adventures in suspension, I took some measurements... Options

[914 RZ-1]

I was on a drive with some other folks on Sunday (don't worry; we all kept 6 feet apart) and the guy behind me tells me that when I turn hard right the car leans more than when I turn hard left. Looks like the springs/shocks/suspension needs some attention. Where do I begin?

I have never replaced or adjusted any of the suspension on this car.

For replacement parts (if I need them), what are good shocks and springs and where is a good place to get them? I'm not looking for anything fancy; the "stock" ride is fine.

Are there any techniques or fancy tools I should know about?

Thanks!

[914 RZ-1]

For you kids following along at home, I have more info:

1. I bought rear shocks and springs. Gonna tackle that in a short while.

2. The front Boge/Sachs ones don't seem to be available anymore, just Bilstein. I'll wait until next month to get those to keep the CFO (wife) from freaking out.

3. I did the "bounce test" on all four corners. They all feel a bit soft and are not consistent.

4. I made some measurements:

a. I have 205/60 tires

b. Front axle height as defined in the Haynes manual (p. 108). Distance from hub cap center to ground is 295.5 mm on driver's side and 299 mm on passenger side. Distance from torsion bar adjuster lever to ground is 135.5 mm (driver)/133 mm (passenger).

The difference i supposed to be 90 mm +/- 5 mm. Do the math and you'll get 160.5 mm (driver)/166 mm (passenger). Seems my car has been lowered or the springs are really saggy.

c. I also measured from the ground to the bottom of the wheel well as shown in the sketch. The back is pretty consistent (different by 1 mm), but the fronts are different from each other by 25 mm.
I didn't think the difference in the front an back dimensions were an issue. In other words, do all 4 dimensions need to be the same?


What do I need to do to fix/adjust this? I am thinking I will replace the rear springs and shocks and see what happens. Then replace the front strut inserts and see what effect that has, then go from there. Thoughts?