rhodyrandy

I just picked up my 99' 996 Cabriolet today. I moved to the 996 from an 03' Honda S2000 and I understand that these two cars are completely different but...

Something just doesn't seem right about my 996's handling and I am not sure if it is me just needing to get used to it or if something needs to be adjusted. She handles really great around the corners but when I get up to speed (60+)on the highway she tends to want to wander around a bit. Is this normal? There is no shaking or pulsing of any kind. Also, when i get on the gas on the highway the car almost acts as if it is a front drive with a little torque steer.

The car was purchased from a very reputable dealer and went through the Porsche Certification process. She only has 9k miles on her and 4 brand new tires. They told me they did a 4 wheel alignment as well. Could the problem be the new tires needing to break in?

To me it almost seems as though the alignment is off but I just wanted to find out if these are characteristics of the 996 or not. I do plan on driving another one just to see if there is a difference or not.

Any help you can lend would be appreciated!

Thanks.

CLL ACAB

Definitely have the alignment checked. You also have to understand that the cars shipped to the US have different suspensions that the rest of the world (ROW) cars. They have to be raised due to US bumper height requirements. That's why a lot of people end up changing their suspensions so that they are back to the way they're supposed to handle (lowered). If you do a search here, there are probably a ton of threads on suspension. You can always talk to gert at carnewal.com. (gert@carnewal.com) Fantastic to deal with and very knowledgeable.

Dave

newport996

Is this a C2 or C4? I have a 99 C4 Cab and I had to change the suspension before I was happy with the handling. I went with the Bilsein PSS9 system. Not cheap but damn good. The adjustability is a plus. The wandering may be tire size and wheel size. Are they 17's or 18's? I have 18's no wandering at all....Torque steer is wrong....it should never do this....I would take it back and tell them everything. The certification process is a joke. It's a mostly visual check of things and they do not do a comprehensive system check of anything. I bought a certified 99 and in the first 30 days I had it, it was at the dealer for 12 days. Things like colling fans, oil leaks, coolant tank, alignment...TWICE, new tires. Don't assume that a certified car is gone through more thoroughly. It just adds a warranty. remember, you could have bought that same car without the certification for less money, and what would be different? The warranty. that's it. they do nothing to the car extra for certification. Take it back, talk to a service manager, and don't accept it until you are happy.

mlambert890

The certification process actually isnt a joke unless the dealer is really, really bad.

Im looking at the forms that are submitted to Porsche right here and they're pretty comprehensive.

On my car the tech was very specific in pointing out things that did not meet cert requirements and the dealer has invoices proving they corrected them which were submitted to Porsche. I received all of this along with the official warranty papers.

Ironically, the EXACT things youre talking about as just being ignored were specifically addressed by the dealer before they let the car be certified. It needed a new o-ring seal (oil leak), needed new rubber on the rears (new tires put on) and needed new pads (new brakes done). All of that was specifically highlighted by the tech on the cert report.

I think this may be a your mileage may vary thing depending on dealer... Although Id be surprised if a dealer just kept pushing through bad cars as certified. There's really not anything in it for them to do that (vs just dumping the thing on a wholesaler) since they're going to have to do the warranty work and eventually would develop a dubious rep...

SteveFromMN

My 99 cab goes staight as an arrow up to 160 mph. I have never gone faster. I think you have something wrong.

01 C4 Cab NYC

Definitely sounds like an alignement problem. As Scouser said, many people lower the suspension a bit, but if you feel the handling is fine, then its not that. Have them do a full alignment, go for a ride with the service manager, show him what you're talking about.

dakar34

Your alignment may be off, but I found the stock suspension to be very soft and "floaty" (under-damped?) on undulating pavement at speed. I had the row M030 put on (though it annoyed me greatly to have to spend so much to make a "sports" car handle properly), and have been happy since then. It now seems to have a pretty good balance between comfort and sure-footedness, though it's still softer than my M3 was.

rhodyrandy

She is definitely floaty and wanders alot more than I would have expected from a Porsche 911. I am hoping that the alignment is off. I have been making specific mental notes of what happens and when. This is what I have:

At highway speeds, on a straight road, under even slight acceleration she will pull to the left. If I down shift, again, she'll pull to the left. When I am under even slight acceleration I have to keep my hand on the wheel to stop from going to the left lane. If I am upshifting under acceleration it again will pull to the left. This becomes really sloppy when trying to ride her hard because between each shift the faster I am going the more sloppy she feels between shifts. The confusing thing is under acceleration in tight corners she is fine and if not under acceleration on the highway she is straight as an arrow. I was actually able to go a full 3 mph faster through an off ramp exit than I could ever achieve in my S2000. It is very noticable on a straight road under acceleration (even slight). If I take my hands off the wheel and hit the gas she is going left. If it were the alignment why would she track straight under no power but then left under power? It's almost as if the rear right wheel is pushing more than the rear left.

She is a 1999 C2 Cab with traction control. I have 4 brand new Continental SportContact 2 tires, also I have the 18's. I am really depressed and disappointed about this and hope that I can put this past me ASAP!

Question for you: If you are going straight on a highway and hit the gas does your 911 pull to the left?

dakar34

It's difficult to say what the problem is. I would definitely take it somewhere and have it checked. Who has a good reputation near you? All cars tend to pull to the left a little (alignment set-ups often anticipate a crowned road), and wide tires will track the pavement surface, but your problem sounds different from those things.

rhodyrandy

Thanks for the input. I will be going back first thing Monday and have the Service Manager take a little ride. How much did you have to spend on the suspension set up?

CLL ACAB

X-74/install/alignment - about $2,500.00. PSS9's will probably run closer to $3K; M030 Sport about $1,600 to $1,800.

Kevin H. in Atl..

I've had my 99 C2 Cab for 3 months. I also noticed a slight yaw when nailing the throttle, but I wouldn't consider it to be pulling the car, just a momentary bit of inertia. Got used to it in a day or two. Never notice it now. Just drive your car a while, and get to know it. You're gonna love it.

deputydog95

I had similar complaints, minus the "torque steer" issure. I went went through the same thing with my 02 cab. Just had cargraphic springs installed and the alighment done the other day. Night and day. The "wandering" feeling is goine. Handles much better.

RJFabCab

The pulling to the left under acceleration that you describe surely does not sound normal.

Tramlining has been experienced by many, including myself. Depending on your alignment settings, the front end will tend to seek out nooks and crannies in the road, but it never feels unstable.

The stock cab setup is plush. It floats. Out on the track, there is far too much body roll, and the setup is geared toward understeer. However, it shouldn't pull to the left under throttle.

I would recommend checking your tire pressures and the balancing of all 4 wheels. Then, as others have mentioned, get your alignment checked and "reset" if necessary. Also, look for loose components up under the car, such as a loose rear sway bar.

Then when you get everything perfect and the car runs straight as an arrow, go to a more aggressive suspension!

Cheers

rhodyrandy

I just cleaned all of the wheels by jacking the car and removing each wheel individually. When I got to the right rear which was the last one I cleaned I noticed that it is a different wheel than the rest. From the outside it looks identical but from the inside each of the others had grooves behind the turbo spokes while the right rear is flush on the inside of each spoke. Not sure if because it is a different wheel it has a different weight thus causing some problems but who knows...

It had a bunch of numbers on it but these in particular jumped out at me; 993 362 13800 "B" and 993 362 14001 "A". It may be a coincidence and may not matter regardless but I wonder if the previous owner had replaced this wheel and it came off a 993? Could be a different spec to the wheel if it was originally designed for a 993...again not sure if that 993 in the number refers to the 911 993 wheel. Anybody know? They are all 18's by the way.