inkatouring

My c4s needs a four wheel alignment because some of the rear suspension needed to be replaced. Would I need to corner balance as well? What's the point of corner balance on a street car?

1990-964

You are absolutely correct. On a street car there is no need. On a track car where you are looking to optimize balance and lateral weight transfer then it is a must. Conditions like that don't occur in daily street use where you may not be carrying g the same amount of weight the car was set up with at the shop.

race911

No, you don't NEED to. But it's nice to have a baseline. Seriously, anyone who knows how to align a 993 is going to be thorough enough to strongly suggest it. I wouldn't do an unknown-to-me car without scaling it. Not like it takes much extra time, and for you as the owner it's a rounding error in your cost of ownership.

So how do you explain the dynamics a car may go through from full tank to empty tank? That's +/- 50 over the front axle. Let alone when you strap an up-to-200 lb. passenger in the car. It's all a compromise until you get to the pro level........

But let's not confuse that you're never driving hard enough on the street for it to matter in a tangible sense in the least. At least on cars with ABS. (Screwy stuff can happen with front wheel lockup on the old torsion bar cars.)

certz

I do them even on the street car because I want it "right." Does it have to be done on the street car, absolutely not. Ken seems to almost contradict himself, especially when he mentions the "200 lb. passenger" as your corner balance does NOT take that into account (I guess it could if you told them but not normally). Frankly, if I were you I would consider the type of driving I did, the roads that driving occurs on and then determine if I want to, on occassion, push the limits in switch backs (this is where you will notice it the most).

Magdaddy

I had my car corner balanced at it's first major service...Walrod's, Wevo mounts, and a more street friendly alignment. Car will be going to a different shop here very soon, as my former wrench, doesn't work on customer cars anymore. I had a bad experience with them servicing an Audi years ago...swore I'd never patronize them again. That being said, I know a few 993 owners who swear by them...so I'll try again.

New rubber all around, and an alignment check. I'll provide them all the previous corner balance, alignment specs to compare. The car was absolute magic when this was last done...here's hoping that this shop can again duplicate that feel.

Mike J

Did my own last month - with the help of Basal Skull's scales - and while I knew it was not really needed for a street car, now I know I am balanced to 50.04% with my weight in the seat and a full tank of gas, and it was fun to boot!

Cheers,

Mike

Martin S.

First of all, if you have a stock suspension (Monroe's), there are very limited threads on the front struts to make any significant adjustments. And in the rear, there is only the choice of three (3) different shims of varying thickness. However on a suspension such as PSS9/19, or Bilstein HD, or KW, etc., you'll have ample threads for a corner balance aka corner weighting. Take a look at: www.meganracing.com noting of course with the 993 car, you have a 60/40 split on the weigh with 60% on the rear, 40% on the front. Also note the diagonal weighting in the charts. The left side of a US 911 has a 150 to 260 Lb weight in it that needs to be compensated for, that would be the driver of course...so as a consequence, when corner weighting a car, you'll need weight in the driver's seat...or better yet, plop the drive in the seat...note to the drivers, bring a book or a Kindle. It takes a while.


Thanks to www.meganracing.com for the diagrams.

Falcondrivr

Corner balance it with a weight in the driver seat. Align it to factory RS specs as per the Porsche manual. It will feel like a go cart, even on the street. Buy lots of tires.

race911

No, it doesn't. Point being that I've never seen an instructor refuse a student because the handling will get all weird with a passenger.

Remember, we DID race/DE/whatever cars before electronic scales became as commonplace as tire gauges. Look up a Wacko weight checker.......... While I thought I could work my way around a torsion bar 911 pretty good with that thing, reality showed me different when I got my scales. And I wasn't slow with my primary track car, nor the couple I was still maintaining at that point in time when I was transitioning out of "the business." So go figure on the need to be oh-so precise.

Again, no mention of roll bar preload, and how it will screw up the corner weights. Not so important on a street car.

Kika

It is not REQUIRED, but why not have the car set up as well as it can be?

I realize on the street you are not trying to shave 0.5s off your time to Starbucks, but a big part of owning a 911 is the driving experience, and having it set up to handle the way it can, is a big part of that. At least that is my opinion.

inkatouring

It's funny how history repeats itself. My new-to-me GP 96 c4s just had the suspension changed and I was wondering if it needed to be corner balanced even though it has Koni sports (which do not have adjustable height) and is solely street-driven. So I decided to do a search before posting the question here. Seems I had the same question 5 years ago and got some hearty debate.....

Meenrod

Mike J

I though the Koni's have some adjustment on the front perches to corner balance? On a street driven car, not too much of an advantage, but if you want to do the job 100%, a good shop can use the two front struts to balance (as best as possible). If the front perches are not adjustable, then its a non-issue.

P-daddy

inkatouring

Height on Koni FSD is adjustable in front, but not rear. Koni Sports are fixed front and rear. Dampening on Koni Sports is adjustable, however.
Koni Sports on Carnewal