968 Turbo S/RS replica suspension upgrade

[Pefa]

I just had Intrax coilovers installed on my 86' Turbo this year. I tracked the car once on its old soft konis and only one time since the coilovers were installed. I must say it is quite a difference. Car stayed flat and planted. I have not played with any damping settings yet. Hoping to do that next year with a couple more track days.

I went with the RSA fronts and 1k2 rears. Intrax took into account how I use the car and future power goals whenever I swap to the 07k motor in order to give me whatever their engineers deem to be the correct valving and spring rates. Right now I make about 320 whp. It definitely gives the newer cars in the HPDE events that I do a run for their money.

I also upgraded to High Strung tubular control arms, monoball bushings and deleted the rear torsion bar carrier for a piece that is made here in the US by the High Strung guys.

All in all, so far, so good. I haven't had any issues driving the car, no noises coming from the suspension that I can tell.

Sounds like they gave good support, I will contac them.

[333pg333]

I had KW 2 way race on my old car which sounded similarly setup to yours. Not sure where they fit in terms of budget as compared to the other brands but they did work really well in terms of street/track. Currently I have Motons in my racecar and they also work well but I've never driven it on the street to know how they would handle those conditions.

[Pefa]

I had KW 2 way race on my old car which sounded similarly setup to yours. Not sure where they fit in terms of budget as compared to the other brands but they did work really well in terms of street/track. Currently I have Motons in my racecar and they also work well but I've never driven it on the street to know how they would handle those conditions.

Thanks! I have seen that many use KW on our cars. Can you say if there is a big difference between KW and Moton in your experience? Maybe difficult to compare since your car has developed?

[333pg333]

Yes, quite difficult to compare. But, my old car was very much track oriented too. All rubber bushings / bearings replaced with Racer's Edge monoballs and parts. Bigger sway bars. 18" wheels with low profile R spec tyres. Car shouldn't have been very driveable on the street, but it was. I did initially run with the spring setup they supplied when I ordered the suspension package. That included running in conjunction with the rear torsion bar. From memory the effective rates were 615lbs/ft front and 708lbs/ft rear. I did eventually remove the torsion bar and put in stiffer springs. It did ride a bit harsher from memory but was great on the track. On the newer racecar we run the Motons with 1500lb/ft springs at all 4 corners. It would be interesting to drive it on the street but it would very quickly be pulled over by the Police!!

[t36]

Yes, quite difficult to compare. But, my old car was very much track oriented too. All rubber bushings / bearings replaced with Racer's Edge monoballs and parts. Bigger sway bars. 18" wheels with low profile R spec tyres. Car shouldn't have been very driveable on the street, but it was. I did initially run with the spring setup they supplied when I ordered the suspension package. That included running in conjunction with the rear torsion bar. From memory the effective rates were 615lbs/ft front and 708lbs/ft rear. I did eventually remove the torsion bar and put in stiffer springs. It did ride a bit harsher from memory but was great on the track. On the newer racecar we run the Motons with 1500lb/ft springs at all 4 corners. It would be interesting to drive it on the street but it would very quickly be pulled over by the Police!!

this looks so sick. what a beast!!

[Pefa]

Yes, quite difficult to compare. But, my old car was very much track oriented too. All rubber bushings / bearings replaced with Racer's Edge monoballs and parts. Bigger sway bars. 18" wheels with low profile R spec tyres. Car shouldn't have been very driveable on the street, but it was. I did initially run with the spring setup they supplied when I ordered the suspension package. That included running in conjunction with the rear torsion bar. From memory the effective rates were 615lbs/ft front and 708lbs/ft rear. I did eventually remove the torsion bar and put in stiffer springs. It did ride a bit harsher from memory but was great on the track. On the newer racecar we run the Motons with 1500lb/ft springs at all 4 corners. It would be interesting to drive it on the street but it would very quickly be pulled over by the Police!!

Love your car Patrick, it looks very brutal!
I know you have dealt with different engine setups. Have you found a good reliable recipe now?

[michaelmount123]

Your car is absolutely gorgeous, Pefa! Thank you for sharing what I consider the best looking 968 I've seen on Carpokes. VERY well done!

There have been huge leaps in suspension control with modern adjustable shocks. Taking advantage of the technology is expensive, and you want to be sure you choose the correct path. If it were me:

The best suspension upgrade for your 968 will be a package that is fully developed, track tested, and optimized by someone truly competent. Both shock configuration (2-way / 3-way / 4-way) and a suitable spring (and sway bar) package need to be identified. I caution you, however, to avoid getting too exotic. Since your car is track oriented with only occasional street use, you should focus on the track package and let your compromise be sacrificing street comfort.

