago
 

2003 base with 61M miles. Prior owner had changed out the springs and lowered with Eibachs. Car was lowered but after I put 10M miles on the front tires started to rub (only 17's). Found out only springs were changed and not shocks. Also needed a rear control arm and rear right ball joints.

So after much discussion with my mechanic, test driving his '04 Carrera 4S with the PSS9 suspension, a lot of arm bending both ways for price went I with the PSS9 suspension over the M30 or stock suspension. Needed new shock bushings as the others were pretty worn out and felt for nominal cost I changed these out also.

Car handles incredibly well, in corners it feels like the car doesn't move or sway much at all.

Hope this helps.

From my experience, it's difficult to know whether the control arms/links and shocks are in good condition or not without taking them out. Could not detect any looseness in them. But when disconnected it turns out shock shaft shaking and practically all control arms and link up front were shot.

Are control arms pretty easy to replace?

Dirk, front or rear (3 or 8 in diagrams)? The front is easier to get at for us jack it up in the garage guys.