Front end lightness

[Martian]

.....I found with the 997 was not only was the front light but added to that the steering was ultra light both those things combine to make it feel a bit twitchy......

Maybe 'ultra light' steering is a Carrera thing, my Turbo's steering is quite weighty and feelsome. :?

 

[silvermilnec]

.....I found with the 997 was not only was the front light but added to that the steering was ultra light both those things combine to make it feel a bit twitchy......

Maybe 'ultra light' steering is a Carrera thing, my Turbo's steering is quite weighty and feelsome. :?

agree I get better feel and feedback from my turbo than my old 997 4S, could just be newer suspension but I definitely feel more confident.

 

[Ishay]

There's the extra weight of the 4WD kit too. I came out of a Carrera to a Turbo, the Carrera definitely feels more like you're sat ON the rear axle with a light front end, in a straight line, at speed.

It gets addictive though. I've driven mainly rear wheel cars but never felt so rear driven. Making the balance of the Turbo feel a little less unique even if great, indeed 'better" in real terms.

PS not newer suspension. My Carrera was Gen2 my tt is Gen1

 

[Martian]

The 997.1 C2S I drove had quite meaty steering.

 

[kurlykris]

Porschas do seem quite light on the front end and this can seem quite perturbing at first :grin:

But Porsche set the suspension geometry with a full tank of fuel, which is of course up front and something like 60Kg.
Also tyre pressures make a massive difference when pressing on, so check your tyre presures when the tyres are hot, you`ll probably find that you need to lower them by about 4psi or so, which, again, makes a massive difference to how the car behaves when you push it :thumb:

 

[Y2K]

There's always the LFB option.

LFB???

I'm guessing "Little Fat Buddy". Back in the day, some people used to chuck a bag of sand or two (as in aggregate, not Zingari's beer fund) in the frunk to add weight over the front end and aid grip...

I thought he meant 'left foot brake' ie managing weight transfer with both brakes and accelerator, or getting a bit of weight at the front to help turn in / trail brake into the corner.

 

[squelch]

There's always the LFB option.

LFB???

I'm guessing "Little Fat Buddy". Back in the day, some people used to chuck a bag of sand or two (as in aggregate, not Zingari's beer fund) in the frunk to add weight over the front end and aid grip...

I thought he meant 'left foot brake' ie managing weight transfer with both brakes and accelerator, or getting a bit of weight at the front to help turn in / trail brake into the corner.

:floor: Yes, that would be the more driving focused response - a bit worrying that my default thought was of a little fat buddy :floor:
Although if your driving requires LFBraking then I think you're pressing on at a bit more than 8/10ths.

 

[MaxA]

It's one of the features of a 911, but steering feel and turn in can be improved by widening the front track a little with a set of spacers.

I did read elsewhere that if the front isn't moving around, you're not trying hard enough...

 

[Phil 997]

Now I need to know did he mean "little fat buddy" or "Left foot brake" personally I am also thinking" little fat buddy" as a bit more wieght in the front would help although not a good racing fix :floor: :floor:

 

[rabbitstew]

From my experience it all depends upon how the geo is setup. My turbo used to bounce down the roads, steering felt heavy, turn in felt slow. On bumpy B roads the car would be all over the place.

I had the geo checked and it was all within porsche tolerances. Centre Gravity however adjusted it all to their recommended settings and swapped out a couple of worn rear suspension items and now the car handles just amazing. Turn in is super sharp, the front and rear seem so much more planted. The car just grips and grips. And on those bumpy b-roads, I can floor it down them and barely even need to touch the steering wheel as the car just goes where it should do.

I was already running a DSC box and MPS4S tyres, both of which made a big improvement, but (to me) the different before and after geo changes was as big as swapping from P-Zeros to the MPS4S`s. I really didnt not expect that!

 

[Porschekit]

My 2009 997.1 C4S also felt very light and front end floaty at speed......Last year Centre Gravity sorted the geometry out by taking all the toe and camber out and it now runs on rails and is not hunting all over the place. Well worth the £325 for four hours work. :thumb:

 

[mattc9974S]

Coming from a BMW M5 I feel that the my 911 seems to lighten up at the front pushing on at 8/10ths.
It feels a little unnerving but I have been told its a characteristic if the 911 which makes sense given there is almost no weight over the front?

Hello Mazi,

I am new to 997's and I felt the exactly the same with my C4S. I took it back to the dealer and they made some changes to the geo which has improved it slightly, I have also got more used to it.

I am still taking it into Center Gravity next week because, although it corners fine, there is still not enough feedback on the steering wheel for me and between 70 and high nineties it still feels a bit vague. I have heard great things about CG and it is only 15 minutes from my house so I have nothing to lose.

I will let you know how much it changes after it has been done.

 

[pcat]

It doesnt matter what you do with geo, its always going to feel lighter up front than a bmw with 200kg of engine right behind the front axle

 

[ironside]

Coming from a BMW M5 I feel that the my 911 seems to lighten up at the front pushing on at 8/10ths.
It feels a little unnerving but I have been told its a characteristic if the 911 which makes sense given there is almost no weight over the front?

Mine did that and Also Pulled towards the Kerb,a Decent Alignment at Centre Gravity sorted mine out,i agree it's Hardly Confidence in storing when the Steering Goes Light,infact it's pretty Scary :nooo:

 

[qwerty911]

I too have just swapped from M5CP. So far the experience has been horrible, the car wanders all over the place. I've have the geo sheet from the OPC and confirmed in spec. Our weather is still sub 5deg, what pressures should I be looking for when tyres hot? I do also recognise that I'm getting more used to driving it, but surely it shouldn't require so much effort when not pushing on?