Help Please 996 suspension question

Hey guys, Just purchased my first p-car and have had it about a week. I have the tiptronic transmission and I will say it has taken a little getting used to but each time I take it out I learn more about how it wants to be handled in order to be in the right gear at the right time i.e. Each day I feel like I am getting better and it is just so fun to drive. Now, I don't claim to know a lot about sports cars and exactly how they are suppose to handle. But when I am on those twisty roads and driving fairly aggressively- nothing over 100 - I feel like the suspension is a little bouncy for my liking and the feedback is more of insecure rather than confidence. I feel this more in the front end. I went to a couple of Porsche shops around town - I live in the woodlands, tx so Eurocarwerks and Proteknic. They both said that the factory shocks are terrible and I should replace them, that they wear out around 40 to 50 thousand miles. I have 52 on this car. I bought this car from a dealer and I was going to go down there this weekend and see what they think. I dont mind replacing the suspension but I really dont want to drop the money after just purchasing the car;however, I want to feel more confident when out there having those spirited drives. I will say that cornering seems not to be an issue, it corners like a dream to me, i experience it more accelerating out of the turn. At the same time, I would say I am a novice when it comes to sports cars and how they should drive so I dont know if I am worrying about nothing. I wish I could have someone drive the car who is knowledgeable and get his opinion. Any thoughts on what I can do? Anyone experienced the same? Should I ask the dealer to replace the shocks if they really are worn out - it was a CPO vehicle? Any help would be appreciated.

Have you owned a Porsche before? It may be that you are just not used to the dynamics of a rear engine RWD. Try hooking up with your local PCA club, get some opinions from fellow enthusiasts rather than people eager to sell you suspensions, join some of their track activities to get the feel of a 911. I certainly do not agree that the stock 996 suspension is terrible, or that they wear out at 40-50K miles. Having said that, there may indeed be something wrong with your car. It may be a simple thing like alignment, or tire wear, or even tire pressures. I don't know your particular Porsche dealer, but some have excellent techs and should be able to help you. If you find out that everything is good with your car and your driving style, and you still want better handling, you can upgrade the suspension. The Euro M030, a Porsche OEM sport suspension, would be a good start. Suspension upgrade options have been discussed her in multiple threads, and you can do a search.

I didn't really like the stock suspension on my 996 tt. Always felt too soft- accelerate, car moves up; body roll; etc. Went with the PSS9's and IMHO, it's a very good street suspension. Lowered the car 20 mm and has taken a lot of the body roll out, without being too harsh. Driven in the X73 suspension and, while very good, it is a lot harsher ride.

When I first got my P-car, I thought it handled as if on rails and couldn't imagine anyone modifying the suspension. I read many posts about the front-end float and the various suspension upgrade options available. I recently purchased the RoW M030 suspension, and I selected it because it's what the Rest of the World got and it's OEM Porsche. I'll put it on during my next oil change, but based on what I read it seems to be the right combination for my needs. Since you've just acquired yours from a local dealer, I suggest bringing it back to them for a complete suspension check up and test drive- preferably w/ you in the car w/ the mechanic. I feel a bit of float at times, but it's not unnerving. Good luck w/ your P-car, and welcome to Rennlist!

Yeah, I agree that the stock suspension is too soft, too high, and the dampers (on mine at least) were pretty dead at 50K miles. If you want to stay OEM, take the opportunity to drop in the RoW M030 springs, struts, bars, etc. and you'll get a lot more enjoyment out of the car. And it'll look a little better due to the modest lowering. But you'll notice a world of difference in the handling. Of course, make sure that what you have now doesn't have any obviously broken components, alignment is in spec, tires and inflation pressures are good, etc., before making any changes.

I am going to start with taking it back to the dealer and getting their opinion. I think it might just be that I am not used to driving a rwd sports car. However, I am fairly certain that the feedback I am receiving from the car is a little squirrely, is that a word??? I have already looked into some local driving events and I agree that is a good place to get some knowledgeable feedback without the influence of a dealership or porsche shop that wants to sell me something. The tires are practically brand new but the tire pressures and/or alignment might be the cause. I realy would not know for certain due to my lack of knowledge in this department. I will let keep you posted on what I find out? Anyone else what to chime in? thanks

This will be minimally helpful, I'm sure, but I've read often and have experienced myself that these cars are unusually sensitive to tire pressure and alignment. If it was me, I'd start there. I noticed in your post that you felt the problem was worse in the front end? Here's a thought: On a lot of these cars, you'll find that the front tires are much older than the rears. When I bought mine, for example, the fronts had lots of tread but were over five years old. Performance tires are done in 3-4 years, regardless of tread wear. They will tend to harden up, lose their suppleness. On my car, this produced some chattering and understeer in hard corners, and a hint of tramlining. New tires solved it. Check the date codes on your front tires, just in case. Long shot, but I thought I'd throw it out there.

i had the same problem when i got mine. guess what, the front had wrong size!

Well, I figured it out. I started with the tire pressures and measured against the recommended psi 36 front 44 rear. Low and behold, they were all wrong except one rear and the other rear was measured at 25. I purchased this car from a dealer a couple of saturdays ago so I would have never of thought that it would be so out of whack. I took it by my nearest tire rack just to get the tire checked out for a leak/nail and all was good. I would have never guessed that tire pressures could make/cause such a difference in handling. Ofcourse, I am a newbie to all this and a good lesson learned. The drive back was considerably different i.e. better, way better. Thanks for the help.

wow - I love a happy ending. Congrats on the new ride. Now how about some pics???

Glad to hear! If you really, really, want to see what you and the car can do, though, get yourself to a track with your fellow Porsche club people. It's a legal high!!