Delaneycatz Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Wasn’t sure where to post on this one but there goes. Despite the great weather we have at present I’m starting to plan some winter work. On the list is some work to the suspension as I’m not sure how old what I have has been on the car but suspect it’s original. Any advice or recommendations. Do I have to replace the springs as well as the shocks, top mounts etc? Can the original shocks be rebuilt and is there any point in considering this approach. I’m not looking for a race car set up so standard refresh is my preferred option. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petemac Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, Delaneycatz said: Wasn’t sure where to post on this one but there goes. Despite the great weather we have at present I’m starting to plan some winter work. On the list is some work to the suspension as I’m not sure how old what I have has been on the car but suspect it’s original. Any advice or recommendations. Do I have to replace the springs as well as the shocks, top mounts etc? Can the original shocks be rebuilt and is there any point in considering this approach. I’m not looking for a race car set up so standard refresh is my preferred option. Thanks in advance Just done this not long ago what is your budget ?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaneycatz Posted August 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Haven’t really considered budget but depending on what is required and recommend suspect it will cost between 1-2,000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petemac Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Just now, Delaneycatz said: Haven’t really considered budget but depending on what is required and recommend suspect it will cost between 1-2,000 I would in that case have it looked at first and see how much requires changing I opted for the Bilstein suspension and I spent a hefty sum but I wanted to do that because of the cars age (19) it has totally transformed the handling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petemac Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 16 minutes ago, petemac said: I would in that case have it looked at first and see how much requires changing I opted for the Bilstein suspension and I spent a hefty sum but I wanted to do that because of the cars age (19) it has totally transformed the handling. Just sent my mobile number to your mail Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughsehhh Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 I've changed my front coffin arms, drop links, top mounts, top mount bearings, bump stops, tie rod ends and rear drop links and haven't noticed any major difference. Had the tracking done as well following the works and this is on a 125k mileage car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 Good info from @Hughsehhh I was contemplating a bit of suspension refreshing as my next big project on the car. Sounds as though unless definite wear and tear related deterioration can be identified it ain't worth it other than to know its all new. Might hold on to my money a bit longer or go for the full respray instead first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GmanB Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 You won't regret getting a suspension refresh, not that my word is worth much, but I can testify it's worth every penny. In the last year I've had all coffin arms, all tuning forks, all drop links, all ARB's bump stops. It cost around £1500 in total via a specialist, but in four different visits, so I'm sure you could shave some of that off if you have it all done at the same time. I bought all the parts on ebay accept ARBs which came from Porsche. Generally though if you buy parts from a specialist they will carry out wheel alignment for free. Front mounts might need doing on a 19 yr old car as well. If there's anything wrong with the springs, it should be picked up in an MOT, although after 19 years it's probably lowered a decent amount, right @Nobbie? If you are doing part by part, tuning forks alone, should get rid of some horrible noises. I've been told it's really hard to identify these needing to be done. I still have a few parts to replace on the suspension, inner track rods and shocks. btw, anyone know if the Bilstein B4 is OEM replacement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobbie Posted August 23, 2019 Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 2 hours ago, ½cwt said: Good info from @Hughsehhh I was contemplating a bit of suspension refreshing as my next big project on the car. Sounds as though unless definite wear and tear related deterioration can be identified it ain't worth it other than to know its all new. Might hold on to my money a bit longer or go for the full respray instead first. I'm not that surprised that @Hughsehhh didn't notice much of a difference after changing those items. Unless they have actually started to break down in the bushes or joints, replacing them will not make the drive much different. My car was at 147k and definitely felt a bit floaty and grounded out due to tired springs accentuated by the weight of the tip gearbox. I managed to source a new M030 kit for £875 and added in a couple of coffin arms and toe links and all drop links as I had to cut the old ones out. The old springs were rusting in the cups and would likely have broken soon. The shocks were not really doing the job anymore despite no evidence of leaks. The car is utterly transformed. In part this is due to the M030 upgrade, but I suspect even standard replacement would have made a huge difference. @Delaneycatz if it's a winter project you can afford to take your time and source bits as you find you need them after carefully examining what you take off. Might be worth getting an MOT done just to see if they identify any wear items. I didn't replace the top mounts as there was nothing functionally wrong with them, just cleaned up the bearing races at the front and regressed them. Bump stops at the front needed replacing as they had perished, although the skirt bit below them was fine. Although you say standard replacement, you may find aftermarket stuff like Koni FSD cheaper than the Bilstein kit and it gets good writeups. Paired with new standard springs it should give a good ride