2005 996 Turbo S Cabriolet Stage II, SharkWerks Suspension & HRE P40 Wheels

The owner of this Black on Black 2005 996 Turbo S cabriolet came in for a SharkWerks Stage II performance kit, including the Europipe Stage II exhaust system, the EVOMSit software and Billet Diverter Valves. The owner wanted something that flowed well, had a great sound but _no_ resonance. That's actually a hard combination to achieve. For wheels he went with the HRE P40 Monoblok in satin black.

In comes your classic black on black 05 Turbo S Cab...


There's the stock exhaust shot...


The shipping... that's where it starts with these Belgians. They're no longer known for Chocolate but 996TT exhausts as well. There's even some custom European tools for your trouble:P


Off with the stock exhaust:


We went with the larger diameter Stage II set up as the Turbo S uses K24 turbos:


Nice welds eh?



There she goes... if you look she's got the factory style bellows on there too (not seen this on any other set up).



Notice the larger dual tips as well:



The car was also in for some EVOMS diverter valves, bosch plugs and the EVOMSit software calibrated for 91 octane:


The 19 inch HRE P40 Monoblok wheels mounted with new Michelin Pilot Sport rubber:


Over to the suspension set up. For this daily driven Turbo S cab we set about combining a few choice parts to not only lower the car but to improve the overall handling but yet keeping a compliant ride. So back on the lift she goes:



The stock factory rear springs:


We remove the stock springs and install the TechArt lowering spring kit, which lowers the ride by 20mm:


And installed:


Also in the front:


Once the springs are installed we remove the factory sway bars in favor of 3-way adjustable H&R sway bars which are not only thicker but solid also. The front one is more involving to remove:


Rear H&R sway bar installed:


To further improve the rear we also replaced the factory upper links with the RSS Dogbones and Toe-Steer Kit:


The rear link kit allows the negative camber in the rear to be correctly adjusted to factory specifications, improving handling and road feedback. On lowered cars, the OEM links do not allow for sufficient adjustment, which forces an improper alignment and leads to excessive tire wear. The Adjustable Rear Link (AKA, "Dog Bone") Kit was designed to eliminate this problem. This entire set up runs for less than a coil over kit but offers considerably better compliance on the street as far as ride comfort and minimal movement goes. Additionally, the neoprene bushings have been replaced with steel monoballs, resulting in more direct handling feel and less movement among suspension components. On the Toe-steer upgrade the factory toe steer link and its limited adjustment results in incorrect toe geometry. This part replaces the OEM part with a fully adjustable unit, allowing the toe to be adjusted to factory specifications. The inner, neoprene bushing is also replaced with a steel monoball, which reduces dynamic changes in rear toe and further tightens up the car's handling.

Here she is all finished:





Just to give you an idea of the before:

And the after: