Suspension swap, Swap 911/930 front suspension to my 914 Options

[spyder9014]

What are the benefits of using 911/930 front suspension on a 914.
I have installed gas shocks, turbo tie rods but I have seen it recommended to use the 930 front suspension. Is this just to get the brakes or is this for struts/brakes/torsion bars?
If I upgrade the calipers and rotors will it be just as good as a complete swap?

[rickyhgarcia]

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I agree, there's probably a large contingent that just swap them out and call it a day, but, I think there's an equally large contingent that know what's going on with inserts... you simply don't run 911SC Bilstein inserts on a 914 (as you now know).

Just this last week there were a couple of threads initiated in this forum where a member asked if a 914 insert simply fit a 911 strut...and another member answered "I did it in my car and it was OK" so it will be OK with you. Up until the the SC model, Porsche sold up to 4 different models of 911 each year plus a 912. I imagine that Porsche, being a performance oriented manufacturer, used different setting for all these different models. It is not as simple as just swap components and that is it, especially since the lightest of the production 911 (i.e. 1964) is already 230lbs heavier than a 914. A 911 front end swap should be carefully planned and the right components obtained based on the final configuration desired. I now got exactly what I wanted.

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I agree wholeheartedly that the inserts should match the car not the strut, so, if this thread will help more people understand that then it's a good thing. I already had someone PM me last night worried about buying a 914 now that has a 911 front end on it... this is the wrong message to send.

I would not call this a wrong message...actually the buyer is more carefull as to what he/she is buying. A 914 is an low power car with great handling characteristics. So, why buy one that is already set incorrectly suspension wise? Personally, after my experience with the SC front end, I do not think that a 911 front end should be used a selling point for these cars unless it is set correctly.

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Buy a 911 front suspension, if that's what you want. Drop some 914 inserts in it and go, go, go... If you're going the serious 3.5" (Koni/Bilstein) route then it's still cheaper and easier to get custom valved inserts than it is to have all the chopping and welding done. Chris Foley charges $225.00 for the spindle operation alone. Then you've got to modify the ears...

This is exactly what I got. You are concern that I may paid more than necessary, and I may have. (Although just because at that time I did not know about Chris Foley...he may have done the work for his advertised price of $225.00 since I had all the parts.) But I wanted 911S alloy calipers (i.e. 3.5" ears), 914 inserts, 17mm raised spindle and 5-bolt conversion. By using an OE 914 strut, I eliminated all the guess work as to which is the correct insert. The cut and paste approach in my setup was inevitable since I wanted to raised the spindle. Besides I wanted to replace the Bilsteins inserts with Konis because I wanted the adjustability.


I think that I finally have the optimun suspension setup for my driving habits. I wanted a street performance car with the ocassional PCA weekend A/X´s. I did not think about engine mods until my suspension was to my liking. I think I have finally achieved my suspension goals, therefore, I just recently bought a big engine kit from Jake Raby.