SUSPENSION & BRAKES & Wheels
The "S" package on the 1980 Turbo's was mostly a suspension and brake package.Most noticeable was the addition of 16" wheels with 4-wheel vented disc brakes. These are the same brakes fitted to the early 944's. The S package also included 160 lbs front springs, up from the stock 140 lbs units, 23.5mm torsion bars,and 23mm front and 14mm rear swaybars. The steering rack ratio was changed from the quicker 19.2:1 to a slower 22.4:1. This was to make turning those big(!) 205's in the front without power steering. Also included were early adjustable hydralic Koni yellow sport shocks&struts.
I have made only minor changes to the already fantastic brakes:
-SS Brake lines from Paragon Products (these are the best sets on the marketin my opinion)
-Replaced rear steel brake mounting plates with aluminum versions from the 944
-New front Zimmerman rotors
-Fluid flush
I'm not against cross-drilled rotors and they may come in the future. Despite what many say, they won't keep your brakes from fading on the track anymore thana normal rotor (actually the smaller surface area makes them heat up faster...). They do however shed rain out for those quick stops in the wet. I never thought they would be of any use until I had to make a quick stop at highway speeds in the rain- my regular rotors took a minute to burn the rain off before they started slowing me down. That's enough of a reason to pick them up in my book!
The suspension is only mildly massaged:
-Adjustable 19mm 968 M030 rear swaybar
-Bilstein sport struts (front) and shocks (rear)
-200 lbs. Weltmeister lowering springs
-New strut mounts/bearings
-New tie rods
-New ball joints
-Rebuilt original steering rack
-New front swaybar drop link bushings
-New front control arm - rear caster bushings
I had a set of 25.5mm rear torsion bars from an M030 equiped 944 Turbo. Combined with the Welt springs, they gave a rough ride in my lighter (2300lbs) '77 924. With the above setup, the ride is still on the stiff side. I think the heavier torsion bars would make it too stiff for enjoyable (pothole-laden) Boston driving.
The original 16x6" wheels shod with 205/55/16's weren't really doingit for me. They are a 928 style wheel and can be seen on the first page. These were replaced with a set of 911 C2 Design 90 wheels. I've got 16x6" with 205/55/16 in the front and 16x8" with 225/50/16 in the rear shod with Potenza Re730's. -Too bad these tires are out of production, they're fantastic!
Below are a couple pics of the Design 90's. One is during the rough sanding process (notice my garage mascot in the corner!) and the other is inside the paintbooth just after the respray. The car sits up pretty high at the moment since it's stripped down. The body will sit down nicely on the new wheels.
To brave the New England winters, I've got an extra set of 4 16x6" Design 90's that I mounted some cheap Kumho HP4 716 tires in a stock 205/55/16 at all four corners. These tires are cheap, but they have the best snow traction reputation out of anything other than a dedicated snow tire. Perfect for the months where summer tires get too hard from the cold. I just can't justify snow tires with their horrible ride and short lifespan even up here in snowy Massachusetts. The Kumho's seem to be a great compromise.
