Refreshed stock suspension feels worse on twisties now

Backstory : I picked up my first 911 a few months ago. Have been loving it. It's an early build 1999 with 100k miles. The suspension was still original and the struts were shot. I had local indy shop who I trust from referrals (plus the owner is an active racer, so they do a lot of suspension and alignment work) recommended Bilstein B4 (per my request for stock fitment), drop links, bump rubber, rear sway bar links, and upper strut mounts. At the same time I had all new Pilot Sport 4S swapped in (from prior 6 year old bridge stones) plus returned to Turbo solid twists (from Carerra Classic 997 wheels). So a lot has changed. The issue: I've only driven it only three times since all that work (and only one canton ride) because weather has been crap, but while the ride on normal driving feels so much smoother, the ride at speed or through canyons feels scary and unstable. i'm not an expert, but prior i was able to push the car through some thrilling canyon roads in Angeles Crest (SoCal). The biggest concern being the 6+ year tires finding grip. But now every turn feels like i'm going to get thrown from the road. When i picked up the car, the tech said the front is sitting high because the struts need to settle. i thought after a few drives it would come down, but still seems high, which makes the steering "feel" loose. then the rear feels like the rebound is too high. Going through a turn, any uneveness in the road feels like i'm going to get bucked and lose the turn. Though i know these are non adjustable. I took an interstate sweeping interchange at 100 (i'm not ever that guy) and again the back just felt unsettling and springy when going over little road bumps. The issue is i don't know what stock is supposed to feel like. Does it take 100+ miles to settle in? Am i just used to the low feeling of my prior dead struts? Did i screw up and should have gone B6? I know this is a slightly subjective question, but any feed back or anything i can check out would be helpful before i go back and talk to tech.

I would talk to the �tech� (mechanic?) or the owner and tell him exactly what you said here. Then, take them out for a drive to see if they experience it the same way you are�

Any chance you just have to burn through the mold release compound on the tires ? I know they can feel " slippery " until the compound is gone . Other than that call the shop and tell them your concerns . Did the shop provide you a readout of the alignment specs they achieved ?

That what it sounds like to me, anytime I changed the tires on my 2 wheel rides, the first hundred were always a careful ride.

Alignment. I had mine aligned once, it was great for about 200 miles, then it became scary to control at speed. Took it back and the cam for rear right camber had loosened screwing up both the camber and toe.

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They did provide a sheet with all alignment measurements, I'm out of town next couple days but will share here if helpful. I will also go back to shop, but wanted to get some opinions in case its just break-in, or standard. The car tracks in straightline great, its just the turns that i feel unsettled. Yes, tires are super new too.

Also check tire pressure , you never know until you verify .

It could be a number of things that all the guys suggested. Dporto is right, talk to your indy. but per the suggestions from the guys here are a few thoughts. 1. I wouldnt recommend attenpting to turn at 100 mph unless you know what you are doing. It's hairy enough on the track to balance the car and can be a huge nightmare with bad consequences on the street. 2. To get the suspension to settle, consider finding a big open parking lot that you can do some high speed hard braking (in a straight line) as well as acceleration (in a straight line) to exercise your new suspension. You can also do some side to side steering at a reasonable speed say 20 mph to help. 3. Put some more miles on your tires. New street rubber can be very slippery until they heat cycle. 4. Check your tire pressure. If you inflated the tires to the 36/44 on the door, and those tires heat up and expand, you will be running on a thinner patch of rubber which means the car will feel very squirrelly. You will have to play with the tire pressure to get the grip you want. 5. Take a PCA autocross or DE class/event to get some training which will help you better understand how to balance the car and its limits. But I would start with a conversation with the indy in case something is out of wack with your set-up. It happens. Keep us posted.

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I knew it get some flack for that, but its a loooong sweeping interchange between two freeways, and it was totally empty. I don't condone driving fast on freeways. In my younger years, I wasnt as responsible but new leafs turned of course with kids and middle age. No more sport bikes, or coupes. Just my middle age crisis vert Thanks for other suggestions. The tires of course could be big part. The old Brisgestones were hard and unforgiving. The Pilot Sports feel like Cadillac tires

I don't buy the "it has to settle" part. Also, your chances of finding someone align your car right are about the same as winning the lottery. if the toe is way out it may climb up in ride height

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Agree. Sounds wrong to me, too. The car should be set up by someone that knows these cars. Racing does not necessarily count if they do not have experience with setting up Porsche 996s.

