403portside

Hi guys,

My car just hit 11k miles. I've developed a vibration between 55-75 mpg and the car has been pulling to the right recently. I'm taking my car into the dealer to have them (A) rule out a suspension issues and (B) see if they can rebalance tires + align the car to get it smooth again. My car is CPO.

The tires are Pirelli PZeros with 11k miles. I didnt measure with a tire gauge but the rears about to be somewhere around 6/32nds. Seems to have plenty of tread left. The fronts are fine.

Should I go through process I outlined above or just cut to the chase and buy new tires? Thinking B-stone RE50s would be a good replacement. If it's OK to align the car now and then not have to do it 6 months from now when I need newer tires, I'm inclined to go through with what I outlined earlier in the post.

Appreciate your opinions on what you would do Just not in the mood to explain new tire purchase to the wife

Thanks everyone. -a.

Mspeedster

I'd check to find out what's causing the vibration first. A rebalance and/or alignment will usually do the trick.

I've still got the original PZero Rossos on the front, on my second pair in the rear, and have had no vibration issues at all.

nazhat

I bet its just the balance and alignment issue. It is suggested that after you get new tires, you always get an alignment...

winkingchef

These are the original tires right?
Given how long your car sat before you bought it, I would HIGHLY recommend that the dealer also check the tires for flat spots along with balancing issues.

I had great success with new tires and an alignment at Junipero Serra in Daly City (my regular mechanic doesn't do tires)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/junipero-ser...che%20mechanic
You can ship from tire rack directly there as well as easily walk there from the Colma BART stop (1 mi).

If you buy new tires, I highly recommend the B-stone RE-11's in XL weight rating.

403portside

Partial update guys:

Brought my car into Rector Porsche (thought I would give them a try). Despite the car being CPO'd, they may charge a $180 fee to do a full diagnosis of the car. The service advisor implied that if it's a warranty issue (i.e. non-tires, non-alignment) then the charge would be absorbed by the CPO policy, which makes sense. If the car needs an alignment/balancing, he said he would likely apply the charge towards that.

What I want to avoid is paying these jackasses $180 to tell me my tires suck. Wondering if they're being shady or am I just ignorant when it comes to Porsche dealers? (the latter is very possible).

@ winkingchef: yes sir, original tires. How's the ride on the RE-11s? You had the RE50a before right? I always assumed the RE-11 was for the track.

Macster

My experience with Rector has been great. I would hardly label anyone there a 'jackass'.


The techs I've encountered are superb technicans and the one that aligned my 03 Turbo did a heck of a job.

If your tires are not worn to the wear bars and otherwise are ok then likely there's a balance issue.

Recently when my 03 Turbo developed a bit of a vibration symptom I took my car to Livermore Porsche and had the front tires rebalanced. A tire weight was lost. The dealer didn't charge me even though I did not buy the front tires there. I have bought a set of rear tires there though.

If the tires are wearing unevenly then there is an alignment issue and to maximize the life remaining in the tires then a proper alignment is called for.

$180 ain't bad. I paid I think $200 a year ago last June when I had the Turbo aligned there. I paid $160 at the Springfield MO dealer a few months ago. Regular price there was $250 and the service manager told me there was a special on that brought the price down to $180 and then the service manager gave me another discount which brought the price down to $160.

You can pay the $180 or you can just have the tires balanced and if the tire wear indicates an alignment problem just have the car aligned.

If you ask nicely chances are Rector will do the balance for free and the $180 will go towards the alignment, may cover it entirely.

These cars are good cars but require properly balanced tires and a proper alignment to deliver their customary and expected superb driving experience.

Sincerely,

Macster.

Minok

Depends on the state of the tires.

If the tires have tread left and are not un-evenly worn, then its likely an alignment issue for the pull and may be a balance issue for the vibration. (assuming its not also a damaged rim). Buying new tires then, in a premature fashion, could just be a waste of money.

403portside

Another update:

I'm completely puzzled. Dealer says no odd vibrations and no unusual pulling to the right. They say the level of vibration is 'normal for a cab'. And that the pulling is due to the crown in the road. I specifically told them I noticed that the car pulled to the right regardless of the crown in the road.

I am thoroughly confused!

I think I'm going to go with my gut. I believe the alignment is off. And I'm the 2nd owner so I don't know if the car has ever been aligned. It's a $189 special offer and I won't get charged the diagnostic fee, so I'm going to tell them to do it.

Wish me luck on solving at least part of this.

Thanks for listening.

403portside

Final Update (starting to feel like I'm talking to myself

I had them do the alignment. The car must feels more solid. It only seems to follow the crown now. Here are before/after specs. Could these changes affect the way the car feels? Overall, I am satisfied.

Front Left
Before/After
Camber: -0.3/-0.3
Caster: 7.8/7.9
Toe: 0.04/0.04

Front Right
Before/After
Camber: -0.6/-0.4
Caster: 8.0/8.0
Toe: 0.02/0.04

Rear Left
Before/After
Camber: -1.7/-1.5
Toe: 0.10/0.13

Rear Right
Before/After
Camber: -1.6/-1.6
Toe: 0.13/0.13

403portside

Bump! Any thoughts guys? Very interested in your opinions on my alignment adjustments and whether they're significant enough to affect the way the car feels.

Edgy01

From a cursory look there doesn't appear to be much of a difference in the values for the alignment to contribute to a solution. What is the age of the tires? (Look for the year and week of production on the sidewall). Sometimes they get harder as the rubber ages and they become harsher riding. How about tire pressures? Consistent from left to right?

Macster

I don't have any of my Porsches' alignment before/after printouts to compare to but from memory proper toe is critical to the way the car feels. Differences in caster can make the car want to pull one way or the other but IIRC caster is not adjustable.

In the Boxster I've run max allowed neg. camber at the rears and yet with all the other settings on the money the car felt just fine and tire life was as good as it ever was. Which is what the alignment shop told me would be the case when I questioned the shop leaving the rear neg. camber at what it was.

Not once IIRC, and I think I'd remember cause I'm pretty alignment fussy, the many alignments I've treated my Porsches too, not once do I recall a 'before' with numbers way out/off.

(I bought an 08 Cayman S and less than a week later I had it back to the dealer to get the steering wheel centered and the alignment checked. Sure enough the alignment was out. I don't always make a habit of it but it is a good habit I think to develop and that is insist a new car be aligned. The dealer balked at aligning my Cayman and I offered to pay for an alignment if the alignment were found to not require any adjustment. The service manager then asked me when I bought the car and I told him just a week earlier and he said the alignment would be covered by the new car warranty in any event.)

Also, I bought the 03 Turbo used with a CPO warranty and after a week's driving I knew the alignment was out and sure enough it was.

Rector did a fine job (I have pics of the car on the alignment rack) and afterwards the car felt nearly transformed.

If the car feels better to you then I'd have to say the above before and after settings are significant for a Cab.

Sincerely,

Macster.

403portside

Very helpful Macster, thank you.

Edgy: the tires are nearly 5 years old so I am sure they are hardening. I think new tires within the next 6 mos or 5K miles are in order.

Hopefully won't have to align again.

Minok

If you can find a nice flat (no crown or ruts) parking lot, get some speed and stomp on the brakes.. if the car pulls to one side or another.. .there is a problem with the alignment or something. If it doesn't it must be something about the particular roadway conditions: wind, crown, slight ruts in the road.

997_rich

When you change up tires you'll notice a huge change. I had a set of five year old tires on the car and the ride was smoother, quieter and the car stuck to the road when I changed.