Porsche

Where the shared parts come from

The 996 was the first water cooled 911 and the first built alongside the Boxster. The sharing went as far as the B pillar. The front half is the same car. On the 997 and the Cayman 987 the logic holds, so many front bushes and arms are the same part and go on any of them.

Where compatibility breaks

With the 991 the geometry changes. Longer wheelbase, wider track, and electromechanical steering instead of hydraulic. Suspension parts from the 997 no longer move across to the 991, even where the mounting position carries the same name. Check the generation in the selector, not the year on the registration document. The years overlap where a generation changes.

The year matters for the engine too, not only the suspension

On the M96 and M97 engines there is an intermediate shaft bearing that has been written about at length. They are not all the same. Cars from the first half of 2005 have the single row version, the one that fails most often, but which can be changed without splitting the engine. From the middle of 2005 to 2008 the bearing is larger and holds up better, but it only comes out with the engine open. From 2009 the 9A1 engine in the 997.2 drops the intermediate shaft and moves to direct injection. Bore scoring turns up far less often on it.

Engine at the back, consequences at the front

With the engine behind the rear axle, a 911 has far less weight over the front than almost anything else on a circuit. The front axle loads up late and unloads suddenly when you lift. You feel it on turn in. That is where the order of work on a track car comes from: the rear anti-roll bar and the front bushes, before any spring.

What we stock

Powerflex and Strongflex bushes, AST Rollcages structures, KW Automotive suspension, H&R springs, Goodridge brake hoses and ACL bearings. Bushes are chosen by position, not by assembly: a single arm usually has two bush positions, and they are not the same. The year, make and model selector cuts the list down to what fits your generation.