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. The shop is porsche specific and is highly recommended and especially for Alignments. He seemed pretty clear about setting the height to allow for settling. So I don't want to go down the road of not trusting them out of the gate. Not that I have blind faith but was hoping to get some feedback as education before going back, especially from anyone who has done strut replacement.

Make a concerted effort to drive it around. Find some slower winding roads and a big parking lot. Get to know the car and its characteristics. If you dont like what you have after a week or two, call your indy. At the end of the day if you need more adjustability, coilovers are your answer.

Post up your aiignment number.

Did the guy have a solid 10 to 20 minute discussion with you about how you intend to drive the car ? I'd expect it on any multilink sports car at a "Porsche" alighnment shop. There is a relative difference between track and touring settings.. I agree this sounds like a possible new tire issue. I've even had a tire shop shave them very lightly to get the mold compound off.. That or take it somewhere with abrasive surface and give it 20 circles in each direction. (Frash concrete does it well... ) A small adjustment on front or rear toe alone can turn one of these in to a bad experience. I've never had to let a car settle much without new springs, yes a small amount but in a correctly spec'd setup 13 mm would be what I would expect to see, without springs and it normally settles in < 50 miles of driving. .

OP - Tire pressures? What springs are paired with the B4s? Has the current ride height been measured? Can you include a pic of the current stance for our Mark I eyeballs? Until you have the chance to post the data, no objective solution will be reached here. Alignment, suspension install, tire pressures are either done correctly or not, especially with a stock set up. The numbers are the numbers and work exceptionally well. That said, even the best shops have off days or less experienced wrenches doing the work. Little errors/changes make big differences. Your smaller wheels will have some impact on your perceptions, but mostly towards the ride improves part of the spectrum.

With all the talk of floatiness I'm wondering if the B4's are a good match for the stock springs and/or if the springs are shot. Alignment is definitely a possibility for the squirreliness, less so for floatiness IMO.

^^^The stock struts/shocks are B4�s�

Don't forget that the hydralic steering feel on a 996 is such that you feel every nook and cranny on the road. It's an odd "light" sensation to get used to if you never experienced it. I love it because the direct feedback to my hands tells me what the front end is doing. You feel the back end with your ****. An all time great scene from the movie Rush. Watch the entire clip. You will get a kick out of it. You Tube

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If your dampers are holding up the weight of the car... You got issues. Springs keep the car up, dampers control springs. As to the rest of your issues, its kinda impossible to troubleshoot this stuff on the internet based on what you feel. My money is on the tires needing some wearing in since you mentioned the car feels good just putting around.

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I didnt know you could set the height

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B4s are considered Bilstein's OEM replacement, although a bit firmer in my opinion. I have them on my 68k mile '04 C2, fitted about 5k miles back by the previous owner. My tires are Pilot Sports with 2012 dates installed new by a dealer in 2018 (old inventory and unobservant buyer, I guess). My car sticks well, but I felt the car had a bit more roll than I liked, maybe due to stock ride height and older springs (also have a 981 Boxster S with X73). I wasn't looking for lower or much stiffer. My solution was a pair of Eibach swaybars. Significant difference for less than $500! Tires will get replaced in the coming months, so hopefully further improvement.

Ask them if the bolts/nuts were torqued with the car in the air (suspension hanging) or if it was on its own weight. Is it bump steer you�re feeling? Mine is lowered but seems to have bump steer worse than I feel it should�.so I�ll be looking at the geometry of the steering arms and tie rods next.

�Ask them if the bolts/nuts were torqued with the car in the air (suspension hanging) or if it was on its own weight.� 🧐 when should everything be torqued up ?

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You want to leave everything loose until the car is sitting on the ground, then torque them down. Otherwise you preload some of the bushings.

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This is a common mistake and it is easy to remedy. Loosen the botls on all the coffin arm bushings. Set the car down on some ramps and torque the bolts back down to spec. You can also jack under the arms until the full weight of the can is being supported by that corner. Then torque them down.

