1984 S2 struts
Posted on Apr-07-09 at 08:25 PM

Hi, all. Well I decided to buy a 928 this weekend and got what I believe is a great deal. Its a 1984 s2 with 5 psd which I paid 5000 Canadian for it. Overall its in very good condition and I have all the service records. Interestingly enough the car is originally from Saudi Arabia...anyways on to the main question. I just went and got my car safetied today and it failed, they said that I need to replace all 4 struts. I've been shopping around online and have found prices from 400 and up but i'm just not sure which ones I need exactly. could anyone point me in the right direction. thanks




First - I find the "failure" very odd. The shocks on a 928 rarely "fail" in an obvious manner. Can you go to a different inspection station? Can you appeal the failure to a regional office, or someone else?

If you do need to replace the shocks, most of the time there are other things that need doing at the same time. These include:
- Carefully inspect the ball joint boots, especially the upper ones. The upper ball joints are not replaceable. You have to replace the upper control arms, and you don't want to do that. You can replace the upper ball joint boots.
- Carefully inspect all four of the tie rod ends and the steering rack boots.
- Replace the steering rack mounts.
- Adjust the ride height of the car.
- Get a proper four-wheel alignment done. Here is a critical statement - read it over and over, and believe it! You can NOT properly align a 928 after jacking the front end. CAN NOT!! If you lift the front end of the car to inspect the suspension, or replace parts, or attach/zero the alignment equipment, the car MUST be driven for at least ten or twenty miles before alignment, or the front end MUST be pulled down a specified amount for a specified period of time before alignment. If the shop tells you anything that is different, they don't know how to align a 928! If you lift the car and then align it, the inside edges of the front tires will be ground away very, very quickly.

You have several choices on shocks. There are three brands commonly available, Boge, Bilstein and Koni. Boge are the stock shocks, cheapest and softest-riding. Bilsteins are more expensive and firmer. Konis are more expensive and are adjustable. In addition, you can get more expensive versions that are externally adjustable and even firmer.

You can also sometimes buy shock assemblies. (These are sometimes mistakenly called struts, but no 928 has McPherson struts.) It is easier, but more expensive, to install complete shock assemblies than it is to disassemble/reassemble the shocks and springs.

You can also check with 928 International in California and see if they have any good used shock assemblies. We, and the other vendors can all supply the correct shocks, and most can also supply shock assemblies.

Starting from the bottom in price (as of April '09):
- Used shocks or assemblies.
- Boge shocks, oil - $435
- Boge shocks, gas - $465 This is the best deal for most owners.
- Bilstein shocks - $799 (on sale) If you now have Bilsteins, no problem. If you now have stock Boge shocks, you need to change the springs and all associated hardware, as stock springs with Bilsteins will ride too high.
- Koni shocks - $900 These must be disassembled to adjust them.
- Koni shocks, externally adjustable - $1950

Ride height adjustment tool - $8.95

Hope that this helps!

Wally Plumley
928 Specialists
www.928gt.com

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When fitting the new schocks, be aware of the orientation of the lower eye. It is tilted about 5 degrees. The lower end points to the rear of the car. It is possible to mount them wrongly, although the axle will not go in very easily.

Theo Jenniskens.