walleye

I replied to someone else's comment about a perception / reality of weird handling of the 996TT out of the box:

"Maybe this needs its own thread, but having owned my 996TT for about a year, it has some of the most unusual feeling "handling" of any car I've driven. I was a long-time Miata owner with stock suspension, a short 2 year stint in a 2011 Mustang GT 5.0 (stock), and now daily a 2006 Mini Cooper S (stock).

So, given that the 996TT handling IS weird (if it's a given... I think so), and some tweaking is needed to make it NOT weird. What does a first round of tweaking look like? I have no interest in tracking my car, but I would like to make the handling a lot less weird, but not at a significant cost to NVH or ride quality. I have no issue w/ the stock ride height, and I've never been a proponent of dropping a car from stock for any street performance reasons"

I should also mentioned that I tracked motorcycles for about 6 years, and while I am not a suspension tuning expert, I generally have a decent idea of what good suspension feels like.

With all of that said, my 996TT just feels odd compared to other sport and high performance vehicles I've driven. I'd have to drive and take notes right away to pin it down, but I'll open with a feeling like the front and rear don't seem to move as one. Maybe my stock suspension, at 35k (I have a 2001), is worn out?

One of the really strange feelings is this "stepping out" sensation (the tires are actually sliding) when merging off a clover.. think highish-speed righthander, merging with traffic.

I did buy replacement motor mounts that I have not installed yet. Based on what I've gathered in this forum, there's a good chance the stockers have settled quite a bit and I was willing to try replacing those as maybe the drivetrain is shifting around too much?

My other thought that I was leading with when I bought it was this is just how a rear engine car handles. However, now that I've seen some others comment on the "weird" stock handling that needs some "tweaking", I guess I'm curious what are effective tweaks without degrading the NVH or ride massively?

Thanks all! This has been a great forum to stalk being a newer owner. I've learned a lot!

-Jeff

GuardsTurbo

You do know the engine is out back right?

splitime

I'll be interested to hear how this conversation goes. I've never driven/ridden in a stock one and my first time driving one was the one I bought which has H&R springs and Eibach sways, so it already has been modified into 'something' else.

"02996ttx50

to continue your worthy thread topic...replacing the motor mounts to ( i'm on wevo semi solids ) new, and replacing the old ( if never changed of course ) t-mount to the newer 997 mount will eliminate all the lateral slop we all know and love. one of the best cheapest and effective mods i have ever done just to keep the car fresher/tighter. there WILL be added NVH but not enough to deter me, and i love the added more connected driveline feel they have provided. everything i think you'll find is a trade off vis a vis NVH or not. stock the car is relatively quiet AND "cushy" by comparison.

Atrox

If by weird you mean normal. Lol comparing a Miata. The steeping out is the awd/PSM under acceleration on a hard turn. Try driving with the PSM off. Be careful if you've gotten used to the PSM as turning it off can get you sideways fairly quickly.

autobonrun

LOL. Too funny.

Kevinmacd

Hopefully you pay attention to the tire pressures, have the proper alignment for the driving you are doing. Different tires present different handling characteristics. Last but not least its also front wheel drive.

MotoJB

LOL

walleye

LOL, yes I am aware the engine is in the rear! But I fully admit that I've not driven another rear-engined car before either.

I do monitor tire pressures. One other area I'll address this spring is in regard to alignment. I naively aligned the car to stock specs shortly after purchase, only to read on this forum that some good gains can be had with a more aggressive alignment.

Also, I got the impression that others were in the "weird" handling camp with an out of the box 996TT as well. As a sidenote, and maybe a baseline from where I'm coming from, I consider the seat time I had in an RX-8 to be the best _stock_ street handling car I've ever had the pleasure of driving. Apples and oranges, I get it.

The main reason I started this thread was due to the fact that I'd read comments from others who also felt that stock handling was "weird". So, for anyone else who agrees, please chime in with what your description of weird is.

-Jeff

Freddie Two Bs

My 996 doesn't feel weird at all.

T10Chris

I think you need to define what "weird handling" means to you. What characteristics have you noticed?

There is going to be some natural difference in dynamics of the car compared to what you are used to based on the engine location and driven wheels, but it is also possible that maybe something is "off" on your particular car. Not enough info to tell, unless I overlooked it.

MotoJB

Yo, so since my motor is out for the trans job and other stuff...I should be replacing motor mounts?

"02996ttx50

hell yes man.. wevo's or rss or torque solutions...something aftermarket for sure. if your car is dual duty go semi solids stay away from full solids unless full time tracking its too much nvh ( for most ) for the street. the semis are an x'lnt compromise.

i'm sure you're addressing th t-mount also while the trans is being refreshed. good luck. i did all that stuff a few years ago exactly same. a world of positive change.

MotoJB

Thanks, I will address...

Yes, they are putting in an OEM trans mount with a torque solution street insert...

Carlo_Carrera

I deny.

It is an AWD car with a ton of power and a bit of turbo lag. It drives differently because of that. Once you figure out how to get the most out of it it becomes a pavement eating monster.