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I agree, new shock absorbers don't settle and since you are on the same springs as before the little they settle (it's more the rubber spring pads that settle than the springs themselves) they have settled a long time ago... B4 for the 996 are twin tube gas pressurised shock absorbers. Them settling would mean losing gas pressure or leaking oil and that should take 100k miles give or take just like the factory originals and then you replace them. Tightening with wheels of the ground is always wrong but at the front, having a strut it will not change ride height (as long as front lateral control (coffin) arm to subframe remained tight). At the rear the lower shock absorber mount is relevant in this respect. Dougn is right: no height adjustment possible apart from changing out spring pads so you could ask him how he did that... Residual release compound on the tyres, too high tyre pressure (forgetting to adjust after mounting) or alignment off are possible reasons, as mentioned by others.

Ben, where are you located? Maybe there is a local 996 with your set up as well as other set-ups that you can drive to add context to what you are feeling. I'm in the Chicago suburbs if you are close. But my set up will rattle your teeth. Join the local PCA if you haven't already. Plenty of guys that can be helpful.

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Guessing here�.SoCal.

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Thanks sweetie pie.

just trivia, is the shop known for 996 or 911 air cooled work, they are way different in how alignment acts on them. I find this is a trap among the indie shops in my area,, you have to ask if they have a 996 guy for a lot of the work. I am lucky I have a super alignment shop about 1/2 mile from PIR here in PDX and he does a ton of cars, and he's a magician at it, every car I've had him work came out awesome.. His side gig is vintage 2 stroke Saab rally cars.. LOL If you can make one of this behave....

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First of all thanks for all the feedback. It sounds like there is a mixed camp on if shocks settle or not, or if it's even possible for the ride height to be high because of the shocks. I did fine ONE thread online from 2015 where someone said the same thing after strut replace - and a commenter also said to give it a week or two of driving and it should settle - so not sure to expect for mine... https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...-sit-high.html To answer some questions, without making a huge mess of quotes: 1. Wheels are still 18" between old and new 2. See below images, one of alignment specs. He did overestimate my weight, but not by a lot - though not sure it even matters for B4's. 3. Pics also of how it stands. And pics off measurement of ground to top of fender (tape measure is perpendicular, photo is just crooked). 4. I honestly, don't remember if he said he "set it high" or "it is high because.." - cause I know it's not really adjustable either way. 5. I'm not sure if the shop is "known" or 996 or air. My neighbor had his 997 GT3 alignment done there. The owner has a 2018 and now a 2021 Turbo S. I'm not sure what his race car is though. When I've been there, it has been air cooled - but I don't want to correlated/causate that. 6. Tire pressures are still 38/44 F/R from when installed. 7. He did say when he was working on the rear some of the other bolts on other parts weren't torqued fully, likely from when some engine work was done in past. He said he torqued those down. That did resolve an odd "tick" I would hear when weight was being transferred at slow speeds in rear (like backing up out of driveway), but it also introduced a creak in left rear. I did ask him about that and he said likely ball joint bushing and could inject lubricate into ball joint boot... I will be asking about that again when I see him. 8. Same springs, said they didn't need to be replaced. 9. I'd like to try this, but not sure I fully understand using ramps -- or what the can is? I have a jack and for jack stands - but haven't yet used the stands yet. 10. And in closing - if the ride height can't be adjusted, and the struts can't be creating an extra space - then is the ride height just higher in the front and normal? --- and the main issue I'm feeling is a bouncy rear- and not nice feeling like the rear is going to bounce out of the turn. Images below: ​​​​​​​

That looks crazy high like you�ve got a lift kit on it (not just the front either- although it is higher than the rear)� Something looks wrong there - like the front struts are too high in the wheel carrier (though I�m not sure how that can happen�). Just my opinion� good luck

Do a search on tire pressures. I think you have recommended pressures, but the are many posts on multiple boards that this is too high and provides a rough ride and twitchy handling. Not sure this is a miracle cure, but a combination of older tires, high pressures and new shocks could easily add up to a new level of instability. I'm curious about ride height. I have the same setup, B4s and stock springs. Just went down to garage and my measurements on the right side are 26 3/4" front and about 26 5/8" rear. Interestingly, measurements on the driver's side were very slightly less, maybe from driver's weight over time. So it would appear that my measurements are essentially the same as yours. Maybe we are so accustomed to seeing lowered Porsches that stock ride height looks odd. My Boxster has X74 suspension and rides about an inch lower, very noticeable visually and dynamically.

