997.2TT and very light front end

[RJKflyer]

(Sorry of there's a thorough answer to this but I could not find it)

Yes, I know the engine is in the back, but/and although a lighter front end is inevitable under hard acceleration, I do find that this is very confidence uninspiring at high speed.

It does not exhibit the 'planted' feel that seems to be spoken about widely. Frankly I doubt I'd ever want to take this car to the speeds I would completely confidently do so in my RS4.

Regarding being 'planted' I appreciate the physics of a 911, but so many folks seem to say that it should be absolutely stable, which mine simply does not feel.

Tyre pressures spot on and all aerodynamic aids are present and working.

It's only 4 months' old with 2,500 miles, so in theory should be at factory settings.

Should I be getting the OPC to check this out?
And/or do I ask them to make any preferential adjustments in the settings to eradicate this?
And/or anything you guys recommend I do?

Thanks!

 

[Dylan1]

sounds like a job for chris at centregravity-he has lots of good write ups here.i am sure those with wider experience of him than I will be along shortly[]

 

[Alex L]

Call Center Gravity ASAP to book a half day appointment.

My Turbo is now PLANTED on any road-surface and does NOT have a light front end - nice and weighty steering even under full acceleration. I'd say my car is now the best handling car I have ever driven on public roads.

Chris can fix your geo issues with NO affect on Porsche warranty - so it's a no-brainer and easily the best thing you can do for any Porsche.

OPC's simply dont have the equipment to do accurate alignments. There are plenty on this board that tried their OPC several times for such issues (with them saying all is fine each time) only to get frustrated and go to Center Gravity. So save yourself a lot of time and get yourself up to Atherstone near Birmingham. Even if you live in John O'Groats, it's worth the trip!

Tell Chris you want my settings

 

[clarkes]

Make that 3 votes for Chris. He transformed my Gen1 Turbo when it had done about 6000 miles. Instead of bouncing around all over the place it just goes where I want it to.

 

[yan]

+1

If I am not mistaken each vehicle coming off the production line is not subject to an alignment check, having pre-assembled the axles before they meet the body there is plenty of reason therefore to expect deviations from even the widest of tolerance, as well as inconsistencies across each axle (+ one side, - the other, for example). They only check 1 in so many I heard.

I could visually see that one of my rear wheels needed re-aligning before Chris put any equipment on the vehicle! After some relatively small changes at the front to correctly align things the car was transformed from a vehicle which felt unsure on the motorway at speed to PLANTED => confidence. I have a fairly standard set-up btw (compared to Alex).

 

[Clewsey]

+1

Chris transformed my GenII CS. I was amazed at the difference it made and the confidence it inspired at the wheel.

 

[RJKflyer]

Great, so I've spent £120k for a car that isn't set up properly from the factory.

 

[garyw]

More than enough people pointing you in the correct direction (myself included)
I know of a fair few Gen2 owners with less miles on their cars than yourself that have been to Chris and it has transformed how the car feels in all aspects.

Many of the OPC do now have the same kit as Chris, Silverstone were having it installed when I popped in during December, however they set it to factory standard and as long as its within tolerances its classed as OK...
Chris works within these tolerances to set a car to how you want it to be...

Although, I'd also expect the Audi to feel a bit weightier than the 911 []

garyw

 

[clarkes]

The suspension is, apparently, very adjustable and "settles" over time so even if it was perfect from the factory it is likely that it has changed now. After 6000 miles none of my wheels were pointing where they should have been pointing - the front wheels were more like Charlie Chaplin's feet [] .

 

[Rodney Naghar]

ORIGINAL: RJKflyer

Great, so I've spent £120k for a car that isn't set up properly from the factory.

Even if it was set up properly, Porsche's tolerances are so high (as are all manufacturers) that it could still feel awful (as you've described)

Chris Franklin sets up the cars to zero tolerance, and how you want it. Amazing service, great price, best money you could spend on the car.

