This is a thread documenting my 996 Turbo's suspension journey for anyone who may be thinking of doing the same. Best to get a cup of tea, this is going to be quite long...
Not long after purchase in 2012, I was just not at ease with the handling of my car; despite having immense grip and fairly impressive corner speeds I felt 'disconnected' from the experience. Put simply, the car felt so glued to the road that I began to wonder what the hell would happen should I ever push too hard? Would it be lost in an instant or, as I suspected at the time, be likely to bite back very hard indeed. Also, the ride was simply atrocious on our dire bumpy 'B' roads, verging on painful at times which saw me planning my routes by road surface quality rather than by the potential driving pleasure.
So I started what turned out to be a long but enjoyable series of suspension set-ups. Not wishing to veer too far from the standard configuration, I decided to keep the M030 factory kit fitted to all turbos totally stock, but explore the capabilities of the chassis via geometry changes alone. I chose Center Gravity to do the work for me and I am very glad that I did, as their reputation exists for good reason.... They are perfectionists and only specialise in suspension.
The first iteration was an effort to swing the balance of the car back towards me, the driver, along with adding a healthy dose of comfort. The end result was astonishingly different from the car I drove in with; it was at least twice as comfortable as before, being able to absorb the bumpiest of my local roads with ease and adding a real thrill to the driving experience. I was laughing out loud at how adjustable the rear end was via throttle input. The car was a hoot to drive and fling around, if ultimately lacking pace compared to the original Porsche-standard geo, as rear grip had been sacrificed by standing the wheels up to around 1 degree 10 minutes camber, along with the bare minimum of toe. Up front I was given 45 minutes of camber and zero toe. However, I was still hungry for more. With the settings above I was able to slide the rear of the car beautifully with the front end nailed to the road, but once this novelty had worn off I started to want more outright grip.
The second iteration was interesting as I learnt very quickly just how beautifully sensitive the 996 chassis is. Tiny changes to geometry settings wrought noticeable changes to the driving experience, which shows just how well Porsche had developed this amazing platform. At the time I was running Bridgestone S02As all round, a much maligned tyre if t'internet is to be believed, but I really liked them. With stiff sidewalls, the car changed direction like a cat after the second set up which saw a more normal 1 degree 36 minute rear camber angle, with rear toes set to the Porsche minimum settings of 5 minutes per side. Up front, camber was maxed to 51 minutes. Yep, 51, not 50 or 49. Did I mention that CG are perfectionists? Toe was set slightly out at my request. The steering was very quick indeed which is what I needed. I ought to explain here that I drive the car with hand controls as a result of a racing motorcycle accident many years ago, which means I have to be able to control the car with around 180 degrees of total steering wheel movement once up to speed. This inevitably means that these settings will not be to everyone's taste, a point which Chris and Pete at CG keep reminding me. I kept this chassis arrangement for quite some time until deciding to change tyre brands for Michelins, largely because I had read that they were more comfortable than the Potenzas.
Enter iteration three. The PS2 tyres were a revelation in terms of tenacity and consistent grip levels but they had relatively floppy sidewalls in comparison to the S02As. As the 'spring' on each corner also includes the tyre carcass, the car now felt soft compared to before, with a feeling of accentuated body roll. In fact I almost opted to put the Bridgestones back on at one point but was talked out of it by Chris at CG. He suggested that we needed far more camber to optimise the set-up for both the tyres and my particular driving style, so away he went with the third geometry that I had tried. This mainly involved work to the rear end as a quick tyre inspection showed that the sidewalls were tucking under during hard cornering. So the rear camber was set to 1 degree 50 minutes and some added toe to calm the rear-steering that was dialed in during the first two visits. Comfort was starting to diminish at this point, more on this later. The comfort levels had started to be compromised, but on balance I decided that this was a small price to pay for the feeling I had with the car. I should point out at this juncture that sometimes with added rear camber, an 'oversteer' sensation can be felt as the tyre rolls on to it's contact patch. This felt a little disconcerting at first but became a feature that I really enjoyed as the miles went by. It can be negated by changes to toe as I found out later on my journey.
As the miles ticked by I was constantly amazed by how capable the car was and how enjoyable it had become to drive, even on the odd track day I took part in. Nothing fazed it at all. Everything was going swimmingly until the top mounts cried enough at 58000 miles, which set me thinking again.
So then came the final step in my quest for a car which behaves just as I would like it to. After sampling NXi20's GT3 from the passenger seat, which has monoballs at every pick up point possible, I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet and comfortable this type of suspension component location was. Also not to mention how phenomenally responsive his car felt to every input. Granted he runs top-notch dampers all round, but a feeling of solidity emanated throughout the chassis. After discussions with Chris and Pete it was decided that we would try a halfway-house approach that was more in keeping with the stock dampers and springs I run, which took the form of some monoball inserts for my original top mounts. As the suspension was having a good overhaul, new front coffin arms with adjustable caster inserts were also fitted, along with some uprated bushes for the rear coffin arms. Front camber was tweaked to some very specific numbers, caster likewise, with toe set to zero. The guys also changed the rear anti roll bar bushes for new stock items. Rear camber was left alone but a whisker more toe was added. The results were unbelievable! My car felt like a GT3, so composed but with amazing grip, turn in and neutral balance. Just incredible. I ran the car at Anglesey for a PCGB track day back in May, where it acquitted itself very well indeed, easily running with a 991 Turbo S and a couple of GT4s. I had a bit of a dice with a 997 Turbo too but he couldn't corner at anywhere near the pace of my humble 996T. The confidence that the chassis gave me was most evident in the wet morning session where once again, I was laughing out loud at how much total grip I had as well as reveling in balance of the car; it seemingly had no vices at all, the front end grip being the standout feature. Astonishing considering that the dampers were all standard and had circa 59k under their belt. Downsides? Only one, the front monoball cartridges had to go back to CG for a knock to be investigated. I am currently testing this solution on behalf of the guys as I had agreed to be the first person to try these units. I will duly update the forum as to the long term outcome of this scenario.
All was going well with the above geo in place until I heard a bang whilst zipping down a bumpy country lane one day. What followed was a car that was almost undriveable at speed! After much investigation Pete changed the rear dampers for a known good set and the problem was solved. For reference, it felt as if the right hand rear tyre had 10 psi in it on left hand corners which was very disconcerting indeed. The dampers did however fly through a damper test program with ease which was very confusing. Pete then had my originals refurbished at Bilstein for a very reasonable £210 plus vat and refitted them. What a difference! The rear suspension feels quite plush now, not squatting under heavy acceleration like it did before and absorbing minor road imperfections without the crashy feeling it had previously.
Well that's it for now, I have a car that feels perfect for me. I have to reiterate that everyone is different, one man's meat etc, but for my slightly unconventional driving style I have an awesome car. Having spoken to Manic996T who has a far more modified chassis than me, it has made me realise how different driving styles alter what is required from a chassis tune up. His numbers are very front end biased whereas mine are the opposite way around, yet both of us have sweet handling cars set up by different specialists. Time and again I read how folk don't gel with all sorts of platforms on this forum, yet a visit to an outfit who really understand these cars can transform any 911 to suit any driving style.
If you have stuck with this dribble to this point, well done! As for my car, it will be staying as it is for the foreseeable future unless I win the lottery, in which case it will be riding on Ohlins or Quantum dampers.
Adios amigos.
Not long after purchase in 2012, I was just not at ease with the handling of my car; despite having immense grip and fairly impressive corner speeds I felt 'disconnected' from the experience. Put simply, the car felt so glued to the road that I began to wonder what the hell would happen should I ever push too hard? Would it be lost in an instant or, as I suspected at the time, be likely to bite back very hard indeed. Also, the ride was simply atrocious on our dire bumpy 'B' roads, verging on painful at times which saw me planning my routes by road surface quality rather than by the potential driving pleasure.
So I started what turned out to be a long but enjoyable series of suspension set-ups. Not wishing to veer too far from the standard configuration, I decided to keep the M030 factory kit fitted to all turbos totally stock, but explore the capabilities of the chassis via geometry changes alone. I chose Center Gravity to do the work for me and I am very glad that I did, as their reputation exists for good reason.... They are perfectionists and only specialise in suspension.
The first iteration was an effort to swing the balance of the car back towards me, the driver, along with adding a healthy dose of comfort. The end result was astonishingly different from the car I drove in with; it was at least twice as comfortable as before, being able to absorb the bumpiest of my local roads with ease and adding a real thrill to the driving experience. I was laughing out loud at how adjustable the rear end was via throttle input. The car was a hoot to drive and fling around, if ultimately lacking pace compared to the original Porsche-standard geo, as rear grip had been sacrificed by standing the wheels up to around 1 degree 10 minutes camber, along with the bare minimum of toe. Up front I was given 45 minutes of camber and zero toe. However, I was still hungry for more. With the settings above I was able to slide the rear of the car beautifully with the front end nailed to the road, but once this novelty had worn off I started to want more outright grip.
The second iteration was interesting as I learnt very quickly just how beautifully sensitive the 996 chassis is. Tiny changes to geometry settings wrought noticeable changes to the driving experience, which shows just how well Porsche had developed this amazing platform. At the time I was running Bridgestone S02As all round, a much maligned tyre if t'internet is to be believed, but I really liked them. With stiff sidewalls, the car changed direction like a cat after the second set up which saw a more normal 1 degree 36 minute rear camber angle, with rear toes set to the Porsche minimum settings of 5 minutes per side. Up front, camber was maxed to 51 minutes. Yep, 51, not 50 or 49. Did I mention that CG are perfectionists? Toe was set slightly out at my request. The steering was very quick indeed which is what I needed. I ought to explain here that I drive the car with hand controls as a result of a racing motorcycle accident many years ago, which means I have to be able to control the car with around 180 degrees of total steering wheel movement once up to speed. This inevitably means that these settings will not be to everyone's taste, a point which Chris and Pete at CG keep reminding me. I kept this chassis arrangement for quite some time until deciding to change tyre brands for Michelins, largely because I had read that they were more comfortable than the Potenzas.
