Rear suspension: torsion bars and ride height

In short: At the rear the 944 is sprung by torsion bars in a cross tube, with the trailing arms attached via spring plates. Small height corrections use an eccentric; larger ones require re-indexing the splines.

Design

The torsion bar sits in a tube; the trailing arms connect to it via spring plates. The bar has splines at both ends with different tooth counts, which allows fine adjustment when re-indexing.

A sagging rear

A sagging rear is a sign of tired torsion bars or worn dampers.

Adjustment

Small corrections are made with the eccentric on the spring plate. Larger ones mean removing and re-indexing the bar – tedious and time-consuming, and often needed a second time once the suspension has settled.

Safety

The trailing arm and brake assembly is heavy and must be supported securely during removal; when released, the torsion bar is under load. This job belongs at a specialist or strictly to the workshop manual.

M030 sport suspension

The Turbo with M030 has a thicker rear torsion bar plus stiffer springs and anti-roll bars at the front (extract in the table).