99 stock strut/coilover help
 

Ok I've been reading alot about the strut/coilovers for my P-car but I'm also getting overwhelmed with what to buy.....My front right strut has just started leaking at 47K miles....Also all 4 bump stops have fallen off along time ago.

So I just do some spirited around town driving only and I need someone to recommend what they think would be a good strut to replace the stock ones.

I want to keep the same height as stock and just want a nice comfortable ride as close to stock but hopefully with a better than stock strut.

I am a big fan of Koni FSD, now renamed as Koni Special Active. I'm running them on my Boxster which is back to street duty and I also have a lot of track time on them (with USA M030 springs and sway bars, and then Tarett swaybars). I think (haven't priced them in a while) they may be more affordable than OEM Bilstein replacement struts.

Things to replace while you are in there replacing struts - bump stops (as you know :) ) but also check the strut top mount rubber for cracking, on mine the fronts were cracked but the backs were OK so I only replaced the fronts. The rest of the stuff can be reused, and check the front strut top bearings, if they feel gritty you can clean and re-grease them but if they feel smooth you could probably keep them as is.

Cautions: Whatever you do, don't forget to reinstall both big cupped washers that go around the strut top rubber or you will be in for a bad day when the strut punches through...

I was looking at those koni special actives when I was doing my research on struts....So your saying the stock struts on my car are Bilsteins.....Didn't know that.

I will take a look at all the stuff you have mentioned....And after watching several Youtube videos on this I understand what you are referring too about the cupped washers.

Obviously I have some more research and video watching too do before I tackle this but with help from people like you giving me advice I might just get this done.....Wish me luck.

I've swapped the suspension on my car several times and it was the first car I ever worked on in my life, if I can do it, anyone can (but it was hard though, but doable)

Worn out OEM to Ksport, then Ksport back to OEM with Koni FSD, then to PSS9, then on stands for a year after selling the PSS9, then finally back to OEM with Koni and back on the road. Never again :-) but just once wasn't too bad :,-)

I work on all my own vehicles but that only means I have worked on USA made vehicles and this is my first German made vehicle for me that is if you don't include back in the 60's & 70's alot of my friends had VW bugs but all I ever did was ride in then and not work on then.

I'm thinking of going coilover instead of getting a Koni shock then buying all the other ancillary parts so that means buying a new shock all new small parts and putting that all together with a 20 year old coil spring.....And I'm still going to end up with a non-adjustable strut.....If I can find me a coilover for around 350 to 400 I think that is the direction I might go......Tell me what you think about this brilliant idea of mine ?

I have a question for you concerning the rear strut....Which is the best way to replace it by taking off that axle nut(The one with the 340 ft-lbs of torque) or leaving it alone and pulling out the CV unit from the transmission ?

The first time I did a suspension I took this axle nut off because I was also doing wheel bearings.

Every other time I used a custom spring compressor that I borrowed from a friend, that let me take out the rear struts without having to remove the axle nut or remove the LCA. A regular spring compressor may work especially if your original suspension is blown out and easy to compress once the spring is compressed. I think there may be a few videos out there showing shortcuts.

One I never got a chance to try would be removing the sheet metal brace and the two diagonal supports (figure 1 here), and then loosening the inner LCA, with that brace and the supports out of the way I bet that would let the LCA drop down pretty far and the strut top might slide right out :)

Hi

I changed all four of mine (130k miles) for a low mile ebay set (originals). I tested them against the ones I removed and they were significantly stronger. I already had the inner CV joints undone for the gearbox removal, so at the rear just dropped the subframes (just 2 bolts). The real challenge when I did mine was undoing the pinch bolts. Calliper bolts were also a pain with one snapping.

I would keep away from any suspension harder than standard. The standard car is jut not a stiff enough platform IMHO.

