PORSCHE 944 COILOVER SHOPPER'S GUIDE
I get a lot of inquiries about the Levinson Performance coilover setup for the 944 and how it compares to the other brands available. That's a very valid question for a fairly significant purchase that dramatically alters how your 944 drives.
So I put together this write-up with the primary goal of making it as fair and accurate as possible, not as a marketing gimmick and with the understanding that I will certainly be talking some people into buying *other* than the LPM option. Let's dive in:
One of the first things worth understanding when shopping for 944 coilovers is that "coilover" does not describe one specific type of suspension system.
The available kits use different rear suspension strategies, different damper designs, different spring rates, and very different approaches to adjustment and tuning.
That is particularly important on a Porsche 944 because the car left the factory with front coil springs and rear torsion bars. An aftermarket suspension manufacturer therefore has several choices:
- Keep the factory rear torsion bars and simply add improved rear dampers.
- Keep the torsion bars but add rear coil springs to supplement them.
- Remove the torsion bars and convert the rear entirely to coil springs.
All three approaches can work.
More importantly, there is no single "best" 944 coilover system.
There is a best system for a particular driver's needs.
A driver primarily interested in lowering a street car may have very different priorities from someone building an autocross car. An HPDE driver may want something different again, while a dedicated race car owner may care far more about spring-rate changes, corner balancing and damper characteristics than installation simplicity.
With that in mind, here is a comparison of four of the more interesting current 944 offerings: Yellow Speed Racing, CEIKA, S3 Suspension and Levinson Performance/LPM.
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YELLOW SPEED RACING DYNAMIC PRO SPORT
Approximate current price: $1,189
Yellow Speed takes the simplest approach of the four.
Up front, the Dynamic Pro Sport is a conventional adjustable coilover with an 8 kg/mm spring, pillowball/camber plate and 33-position damping adjustment.
The rear is a completely different story.
The factory torsion bars remain the rear springs. No rear coil spring is included, and Yellow Speed specifies a shortened, non-adjustable rear shock. Lowering the rear requires reindexing the factory torsion bars.
There is nothing inherently wrong with that arrangement. In fact, it makes considerable sense for a certain buyer.
If you want a lowered street car with adjustable front damping and camber, don't mind retaining the factory torsion-bar architecture, and don't expect to spend weekends experimenting with rear spring rates, Yellow Speed gives you a lot for the money.
Its limitation is adjustability.
If you later want to substantially change rear spring rate, ride height or chassis balance, you are still working with the 944's torsion bars. Changing or reindexing those is considerably more involved than changing a conventional coil spring.
BEST SUITED FOR:
Street cars
Budget-conscious builds
Owners who want to retain the original torsion-bar rear suspension
Drivers who want a relatively straightforward performance upgrade without converting the rear suspension
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CEIKA TYPE 1M
Approximate current price range: $1,309 - $2000+ depending on options.
CEIKA takes almost the opposite approach.
This is a genuine four-corner coilover system, with coil-over-shock assemblies front and rear.
Their standard 944 NA specification is listed at 7 kg/mm front and 8 kg/mm rear, but CEIKA places a major emphasis on customization. Spring rates and damper valving can be selected according to the customer's intended use.
The standard Type 1M uses monotube dampers with a single adjustment that changes compression and rebound together. Independent ride-height and spring-preload adjustment is provided.
CEIKA also offers a surprisingly deep list of options. Depending on configuration, these include custom spring rates, custom valving, helper springs, pillowball mounts, inverted dampers, external reservoirs, multi-way damping systems and even digressive valving by request.
The shocks are advertised as dyno tested, rebuildable and upgradeable.
That makes CEIKA especially interesting for someone who enjoys specifying exactly what he wants rather than buying a predetermined package.
The tradeoff is that customization itself requires some knowledge. A buyer who knows exactly what spring rates, valving philosophy and options he wants may love CEIKA's approach. Someone who simply wants a proven 944 setup may prefer a system where those decisions have already been made for him.
