After all the potholes recently my Turbo just didn't feel right going round corners and at high speeds in a straight line. Around corners it felt like I was dragging my rear right tyre and on straight motorways it felt like I was driving through swirling cross winds. Sharp corners just felt like lots of understeer and all wobbly.
Anyway, I took my car to a 'local' tyre fitter and they did a quick geo. They showed that the right side front tyre was low on camber and right rear too much toe. So given they couldn't adjust cambers I tried calling round for people that could. Center Gravity were busy for a couple of months, Parr couldn't see me for 2-3 weeks, neither could JZ Machtech. I rang my OPC and they said their machine couldn't handle anything apart from factory geometry settings (which I don't have) - I am 99% certain that this was a made up excuse as if they have tools for measuring and tools for adjusting then they should be able to do ANY target geometry. So in the end I reluctantly joined the Center Gravity waiting list.
I then received a call from Jayne last week saying they had a cancellation and could fit me in. So I drove the car up yesterday (fighting it all the way up the M40). After arriving I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have renovated. Now there is a customer lounge, viewing gallery and en-suite bathroom. Very swish!
Chris immediately started his measurements and found that although the local tyre dealer report was way out on the accuracy the toe and the cambers were indeed quite knocked out. He checked tyre pressures and temperatures, all the wheels for buckling, all the suspension components, and a general check under the car. Chris even cleaned out the front spoiler for leaves and rubbish.
We found 2 additional worrying things. Firstly the front radiator was leaking coolant - you could smell it and see the pink residue where it had been leaking out. Also the reservoir in the engine bay was below min level. So a trip to my OPC is required next week. Secondly the front right dampener had some oil leaking from it:
Chris has sent a picture off to Bilstein to get their opinion on whether some leaking is normal. If not then they will be replaced under warranty. So I might be back again in a few weeks time.
Anyway, after Chris had reset my geometry to my old tried and trusted settings we took the car out for a test run. We achieved 30mph on his test roundabout (32 is the record I think in a GT3RS with slick tyres) and everything we threw at the car then felt like it was glued to the ground. HUGE difference.
So once again I need to thank Center Gravity for a brilliant job. Every car whether old or brand new seems to come alive after he has worked his magic. I often get asked by fellow PCGB members whether new cars without suspension mods would benefit from a visit to see Chris. The answer is most certainly YES, you would be amazed at the difference. You can make the car really feel planted at high speeds, tramline less on uneven roads, corner like on rails, have less understeer, etc etc ... whatever you want! **for brand new cars though it's best to wait a few thousand miles for the suspension to settle first as this affects camber and toe naturally, then you can make changes that will last.
Seriously the best money you can spend on any Porsche, old or new - and without invalidating any factory warranty either.
Anyway, I took my car to a 'local' tyre fitter and they did a quick geo. They showed that the right side front tyre was low on camber and right rear too much toe. So given they couldn't adjust cambers I tried calling round for people that could. Center Gravity were busy for a couple of months, Parr couldn't see me for 2-3 weeks, neither could JZ Machtech. I rang my OPC and they said their machine couldn't handle anything apart from factory geometry settings (which I don't have) - I am 99% certain that this was a made up excuse as if they have tools for measuring and tools for adjusting then they should be able to do ANY target geometry. So in the end I reluctantly joined the Center Gravity waiting list.
I then received a call from Jayne last week saying they had a cancellation and could fit me in. So I drove the car up yesterday (fighting it all the way up the M40). After arriving I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have renovated. Now there is a customer lounge, viewing gallery and en-suite bathroom. Very swish!
Chris immediately started his measurements and found that although the local tyre dealer report was way out on the accuracy the toe and the cambers were indeed quite knocked out. He checked tyre pressures and temperatures, all the wheels for buckling, all the suspension components, and a general check under the car. Chris even cleaned out the front spoiler for leaves and rubbish.
We found 2 additional worrying things. Firstly the front radiator was leaking coolant - you could smell it and see the pink residue where it had been leaking out. Also the reservoir in the engine bay was below min level. So a trip to my OPC is required next week. Secondly the front right dampener had some oil leaking from it:
Chris has sent a picture off to Bilstein to get their opinion on whether some leaking is normal. If not then they will be replaced under warranty. So I might be back again in a few weeks time.
Anyway, after Chris had reset my geometry to my old tried and trusted settings we took the car out for a test run. We achieved 30mph on his test roundabout (32 is the record I think in a GT3RS with slick tyres) and everything we threw at the car then felt like it was glued to the ground. HUGE difference.
So once again I need to thank Center Gravity for a brilliant job. Every car whether old or brand new seems to come alive after he has worked his magic. I often get asked by fellow PCGB members whether new cars without suspension mods would benefit from a visit to see Chris. The answer is most certainly YES, you would be amazed at the difference. You can make the car really feel planted at high speeds, tramline less on uneven roads, corner like on rails, have less understeer, etc etc ... whatever you want! **for brand new cars though it's best to wait a few thousand miles for the suspension to settle first as this affects camber and toe naturally, then you can make changes that will last.
Seriously the best money you can spend on any Porsche, old or new - and without invalidating any factory warranty either.
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