Don't be disappointed, look forward to how well your car is going to feel once you visit him.[]

 

[RJKflyer]

Thanks for all the quick responses - clearly it needs setting up properly.

Just FYI, the associated observations are:
1. On hard acceleration out of a corner, you can feel the front 'bobbing' (which if on its one I wondered was PTV in action)
2. On an uneven road with a sweeping curve, feels like the front is likely to lose control as it's 'weaving'.

Whilst I am no expert, I have experienced this before with incorrect toe settings, although i appreciate 4WD is slightly more complicated.

This is only really coming to light as I start to push it harder having given it chance to run it a little, hence my rather sudden disappointment!

 

[clarkes]

I think that you are correct with your diagnosis. As I understand it, the PTV shouldn't cause the symptoms that you describe. It sounds like you may have toe out rather than toe in - but Chris is THE man to sort it for you. Please feedback to the forum when/if you have visited him.

 

[944s2]

Surprised no one has thought to check tyre pressures?

Always worth checking for hadling issues

 

[RJKflyer]

"Tyre pressures spot on and all aerodynamic aids are present and working. "

I have deliberately avoided any thoughts about playing with tyre pressures - else I'll end up with one ailment masking another was my concern.

 

[jbm]

I spent the day with Chris on Thursday and can certainly testify to the quality of his work. Following a Porsche toe-link failure at Spa, I asked Chris to fit RSS toe-links for peace of mind on further track days. It was fascinating to watch Chris at work and to see his dedication to high standards, for example he spent virtually all morning cleaning the suspension components and taking base-line readings just to make sure that his own setup was valid. Once the RSS toe-links were in place he then spent several hours adjusting the geometry and corner-weighting the car.

The car drove pretty well before Chris's efforts, but it was absolutely delightful afterwards - the most noticeable improvements are that the car is now much more stable in the corners, particularly over bumps, and that turn-in is a lot better. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Chris to anyone with a Porsche - my car started the day pretty much within factory spec but after Chris's attentions is a much nicer machine to drive.

 

[Clewsey]

As Gary was saying, the accepted tolerances the OPC works to (in my OPC's case with the same Beissbarth equipment) are widely different. I used an OPC to have mine done and it felt terrible. Had it done at Chris's subsequently a month later (got the same printout, allbeit with Chris's logo on it). The difference was it was spot on compared to the OPC's version.

Result -Faxed both copies to OPC, asked them to explain why elements of mine were borderline tolerance and got my money back.

I'd even go as far as saying this work provided more satisfaction than say the thrills an average engine upgrade would provide (Both would be a bonus of course!) []

ORIGINAL: RJKflyer

Great, so I've spent £120k for a car that isn't set up properly from the factory.

 

[RJKflyer]

Yes, frustratingly I guess I am stuck with the OPC initially due to (a) warranty and (b) it's 'their' fault that the car is incorrectly set up.

However, I will be making it clear that anything less than an absolutely perfect set up will be a punitive experience.

 

[Clewsey]

Don't worry about the warranty, this will not affect it. Mine was still under the original warranty when I had the work done and the same OPC have performed work under warranty since with no problem - including the extension of it.

I agree with your stance on telling them your expectations, after all it's a specialist car deserving "specialist" attention. As a side note, shortly after getting my car correctly geo'd, I test drove a new GTS Coupe and mine felt far more planted on the road.

ORIGINAL: RJKflyer

Yes, frustratingly I guess I am stuck with the OPC initially due to (a) warranty and (b) it's 'their' fault that the car is incorrectly set up.

However, I will be making it clear that anything less than an absolutely perfect set up will be a punitive experience.

 

[Oggy]

I'm quite happy with handling on my car however given all the fantastic reviews here, was just wondering what he charges ??

If he could make a turbo turn-in like a GT3 and doesn't cost the earth, I could see me being one of his future customers []

 

[Clewsey]

I paid £300 for mine I think.