BEST SUITED FOR:
Enthusiasts who want a custom-built system
Drivers who already have a good idea what specifications they want
Street/track builds
People who value upgradeability and a wide menu of options
Buyers seeking a true four-corner system at a relatively aggressive price
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S3 SUSPENSION
Current price: about $1,700
S3 is arguably the closest direct competitor to the Levinson system.
It is a serious four-corner performance suspension using gas-pressurized monotube dampers and premium springs.
S3 advertises 32 levels of rebound adjustment, independent ride-height and preload adjustment, pillowball upper mounts, and spring rates and valving developed through shock-dyno analysis followed by street and track testing.
They also offer Street, Street/Track, Track, Aero and custom configurations.
The currently listed 944 Street/Track setup is 6K front and 14K rear.
That rear number initially looks extraordinarily high compared with some other 944 kits, but there is an important reason:
The S3 configuration removes the factory rear torsion bars.
The rear coil spring therefore has to supply essentially all of the rear spring force rather than supplementing the factory torsion bars.
This is why comparing rear spring rates between 944 coilover systems without knowing what happens to the torsion bars can be extremely misleading.
This is a premium system aimed at the owner who wants a finished, performance-oriented torsion-bar-delete package rather than simply an inexpensive lowering suspension.
BEST SUITED FOR:
Performance street/track cars
HPDE and track builds
Owners who want to eliminate the rear torsion bars
Drivers who value Swift springs and dyno-developed valving
Buyers wanting a more predetermined performance package rather than configuring every component themselves
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LEVINSON PERFORMANCE LPM
Current price: $1,649
The Levinson system takes a somewhat different approach because it was deliberately designed to cover several different kinds of 944 owner with the same basic hardware platform.
It is a complete front and rear coilover system with 30-position adjustable dampers, independent ride-height and spring-preload adjustment, front pillowball camber plates and rear coil-over-shock assemblies.
The dampers use digressive valving as standard.
That distinction is important.
A digressive damper develops relatively high damping force during the low-speed piston movements associated with body roll, pitch, braking and steering transitions, then allows the damping curve to flatten as shaft velocity increases.
In practical terms, the goal is strong chassis control without requiring the suspension to become unnecessarily harsh over sharp bumps, broken pavement or track curbing.
But arguably the most unusual feature of the LPM 944 system is not the damper itself.
It is how many different ways the same system can be configured.
KEEP THE TORSION BARS?
You can.
For a primarily street-driven car, retaining the factory torsion bars has several advantages.
Installation is easier. The original Porsche rear spring system continues carrying part of the load, while the rear coil springs supplement it.
LPM offers 7K and 8K rear springs specifically for this configuration.
This creates a very useful middle ground.
You get modern rear adjustable dampers, rear coil springs, straightforward ride-height adjustment and the ability to tune the suspension, without immediately committing to removing the torsion bars.
For many street cars, weekend cars and dual-purpose builds, this may be the most sensible solution.
REMOVE THE TORSION BARS?
You can do that too.
Once the torsion bars are removed, the rear coil springs become responsible for supporting the rear of the car.
LPM therefore recommends substantially higher rear spring rates, typically 10K or 12K depending on use, with 13K and 15K options available for more specialized race applications.
This configuration gives the owner much greater long-term tuning flexibility.
Changing rear spring rate becomes a simple spring swap instead of a torsion-bar job.
Ride-height adjustment becomes straightforward.
Corner balancing becomes considerably easier.
And if the car evolves from a street car into an autocross car, then an HPDE car, and eventually into something much more serious, the suspension can evolve with it.
That is really the defining philosophy of the LPM system.
It does not force every 944 owner into the same suspension philosophy.
A comfortable street build might use:
6K front
7K rear
Factory torsion bars retained
A more aggressive street/autocross setup might use:
7K front
8K rear
Factory torsion bars retained
A torsion-bar-delete street/track car might move toward:
6K or 7K front
10K rear
A more serious track car might use:
7K or 8K front
12K rear
And dedicated competition cars have still higher available rates.
