This is a little long so you may need to have a cup of coffee before proceeding...

okay, so I posted something a month or so ago on same topic but couldn’t find the thread....revisiting the question. My car’s handling is feeling a bit “darty” over 45mph. The best that I can describe it is that if the wheel is turned a bit left or right at this speed or higher it feels as if the car’s weight shifts and it then wants to suddenly turn left or right. Gets worse the faster I go.

By comparison, I also have a 2006 Mini Cooper S with a larger than stock rear sway bar sitting at stock ride hieght and I’d think that car sitting higher up would be more prone to this sensation but it’s not. But after driving the 993 for a few days in a row and then hopping back into the mini, the mini feels absolutely solid and planted. Not a bit nervous, while my 993 felt like I had to really stay on top of my steering inputs at higher speeds or else...

The 993 is a ‘96 C2 coupe. Running MY02 BBS 18s in 8 and 10inch widths with Bridgestone RE760s in 225s and 265s. Tires are in excellent shape with virtually zero wear. Rears are brand new. Using 5 and 7mm spacers front and rear, respectively. PSS9s are at middle damper settings, Mid-RS ride height, very minimal camber, alignment was done at Porsche with Kinematic tool and their alignment guru did the work (guy was also touted as being good by people here on RL). Tire pressures are set according to the placard in the door jam. I doubt aero plays a significant role at these speeds but I’ll mention that the engine tray has been removed and the car has RS splitters up front. The drop links etc are in great shape and pretty much all of the bushings were replaced not long ago. No apparent issues with the steering rack or linkages.

The only thing that that was changed recently was my adding the spacers for the wheels. This was solely to bring the wheels out closer to the edge of the fenders because I prefer how it looks that way. I didn’t notice this sensation in handling when I had different wheels on the car, the Hartmann’s you see in my avatar. Those wheels had offsets that brought the wheels to the edges of the fenders much like how things look now with spacers and my BBS wheels. I was running the same tire brand, model, sizes, and pressures. I’m really at a loss as to why the car feels this way. On the freeway it’s a bit unsettling. I can’t imagine the level of concentration it would require to go over 100mph with the way it feels. It’s not that I ever do but I figure this is a car that should make the driver feel completely confident at high speed and right now I’m not. And this thing is supposed to be able to go around 170mph? Just no way anyone would want to try that on a racetrack or the autobahn with the way this car feels right now. I really want to get this sorted.

Botoom line is that something just isn’t quite right. I think it’s alignment related but any thoughts on whether that is likely it?I have lost faith in most businesses and while I trust my mechanic he does not do alignments so I’m going to need to take it somewhere else. I need a pro that is trustworthy, competent, and fairly priced who will figure this out and do a good job. Still I am curious what may be the cause of this strange dartiness so at least I have some idea in advance. Could it be the spacers? Car didn’t feel like this before I added them. If the other wheels sat at the same basic position on the vehicle I can’t understand how moving wheels outward slightly with spacers is any different than having a wheel with same offset. Any thoughts on what the cause is or who can possibly solve this mystery in the Los Angeles area?

Alignment appears to be the consensus. Btw I don’t drive recklessly or anywhere near 100mph...ever.

You Tube

You mentioned that “pretty much all the bushings were replaced not long ago”...did that include the front lower control arm bushings?

In my absolutely less than scientific half brain dead opinion...the spacers would have contributed to the handling issue. You changed the overall wheel offset, and especially the scrub radius on the fronts. Someone please correct me if I’m way off base here...see previous half brain dead disclaimer.

My last alignment was with an oem wheelset with spacers installed, I had a custom wheelset built with different width, and et’s, and with a slightly wider/taller tire up front. The handling was never the same.

Tying to finally get an alignment from a shop in CT scheduled, new set of tires all round this time too.


As another thought, how are the motor mounts? If the engine isn’t secure, you can feel it under turning, and especially acceleration while turning.

Lots of knowledgeable shops in your area...good luck.

So the “darts” while well under 100mph (Nile13) is clearly an issuebut sounds like alignment may be the first thing to explore.The control arm bushings were replaced maybe 4yrs ago with Porsche OE parts. Car hasn’t seen many miles since then, maybe 6 or 7k. PSS9s have been on the car a while, maybe 8 years and 30k miles. Car is always in garage. So generally light overall use and really not ever in a climate that is particularly harsh on things. My mechanic sees the car about once a year minimum to handle minor repairs or at very least to change oil and replace brake fluid every other year. Car usually gets a good look. I’m very confident that all of the parts are in good condition and good working order. Not sure how long the Bilstein’s should last but they certainly haven’t been abused. No access to a rack unless I take it to a shop. I can say that the rear tires I just removed (second set since last alignment) and they wore beautifully. Absolutely even to the point that they looked like slicks with the steel belts just starting to show on the insides of both right and left tires. Pretty sure the alignment is even if nothing else and my mechanic who took delivery of the tires and had new ones fitted said it looked like alignment was good and did not see any obvious signs that it needed realignment. I’m not sure if he drove the car. I can try measurements of front and rear spread of the tires to see what that reveals but again no obvious signs of unusual wear. Front tires may need a bit more of a look since I don’t usually Park with wheels turned left or right. Maybe the toe is bad and it’s burning the inside fronts. I hope not as these tires are discontinued and I may have trouble finding new RE760s for the front. Ivan- good point but ride heights are evenly matched to be about top of-RS factory spec. I may have misstated earlier that it’s at mid-range. Didn’t go lower given the limitations of standard drop links and didn’t want to induce any unwanted bump steer. If anything the front may sit a touch higher than rear. I do have the M020 sways (I think that’s the right code I’m quoting).

Samurai- fronts are a bit old but in good shape. No UV damage etc and rubber is absent any visual cues that it is breaking down or drying out in any respect. That is why I decided to buy another set of rears when the last pair were worn. Almost wasn’t able to find any but just got lucky a few more were still around. I really don’t think tire condition is a factor in this case. I’m leaning toward an alignment issue. It’s possible that the spacers up front bring the offsets further out than ever before even at just 5mm each side. My old Harmann’s offsets are not know to me so while the rear offsets with my BBS at present appear to be spot on to what I had before with the Hartmanns, it’s possible the wider track up front is the culprit. It’s always good to open things up to the group here to see if there are factors I haven’t considered. So far a few things have been suggested and a practical approach to pursuing the answer to some of them which is what makes this such a great forum. Even my mechanic that seems to know all things air-cooled has learned a thing or two that I have uncovered here. It’s a p-car think tank. Gotta love it!