center gravity = new car!!

Hi guys after having my kw variant 3 suspension fitted recently and not being happy with the setup, i followed the advice found on here about the miracles that chris franklin works on suspensions and can confirm that i now have a brand new 10 year old 996 c2!! Yup.....i spent the whole day at chris and janes workshop last wednesday to learn that the suspension wasnt quite put on correctly and that the camber and toe were waaaaaaaaay out!! ride height was adjusted, rebound, camber, toe in, toe out etc were changed then i was taken for a drive around some roundabouts and country lane bends and was utterley astonished by the car which i neevr knew could hold the road like that!! when i say hold the road....i mean HOLD THE ROAD!!! you can practically drive around a mid-sized roundabout at 70mph!! i would have to seriously, seriously abuse her to get the back end out now..the car is a new machine...not sure if their this good when they leave the factory. Chris can supply and fit all suspensions and was on the phone to the director of kw when i arrived so this indicates his relationship with the suspension bosses. I cant rave enough as you can tell...his family were there and were just the most pleasant people you could imagine...chris is an absolute top guy...shame other garages are'nt more like this..i have to say its the best money ive spent on the car so far..cant imagine anything handling better...you can perform an emergency stop from 90mph with no hands on the wheel and the car wont budge an inch!!...i can take my hands of the wheel at very high speeds and the wheel doesnt move, even if there is a camber in the road you can only feel it gradually changing direction with no hands on the wheel...im not saying this is a good idea to try...but i know that i couldnt dream of doing that before....a massive thumbs up and a new lease of life for my baby! thanks chris

Wow, sounds awesome. I'm going there this Saturday, can't wait at all. My brother originally bought a MkII 996 Carrera 4, so when I bought mine I was slightly dissapointed. The back end's stepped out a handful of times on me. I'm also getting vibrations through the steering wheel when going high speeds, but I just put all of this down to being a MkI. However, when I found that my rear tyres were bald after 2500 miles, I knew something was seriously wrong. Sounds like CG will really sort this out for me! Paul

Great write up. I'm looking forward to my trip to CoG even more now. It's amazing how many people on this forum have been there now. We should have gone for a group buy (as mentioned on another thread). The first weekend appointment available was in August I'm not very good at waiting.

guys, yep...neither of you will be dissapointed after you leave there..911pj you will have to put every effort to bring the tail out after you leave there..my car defies physics right now!! gadgetjunkie72...dont worry about the wait..it is well worth it. He offers different services there..i went for the one where you spend the whole day and he teaches you all about your suspension and what he's doing and what effect it will have on the car. I have read a few posts on here about if your car needs new tyres and you have an appointment with CoG whether or not you should change them before seeing him...the answer is NO...And i got this from the horses mouth...If your tyres are worn let him see them as he will know alot about the cars behaviour from the tyre wear and it will help him to see whats going on. After he has set the car up and you change your tyres it will not disturb any changes he's made... A word of recommendation is to try an emergency stop on a quiet road from about 70mph and try to hold the wheel as lightly as you can just so you can gain control if the car starts to go wayward..and also try going around a roundabout at speed (the speed obviously depends on the size of the roundabout) just so you will really feel the difference after the job is done. These are part of the tests he will take you and yr car through afterwards... peter

good to hear it's all running well

The tests will be performed on the old road based racetrack called Bluewater. Been there plenty of times, and I know the limits of my car there, so it'll be interesting to see the changes. Also, I'll have to change my tyres if I'm travelling all the way up to Birmingham, they're totally bald. It's a nick if I get caught with them on. Having PZero's fitted on Wednesday. Paul

I remember going down a fairly bump road with Chris that would have seen me in a hedge at 70 before....let's just say the directional stability and confidence his set up gave made that worry go away. He is a god at Porsche Suspension setup and loves what he does. As far as I can tell he literally sets all our cars up to suit our own personal styles and requirements. Only other people who get that drive F1 cars and the like 8)

I have just got my quote back from Chris! and hoping to get there around the end of the month. That should see the front suspension debacle sorted once and for all and by the sounds of the above posts a new car to boot! I cant wait Martin

Chris is indeed a fine chap and knows Porsche suspension better than 99% of OPCs... I dont say 100% because I wonder that some tech out there MIGHT know better. But... PUK sent the GT3 to him to adjust before giving them to press. That says all really. I've been there, on VERY late hours, coming from London and he stayed adjusting my suspension to even later hours. My car is a Turbo and the grip on this thing now is just out of this world. I changed my 4 tyres ( two were near the limit and had one front puncture ) before going to him but for him no problem. And I did felt like a F1 race driver : my car was 100% adjusted to my taste, handles like a dream