Front Suspension/Fronts - Car bouncing - Help Please

Hoping some of you guys could help me out and give me some ideas...I have a 2000 996 with 110K miles. My front struts were bad for a bit and I replaced them two weeks ago. I also had a leaking steering rack and replaced that with a used one (60K miles - taken from a Boxster) at the same time. Since then, the car rides great on smooth roads, but the steering wheel bounces and shimmies like crazy on bumps. The vehicle was aligned and the tires were balanced right after I replaced those parts. Here's what was replaced: Front Struts - Bilstein Touring B4 Strut Mounts Strut Stop Bumps Porsche Strut Dust Sleeves I brought it back to the alignment shop and they verified that the alignment is good and tires are balanced. He is a normal Mom + Pop alignment shop with great reviews, but does not deal specifically with Porsche's. Are there any other parts that should've been replaced, that would cause the car to bounce like it is? This was my first time tackling a suspension job, and I don't know how other parts affect the handling and how I would know whether or not those parts need to be replaced.

Did it bounce and shimmy before replacing the struts? I have a very similar feeling in my 2000 cab. But I blew my right front shock a few weeks ago and it showed up immediately after that. My left was already blown before I got the car, but I never noticed any bounce or shimmy until the right blew. I should have a set of Raceworks coilovers installed sometime next week and will be able to comment on if my steering feel returns to normal.

Checkout post #31 here: http://986forum.com/forums/performan...-wobble-2.html

Seems like we have similar issues...I'd love to hear how you make out once you get the coilovers installed. My struts were shot for about 2 months. The car would bounce up and down, due to the poor suspension, but it wasn't a fast wobbly bounce...it was more of a tired suspension type of movement. I did feel the tires/steering chatter a bit towards the end, before replacement. And i don't know if its my mind playing tricks on me, but I believe the suspension felt good after it was immediately done, except for needing an alignment. It seems the bouncing effect is getting worse, the more I drive it. I'm hoping I do not need to take everything apart again, as I don't know where to even begin or what to look for.

I have been having the same issue, learned my front and rear shocks are basically done (fronts are weak and rears are leaky). My issue is that the car has a level of body roll that reminds me of my friend's F body IROC, and that at a speed greater than 60 the car becomes unstable and the body roll leads to the rear end being twitch as the car will roll to one side and grip up more on that wheel and then sway the other way. Did this also happen to you? As for your issues, I haven't had the the steering wheel bounce or but I have had the front wheels feel very light and slightly unpredictable. I am planning on installing coilovers and new sway bar droplinks. I will let you know what happens. the only thing that i think that could be responsible are your bushings, however i would wait and listen to other people's recommendations as they are probably far more knowledgeable than I on the matter.

Got the coilovers in and the shimmy over bumps is gone. Actually, I replaced the left one and drove just a bit, it still shimmied. It was only after replacing the passenger side as well that it went away. When I set the adjustment to full soft (minimum damping) on the new coilovers, I got the wobbly bounce feel but no shimmy. I did feel around and confirmed there was no play in my tie rods and my bushings are generally in good shape. Most things feel pretty tight. I was confident since this shimmy showed up after my right front strut blew that new struts would fix it. Since you have just recently replaced yours, I'm not sure we have the same issues although the symptoms are very similar.

FrozenApples, thanks for letting me know how you made out! First thing I'm doing is to re-torque all my bolts under load, as I had not done this originally.

Im guessing u know this but u need to loosen all the bolts first then retorque with weight on the suspension.

DeJeeper, any suggestion as to the best way to get the car under load? Is it as simple as putting a jack under the tire and lift it up?

Tighten it all up while it sits on a 4 post lift. If thats unavailable i guess 4- 2' chuncks of 6x6 under the tires so its high enough to get under the car? Someone also sells the brackets that bolt to the wheel hub. U can put one on and probably reach all the bolts. Another option is to pull one tire at a time and out a floor jack under the rotor and lift. That should get u enough room.

I remember (but cannot locate the instructions) that you must not tighten the inner coffin arm bolt until the suspension is loaded. There is an index mark where the bolt ties into the frame, and it must align. I did this last by lowering the car onto the garage floor with the wheels on and with that bolt loose. I could then turn the wheels full to one side, crawl under the car, check the index mark and tighten that inner bolt.

great tip! Thanks Joe!!