Dear all

whilst I am generally happy with the new Michelins for rain and general day to day driving, since they were fitted the front of the car feels more bouncy during transitions on the road surface.

The previous tyres were SO2's that were just about to go to the wear bars and driving the car with them made me think that all 4 wheel bearings had gone! - the ride was really that firm and unyielding.

When I had the car serviced in January the porsche factory said that in 6 months i would need new bushes at 200 euros each ( and that there are 8 of them!).

Could the feeling of the front-end be down to that or would new tyres (and a different brand) be the reason?

Also what bushes are Porsche referring to?

Thanks for any help.

Mike

 

Mike,

I'm not sure what you mean by "bouncy during transitions?"

If the car feels "unsettled," especially in turns with bumps/dips, it could very well be worn shocks.

The "bushes" your shop mentions is unclear...do they mean the various bushings that tie together your front end? What's your milage?...I don't really buy this one. I'm no expert on 993 suspensions, but I doubt that what you're feeling is due to worn bushings, which BTW, would also contribute to alignment/tire wear problems. How did your previous tire look when you replaced them? I haven't any experience with the Michelins, but many others seem happy with them so I doubt that's your issue.

In short, try getting someone who really knows the car (AND is recommended by someone you trust) to look and drive your car. Sorry if this raises more questions than it answers.

Edward

 

Hi Mike,

How many miles on the new Michelins? Whenever I get new tires on my car, it feels a bit unsettled until they've broken in. Section 13 of the <a href="http://www.tirerack.com/images/tr_ownersmanual.pdf" target="_blank">Tirerack's Owner's Manual</a> discusses tire break-in.

Another thought is a mismatch of tire types, front and rear. Do you still have SO2s on the rear?

 

Thanks for the ideas guys.

I have new Michelins all round since I never mix brands but I will look up the break-in period - it's good advice.

The previous tyres wore evenly but the advice on new bushes came from porsche themselves in stuttgart when i took it in for a service in January. The car has 78'000 miles on it. Shocks might well be the answer - I'll book it in and see what they say. Overall though are the Michelins a softer tyre than the S02 - any ideas?

Regards

Mike

PS I cannot believe just how much quieter these tyres are than SO2's - it's quite a difference.

 

I used to get a slight wandering under heavy braking - this may be different from what you are experiencing. My problem was cured by renewing the front wishbones.

Ajit.

 

Edward

I just went for a drive and "unsettled" is probably the best description.

Is the SO2 a firmer compound tyre, or could it be that since it was near the end of it's life the tyre was hiding poor shocks which new tyres have now exposed?

Regards

Mike

 

Could be the tires. I have Bridgestone RE730s I use on the street, and Kuhmo Victoracers I use on the track. The car definitely feels stiffer and more glued to the road with the Kuhmos; I would find them too hard for daily use due to them providing very little damping of bumps in the road (car actually feels like it bounces on such "impacts" on the Kuhmos).

Another thing I've noticed when switching from worn BFG Comp T/A to identical new T/A's - new tires definitely feel "softer" than worn tires. Like Randall G. mentioned, it definitely took about 1000 miles for the tires to bed in; even then, full tread street tires will feel softer than fully worn tires.

For safety's sake, can't hurt to get another opinion on your cars' suspension. Find another competent shop and bring it in to them.

 

Hi,
I had this problem.
It was cured by replacing the front A arms (lower wishbones) as the rubber bushes had split, Porsche only supplies the whole arm and not the bushes apparently.
Tito

 

Ditto Tito's comments. I replaced my A arms at the recent 73K install of RoW M030 and Bilstein HD. I saw the bushings in the A arm, and they were worn enough to allow about 1/8 to 1/4" of play.

 

Maybe worth noting the mention of the "Porsche factory" in this:

[quote]When I had the car serviced in January the porsche factory said that in 6 months i would need new bushes at 200 euros each ( and that there are 8 of them!).<hr></blockquote>

Mike is in Switzerland, I think I recall he had his car serviced at the Porsche factory "Werk 1" service facility - if they don't know what they are talking about, who would!

 

John's right (hi john!), Werk 1 in Stuttgart were recommending the bushes to be replaced.

However my surprise was mainly in the difference between the tyre brands from one moment to the next. The Michelins are a lot quieter and comfortable so it probably follows I've just got a lot more rubber underfoot.

From reading the above posts about worn-down tyres it would seem that I was inadvertently driving a "slammed" street racer!

I definitely like the feeling of the car being properly planted on the road and it probably explains why racing tyres are "scrubbed" before use.

If it takes a 1000 miles to get the feel that I had before than I will probably live with it.

Given that here in Switzerland the choice of tyres is limited to the ones mandated by the factory a lot of the tyres that are mentioned on this board are not viable for me - the choice is limited to conti, pirelli, bridgestone or Michelin.

Based on that and if comfort was not a consideration what tyres should I be looking at next time if I want to go back to the "street racer" feeling?

Thanks for any advice.

Regards

Mike

 

Singh, Tito, Terry,

If you don't mind me asking, what did the wishbones (A-arm/control arm) cost you? None of the aftermarket catalogs or internet vendors list A-arms for a 964 or 993.

Thanks!

 

993-341-017-00 (L) and 993-341-018-01 (R) $399 each plus 2 hours install labor(ouch).

 

[quote]Originally posted by Terry Adams:
<strong>993-341-017-00 (L) and 993-341-018-01 (R) $399 each plus 2 hours install labor(ouch).</strong><hr></blockquote>

I feel your pain, Terry.

Looking at my Performance Products catalog (albeit, not always the best priced source), the nasty buggers are even expensive for a 65-89 911 = $360.

Sounds like a part you don't want to replace as preventative maintenance, just because "you're in there."

 

Hi Randall,

993 341 017 00 (lower control arm left) £157.77
993 341 018 01 (lower control arm right)£157.77
993 347 131 01 (track rod joint x2) £116.88

labour including alignment £285.60
sundries £3.5
VAT (value added tax) £126.27
total £847.79

Regards
Tito
<img src="graemlins/crying.gif" border="0" alt="[crying]" />