aggie57

Folks - I'm new to this forum but have been around cars for many years, including a lot of time at the track both doing and teaching.

On Saturday we had a circuit training day in our club so after we finished with the lessons I had an opportunity to take my 2008 C2 (18" PS2, std suspension etc) out for 30 mins or so. First time on the track with this car.

Reading this and other forums beforehand I started with 29 front and 35 rear, and what I found was quite a bit of understeer especially on entry and (this is what I didn't expect) under power mid-corner.

I was expecting a more neutral stance overall and a significant trend to lift off oversteer but really to get that it needed a serious mid-corner lift and even then the answer was back on the power, maybe a little opposite, and the response was immediate. In fact I described the overall handling as benign to my colleagues afterwards.

Does this make sense to experienced 997 punters? I did check tyres afterwards and all showed very even wear, with no evidence of shoulders rolling and all 4 nicely scuffed and block edges lightly rolled. Just as I'd expect.

insite

try 34 front / 32 rear (cold). i've never had any luck with a stock 996 or 997 with pressures higher in back than up front.

elh0102

I think your experience is very typical. I suggest experimenting with tire pressures; think you can get the car a bit more neutral. I had a 997 C2S, and by installing the adjustable front LCA I gained additional camber, which also helped. But basically, the car has weight and big tires in the rear, and under throttle, its going to steer from that end. But unless the entry is badly overcooked, usually a mild lift will get the needed rotation started, and you can quickly get back on throttle. I'm learning to drive a Cayman now. Although the technique required in the 911 platform is more challenging, it's also a ton of fun when done right. Enjoy.

ADias

The 997 understeers by default, but can be made neutral. These are not the oversteer 911 classics.

docjohnM

check out the car and driver vid they have of the "behind the scenes" of the M3 Vs 911 test last month. They do some hard accel on an autocross lot and the front tires are hanging out of the wheel wells and jinking left and right with almost no reaction from the 911's trajectory. Basically, under that amount of accel, the front tires have only a smidgen of weight on them and the rear does most of the directional determination. This magazines example is of a 2009 C2, which has a bunch more power than the 2008 with a suspension that allows too much movement. Vids of the S models don't look quite as silly. The Cayman wins here, that is for sure, with it's perfect weight distribution. The 911 is a car that still needs to be mastered, but at least it does not want to kill you, like the old models!!

RonCT

I run about 37/39 hot, which means probably closer to 25/27 cold. There is a lot of understeer by design. The way to solve that is by installing GT3 Cup control arms up front and that allows you to get about -2.5 degrees of camber, which is a nice street / track blend. With stock arms, you might only get to about 8/10ths of 1 degree and if you put your car on the rack now, you probably don't even have 1/2 of 1 degree.

aggie57

Thanks. As John says they dont want to kill you which is good. Still fun though. That C&D video is a bit extreme but as you say it does prove the point.

Sub

Did you take temps across the tire treads just after coming off track? In my experience this is the best way to determine tire pressures. There are just too many variables (track temp, ambient temp, rubber compound, wheel size, etc) to ask on the internet what pressures you should be running. It might help find a starting point, but temps the day-of is the only real way.

Go to radio shack and get their IR Thermometer (oval shaped, with yellow button and small screen). Its a GREAT little unit and is very small. Run a few hard laps, come in and test. Change one or two PSI at a time. It takes me a few times during the day until I'm balanced out. Just 1-2 PSI makes a huge difference when you're in tune with your car.

adfsouth

Agreed. In addition to the GT3 control arms, you can fine tune the handling with adjustable sway bars (GT3, Eibach, H&R GMG, etc). I have H&R sways with GT3 control arms (camber of -2.5F & 2.0R) and Bilstein Coilovers......the car is now very neutral with a touch of oversteer. I run my Toyo R888s at 35F 37R hot. These cars are setup for the street but can be turned into solid track tools with a few tweeks.

aggie57

Thanks guys. No, I didn't temp the tyres when I came in and agree that is the best way to gauge how well they're working. It was really just a "taste test" and I have another day in scheduled in a few weeks and will spend some time fiddling with the setup then.