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Tires are brand new. The older tires are on the wheels i removed. I think the gap size in the photos with the tape measure are because angle of photo and shadows. The height is basically the same as yours

That ride height is crazy high it might settle some but I doubt the inch and half needed to bring it back to normal

Ben, did you order the suspension parts or did your indy? Sure, it could be a bad set of pictures with angles and lighting but it looks like you are trying to build a safari. You may want to consider finding another porsche specific indy that works on 996s for an opinion and solution.

I can't figure out the toe numbers. Does +2.5' mean toe OUT of 2.5 minutes? Does +10' mean toe OUT of 10 minutes? If that is true it's totally wrong. I do not like toe OUT on any wheels of these cars. I suggest front toe of between 0 (zero) and 2' toe IN. Rear toe of 30 minutes toe in TOTAL, that's 15' toe IN each side in the rear. I also would prefer more negative camber in front and less negative camber in back. Are those the wheels you got from me? They look really spectacular on the car.

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He ordered everything - but I just can't imagine it's down to total incompetence in parts ordered. I think the photos look way worse because of the shadows. I'm at 26.75" in the front which is the same as "RWPinNC"'s numbers just two comments back. So I can't have some black hole of extra space in there, right? Feel like this is getting off the rails. Will give it a few more runs and have it looked over again. Thanks all! And btw here's the part number, it's the correct B4 in front:

Posted reply twice

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Yes they are! I was going to send you a follow up message now they're finally on there (took some time!)! Had the rash buffed out and the rears straightened but they look sooo good, Trying to keep her as stock as possible. In reply to your question about toe numbers, I am not sure but will ask. People go to him specifically for alignments and corner balancing - so i'm just stuck in a spot of having to at least trust he knows what he's doing - unless the 996 vs any other model of 911 is somehow a total outlier. I'm just struggling with accepting the shop somehow doesn't know what they're doing...

Im with theprf on the alignment. Not sure by his nomenclature whats going on but those r not stock US values or even the row values. Front should be 0-1mm toe in (not sure how that works in degrees) rear 1-2mm toe in. Camber should be 0-1.5* negative for the street. Maybe he gave u a more trackish set up?

Alignment sheet shows 3/4 tank, w/o driver which is close to how porsche specifies. To take the guessing and personal preference out here are the specs by Porsche, starting with height and including GT3

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Thanks - I keep forgetting I have that manual and don't think to check it. Though, the numbers seem on for rear and close for front? I assume the +/- numbers are the range?

In addition to the above, I would change your air pressure to around 35 PSI for all four wheels and see what that does for you. The pressures you are running are very high.

My gut says tires, and those psi's are high, I run my 18" Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's at 34/39. What tires do you have?

I find it tough to believe this is caused by an alignment or that they could mess up an alignment that badly without dash lights going off. I get my car aligned at Big-O tires and sometimes they cant get it perfectly in spec and it still handles great... the ride height looks normal to me, but if he said that the front is riding high that is bad. if the car has a negative rake angle it will handle like a boat. And that is a bigger problem than an alignment. Sounds like the struts are mismatched or something.

Note that most of the values shown on the Porsche alignment card are not adjustable on a standard strut/spring suspension. Having rear toe-out on these cars makes then excessively darty. Even if that is what Porsche recommends I would not do it.

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+2.5' is toe in. That is pretty excessive for a street car. You will wear the edges off your front tires fairly quickly. No need for an aggressive alignment for the street. I bet the excessive toe in combined with the half degree of camber is causing the driving issues. For reference my 02 996.2, here are my specs after alignment: Left Front: Toe in 0.05, Camber -0.1 Right Front: Toe in 0.03, Camber -0.1 Left Rear: Toe in 0.22, Camber -1.2 Right Rear: Toe in 0.17, Camber -1.3 My alignment is very mild as I only drive on the street and do not want to wear out tires faster than they already do.