Best of luck

Berni

Taking off the shaft on the transmission side is aggravating, and getting it back on it too. the exhaust is in the way and you need turn the shafts several times etc. then you need to clean the bolts really good, loctite, clean grease from the bolt holes, turn the shafts multiple times to cross torque em up, check them for loosening up for a couple of months, etc. etc. its a PIA.
The axle nut is easier...and you dont have to remove it...just loosen it, then the toe in arm from the ball joint and the lower control arm (camber adjustment side on frame), the fork side of the forward link where it attached to the lower control arm and of course the drop link since it holds the strut in. Mark your camber placement and the wheel will be close when your done and match it back up. I didnt even remove the caliper on the rear and had enough to remove the stock strut and replace with a coilover. Loosely attach new strut up top, align wheel carrier and gently coax everything back using a floorjack. I guess a spring compressor could help a little, but I didnt need it.
first side took 1.5 hours, the second was 30 minutes.
one problem you might have is the axle stuck in the hub, it should have been coated in a good copper anti-seize, but that doesnt always happen. Dont beat your axle with a hammer, but make sure you have a HUGE drift pin and give it some solid smacks with a 5lb sledgehammer if its stuck. leave the nut on so it doesnt slip and mess up the threads. Then maybe get some anti-seize on it for next time.
coilovers for 400 is false economy, if you can even find them. The right coil for your type of driving is critical and making sure its a quality part is important also.
Godspeed has a set for 800, most are in the 1200 range (and up, way up). Do your research and choose accordingly. I went with yellowspeed and im very happy, but they are brand new.

no need to remove the braces...inner control arm, toe in ball joint and the fork connection to the LCA gave me the clearance to remove and replace strut. I did loosen the axle nut and floated the shaft back a few inches...needed that.

Thanks Tony for the info and the tip about using Yellowspeed.......I did see those Godspeeds for $840.

I just looked at the Yellowspeed coilover site and it says $1,100 but I don't see where it says for how many....So It's $1,100 for all 4 coilovers correct ?

And if I loosen the axle nut just how did you get it to the correct torque of 340 ft-lbs ?.....I myself don't have anything to get it close to that torque.

Go to utube and look up 'Burner's Cars'. Find his 'Fix 13' and go to 9:00 min. There he tells how to use standard shop tools and your weight to torque the axle nut.

Yep that's how I did mine.

Righto. it is for all 4.
The godspeeds are a risk, too inexpensive and I didnt find anyone online with a Porsche who used them. A few yellowspeed users out here on the forum, plus some Japanese tuners I know have them and like them. (these guys are good feedback because they do stupid stuff to the cambers and trick driving stunts) I think the springs are just right for street driving and have adjustable dampening, although I went with stock recommendations.

I used a torque wrench at my local shop (its huge) and got close. I takes a little bit of muscle. you can use a really strong breaker bar and impact socket (you can easily break these if it is small or a cheapo) and use your weight.
340/(your weight)= x. stand with your full weight on breaker bar "x" from the rotation of the socket. 200Lb is about 1ft and 8 inches out with bar parallel to the floor. Yahtzee!

PS, be careful not to scratch up your wheels. I wrap my sockets with colored electrical tape for the lug nuts and the axle nut.

Great responses from everybody on this topic has really helped me out.....Upon your recommendation Tony I will be buying the Yellowstone coilovers on sale for $1,100....I think coilovers are just so much better than the stock struts.

I will be doing my front struts as soon as I get the Yellowstone coilovers and then later this year or next year I will tackle the rears....Thanks again everybody who responded with all your helpful ideas.

awesome...take care with the fenders and dont scratch up your pretty paint. Donald Patterson is a principal over at yellowspeed and answers emails, so use that "in" if you need it.

Whats wrong with the Bilstien oe ones?

I put oe bilstiens on my last box when I got it. My current one just got the same treatment. Reusing the original springs will retain your ride height.

To me (I don't race) these cars handle magnificently without any need for performance dampeners or high load springs. But that's my own opinion.

at 100K, my springs were out of whack with each other. The front right spring was softer then the drivers side if I pushed on them out of the car, leading me to believe that my springs are worn out. Also, the rust...one side was covered in rust. The coilovers I put in have a "close to stock" spring rate best I can tell. they feel fine and I dont race either.

Yeah for me I just didn't want to spend the same money or less than buying the stock Bilstein struts and all the little parts that go with it then use a 20 year old spring.....And after all my research as of late for the same price I will take a coilover over a strut everytime.

The coilovers will be 100% new and adjustable for what ever ride height I need.

Just do it all at once... it's easy and you will be glad

Also you could buy a set of H&R springs that are awesome and install them with new struts for less, but would not be able to adjust ride height..
.

