87' 944S Suspension Question
11-17-2004, 11:58 AM
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
87' 944S Suspension Question
Hey Guys,
A quick suspension question, I find my car doesn't quite feel
balanced when driving quickly (private roads of course!). Also I had a
little slide whilst taking a sharp right hand bend quickly the other
day. It feels like I am going to lose the rear end nearly everytime I
take a right-hand bend quickly (Rear end feels real loose as if its
lifting?). Left-hand bends are tackled with no problems.
Could this be a sign of worn-out shock absorbers?, I've tried the
old test of pushing down the corners of the car... the left front
shock hisses slightly when compressing it but other than that they
dont appear to bounce to much etc... any ideas?
Regards
Dave K.
A quick suspension question, I find my car doesn't quite feel
balanced when driving quickly (private roads of course!). Also I had a
little slide whilst taking a sharp right hand bend quickly the other
day. It feels like I am going to lose the rear end nearly everytime I
take a right-hand bend quickly (Rear end feels real loose as if its
lifting?). Left-hand bends are tackled with no problems.
Could this be a sign of worn-out shock absorbers?, I've tried the
old test of pushing down the corners of the car... the left front
shock hisses slightly when compressing it but other than that they
dont appear to bounce to much etc... any ideas?
Regards
Dave K.
11-17-2004, 03:21 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
Tire pressure can turn your porsche into a ford excursion, and it is often overlooked. Bad shocks/struts shouldn't be your problem. They mainly affect your handling in quick transitions from left and right turns. I took my car on several runs and pushed it quite hard with completely shot (and leaking) struts and shocks and i still managed fine. Ask 2tight about it...
11-17-2004, 03:47 PM
#4
Race Car
dave, it's hard to say based on your description. could be any number of things. i find the "shock bounce" test really does nothing for me.
my S felt really loose as well in the rear, new shocks and struts helped fix that.
you didn't mention whether the slide was understeer or oversteer, and whether you gave it lots of throttle as in a power oversteer. i would assume based on your description and assuming the tire pressure is correct that A) the shocks are bad B) the alignment is bad or C) the tires themselves suck.
my S felt really loose as well in the rear, new shocks and struts helped fix that.
you didn't mention whether the slide was understeer or oversteer, and whether you gave it lots of throttle as in a power oversteer. i would assume based on your description and assuming the tire pressure is correct that A) the shocks are bad B) the alignment is bad or C) the tires themselves suck.
11-18-2004, 01:20 PM
#5
Instructor
Thread Starter
Hi Peeps,
Well it seems ok as long as you driving "granny" style
, if you try and push it through a right hand corner (some are quite sharp, twisty country roads in the UK) then the car feels unbalanced and it feels as though the rear end is loose .... I can push it around left hand bends no problem.
The tyres are all new (4 x Avon AZ3) and pressures are all correct, also had the front tracking done at the same time.
It was a power oversteer (i think) when it actually lost the rear end, their is a sharp right hand bend which i always take quite quickly and is no problem at similar speeds in a Peugeot 306 (small hatchback). The car then swerved from left to right quite violently 2-3 times before carrying on straight......
Cheers
Dave K.
Well it seems ok as long as you driving "granny" style
, if you try and push it through a right hand corner (some are quite sharp, twisty country roads in the UK) then the car feels unbalanced and it feels as though the rear end is loose .... I can push it around left hand bends no problem.The tyres are all new (4 x Avon AZ3) and pressures are all correct, also had the front tracking done at the same time.
It was a power oversteer (i think) when it actually lost the rear end, their is a sharp right hand bend which i always take quite quickly and is no problem at similar speeds in a Peugeot 306 (small hatchback). The car then swerved from left to right quite violently 2-3 times before carrying on straight......
Cheers
Dave K.
11-18-2004, 02:18 PM
#6
Three Wheelin'
Join Date: Jul 2001
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I've had that happen too..
I was taking a sweeping left turn.. and as i was coming to the end of the apex into the straight the car wallowed left - right a few times before straightening out. driver error or worn shocks?
I was taking a sweeping left turn.. and as i was coming to the end of the apex into the straight the car wallowed left - right a few times before straightening out. driver error or worn shocks?
11-18-2004, 04:19 PM
#7
Burning Brakes
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Tough to diagnose as so many factors get involved....speed of manuever, throttle and brake "telemetry" and condition of parts. If you're looking for obvious mechanical problems, look to tire pressures, worn suspension and sway bar bushings, rear wheel bearings and even the outboard rear axle nuts (I speak from scary experience there). Not likely that shock wear is the issue.
944's will come around on you if you close the throttle fast enough with the weight coming forward ...although factory specs (narrower front tires and high OE rear tire pressures) are designed to limit this dynamic and it is much less pronounced, under any circumstances, than in rear engine layouts.
I am a fan of high performance driving clinics. If well taught, they are a wealth of info about vehicle dynamics. The importance of balancing the car on all four wheels and understanding techniques like heel and toe, trail braking and threshold braking should not be underestimated. I got a ton of good info at the one I attended...it made me understand that the car is not a static platform no matter how well designed or cleverly modified it is. Honest, the fastest you have ever dared drive on the street is nothing at all like wrestling/caressing (depending on the driver
a car perched at the edge of traction under pure track conditions.
At speed and untrained, even a decent street driver easily can make the best handling car step out in a heart beat and, conversely, a skilled driver applying inputs in an organized, experienced fashion can wring amazing lap times from a pig.
944's will come around on you if you close the throttle fast enough with the weight coming forward ...although factory specs (narrower front tires and high OE rear tire pressures) are designed to limit this dynamic and it is much less pronounced, under any circumstances, than in rear engine layouts.
I am a fan of high performance driving clinics. If well taught, they are a wealth of info about vehicle dynamics. The importance of balancing the car on all four wheels and understanding techniques like heel and toe, trail braking and threshold braking should not be underestimated. I got a ton of good info at the one I attended...it made me understand that the car is not a static platform no matter how well designed or cleverly modified it is. Honest, the fastest you have ever dared drive on the street is nothing at all like wrestling/caressing (depending on the driver
a car perched at the edge of traction under pure track conditions.At speed and untrained, even a decent street driver easily can make the best handling car step out in a heart beat and, conversely, a skilled driver applying inputs in an organized, experienced fashion can wring amazing lap times from a pig.