There's three ways to specify toe: degrees which I am assuming Joel987 is listing (or) minutes where 60 minutes = 1 degree and is typically indicated with the ' symbol (or) direct measurement in mm or inches. Degrees and minutes are angular measurements and direct measurement is not. Converting from direct measurement to degrees can be tricky as it is required to know the radius at which the measurement was made. I am assuming the Joel987's measurements of 0.05 is degrees, as that is too small to measure in minutes. If that is degrees it equates to 3 minutes (written as 3') which is about right for a front tire. Likewise the 0.22 rear measurement must be degrees and converts to 13 minutes (written as 13') , which is also about right for rear toe. That's assuming both are toe in and I would always be sure to ask. The Porsche specs are called out in minutes, and Ben's alignment sheet is also called out in minutes. My alignment sheet is called out in inches: 0" front toe, 3/32" rear toe. Since I don't know the radius that Flatout Motorsports used I can't tell you the minutes or degrees.

Also remember effective alignment, with more camber, the toe becomes more of an impact.. Loaded turning car alignment vs straight headed down the road its all dynamic.

Measurements from the ground include the tire and are not especially useful. Measure from the wheel center to the fender lip. All it takes is turning the tape measure around and starting at the fender lip. Try to center the camera on the wheel center. Here's my 2002 targa on stock US suspension with 100K miles. Front Rear

FWIW, for comparison purposes, my numbers are about 14.25 inches with 67K, stock springs, and very new B4's. I attribute that to a difference in miles and some possible settling. Based on records and mileage, I suspect may car was not driven much in any spirited fashion, so may not have had suspension stress.

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I have two 99s and I just measured the fronts of both. One has the original stock suspension and is 26.75" on both sides. The other has a RoW M030 suspension and is 26.25 on the front. Interestingly, both rears are shorter by about .25 to .50 inches.

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ok so my ride height is spot on, i had put about 50 miles on before measuring so perhaps it settled. the large gap on top then is just an optical illusion as the wheel and tire size obviously are fixed variables. I took it out today for a 40 mile stint through the canyons. it felt a lot better. I was able to go through turns without feeling like I was being bucked. So I wonder if whatever braking in the rear struts needed to happen. The front still feels floaty but that might just be because I had such nonexistent dampening in the front before. and I don't have anything really to compare it to. I am curious about the rear alignment settings. It's possible that since I told the mechanic I was looking mostly to do Canyon driving he adjusted it for a more aggressive stance.

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same tires as you except I don't have the Porsche type marking on mine. i'll try dropping The pressure and try to do a comparison.

Yes drop the tire pressure first before you try other things (that are always more speculative and costly).

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Yes, degrees, not minutes. I assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that the OP's toe measurement was in degrees.

FWIW,, I would estimate < 1 tech in about 100 is actually knowledgeable about a 911 and its alignment, most are going to use the book numbers, max spec range and send it.. On the other hand I can align mine on 4 rotator bases with plates and a ball of string if I have to.. LOL My guy up here in Portland just has massive experience at the track, he is our local race tire supplier and since his shop is < 3 blocks from the track entrance, he does a lot of track cars.. He also does a ton of rally cars and drives. Has a top of the line laser alignment system and takes his time. Craftsmanship is hard to beat. Cheers..

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Yes mine too. The shop only does Porsche. The owner (not the mechanic) is a long time racer, the mechanic is a master Porsche mechanic and also his mechanic for all his races. I mentioned that a bunch of posts back, but it didn't seem to matter to others They are recommended by local Porsche peoples for specifically going there for corner balancing and alignments. Referral is how I found them. I mean it's possible he doesn't know what he's doing, but it's just hard to imagine that with the number of 911s I've seen up on their lift. If anyone in the (north-east) LA area has a specific person they think are the "best" I'm happy to check them out - it's a big city, but there's just a handful of names that get passed around a lot.

It might be a case of slowing down the process of taking the car in and making sure he gets your driving style, take the car back and see what he says.. Its a process to get to know the good ones..

