Carpokes Porsche Forum

aboyandhisdog wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2024 3:12 pm Well, I broke down and bought some new 17" rims and tires in the name of science. I tried to capture the look of the 17's next to my 18's but the camera really doesn't tell the story very well....

Love the Fuchs on that car, in that color. Really nice.

OP, I've had B6 dampers on prior cars (BMW M3s, not a 911) and based on my experience, the Sport dampers are very firm. See if you can find someone local to trade your B6s for stock dampers and I suspect you'll notice a big difference in ride and comfort. Also, if you have PASM, I highly recommend installing a DSC controller. There is a drastic improvement on ride and reduction of crashing over expansion joints and potholes with the DSC. Good luck!

Busta Rib wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 11:03 am OP, I've had B6 dampers on prior cars (BMW M3s, not a 911) and based on my experience, the Sport dampers are very firm. See if you can find someone local to trade your B6s for stock dampers and I suspect you'll notice a big difference in ride and comfort. Also, if you have PASM, I highly recommend installing a DSC controller. There is a drastic improvement on ride and reduction of crashing over expansion joints and potholes with the DSC. Good luck!

Thanks for the info! I don’t have PASM. If I don’t like the ride on these, I will go upscale with height adjustment and more adjustability. This car is mainly for AX, so it just needs to be comfortable enough for the drive to/from those events.

I have a 2011 Carerra with 17 inch Maxilite Fuchs. They were made for a 996 so require a 3mm spacer for front, otherwise correct offset. I was using a different set of 17’s but like these looks. Ride is never harsh, quieter but no 911 is quiet. Unless you track won’t no the difference in feel. 215/55 and 235/55
Only slightly higher which I appreciate as drive it everyday with no worries Tom

It's too bad you choose Bilsteins as your suspension. I've changed my wife's Infiniti G37 Sport to Bilstein coil-overs to lower the car and give it a better ride and regretted it from day 1. Bilsteins's are known to ride stiff and coil-overs are not better. Meant for the track and not today's street roads. However I changed my 1991 Acura NSX to KW coil-overs and couldn't believe how great the ride was even with track settings. It changed the whole behavior of the car in every way. Very compliant, great handling and extremely well made. Since they are made in Germany and they obviously know your car, I would move in that direction and find another buyer for those Bilstein's. Better pricing as well. Also going to smaller diameter rims and then ties to keep the circumference/diameter similar to the 18" rims would give you more sidewall rubber to help deal with those harsh road conditions. I know because I'm dropping down from my Panamera's 21" monster rims to 20" partly for a better/quieter ride but also because I can't find replacement 21" tires for my defective stock Pirelli's. Good luck.

Al

OP, I bought my 996 Turbo with 100K miles and original suspension and 19" rims. The ride was horrible. I was embarrassed to take people for rides in the car. I swear I could run over a dime that was lying in the road and I'd feel it. I did a complete suspension refresh using all stock components (mostly Meyle and TRW) and installed BC Racing coilovers. Didn't want to lower the car, just wanted the adjust-ability of the firmness. With the coilovers, you can lower the car or raise it if you live in an area with really crappy roads. I've got my car at stock ride height and the coilovers about as soft as they'll go. It's fantastic! I don't track my car, so I had the alignment tech set up the specs for "normal" driving. The car still handles well and it handles bumps as well as can be expected. I don't cringe anymore when I hit bumps.

You guys must have some really crappy roads around you. I went with b6's and H&R lowering springs and can say even my wife has no problem with the ride. When I first got the car it came with 997 lobster forks on stock worn suspension. THAT was nearly undriveable. I first tried a set of 17" turbo twists, road better but lost the sharpness that I love about 911's. Changed the suspension, am now running18" Classic 2 wheels with Pilot Sports and am super happy.

aboyandhisdog wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 4:59 pm

cikasfm wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 8:06 pm I’m about to get rid of them and replace with proper Ohlins coilovers set with DFV (dual-flow valves) to hopefully restore the ride quality

Please do let me know where you land. Some of what you mentioned is Greek to me, but I am very interested to learn what struts / shocks make the car most compliant. I have no interest in lowering the car from stock, as that is already too low for the reasons you mentioned. I would have never guessed that the Bilstein B6 would be so rough, I just thought that it would be a tad stiffer than the stock B4 setup. I don't have PASM so just need a good, basic suspension that absorbs the road better than what I have now. Thanks...I appreciate your input! -Tom

As someone who came from Bilstein B6 PASM to Ohlins R&T on a 997 Carrera, I agree with your conclusion that B4 will give you better road compliance (something that is often overlooked) whilst maintaining a stock ride-height. As you've learned, B6 is a bit more sportier and can be harsh for some that aren't used to it, especially without PASM functionality to actively change rebound/compression on the go. If you're unable to swap them for B4's, just drive the B6s for awhile. Eventually, they will become broken-in and get a little more road-compliant as you keep putting miles on them. However, they should last about 60K miles or even longer.

Appreciate the input! Since I went with the 17" tires, I have been very happy. The B6's are just fine with the 17's, where they were awful with the 18's. You wouldn't think the additional 1/2" +- of sidewall would make that much of a difference, but it really does. I don't expect to need new shocks for a long time, but if/when I do, I'll probably be looking at going to the B4's or consider the Ohilns. But honestly, for the money I think the B4's with my factory springs would be just perfect.