skittish boxster

[meleden]

Hi, I am a new member, and a Porsche virgin- I have a Boxster 1998 2.5 and love it to pieces but being a 14yr old- like all teenagers, it has many funny little ways- the main one concerning me currently is the fact that when I go over 45mph- the handling becomes a little scary and I have a job holding it straight- it feels like there are cross winds throwing me around ( to be honest it reminds me of my old moggy minor handling wise!!!)

I obviously expected more from a Porsche especially as there is a second mortgage worth of rubber in contact with the road!!! Any ideas where to start?? - bearing in mind I have ' Champagne taste's and ginger beer money'.....

Many thanks Mel x

 

[Motorhead]

Hi Mel,

Welcome to Porsche ownership and to the Forum.

Firstly, check to make sure that your tyres are in good condition and that they're inflated to the recommended pressures.

Your's is probably a high-mileage Boxster, so it's important to ensure that all the suspension and steering joints are in good condition, with no obvious wear present. If you're not mechanically inclined, you may want to get this checked by a competent mechanic or a Porsche specialist and also have them carry out a full front and rear geometry check too, if they have that facility.

Hope that helps.

Jeff

 

[Buddy]

Hi Mel,

Most of us started on the beer budget so no need to feel out of it, you don't say how long you've had the Boxster or if it has just developed this wandering. Just in case the wheels have been off recently, first thing is to look at your tyres, sizes ( don't want fronts on the back etc ).

Check that they are in the right positions as direction of rotation is important on the approved tyres, I've seen cars with the tyres fitted wrong way round which makes a big difference, in most cases it can be sorted by swapping around, also if the tyres are not a matched set it is likely to squirm all over, likewise if on the wrong sides. As Jeff said, pressures are important and of course wear of suspension, alignement etc.

If you put on your details where you are then there may well be someone local who can take a look and advise. If it needs work then they will probably know where you can get your car at reasonable cost.

Like Jeff, I hope this helps.

One other thing, this would be better in the Boxster section.

 

[pauljmcnulty]

One other thing, this would be better in the Boxster section.

Done. []

 

[BartyB]

Welcome Mel. You don't actually say what wheels and tyres you've got fitted. It could be that these are the incorrect size, fitment or rating. Pressures will make a difference too. There are many tyre types that will physically fit but just don't work on a 986. I once drove a workmate's 1998 2.5 which was fitted with incorrectly inflated Kumhos and it drove like a dog. Getting the pressures right improved things a bit but after fitting a set of Pirellis all round the handling improved dramatically. If you want any advice about tyres and wheels just do a forum search and you should find some useful information.

 

[Andy Fagan]

'

 

[BartyB]

Good point Andy, but preferably not at a Kwik Fit or Halfords eh?[]

Mel, if you get stumped, there are a lot of excellent independent Porsche specialists out there who don't charge the earth. I'm sure someone can recommend one if you care to say where you're based.

 

[meleden]

Thank you to you all for replying....I am in mid Cornwall- so limited for local porsche specialists- have checked the tyres on the right way around- they are - I am running KUHMA ECSTA Le sport 225/40/18 on front and FULLRUN HP 199 265/35/18 on rear- the car came with these, I have only had it for about 3 months.

I actually bought a full set of 17 inch rims in great condition with a full set of like new Goodyears on for £300- do you think it is worth me putting them on ( was saving them until these wore a little more)??

also..............

passenger door wont let people in, but when I get out and go round it opens for me every time!! mechanical or posessed???

the locking is wierd, button on the only key does nothing, to unlock passenger door and boots- have to unlock my door then remove key then put key in ignition , turn it until lights come on, then turn back, remove, put key back in door turn again until you hear locking click, then its all unlocked!!- even then the passenger door will open open for me!!! if I dont do this in time, the lights start flashing but no noise heard!! ...go figure!!!!

also..is it hard to get to dash and heater panel bulbs as digital mileometer readout only comes on whet I hit it a few times, and the heater back light has stopped illuminating now!!!

sorry to ask so much
thank you x x

 

[tscaptain]

Hi Mel,
When you say you are a new member do you mean of the club or the forum? If the club then you should get along to an R15 meeting and we can help you with some of your issues! If not then would be worth a trip up to Andy Moss in Honiton (SCS Porsche) and let him have a look over the car. Really friendly chaps there.
http://scsporsche.co.uk/
The key thing sounds like it just needs a new battery to me but the skittishness is most likely to be wheel alignment.