Update: I have NOT yet been back to the shop, I have been A) insanely busy and B) really wanted to make sure I put on a decent number of miles first to rule out any "break in". I've now done about 200 miles, which includes three canyon runs in Angels Crest (for those who know the area, they are mix of tight and fast sweeping roads). Main issue I'm facing is a unsettling bounce as the car goes IN TO a turn like it's setting into the suspension. The first run, was terrifying, this was just after the tires and suspension were just done. I'm going to write that off to everything too new. The second run was about 50-80 miles later, and at start didn't feel much better, but on way down the tires really started to stick and grab in the turns which offset some of that bouncy feeling going through the turn. Third run was today, where I followed a friend in his GT3. While I don't expect to keep pace with him, in past prior to suspension and tires, I felt far more controlled in turns, and thus didn't fall as far behind. Now, I feel i can't keep up at all. Unfortunately, I have nothing to compare this too as this is my first 911. Prior suspension was so badly shot, the struts required no effort to compress, so was likely running lower than stock ride height. New setup as I go into a turn, it feels like front and the rear are not connected. The back feels like it's wanting to bounce out of the turn, and unless I really get into the turn and push on the gas which seems to push the car "into" it's suspension, it otherwise feels like it's going bounce off the road. And any minor dips in turn, feel like front and rear are not connected. (Yes, a cab, but I can't imagine that much extra flex). I feel like I'm driving a truck into the turns (and I do have a truck). I realize it's impossible to really diagnosis this via messages, AND while I have 30 years of driving experience, including sport bikes, and front engine rear wheel drive cars, I have zero 911 experience, or that loose front feel of a rear engine car. Am I possibly asking too much of the car in a stock state? I asked a friend about my toe/camber setting from shop and he said the tech likely set it that way because I said I was mainly using it in canyons -- and yes I will go back to shop, but I want more understanding of what I should expect otherwise I'm just at mercy of tech .... thanks. (still running high pressure per car sticker 18" 36/44, while lowering might help the sliding feeling in turns, I assume it won't affect the suspension load feeling going into a turn)

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Are you aware that there is a 20 year old TSB in which Porsche updated the recommended air pressure when running at less than a full load?

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Yes I have read on these forums about down pressuring for single passenger. I will 100% try that and assume it'll help traction feel, but I'm more curious of the suspension feel.

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Care to share the TSB or the pressures for 18" tires?

It sounds like you are riding on the bump stops from your description of the bouncy ride. I lowered a Passat and forgot to trim the bump stops. Rode just like this because they were taking all of the load and the springs never engaged. cannot recall if you lowered your car or not so maybe this doesn�t apply.

You can adjust the tire pressures down to see if it helps. Try 34 in the front and 38-40 in the rear as an example. But without us being able to drive it to confirm, sounds like you may have a suspension set up problem. I would take it back to the indy, explain what you are feeling, have them drive it and see what they come up with.

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No car is not lowered, though speaking of bump stops. I put the car up on jack stands for the first time yesterday, and noticed the rear bump stops are still original and pretty much just a crumbly mess. I have no clue why he replaced only the front ones... :/

The bottom line on this entire thread is this: There�s something wrong with the setup (assuming they used the proper new parts). Trying to diagnose the problem here is a fools errand. Take it back to the shop, take the mechanic/owner for a ride (or let them drive while you ride along) and illustrate what you feel the problem is, and ask them to fix it� Ta da!!!

Tires are part of your suspension,, once you change springs or shocks the tag on the car for tire pressure pretty much means nothing.. Stiffer spring often bring tire temps up quicker. So a slightly lower pressure to start is not unusual at all. No matter where you end up once you start changing suspension setup. You own it all.. The shop can't fix it with a crystal ball. I've had to resort to a 1/32 shave on new tires before to get to raw rubber, whatever the mold release was it just would not let the tread break in.. The car was a scary B****** until I did it.. (Thesis not normal... I still dont understand by that one set had issues.. )

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Sure I get that, but I'm using all stock parts, so assume it still has some bearing. But I get it. This is all highly subjective without getting to drive my car (as prior comment points out). I just want something additional to be able to walk into shop with...