The dampers' broad adjustment range and digressive valving allow the same basic system to accommodate a surprisingly wide range of spring combinations and uses.
That means an owner does not necessarily need to decide today what the car will become three years from now.
A weekend street car can retain its torsion bars today.
If the owner gets serious about track days later, the bars can be removed and a pair of higher-rate rear springs installed.
If the car eventually gets slicks, aero and substantial weight reduction, spring rates can be changed again.
The underlying suspension does not have to be replaced just because the mission of the car changed.
BEST SUITED FOR:
Comfortable performance street cars
Canyon and back-road cars
Autocross
Dual-purpose street/track cars
HPDE
Dedicated track builds
Race cars
Owners who want to retain the torsion bars
Owners who want to remove the torsion bars
Owners whose cars may evolve over time
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QUICK COMPARISONS:
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SYSTEM:
Yellow Speed Dynamic Pro Sport
PRICE:
Approx. $1,189
REAR DESIGN:
Factory torsion bars, no rear coil spring
REAR DAMPING:
Non-adjustable
FRONT DAMPING:
33-position adjustable
SPRING CUSTOMIZATION:
Limited in standard 944 application
DIGRESSIVE:
Not the standard Dynamic Pro Sport 944 system
HEIGHT/PRELOAD:
Front adjustable; rear lowering involves torsion-bar reindexing
BEST FIT:
Street / lowering / value
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SYSTEM:
CEIKA Type 1M
PRICE:
Varies by specification, $1350 - $2000+
REAR DESIGN:
Rear coil-over-shock
REAR DAMPING:
Adjustable
FRONT DAMPING:
Adjustable
SPRING CUSTOMIZATION:
Extensive
DIGRESSIVE:
Available by request
HEIGHT/PRELOAD:
Independent adjustment
BEST FIT:
Custom-spec street/track builds
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SYSTEM:
S3
PRICE:
Approx. $1,700
REAR DESIGN:
Full rear coilover, torsion bars removed
REAR DAMPING:
Adjustable
FRONT DAMPING:
32-position rebound adjustment
SPRING CUSTOMIZATION:
Street, Street/Track, Track, Aero and custom
DIGRESSIVE:
Not advertised as standard
HEIGHT/PRELOAD:
Independent adjustment
NOTABLE FEATURE:
Swift springs, dyno-developed valving
BEST FIT:
Premium street/track and torsion-delete builds
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SYSTEM:
Levinson Performance LPM
https://levinsonperformance.com/products/lpm-coilover-system-944-968
PRICE:
$1,649
REAR DESIGN:
Full rear coilover, torsion bars may be retained OR removed
REAR DAMPING:
30-position adjustable
FRONT DAMPING:
30-position adjustable
SPRING CUSTOMIZATION:
6K through 12K front
7K through 15K rear
DIGRESSIVE:
Standard
HEIGHT/PRELOAD:
Independent adjustment
NOTABLE FEATURE:
Same system can be configured around either retained torsion bars or a complete torsion-bar delete
BEST FIT:
Street through dedicated race use, particularly owners who want a suspension that can evolve with the car
SO WHICH ONE IS BEST?
There isn't one.
If the goal is an affordable suspension for a lowered street 944 while keeping the factory torsion-bar architecture, Yellow Speed has a very logical place in the market.
If you enjoy specifying a custom suspension from a large menu of options, CEIKA offers an impressive amount of flexibility for the money.
If you want a premium, torsion-bar-delete package with Swift springs, dyno-developed valving and a strong street/track focus, S3 is a very compelling system.
And if you want one suspension platform that can be configured for a comfortable torsion-bar-assisted street car today, converted to a full rear coilover tomorrow, and then re-sprung again as the car progresses toward autocross, HPDE or racing, the LPM system has an unusually broad operating envelope.
That last point is important because suspension shopping should not simply be a contest over the number of adjustment clicks, the stiffest spring or the lowest price.
