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new tyres vs new shocks vs ?

pancobalt

Well-known member
Joined
2 May 2015
Messages
284
Hello all

Some advice please. My front end has started floating ( skitish ), every bump is felt through the steering wheel and car handles quite badly. Car has done 79k miles

no diagnostic faults found with the PASM and no PASM error messages on dash . No punctures . Tyre pressures fine.

However , front Michelin PS2 tyres have 3mm tread remaining and perished side walls

front shocks and springs removed from the car for inspection. Springs are fine.

front Top mounts and bearings and bump stop dont look clever so they are being replaced. Shock absorbers however show no signs of leaking and when one pushes down on the piston there is good resistance and return .

Would new tyres be a remedy ?

Would new shocks be a remedy ?

Just some thoughts and experiences sought really .

£457 for a genuine Porsche shock absorber is a sting , especially if not necessary !?

Thank you for your help as always.
 
I would start with the tyres, seeing as they don't have a lot of tread (particularly on a light front end like a 911) and are perishing. Decent new tyres can make a surprising difference.

Worn shocks could, theoretically at least, cause a skittish feel as the rebound would not keep the wheel on the ground as well as they might over bumps.

I've read of mythical testing rigs in German Porsche dealers, which can assess if shocks are performing as they should. Anyone know of anything similar in the UK?
 
I expect Center Gravity can test the shocks.
 
They certainly can, they have a machine specifically for that job, car stands on pads in the floor which vibrate and produces as graph that tells them all they need to know about the shock absorbers. I'd back them and their process to ascertain what's going on with your car and take the guesswork out of how to optimise it.
 
March 2017 I had the same feeling on my 2009 997.1 C4S. Very floaty on the front at high speed.
Paid a visit to Centre Gravity who confirmed that the shocks and tyres were fine (even though my fronts were well worn to 3mm and feathery on the edges but still legal)

They adjusted the camber and toe set ups on my geometry, from the Porsche standard (i.e. set up with under-steer for any driver and to avoid them putting it into a hedge) to what I wanted, which was upright, no camber , no toe.

The difference is very noticeable and she now runs on rails. Well worth the £325 for four hours work. I watched the whole procedure and was guided through all the changes as they made them :thumb:
 
Replacing the tyres would definitely be the place to start. 3mm tread OR perished side walls would give sub-optimal handling. Both would be awful.

Also, when you say "tyre pressures fine" what pressures are you running. :?:
 
Thank you all for your help. I shall pay a visit to centre gravity in due course.

Porschekit - during your floaty period , did you feel every bump , even at low speeds , like me ?

In sport mode , one expects a hard, no comfort ride. But in normal pasm , my ride is still harsh , hard and bone shakingly terrible :dont know:
 
T8 said:
Replacing the tyres would definitely be the place to start. 3mm tread OR perished side walls would give sub-optimal handling. Both would be awful.

Also, when you say "tyre pressures fine" what pressures are you running. :?:

M ps2 all round 34psi front 40 psi rear
 
Yes T8, i suspect i may have wrecked my own tyres . !

But the rear tyres are not perished . Hopefully it will just be the fronts i replace.

perishing , punctures ,low tread ,old age , are the the obvious signs of unwell tyres -

But are there methods of testing the integrety of the tyre walls and metal bands within ?
 
I've no idea but if you've run them for any length of time at only 30 psi I suspect that they aren't very good.

I'd certainly replace them before replacing any suspension components.
 
Tend to agree, going for a roadtune at Center Gravity is always a good thing, but with those fronts at 3mm and maybe a few years old, replacing them is a no-brainer, then see where you are on the way the car handles.
 
How old are your tyres (check the manufacturing date on the sidewall). They really shouldn't be perished unless they are old. 6 years should be the limit, especially for high performance cars.
 
Just had my front end redone, new gt3 lower arms, new top mounts, new Bilstein B4 PASM shocks (much cheaper than Porsche) and the difference is amazing. All the knocks and play have gone and the B4 Damptornics ride much better. Original shocks were on 60k miles but 13 years old and driven over good knows how many speed bumps, pot holes plus a half a dozen trackdays. Just need to refresh the rear now. The B4's were about £260 each plus VAT. and identical to the Porsche (bilstein) shocks removed from the car. I spent ages trying to decide between, B4, B6 B8, B16 and even Ohlins shocks, but decided I like the way my car handles already (it has Eibach springs and H&R rollbars) and it's also my daily so decided against coilovers and even the stiffer B6,B8 shocks. Definatley feel I made the right choice for me, now feels like a new car :thumbs:
 

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