Ben, when i first started tracking my car (2002 C2) back in the dark ages, for the first three years I was on a completely stock suspension using street tires (PS2) and it never behaved in a manner as you described. Sure, if I had too much air in the tires the car would get very squirelly which is when I learned about adjusting tire pressure. Maybe you want to run a tire pressure test on the canyon. Take your front pressures down to 34 and your rears down to 40 when cold, safety do a canyon run, and immediately pull off to a safe place and check your pressures on all 4 tires and see how much they expand by. If the fronts go from 34 to 40 and rears go from 40 to 46, then you need to bring your cold starting temps down further to say 30F and maybe 36R as an example, so when hot you are at 36 and 42. You can them make further adjustments to get the right contact patch. You get the idea. It's been years since I lived in CA and played in the canyons with my Audi and my wifes Miata, but the heat build up in canyon carving is nothing in comparison to the racetrack because it's not as intense. But who knows, maybe it is and it would explain your problems. If not, it's your suspension. FWIW. Side note - temps I reference above are starting (cold) and ending (hot) values. So make sure you dont take a hot tire down from a 40 hot value to a 30 cold value. Either adjust them when hot or when cold to your target and don't confuse the two. I know, your smarter than that. It just makes me feel better as a just in case.

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It's possible your replacing aftermarket with stock? I've had experience with what looked like plain old stock parts being aftermarket with harder bushings, or a different measurement spec to get alignment... etc.. You might be time well spent going to a PCA track event, just to go talk to folks that wrench on suspension... in most towNs with a track... there's a "guy"

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I saw the parts after, it was a standard strut. Had zero rebound, it would compress under it's own weight. Really not much was even changed, drop links, struts really the only main parts. That's why I'm having a hard time with it all. Maybe I really should have considered a modified suspension - but the goal for this 1999 early build cab, was to get her to all stock. Maybe I just need to buy a second car as a canyon carver Funnily enough, I'm meeting a friend at Willow Springs in two weeks and coincidentally it is San Diego PCA time trial event day so hoping I can go talk to some folks. Maybe someone is bringing a stock C2...

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I thought I had it saved to my computer but I can't find it. I believe the half load recommendation is 33 front and 36 rear.

Quotes source post: 18743654

Look for the guy with a stock looking and sounding car that is pushing everyone in the corners.. He's a suspension guy. Hell be braking 100 feet later than everybody else and back on the power barely past the apex.

As this is your first rear engine car perhaps a few pointers on cornering from an experienced driver. The comments in effect of, unsettled into the corner and, on the gas to plant the rear exiting the corner describe characteristics you might find depending on set up and driving style. I'd also suggest lower tire pressures, its the most cost effective adjustment and can make a quite a difference in handling characteristics.

Quotes source post: 18755264

Going into a corner it feels the front and the rear are wanting to go in different directions. I don't know how to explain it well enough other than it feels like a lot of sway and bounce and is unnerving as hell when in a turn and there is a bump and it feels like Im going to be bounced off the road. I did drop the pressure to 34/38. That helps grip feel a lot and less squealing (well roaring) when in a corner hard. Shop owner is going to take it for a spin early next week and see if he feels anything out of ordinary.

Quotes source post: 18755717

Well, since you state the car handled without any of the new handling problems with a old worn out suspension, I'd go over every little detail the shop preformed on your car in the suspension 'refresh'. That new 'refresh' now makes your car sound almost un drivable and totally un Porsche like. Something is drastically wrong. 996/Porsche's 1 characteristic thruout the history of Porsche is outstanding predictable surefooted confidence inspiring handling at ridiculous speeds compared to most all other cars. You'd be hard pressed to find any other car that takes a bumpy broken up mountain twisty road at speed with more grace and surefooted than a Porsche. Thats why we drive them... Yes, the older air cooled cars did exhibit some bad manors for rookie Porsche drivers when approaching the limits of cornering. But none of the problems you state above, none. Something either got installed wrong, was the wrong part, something got bent, one or more of the new parts is defective, etc... Without seeing the car and going over it on a lift no one can tell you more. jmo

