Front End Floaty Feeling at Speed

I have the stock suspension. At around 80-100 mph the front end exhibits the dreaded floating sensation. On the streets it doesn't bother me much at all. However at my 1st DE (Pocono, PA) the main "straight" that day was the banked turn 2 of the NASCAR tri-oval. I found the front end floatiness kind of disconcerting as the car was coming off the banking into the apex. I wanted to go flat out, but the feeling in the front end held me back, the other problem of course was that if I backed off the throttle too much the back end would get a little squirmy. Not exactly the way I want the car to feel as I'm at track out trying to hug the wall. Yes, I know that a suspension upgrade e.g. ROW M030 will eliminate the front end float. But is there a less radical (read cheaper) fix? I left the inflatable spare in the trunk thinking the weight might help keep the front end down. What is going on with the front end when it floats? Aerodynamic lift? Am I losing traction? If I just ignore it and continue accelerating what will happen? Gradual understeer?

Stock suspension's front end is higher than the rear, and under hard acceleration, the soft suspension lifts it even more - so there you go. ROW M030 is a GREAT all around suspension. Isn't harsh at all, and gets rid of the floatiness.

^^^^^^ This is correct, I had same issue with my US Spec car I shipped to Germany and put the ROW M0030 on and now it is solid at 170MPH relatively speaking.

Well, you MIGHT be able to alleviate some of this with the GT3 lip spoiler part, which is roughly 230 bucks from sunset for the Mk2 (GT3 Street Part: 996-505-986-92-01C). A lot of people say it fixed their floatiness, but I don't know if mine really made too much of a difference since I don't track this car and I've always felt that mine was well planted even at very high speed. That having been said, aero can only help so much on one end, you may need to add the rear spoiler as well or risk throwing the car further out of balance (you might fix the float but then find the tail becomes more slippery). I'm not certain how much of the effect relies on ride height either. It's a cheap DIY though, and you can always remove and sell if it doesn't work for you.

When the car is high, a lot of air at high speed flows under it. A firmer & lower suspension should solve it.

Smackboy, there are literally hundreds of posts in here describing that exact "floaty" sensation, so you'll find some good ideas on what people have tried. I can't remember many of the non-upgrade-to-RoW-M030 fixes, but the front lip spoiler was definitely one, ensure absolutely perfect alignment and tire pressures was another, and another trick I think is figuring out how to keep the rear spoiler down. I really think that slightly higher front bumper US-spec cars don't do as well on the road when the rear spoiler deploys. Anyway, I hope some of this helps. FWIW, I had the same feeling you describe and RoW fixed it perfectly.

Aero kit nor lip helps...experience speaking. Lower the car and better alignment is the only way. Even Porsche had problems with aero bumper hence the air relief slots in the later faster cars bumper covers.

I seem to recall a post a while back that a 50 lb bag of something (I believe it was chlorine salts for a gentleman's swimming pool) solved the problem beautifully.

I tried the front lip and OEM Carrera wing, but all it did was improve the looks. To get rid of the front end float, I had to swap suspendo's to the RoW M030 - did the trick perfectly.

Your front toe maybe out too much too - that causes float at higher speeds too. Not saying it's the problem but might exacerbate the problem.

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That was me.....made it ride better but didn't try it at speed?

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Hmmmm, I wonder if 40 lbs of rice in the trunk is going to pass tech?

40 lbs or rice will cost you an arm and a leg these days.

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Suncoast has the ROW030 setup for $1087.00 - that seems pretty cheap to me.

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Hi, This is perfectly normal in a stock suspension car. Since this is your 1st DE, did your instructor provide any feedback on you lifting off the gas at the exit of the banked corner leading onto the straight away? Rear end squirm... be glad that is all that happened. Lifting off the gas in any 911 after the apex of a corner is not the way to go and will nearly always result in squirminess if not a spin if you are going fast enough and don't correct for it. You can continue accelerating and no the front of the car won't come up off the ground I would recommend getting a few more DE's under your belt before making any changes to the car. Do verify that your alignment is at least within spec and preferable tuned towards the perf end of the spectrum. I don't personally know of a good shop near princeton but in Philly I can steer you in the right direction if you need a recommendation.

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i have a 2002 911 cab with ROW 030 and still get a floating feeling.

Hey Erik...think they care after 13 years? Last post on this was in 2008....just saying.

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I prefer people that search before posting !

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I care, l have a similar issue with my recently purchased 996.2 with GT3 coilovers. I'm going to lower the front by about 10mm and see how goes.

You replied, along with others. so were getting something started

Convert it to a AWD system. Just kidding but I did by the 4S (okay one reason) for just this reason. Good luck.

Okay, I'll bite: At what speed does it become floaty? What wheels and tires are you running? Does your spoiler work and does it rise up at around 72-73 mph? What suspension are you running? Have you done any suspension work or refresh work on suspension components? Last results from a full front and rear alignment? There are a lot of components at play, and simply saying "my car feels floaty" does not help. See what I'm saying?

My first car was a '71 Buick Electra 2 door. What a monster. That car was FLOATY! At any speed. And when you got above 100mph, it floated even more! Scary floaty, could barely feel the road. But that didn't stop us foolish immortals from driving that fast. Sorry, useless comments. Agreed with DBJoe, post details so those with the expertise can help diagnose.

If the castor setting is off it affects directional stability, many shops will skip that step because it won't effect tire wear & it's hard to adjust.

Agreed. Bent wishbones can pull the LCA forward and create the caster problem https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-wishbone.html (for the pic of the bent part)

To provide another data point, I have the stock suspension, no aero kit, and 17" wheels (US car) and it's not floaty at all and feels very controlled and stable at 200 km/h (125 mph). Of course there is the normal 911 "lightness" in the front, but it feels very good. I once drove a '71 Targa with badly set up and worn suspension and that was just horrible at 60 mph.

i added a chin spoiler and that eliminated the floating feeling my car was having, now it sits firm at any speed

I don't recall having this problem going 80-100+ in my 2000 C4 Cab but a 50# bag of play sand only costs about $5 at my local Lowes or Ace Hardware.

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Glad you got it sorted. Out of curiosity, what chin spoiler did you add?

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it was a GT3 Tek

I recently replaced my motor mounts and trans mount which have removed the floaty feeling. Check other areas of your suspension that may be tired, the car is close to 20 years old now.

There�s a �free� DIY posted (can�t remember the site) for cutting open some of the front wheel well covers to allow air into the front wheel cavities, was done in later cars IIRC.

I have the same issue on my '03 C4S with Bilstein and H&R's. Springs have settled a little and rear sits a little lower than I woudl like. Have ordered AST5100 coilovers and a Demon speed front lip which should help according to local Porsche suspension expert. Also having a front splitter build with more aggressive tunnels to help as well. Once fitted can report back if anyones interested.

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I agree. Did motor and transmission mounts on mine and noticed a huge difference.

On my 02 C4S I lowered with H&R and Bilsteins. On the highway it felt less stable after the change. I took to another more experienced shop that realigned. Problem gone.