quality. I went cheap with my coffin arms and they seem fine for now and got toe links from a breakers. I got a 2 year alignment deal with kwikfit for £120, so if any bits do fail prematurely, I'm not having to pay for another alignment when I replace the bits. Might be worth checking if all the bolts are free before getting stuck in. Mine were all siezed and I had to use a reciprocating saw to cut out coffin/toe arms, and then drill out drop links🙁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaneycatz Posted August 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2019 thanks Nobbie. Mot was fine and didn’t mention any items of concern. Booked into SCS in the next few weeks for a maintenance check so hopefully Andy will give me a view on what is recommended if anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaneycatz Posted February 13, 2020 Author Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 Wow I can’t believe how long ago I started looking into updating my suspension! Well by way of an update all being well I will be booking into a local garage I use to undertake an extensive upgrade of most of the suspension. Some the current parts on the car seem ok or seem to have been replaced within the last couple of years so they will remain. In short there are new shocks, springs mounts etc going on and over the last few months I have collected Perry much every other part I could. Once done I will give some feed back on the ride and feel. Point of note, if your looking at undertaking something similar keep looking for those parts. Some suppliers seem to heavy discount at times and I managed to collect quite a few bits from owners who had sold their car and hadn’t got round to replacing parts they had purchased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted February 13, 2020 Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 That's the way to do it with sourcing parts and then when you have accumulated all your bits crack on, plus spreading the cost over a long period is not so painful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted February 13, 2020 Report Share Posted February 13, 2020 25 minutes ago, bally4563 said: That's the way to do it with sourcing parts and then when you have accumulated all your bits crack on, plus spreading the cost over a long period is not so painful. That’s my plan, only got the spring so far. But plan on getting new shocks later on this year. Always looking around for bargains on other suspension parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southy Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 koni active - are quite good value - looks like the ship has sailed on the new M030 kits, prices seem near £3k now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bally4563 Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 11 hours ago, Sanky said: That’s my plan, only got the spring so far. But plan on getting new shocks later on this year. Always looking around for bargains on other suspension parts. Like drop links sometimes you can just drop on one for 6-7 quid, add that to the parts list and so on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 1 hour ago, Southy said: koni active - are quite good value - looks like the ship has sailed on the new M030 kits, prices seem near £3k now Think I’ve seen sets on design911 going for around £1500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the baron Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 I think £2000 might be a bit lite, if that's your top end it might be advisable as other have mentioned to get the car checked out and do what needs doing first and do a refresh over a period of time rather than all at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southy Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 4 hours ago, Sanky said: Think I’ve seen sets on design911 going for around £1500. You can get them on ebay for £600 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Koni-Special-Active-Shock-Absorber-Set-Front-Rear-for-Porsche-Boxster-986/362377838784?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 57 minutes ago, Southy said: You can get them on ebay for £600 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Koni-Special-Active-Shock-Absorber-Set-Front-Rear-for-Porsche-Boxster-986/362377838784?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649 I was referring to the M030 kit https://www.design911shop.com/Porsche/Boxster-986-987-981/Boxster-986-27L-2003-04/Porsche-Kits/pt65_1385_-cma81-cmo82-ct290/ That’s a good price for the Koni, I was think of B4’s might look into the ones on eBay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southy Posted February 14, 2020 Report Share Posted February 14, 2020 The M030 kit for mine is £2800! so yours are a bargain at £1400 lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted February 15, 2020 Report Share Posted February 15, 2020 I paid £600 for my Koni FSD what must be 3 or more years ago. For the money I dont think you can get better value. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaneycatz Posted April 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 By way of an update..... didn’t get underway last year but finally! Ready to go. i am just waiting on a delivery of a pair of front tuning forks and into the garage by Wednesday. Decided to lay it all out to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Still will have a couple of bits to change at a later date if required. Can’t wait just a shame I won’t be able to give it a long country lane run for a while🙁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 Have you got top mounts or new eccentric bolts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonogt6 Posted April 27, 2020 Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, edc said: Have you got top mounts or new eccentric bolts? A good point by EDC. They seize in totally and have to be cut out. This applies to the rear coffin arms and also the rear most track control arms(if you're replacing those as well). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delaneycatz Posted April 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2020 Top mounts already on the shocks and springs and I have a set of new eccentric bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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