Enter iteration three. The PS2 tyres were a revelation in terms of tenacity and consistent grip levels but they had relatively floppy sidewalls in comparison to the S02As. As the 'spring' on each corner also includes the tyre carcass, the car now felt soft compared to before, with a feeling of accentuated body roll. In fact I almost opted to put the Bridgestones back on at one point but was talked out of it by Chris at CG. He suggested that we needed far more camber to optimise the set-up for both the tyres and my particular driving style, so away he went with the third geometry that I had tried. This mainly involved work to the rear end as a quick tyre inspection showed that the sidewalls were tucking under during hard cornering. So the rear camber was set to 1 degree 50 minutes and some added toe to calm the rear-steering that was dialed in during the first two visits. Comfort was starting to diminish at this point, more on this later. The comfort levels had started to be compromised, but on balance I decided that this was a small price to pay for the feeling I had with the car. I should point out at this juncture that sometimes with added rear camber, an 'oversteer' sensation can be felt as the tyre rolls on to it's contact patch. This felt a little disconcerting at first but became a feature that I really enjoyed as the miles went by. It can be negated by changes to toe as I found out later on my journey.
As the miles ticked by I was constantly amazed by how capable the car was and how enjoyable it had become to drive, even on the odd track day I took part in. Nothing fazed it at all. Everything was going swimmingly until the top mounts cried enough at 58000 miles, which set me thinking again.
So then came the final step in my quest for a car which behaves just as I would like it to. After sampling NXi20's GT3 from the passenger seat, which has monoballs at every pick up point possible, I was pleasantly surprised by how quiet and comfortable this type of suspension component location was. Also not to mention how phenomenally responsive his car felt to every input. Granted he runs top-notch dampers all round, but a feeling of solidity emanated throughout the chassis. After discussions with Chris and Pete it was decided that we would try a halfway-house approach that was more in keeping with the stock dampers and springs I run, which took the form of some monoball inserts for my original top mounts. As the suspension was having a good overhaul, new front coffin arms with adjustable caster inserts were also fitted, along with some uprated bushes for the rear coffin arms. Front camber was tweaked to some very specific numbers, caster likewise, with toe set to zero. The guys also changed the rear anti roll bar bushes for new stock items. Rear camber was left alone but a whisker more toe was added. The results were unbelievable! My car felt like a GT3, so composed but with amazing grip, turn in and neutral balance. Just incredible. I ran the car at Anglesey for a PCGB track day back in May, where it acquitted itself very well indeed, easily running with a 991 Turbo S and a couple of GT4s. I had a bit of a dice with a 997 Turbo too but he couldn't corner at anywhere near the pace of my humble 996T. The confidence that the chassis gave me was most evident in the wet morning session where once again, I was laughing out loud at how much total grip I had as well as reveling in balance of the car; it seemingly had no vices at all, the front end grip being the standout feature. Astonishing considering that the dampers were all standard and had circa 59k under their belt. Downsides? Only one, the front monoball cartridges had to go back to CG for a knock to be investigated. I am currently testing this solution on behalf of the guys as I had agreed to be the first person to try these units. I will duly update the forum as to the long term outcome of this scenario.
All was going well with the above geo in place until I heard a bang whilst zipping down a bumpy country lane one day. What followed was a car that was almost undriveable at speed! After much investigation Pete changed the rear dampers for a known good set and the problem was solved. For reference, it felt as if the right hand rear tyre had 10 psi in it on left hand corners which was very disconcerting indeed. The dampers did however fly through a damper test program with ease which was very confusing. Pete then had my originals refurbished at Bilstein for a very reasonable £210 plus vat and refitted them. What a difference! The rear suspension feels quite plush now, not squatting under heavy acceleration like it did before and absorbing minor road imperfections without the crashy feeling it had previously.
Well that's it for now, I have a car that feels perfect for me. I have to reiterate that everyone is different, one man's meat etc, but for my slightly unconventional driving style I have an awesome car. Having spoken to Manic996T who has a far more modified chassis than me, it has made me realise how different driving styles alter what is required from a chassis tune up. His numbers are very front end biased whereas mine are the opposite way around, yet both of us have sweet handling cars set up by different specialists. Time and again I read how folk don't gel with all sorts of platforms on this forum, yet a visit to an outfit who really understand these cars can transform any 911 to suit any driving style.
If you have stuck with this dribble to this point, well done! As for my car, it will be staying as it is for the foreseeable future unless I win the lottery, in which case it will be riding on Ohlins or Quantum dampers.
Adios amigos.