The issue you have described more than once remind me when i worked at a Pontiac dealership back in the early 90's and a newish v6 Grand Prix car was towed in for non running, someone diagnosed and fixed the problem and the owner picked up the car. a short time later the owner re-appeared and said my car is acting weird in a turn, the previous mechanic was unavailable so i got picked to go with the owner, as we drove straight the car behaved just fine, i was suspecting nothing of note, customers can be fickle, as we entered a cloverleaf to turnaround i pressed the gas pedal lightly the rear of the car started bucking very badly, the more throttle the more it bucked i had to slow down considerably to stop it.. the car was unsafe, we drove back to the dealership with me advising the customer who was in the car with me, this car is unsafe you cannot drive it... I put the car on a rack immediately and started looking underneath one of its rear suspension parts ill call it a dog bone had been popped by the towing company and the bushing was all the way out of the suspension part, it turned out that the towing company had hooked up to the rear and popped the suspension out... all that to say, it could be something obvious once the car is up on a rack, get it back to the mechanic. with a detailed description of what you are experiencing...

Quotes source post: 18706284

I keep my tire pressure at: 32 Front and 39 Rear and feel this is the best for my 996 and driving style..

Im still betting on alignmnet. Im guessing one of the eccentric bolt has slipped.

Quotes source post: 18757039

^^^ this. The car is crabbing.

Let’s hope! This is just weird.

Springs wear out too. When I replaced my struts only with the HDs I had high ride height and floaty front end. Leaving any of these components aged while switching to new elsewhere just doesn�t work.

Quotes source post: 18743654

If you want to carve canyons, deviate from stock with adjustible sways front and rear. This will then require a race/rally shop to go over the suspension condition adjustments and alignments, untill it's tailored to your subjective needs.

UK based Rennlister here. I fitted new PS4 S to my newly purchased 2002 C2 coupe last fall. I went for the 295/235 combo. The car previously had Pirelli P Zero Rossos fitted to it. The fronts were dated August 2008 and the rears June and December 2015 ... It's a wild stab in the dark, but I think they were past their best : Shockingly, whilst the Rossos were incredibly noisy and rode horrendously, they did actually grip rather well, but what was more shocking, was the fact the brand new Michelin PS4S didn't ... Put bluntly, I was shocked at how poor the new Michelins were. Unfortunately the fall in the UK is a damp, wet time along with the roads being covered in a mulch of wet/rotting leaves, road salt, grit and mud, and thus the opportunities to really lean on the car/its tyres to scrub them in, were pretty much non-existent. I estimate it took several hundred miles of driving to get the release agent off the tyres, during which time the car lacked front end grip, and frequently rear end grip too. In short the car felt worse to drive with the new tyres, than the old Pirellis ... However, once scrubbed in, the PS4S are now excellent, smooth riding, quiet, grippy and consistent. In nearly 20 years of driving 996's, I've NEVER run with the factory recommended tyre pressures and the majority of the cars have been either 996 GT3/GT2 or GT3 RS. I don't drive on track, and I don't use them as daily drivers, they are weekend hooning cars, and get driven hard when used on the UK's fast A & B roads. The full load tyre pressures specified are relevant for sustained high speed driving on autobahns, with a driver and one or two passengers along with a full frunk and the remaining rear seat crammed full of luggage and full tank of fuel, but for canyon driving with no luggage and only one person in the car, they make for a horrible driving experience in my experience. I run my fronts at 29-30psi cold and the rear at 35-36psi cold. Never more. I've never experienced mid-corner (or for that matter corner entry or exit) "bounce" in a 911, not even in my 964 RS, a car scorned by many for it's overly stiff suspension. So either the tyre pressures are waaay too high, or the tyres aren't scrubbed in (or a combination of both) or the alignment is poor. Though personally I don't think you've done yourself any favours fitting new replacement dampers without fitting new replacement springs. That is complete folly IMO.

Quotes source post: 18762425

Yeh, I might have expected more from the stock suspension than I should have. It's a cab, so my thoughts were for pleasure cruises with the family, but tall teen daughter finds back seat wildly uncomfortable (I didn't know the cab had such a forward situated seat vs coupe). So, now it's either occasional date night, but mostly me taking a break and doing 50 miles of twisties. I really didn't think I would be pushing it that. Going to shop this week to get a once over. Shop is a racing / suspension shop so no worries there. Either something is wrong, or I am just expecting more out of B4's and should have bought a GT3 instead

Ben8jam, considering the current thread on similar handling woes, were you able to get your car's handling sorted? What caused it?