kdh Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 I read somewhere that the Boxster S has slightly firmer suspension than the 2.7. Is this due to different shocks, springs or both? If I wanted my ride a bit softer, would it work fitting components from the 2.7? Am I getting old? Many thanks as always for your replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 (edited) Front springs and shocks are the same on 2.7 and 3.2, and M030 Sports suspension springs and shocks are the same for both. Gets a bit more complicated on the rear as 5 speed, 6 speed and Tiptronics all have different springs as the gearboxes are all different in weight and there are 8 different specs, but I suspect none are notably softer or stiffer, it is just allowing for the sprung mass of the gearbox and whether standard or sport suspension. If you want a more complaint ride go to 17" wheels if you have 18's, can't be sure from the picture, but I believe those are desirable 18" rims you have there and original 17" twist rims for the S are pretty cheap in comparison (make me an offer for mine, freshly refurb'd?). Also try to go for standard load not extra load XL tyres, standard are not necessarily much softer sidewalls but probably are a bit more compliant. The 986 Boxster ride is pretty complaint for a sports car. BTW you are getting old. 😉 Edited January 18 by ½cwt 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyP Posted January 18 Report Share Posted January 18 (edited) Oh... That age old dilemma! 18s look a damned site better, 17s feel better... That is a good looking motor, btw. Edited January 18 by DaveyP 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdh Posted January 18 Author Report Share Posted January 18 (edited) Thank you chaps, Luckily enough I've got some 17" twists arriving next week from a forum member on here. My 18's are currently up for sale on here but no bites yet. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the difference in ride quality is like. A 35 profile on my current rear tyres can't be doing me any favours. But don't let me put put potential buyers off! Roll up! Superb roadholding, turn-in and good looks from this setup with the Michelin Pilot Sports. Agree I'm getting old but the roads are getting so much worse - not just the potholes but the general unmade surfaces which send clatterings from my suspension into the cockpit. Oh to live in France or Spain with the sun and a 986... Edited January 18 by kdh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyP Posted January 20 Report Share Posted January 20 I hear you. I've spent a fair bit of time living in various European countries, and I've never understood why we don't surface our roads the way they do. Imagine our country roads with their surfaces... As far as wheels go, can I ask how much you've advertised them at? I've been sitting on a set of sport design 18s that I seem to have overpriced. Will be interesting to hear how you get on with the 17s when you get them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 I tried to fit 16 wheels on my 3.2 rear but they fouled on the suspension arm to hub or wheel carrier mounting. More info in my 986 blog. So the hub itself must also be different. Which was a surprise to Me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 1 hour ago, ATM said: I tried to fit 16 wheels on my 3.2 rear but they fouled on the suspension arm to hub or wheel carrier mounting. More info in my 986 blog. So the hub itself must also be different. Which was a surprise to Me. 2.5 and 2.7 have a 996 part number, 3.2 has a specific 986 part number. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 3 hours ago, ½cwt said: 2.5 and 2.7 have a 996 part number, 3.2 has a specific 986 part number. Tried the same thing on my 996 and it fouled in the same spot. Not sure how relevant that is as the rear hub carrier will be different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 8 minutes ago, ATM said: Tried the same thing on my 996 and it fouled in the same spot. Not sure how relevant that is as the rear hub carrier will be different. Looking deeper, the 986 uses the same hub carriers front and rear but swapped side to side, where the 986S has its own rear hub carriers. 996 has same front carriers but its own rear carriers. So 16" rims will fit on the front of a 986S, but not on the rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 996 uses a totally different arrangement of arm on the rear so this is why it's unique. 986s might use a unique rear hub to extend the width - where I find it fouls - to help support it under the increased load from the extra power involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 12 minutes ago, ATM said: 996 uses a totally different arrangement of arm on the rear so this is why it's unique. 986s might use a unique rear hub to extend the width - where I find it fouls - to help support it under the increased load from the extra power involved. As explained, 986S does use a 986S specific rear hub... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATM Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 31 minutes ago, ½cwt said: As explained, 986S does use a 986S specific rear hub... Yeah I'm just saying or guessing why Otherwise seems dumb and just adds cost to manufacturing processes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 21 Report Share Posted January 21 8 minutes ago, ATM said: Yeah I'm just saying or guessing why Otherwise seems dumb and just adds cost to manufacturing processes Perhaps they were already saving manufacturing by using the fronts on the rear of the 2.5 & 2.7... Same with drop links, not to mention all the common 986/996 parts. Some bits you just can't make work. Remember, 'Boxster, the car that saved Porsche!' 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizz Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 I would also ask about how old your existing suspension is? After going from 20 year old suspension to brand new suspension on my 986S it feels softer as the old shocks and springs were fubared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdh Posted January 22 Author Report Share Posted January 22 47 minutes ago, fizz said: I would also ask about how old your existing suspension is? After going from 20 year old suspension to brand new suspension on my 986S it feels softer as the old shocks and springs were fubared! Mine is 2004 on 105,000 miles and I don't think the suspension has been touched apart from front drop links and top mounts. I find it very hard to diagnose whether suspension needs changing or not. There is a clanking/rattling coming from the rear when going slowly over uneven road surfaces but no leaks from shocks, no clunking and the car drives very nicely, even on 18" wheels. Nothing picked up on the MOT in April last year. In an ideal world I'd have a suspension refresh but have just done £1500 on brakes so that will