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First Post from new Forum Member - Question on 911 997 handling.

nickw1968

nickw1968

New member
Hi all,

Great to join the Forum now I'm a Porsche owner.

I recently purchased a 2007 911 997.1 Carrera 2S fitted with 19" SportClassic 'Fuchs' style wheels which I love the look of.

I also own a couple of BMW's including a 2007 Z4M coupe and a daily driver 335i SE coupe. I bought the 911 as I've always wanted one and thought that the car might replace both of my BMW's so I could revert to single car ownership. I found the Z4M to be too hard edged as a daily driver but a superb fun day car hence the 335i for daily use even though I don't actually need 4x seats as I have no children.

I've enjoying the 911 ownership experience but am not sure the car will be ideal in replacing both of the BMW's in one car.

I'm struggling a bit coming to terms with the handling. Both of my BMW's have near perfect 50/50 weight distribution and are very well balanced. Being rear engined, I was expecting the 911 to be rearward biased in terms of handling which it is but I'm struggling to get a really good feeling for the car when I'm pushing on.

The car seems to weave a bit when entering fast corners with the slightly bobbing front end robbing me of feeling and confidence.

I've read that the 911 needs to be 'learned' in terms of handling which I was expecting and this is something that appeals but at the moment my feeling is that the car is a bit too wayward and hard to understand exactly what the chassis is doing.

I'm wondering if this is partly because I've been driving BMW's for the past 20 years. Is this something that others have experienced and if so is it something you've found you get used to?

Also, as an everyday driver, I find the car not very comfortable with the offset driving position into the centre and the ride quality on the 19" wheels. Again is this something others have experienced and you get used to it after an adjustment period?


Best regards

Nick.










 
Hmm yes, there's something not right there. Without knowing the history of your car it's difficult to know where to start (and depending on how close you are to Centre Gravity it would be a good place to start) however:
2007 was too early for the Fuchs style wheel for the 997 - make sure they're genuine Porsche as aftermarket wheels will be way too heavy and this could be affecting the balance.
The 997 front end should bob and weave a little owing to the drivetrain layout and was lauded for this at launch because it gave a feeling like earlier air cooled cars used to have, so don't get too carried away trying to dial it out as this is part of the feel of the car.
It could be that one or more suspension bushes or arms need replacing given the age of the car. Along with a geo setup this could cure most if not all of the unease you have.
Not sure what you mean about an offset driving position though? I've certainly never felt that in my 997.
 
The car should feel planted and you should feel fully in control, no bump steer, no vagueness.

As said already, get it set up at CG and your car will be utterly transformed!
 
Welcome to the forum, Nick, well done on getting a 997! Yes, I would echo all of the above. I, too, am curious about the offset driving position? You should try a RHD 993!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if your engine mounts were now due for change after 10 years. Worn mounts will give you the feeling of engine sway at the rear. I swapped mine for RSS mounts and the difference has been 'night and day' in respect of the handling.
 
Thanks for the responses.

I've driven other 997 911's and found the same handling traits, so I'm thinking that it's more likely that these are inbuilt chassis characteristics rather than an issue with my car.

It's not really bad, just different but it takes some getting used to. Maybe I need to do more miles in the car! A good excuse to do some driving! ??​

The 19" wheels are the genuine Porsche SportClassic wheels and fit the 997 gen 1. They are the same size on the front but are 305 on the rear and I think the wheel is very slightly wider. With 10mm though I'm thinking that this would not create a huge difference in handling, especially as the fronts are the same size.

With the offset driving position I was referring to the way your legs are angled into the centre, in particular the clutch leg. Again it"s probably feeling more pronounced as my BMWs are angled very slightly the other way.

I have read before that the 997 retained the bobbing handling characteristics to stay inline with the older generation cars and keep the 911 family trait. I have driven a RHD 993 and it felt as if the pedals were in the passenger footwell ??

I'll get the alignment looked at as it's probably not been done since the car was built!

Many thanks,

Nick.







 
Nick
re:Engine Mounts... a good guide is to have a tight fingers gap between top of exhaust tips and underside of aperture. They should be same on both sides. If your gap is bigger (assuming tips have been attached properly), it probably means that your engine is sagging a little due to worn mounts and time to get them changed. If they do need to change then you need to make a decision as to whether you go with straight Porsche replacements or go a little firmer i.e: RSS or similar. if you go harder, you will get a little bit of NVH but not massively, not enough to go back to stock anyways :)
 
Hi Nick,

I came from a 330i E90 MSport and felt the steering so different. It took a few drives to get use to. I live on a small bumpy country road and the first time i drove down the road I thought wow... this steering is all over the place compared to my BM. It's when you plant it round a corner and you realise that this baby can stick to corners and the steering is perfect:)

Comfort wise for me...around the same as my Msport I think. Didn't notice much difference.

I haven't noticed the driven position.

Enjoy!
 
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