shuang

Hi all,

Just wondering if this is normal. At highway speeds (around 60 MPH, 100 KPH) if I make a fairly quick turn of the wheel (like I was avoiding something in my lane), I feel the rear of the car move into line a few tenths of a second later... i.e., when I turn the wheel the front of my car moves immediately, but the back "snaps" into line after a slight pause.

Is this a normal sensation for a 911 or should I get it checked out? I've never driven a rear-engine car until now, so I figured it might just be inexperience.

Steve

BS911

My 993 has always had an "odd" sensation similar to what you mentioned. Just last weekend I installed a set of Bilstein HD's with H&R springs. That sensation is GONE!!! My old springs - most likely original at ~80,000 miles - could be pushed in by hand with minimal force (<10 lbs) and wouldn't even rebound on their own. Don't know how many things - like alignment problems, mismatched tires f/r, tire pressures, etc. it could be, but if your shocks are getting old like mine they might be doing less than you could imagine and in no way help control the weight of that rear end.

Greg Fishman

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by BS911:
<strong>My My old springs - most likely original at ~80,000 miles - could be pushed in by hand with minimal force (&lt;10 lbs) and wouldn't even rebound on their own.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Brian,
Do you mean shocks? instead of springs?

I would be surprised if the springs softened that much. I replaced my shocks last weekend and they could be pushed in with a minimal amount of force and would barely rebound.

BS911

oops, yeah - that is exactly what I meant. Must be all the cold medicine. I just can't believe how pitiful my shocks were. When driving to work on I-95 at speed, (~65-80mph) the car was absolutely scary on any sort of steering wheel input the way the rear just kind of did its own thing.

Greg Fishman

Ok. Just like what I have experienced. The shocks are so bad that the car is just riding on the springs and when you hit a bump the shock can't dampen the oscilations of the spring. That is why my car did a lot of "pogo'ing".
Best upgrade I have done, and I wish I would have done it two years ago, doh!

Jack Ennuste

BS911

I vote for Your avatar as top-10 best 993 avatars in Rennlist.

BS911

Thanks! That's what happens when you've reached the end of the internet and only have time to kill in Photoshop.

Greg - "Pogo'ing"!!! Thank you. That is the perfect way to explain it. I was trying to justify to my wife why I think I absolutely HAVE to have new shocks and couldn't describe that feeling with the back end bouncing back and forth at speed coming off steering inputs. Needless to say she agreed anyway - and let me throw in springs at the same time. <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" />

Robert Henriksen

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica">Originally posted by BS911:
<strong>Greg - "Pogo'ing"!!! Thank you. That is the perfect way to explain it. I was trying to justify to my wife why I think I absolutely HAVE to have new shocks and couldn't describe that feeling with the back end bouncing back and forth at speed coming off steering inputs. Needless to say she agreed anyway - and let me throw in springs at the same time. <img border="0" alt="[jumper]" title="" src="graemlins/jumper.gif" /> </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Helvetica"><img border="0" alt="[cherrsagai]" title="" src="graemlins/drink.gif" />

Greg Fishman

I just had the alignment done on my car. The car wasn't much out of alignment, not! Left rear was "only" 20mm toe out, right rear only had 20mm toe in. It is a wonder the damn thing could actually travel in a straight line! Also I set the camber at max and the right front was over -2 degrees (almost -2.5) and the left was right at -2. We set it to just over -1 degree.

Overall the car is a lot better. It is not ready for racing but it is a nice firm, controlled ride. The pogo'ing is long gone, thankfully. I went to a slightly larger rear sway bar but didn't have a chance to really drive the car to see if it has removed some of the understeer.

fbfisher

A few weeks back I was driving a '03 Boxster "at speed" on the freeway. Suddenly I needed to avoid a tire that had come off of the van 120 yards infront of me. A quick move of the wheel to the left and before I knew it I was spinning down the interstate like a top. Fortunately no other cars involved but very scary - don't think it would have happened in my 993.

Robert Henriksen

I think that's called 'low polar moment of inertia' I also looped a Boxster on the track, myself, at ~110 - and it wasn't mine!

Matt Vaughan

Steve, these cars come from the factory with pretty softly sprung suspensions, particularly for a car considered a sports car. The ride height we get over here does not help matter much either. We tend to call this the SUV (school bus for E.J.) ride height. At the same time, the OEM shocks wear out quickly, which just adds to the overall scope. The best thing to do to avoid this is to install a set of matched shocks and springs, and sway bars maybe for a bit more fun.

shuang

hmmm... I'd hate to think it was the suspension since the PO had the stock suspension swapped out for turbo suspension, although I'm not sure exactly what parts were changed, my car is much lower than a stock 993 though. I've read in the archives that the OEM shocks wear out quickly, I suppose that probably applies to the turbo ones too, if they are different. I'll have to ask next time I bring my car in.

I've also been playing around with tire pressures, I wonder if that is it. I'm running 36R, 34F. I had alignment done last year, so I don't think that's it.

Thanks for the tips, guys!

Steve

Tim Ashfield

The sad thing is that I have all the parts to fix this sat on my bench in my garage.Just haven't found the time to sort it yet. <img border="0" alt="[ouch]" title="" src="graemlins/c.gif" />