Karl at Racer's Edge developed his suspension package(s) with a professional approach. His initial testing was on a "shaker rig" then refined on the racetrack where he was consistently on the podium. His expertise is well founded which will allow you to buy with confidence and significantly shorten the time required to reach your ultimate goal.

If the hard parts were drop-shipped to you from a European manufacturer, would the duties/fees be legitimately and lawfully reduced? Perhaps this is something to discuss with Karl so his expertise is available to you and hopefully your cost is minimized.

Best of luck. Please continue with photos and reports on the progress with your 968.
MM

[333pg333]

Yes, quite difficult to compare. But, my old car was very much track oriented too. All rubber bushings / bearings replaced with Racer's Edge monoballs and parts. Bigger sway bars. 18" wheels with low profile R spec tyres. Car shouldn't have been very driveable on the street, but it was. I did initially run with the spring setup they supplied when I ordered the suspension package. That included running in conjunction with the rear torsion bar. From memory the effective rates were 615lbs/ft front and 708lbs/ft rear. I did eventually remove the torsion bar and put in stiffer springs. It did ride a bit harsher from memory but was great on the track. On the newer racecar we run the Motons with 1500lb/ft springs at all 4 corners. It would be interesting to drive it on the street but it would very quickly be pulled over by the Police!!

Love your car Patrick, it looks very brutal!
I know you have dealt with different engine setups. Have you found a good reliable recipe now?

Not wanting to divert from your thread. To answer your question on engine setups and reliability, I'll just say no...I'll make a post in my thread if I can find it.

I would take the advice from MM above. Check with Karl @ Racer's Edge and see what is possible.

[BasHenneman]

Hey! Intrax is amazing! Had a set on my 944 and I’m installing the first electronically adjustable set on my 968 Turbo.
Their support is amazing!

Also, shoot me a message if you need a wiring harness / ECU package for your car

[cda951]

If you are serious about going fast and keeping up with modern P-cars, then you will want to lower your 944 significantly more than stock (as in almost 2 inches/50mm). The only way to decrease weight transfer side to side is to lower the center of gravity, which past a certain extent upsets the intended suspension geometry front and rear. This is why Porsche modified the uprights for 964 and 993 Cup cars, same with BMW for the production-based E30 M3 race cars, front and rear, and many other production-based race cars. The factories didn't spend the time and money to alter the front and rear suspension geometries just to make the cars look cool (though they did!). Modern damping and aero upgrades are another subject . . . .

As for the 944, I have drop pins TIG-welded into the pinch bolt sections of my 951 uprights which do the trick, they have been great for over 10 years but are not the ideal solution (though I think they are superior to the longer ball joint pins otherwise currently available for 944s). Search Rennlist for my old thread about 944 front suspension geometry, I won't provide a link out of respect to our host Tom. I attached a couple of pics of the initial setup with the early factory-style stamped steel control arms before going to Blazak boxed steel arms (which are complete overkill).

Front drop pins/longer ball joint pins also require tie rods with bump steer correction (I use an old Weltmeister 911 kit for this). Elephant Racing offers the same.

The 944's spindle-style upright with tapered roller bearings is limited, even the larger/beefier '87+ version. The ultimate solution would be a modern billet upright with a large bolt-in ball bearing for the wheel bearing and optimized mounting points for the lower ball joint and tie rod. See this link for the general idea, though nothing currently exists for the 944 AFAIK:

https://www.brypar.com/product-category ... -uprights/

As for the 944 rear suspension, I for years searched for a Kokeln rear suspension beam, which mimics Porsche's setup for the 935 race car in terms of its spring plate design. I narrowly missed out on a few used versions on Rennlist over the years, but Boost Brothers Garage recently produced an updated version of same, link below. I was one of the first to reserve one and installed it last year at this time. I have mostly pulled back from track events (despite my 951 having a full track suspension setup with all spherical bearings and coilovers, lowered with geometry correction as described above), but I did a fun road rally last fall in the far northern parts of California, and the rear suspension beam proved its worth in keeping the rear in sync with the front suspension.

https://www.boostbrothersgarage.com/col ... suspension

Coilovers with modern damping are the next frontier. I have Ground Control coilovers, which have excellent construction, but the old Koni-based damping feels, well, old.