Hey Tony could you answer a couple questions for me.....Since I'm new to all this coilover stuff I just received my coilovers and they look great.....Took them 4 weeks to get here.

1) The coilover with the adjustable camber plate....The one with the 4 allen head screws up top is for the front or rear of the car ?

2) And the damper adjustment with the supplied screw for going down through the top did you use the settings the manual suggested which was 12 front & 8 rear ?

the pillow mount is for the front (4 allens). They only go in one way so line them up correctly. I left the allens how they came, but made sure they were tight, they were. The holes are elongated, so line the nuts up where the old ones were too. I did the standard dampening and doubt I will change them...if it was 12 and 8 then, yeah, thas what I did.

A little floor jack really helps push the hubs up as you put things in. Youtubers will show you this. Also pay attention to the instructions on ride height, leave the spinners that hold the spring where they are, dont move them. You adjust the height by spinning the shock. I went close to stock, lowering about 1/2 inch, but you can adjust this after installation.
IMHO, if you lower the car more, you cant drive it on the street as something WILL happen. :+)

After installed, torque down the locking spinner. Have magnetic parts retriever handy for the nuts on the rear, in case you drop one. I also used my retriever to start the back nut you reach in the trunk trough. its tight.

Are you doing the suspension at the same time?

Thanks for the clarification on which coilover goes where.....I remember watching a video about the distance between holes.

Yeah the instructions say something about leaving the top 2 spinners where they are and after looking at the shock I figured out you spin the shock to adjust.

I measured the ride height before I took it apart and will set it to original ride height.....And the instructions say to torque the spinner to 70 / 80 nm.

When you say suspension are you referring to the rear struts ? If so no I am only doing the fronts at this time.

One more question for you Tony since I will have all 4 stock struts available do you think anybody would want to buy them and what might I charge for a fair price....All 4 stock bilstein struts have no rust anywhere and have 47,000 original miles on them and the only reason I am replacing them is because the right front strut started leaking and I decided to give some coilovers a try instead of going with struts.

im not the expert on used parts, I dont have anything for you one that, but you are replacing one of them because they are leaking? If its me, im not putting them on my car, especially when I can buy new. I went Coilover for the simplicity of having everything at once.
I encourage you to look at your suspension components carefully when you perform the swap. Droplinks and swaybar bushings are often bad by the time our cars get this old. The lower control arm goes quick in the front as well. When (if?) you do the rear, again droplinks and swaybar bushings, but the trailing arm (fork) makes noise at low speeds and needs replaced. I just swapped everything with TRW...cost about 1500 bucks but its done.

post some pictures of your project and lets see how its going, just size them correctly so they arent HUGE!

I have been checking all that suspension stuff you suggested and giving it a very close inspection and everything looks good except the sway bar drop links are shot front and rear.

So I put new drop links all around.

Check this out Tony I spent all day today putting in the new coilovers and the reason it took me so long was everybody says the last thing you do is tighten down the 3 nuts up top under the hood after the car is complete and on the ground.

Well I went to do that but I couldn't get it adjusted the way the stock camber alignment was which was both sides were all the way out toward the fender.....So after some checking it was those 4 allen screws on top were hitting against the angled metal under there were it mounts too.

So I had to take them completely back out and move the 4 allen screws to the other set of holes about a 1/2" back from the holes they had them in when they arrived.....Man was I pissed....So after doing that they could then be adjusted all the way out toward the fender like the stock adjustment was.

Then I spent the rest of the time guessing where to adjust the coilovers so it sits at the factory ride height....When I first put it down on the ground it was way to low so it took me 3 different adjustments to get it right.

I have felt frustration when things dont go perfect, and reflect that error and troubleshooting are our best teachers. :+)
hows it look now? confident everything is tight and outta sight? Post a picture, everybody loves pictures

I'll work on getting a pic....Took it out yesterday and everything works good except now my steering wheel is very slightly off too the right when I'm going straight down the road and it was perfect before.
So to get the wheel straight again I would adjust the steering arms coming in from each side....Correct.

that sort of stuff I leave to the alignment shop. Its 80 bucks for a 4 wheel alignment and they straighten the steering wheel...get your cambers and toe-ins correct.