Have fun

BTW, if you're not a member of the club it's well worth considering - pm me your e-mail and I let you have the details and what we get up to in the region!

 

[Motorhead]

Mel,

Re your handling issue, I would have thought that it's worth trying the Goodyears to see if you get an improvement. Not a difficult task to change wheels and it might answer one question for you: are the tyres the problem? If you're still experiencing problems then it's likely that you have alignment problem and/or excessive wear in suspension/steering joints.

Regarding your electrical problems, as 'capn says, a new key battery might sort out your door locking problems (although they could be due to worn buttons!), but it's best to talk to someone with experience to sort out your panel light and mileometer issues.

Jeff

 

[MJB]

ORIGINAL: meleden

Thank you to you all for replying....I am in mid Cornwall- so limited for local porsche specialists- have checked the tyres on the right way around- they are - I am running KUHMA ECSTA Le sport 225/40/18 on front and FULLRUN HP 199 265/35/18 on rear- the car came with these, I have only had it for about 3 months.

I actually bought a full set of 17 inch rims in great condition with a full set of like new Goodyears on for £300- do you think it is worth me putting them on ( was saving them until these wore a little more)??

Yes, fit those new wheels right now! Fullrun are one of the cheapest budget makes and have no place on your car and while Kumho are a decent mid-price brand they are probably not really what is required either. You may have additional wear or alignment issues, but first see what sort of a difference the Goodyears make.

When buying cars I've always taken the quality of the tyres to be a good indicator of how the car has been looked after, so a check over at your nearest specialist would probably also be a good move.

 

[Sylvian]

It will be the full run tyres, I fitted them to a focus st I owned back in the day and it made the cars handling dangerous!

 

[Buddy]

Definitely change to the Goodyears ASAP even though they are not a Porsche Approved tyre they are better than what you have fitted!

Porsches do handle best on a matched full set.

 

[BartyB]

Mel, as others have said, change the wheels and tyres to the 17" Goodyear combination asap then see if the handling improves. If not, then it's time to move on to suspension or geometry checks. Sounds like you've got a good indy down there. I used to live in North Cornwall so know what you mean about not having too many specialists around. BTW, you might find it really useful to invest in a Bentley manual to help you with troubleshooting and doing some of your own repairs and maintenance. They're available from Amazon albeit a bit pricey (about £50) but you'll save that the first job you do; it's Christmas soon and would make the perfect present for a Boxster owner. Kernow bys vyken!

 

[Lambert]

ORIGINAL: BartyB

Mel, as others have said, change the wheels and tyres to the 17" Goodyear combination asap then see if the handling improves. If not, then it's time to move on to suspension or geometry checks. Sounds like you've got a good indy down there. I used to live in North Cornwall so know what you mean about not having too many specialists around. BTW, you might find it really useful to invest in a Bentley manual to help you with troubleshooting and doing some of your own repairs and maintenance. They're available from Amazon albeit a bit pricey (about £50) but you'll save that the first job you do; it's Christmas soon and would make the perfect present for a Boxster owner. Kernow bys vyken!

Hi Mel

Like you, my wife and myself are new members to Porsche GB, relatively new to Porsche Boxster's and live West Cornwall.

Our car came with 50% worn Pirelli (N1 Fitment). I was unhappy with medium - high speed cornering when you hit a lump or hollow, and the front end felt like it would go a little wayward on uneven surfaces.

Took my car to Falmouth Tyres, who I have used for a number of years (as do the Morgan Garage in Perranwell Station). They do a cracking job of setting up the correct alignment. That improved things alot, but I was still not happy.

I took the plunge and bought the factory approved Pirelli (N2 fitment). With the correct tyre pressure and the tyres hot, handling is about spot on. The roads round my way are dire, but on smoother roads, the response is sharp and I no longer feel like the front is behaving like an unruly shopping trolley!

Top tip of the day: Please use a proper pocket guage and not one of those gauges at the petrol station as they are really inaccurate, and check the tyres at least fortnightly).