Meatball964

Recently replaced my tires (MPSS's) and thought it would be a good idea to get a 4 wheel alignment.
It's been 2 years since the last one. Previous tire wear was fairly even & no complaints w/handling.
Car sees "spirited" driving in good weather (not a DD) & about 3 or 4 track days per year (green group).
Is corner balancing needed or is this just a 2-3 labor hour money grab ?

No HTwo O

You should get that car aligned by a quality shop, and one who understand kinematic toe. Especially after having new tires installed. $250ish to protect your $+1,800 tire investment makes sense to me.

As for corner balancing, do you even have an adjustable suspension like PSS9's or PSS10's?

Meatball964

Alignment already scheduled (quality racing Porsche shop) so that's not an issue.
Corner balancing (putting the car on scales) as I understand it, would factor in my weight, level of fuel, weight of instructor, type of track layout etc....should I pass on this given my type of driving ?

BTW, I have Bilstein HD/M030

FlatSix911

I have the same suspension setup and did not notice a difference after corner balancing ... YMMV

NP993

Ask you shop what they'd charge just to check the corner weights....the labor-intensive part is making the adjustments, which in your case isn't necessary unless the weights are very far off, which they're probably not. But probably worth it for the peace of mind. Even if they have to set up the scales, it's 10-20 mins of labor....

nile13

Terms like coilovers, corner balancing and all that jazz sound really cool and give you instant cred. <Because race car" as kids say nowadays.

The reality is, for your application you have zero need in corner balancing in my opinion.

chaoscreature

Agree with Nile 13.
If your car was very weight jacked you would feel it and would wonder why your car felt awkward.

Meatball964

These cars are very alignment sensitive from what I've read.
I'm not expecting any serious handling transformation (unless I go with a slightly more aggressive align than OEM). Go too agressive & risk accel tire wear, bump steer, trammeling or poor wet weather traction...albeit better track handling.
At any rate, sounds like the general opinion is to pass on the corner balance.

Neil Perry

I fitted PSS10's to my car and then had a corner balance done.
It was the best money I have spent on my car, the corner balance transformed my car into a completely different beast.
It just stuck to the road from the day I picked it up.

mjsporsche

Of the several 911s I have owned, one was corner balanced a month or so before my purchase. Could not tell the difference. I am not a track person who needs every possible advantage.

Save your money!

Mark

solomonschris

Anyone who would stick a metal knife into a 110v receptacle to see what would happen, should surely try a proper corner balance for the same reason. The result will be way less dramatic but more satisfying, and at least then you'll know.

Kika

I had my car corner balanced last year at West End Alignment.

I didn't think the car handled poorly, but I had Walrod bushing and new tires installed, so I went ahead and had it done. The difference was definitely noticeable, for the better.

Mark in Baltimore

Since you track your car, I think corner balancing is a really good idea. However, if you're doing three or four days a year, then that sounds like two events, yes? You can probably get away not with corner balancing.

The answer would also depend less on your run group but more on your past skill sets and your current driving ability. Did you ever race snowmobiles, ski, surf or do anything else that required exceptional coordination, balance and eye/hand coordination? If so, then you'll probably push your car harder than a typical green group driver and may be more likely to notice a suspension imbalance where the car oversteers in one direction but understeers in the other.


I'm going to guess that there were other factors at play. Having a car that is corner balanced versus not should have nothing to do with road adhesion. If this were the case, cars would be careening off the road like a moose sliding on greased owl potty since the vast majority of cars have never been corner balanced.

Meatball964

Seems most that had it done also had suspension/bushings/sways at the same time so naturally handling improved.....not nessisarily as result of the corner balance.

BTW that's not me in the pic wise guy. Stole it off the interwebz (thought it was funny).....

Meatball964

Thanks Mark, well put.
This is my 1st 911 so hard to say what "unusual behavior" is but getting a better feel each drive (especially on the track).
Coming up on my 4th track day ever (2 last year / 5 planned this year). I feel my learning curve increase exponentially each time....fun stuff. At this stage I may not have developed enough feel for what a corner balance would provide....gettin there though I hope.