Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

I'm thinking of dropping the ride height of my 944 by 20-30mm to give it a more sports orientated appearance. I think it rides too high in stock form and looks better at the Turbo ride height.

Can anyone recommend a company in the Hertfordshire area that would be able to do this for me?

I'm assuming replacement coils on the front and adjusting the eccentric bolts on the torsion bar only, I don't want to get involved with a re-indexing and the related cost of doing this. If the rear adjustment can only achieve a 20mm drop and I have to limit to this at the front I would still be happy.

Thanks

think you will find the rear is only 12mm adjustment.

try perfect touch in Hoddesdon, or Carrera Engineering in Nazing

Perfect touch have been doing a few 968's of late so they have their eye in

The eccentrics can move the arc by about 20mm but that's top to bottom. Most cars are already using some of the radius so you'd usually see about 5-15mm max.

Sounds like re-indexing is the only way then. Any suggestions for capable Hertfordshire/Bedfordshire companies. Any ideas on the cost?

I did above

more Bedfordshire RPM

RPM charge like a wounded bull!

Better to find a good honest one man band who charges £25 per hour and find a re-indexing guide for him to follow, which explains the inner and outer splines on the torsion bars.

It may take him an extra hour or three, but it will be FAR cheaper than an over-charging 'specialist' at several times the rate, for what is essentially simply mechanics work.

There is definitely a place for a specialist, but this isn't it in my opinion.

I have to disagree, setting up suspension correctly is Specialist work.

Lowering your suspension will also require changes to caster and camber .
Also knowing the best struts and springs to use for you on the front

Driving a correctly set up Porsce is fabulous, an incorrectly set up car can at best, be less rewarding and at worst be dangerous


If you can make the trip to Atherstone in Warwickshire, www.centregravity.co.uk are very good
may be a bit far but they know what they are doing
Also recomended are http://www.ninexmotorsport.co.uk/ in Maidenhead

Of course you can save time and money buy giving it to joe bloggs garage

For clarity Jason, I see the lowering (gearbox removal, carrier removal and bar adjustment) and the final setup as being distinctly separate operations.

It's folly to pay a specialist the best part of £100 an hour when a good mechanic can be found for £25 per hour. There is nothing even remotely special about a 944s torsion bars and we are deluding ourselves if we think that there is. Its essentially a hybrid Super Beetle and a Typ.182 Trekker/Thing and that is about as simple, as old-school and as non-specialist as it gets. They have to remove a 40yr-old design Audi transaxle too - hardly taxing...

I wouldn't entertain getting it set up at an independent specialist either, when I can get a far better job done for less.

You must have good garages near you Simon ; alot of the independant garages are very laisez faire with fixings car and only a few of them come close to charging £25 an hour ; one of them ruined an exhaust on a previous car on mine; a dealer only part for £320 (An '05 Mondeo 3.0 V6 Y pipe if anyone is wondering ; An exhaust guy wanted £150-200 to fix it before people suggest that). Yes I have tried my share. I could quote more examples but you get my point, jobs which are 'simpler' than a 944 torque tube removal.

Maybe I have been unlucky over the years mind you .

There's a big difference between a Garage and a mech working for cash from home or out of a van. I get the impression that some specialists wouldn't be too upset if they didn't seen an old 944 again.
I'd see how the eccentrics are adjusted first off and take it from there. After I fitted KW's I had Center Gravity set my suspension up but that's the last place I would go without going through all the bushes etc first.

I can think of two garages, working out of reasonable premises, which charge £25 per hour. One near Wirksworth and the other near Shirebrook. Both are one-man bands: the first specialising in bodywork who has done lots of Porsches for friends and the other a superb mechanic and part time TR restorer.

For setup Id probably take the car to Paul Roddison at Roddison Motorsport near Meadowhall. £80 for a full front and rear geo, from someone who works on them on Saturday and wins races in them on Sunday.

I'd get Dave Thomas to do the bulk of the work (new front coilovers and reindexing) then take it to C of G for final setup. I would also suggest trying to get a ride in a lowered car to check this is what you really want before going the whole hog since you're not looking at an insignificant bill for what you are suggesting. Lowered cars will have harder suspension which is great on track but maybe not ideal over pot holes. Not suggesting lowering is a bad thing (how could I, I've done it to both my cars) but know what you'll get before paying the bills to get it done.

Cheers
Mick

+1 for Andy at Promax, RPM and CoG (although Chris is further North.)

Thanks Mike. Wasn't sure if Dave had the knowledge for re-indexing but I agree he's a top mechanic. Good advice about the try out. So when do I get a ride in the blue beast?

Good question. As soon as Augment have finished with it I'll drop you a line. Hopefully not long now (???)
Please bear in mind mine has had the rear indexing taken down a decent amount to allow the rear springs to take the weight of the car which I suspect is a different set up to the one you are thinking of.
Cheers
Mick