have to wait. Out of interest, what would you change first - springs, shocks? both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kdh Posted January 22 Author Report Share Posted January 22 On 1/20/2024 at 5:50 PM, DaveyP said: As far as wheels go, can I ask how much you've advertised them at? I've been sitting on a set of sport design 18s that I seem to have overpriced. Will be interesting to hear how you get on with the 17s when you get them. There are advertised on here for £800 with very good Pilot Sports, and I accepted a bit less. I will definitely do an update when my new 17's go on. Fingers crosssed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 7 hours ago, kdh said: Mine is 2004 on 105,000 miles and I don't think the suspension has been touched apart from front drop links and top mounts. I find it very hard to diagnose whether suspension needs changing or not. There is a clanking/rattling coming from the rear when going slowly over uneven road surfaces but no leaks from shocks, no clunking and the car drives very nicely, even on 18" wheels. Nothing picked up on the MOT in April last year. In an ideal world I'd have a suspension refresh but have just done £1500 on brakes so that will have to wait. Out of interest, what would you change first - springs, shocks? both? That clanking and ratting I would propose is the rear tuning forks. Easy part to do DIY and not too costly and can be done separately from other suspension work. Won't change ride quality though, just make it quieter... The defining moment is a broken spring or weeping shock but it has to be pretty dire to fail the MOT, however another basic and doable on their own is front top mounts, a bit more involved DIY as it requires the inner bolt on the coffin arm to be slackened so the trust will drop down below the wheel arch. Sharpens the steering and reduced creaking from the front end. The other drag on cost is the tracking each time you take it apart and if you find seized eccentric bolts on the rear (likely if there's not evidence of suspension work in the history), you can't track it properly.... Most of the rest of it you have to take apart to do more major bits so why do the work twice? Do springs and shocks at the same time it is so much work to get the the point of taking the springs off that you'd might as well do the bit extra to get the shocks out of the uprights. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phazed Posted January 22 Report Share Posted January 22 Having just done the above, it would be uneconomical and plain foolish not to replace dampers and springs at the same time. Get a matched set fresh and enjoy the benefits! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Everywhen Posted January 26 Report Share Posted January 26 On 1/22/2024 at 9:39 AM, kdh said: Mine is 2004 on 105,000 miles and I don't think the suspension has been touched apart from front drop links and top mounts. I find it very hard to diagnose whether suspension needs changing or not. There is a clanking/rattling coming from the rear when going slowly over uneven road surfaces but no leaks from shocks, no clunking and the car drives very nicely, even on 18" wheels. Nothing picked up on the MOT in April last year. In an ideal world I'd have a suspension refresh but have just done £1500 on brakes so that will have to wait. Out of interest, what would you change first - springs, shocks? both? At 105k its a given the suspension, MOT or not, is way past its best. Mine was like this at a mere 74K. If you think it drives nicely now just wait until it’s all been changed and aligned. The Koni SA dampers are highly recommended. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitro V8 Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 When I bought my 986s in 2021 replacing the shocks and springs was high on my priority list. My car had done 120k and although M30 equipped there was no record of them ever being replaced. Anyway after the usual arb bush, coffin arms etc and a geo alignment I am delaying replacement as it drives so well. I have done two track days in it, Anglesey and Brands and found it to be better than expected. When normal road driving it has great compliance yet is sure footed when pressing on. There is a bit of wallowing following corner transition but nothing too bad so I am not going to rush into replacement. Other priorities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 27 Report Share Posted January 27 24 minutes ago, Nitro V8 said: When I bought my 986s in 2021 replacing the shocks and springs was high on my priority list. My car had done 120k and although M30 equipped there was no record of them ever being replaced. Anyway after the usual arb bush, coffin arms etc and a geo alignment I am delaying replacement as it drives so well. I have done two track days in it, Anglesey and Brands and found it to be better than expected. When normal road driving it has great compliance yet is sure footed when pressing on. There is a bit of wallowing following corner transition but nothing too bad so I am not going to rush into replacement. Other priorities! No reason to replace springs and dampers as long as they are sound, although your description indicates shock effectiveness may be declining. I only ended up doing all mine due to a broken front spring and a rear damper starting to weep noticeably. Just changing the arms you have ( have you done the top mounts at the front?) will sort out all the rattling creaking and knocking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helm hurst Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 On 1/18/2024 at 6:52 PM, kdh said: Oh to live in France or Spain with the sun and a 986... Indeed, Spain has endless excellent empty tarmac available, but too hot for day time topless antics (for me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RalphyBMW Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 In broad terms, 3.2 uses 2.7 M030 arb’s, fitting 2.7 arbs to a 3.2 may soften things up a little. Broad as iirc there are some gearbox variations, but certainly different. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ninesomething Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 Have you tried playing with tyre pressures? You have to remember that Porsche factory tyre pressures are set to allow you to go out and drive down the Autobahn at 160mph if you so wish. Also German roads are generally smoother than ours. As long as you drop both ends proportionately you can drop the pressures a few psi safely. Unless you actually do drive at 160mph of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phazed Posted January 30 Report Share Posted January 30 If anyone is looking for a set of standard springs. I have a set of practically new springs in the classified on here. Just make me an offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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