996 driving characteristics

996 driving characteristics

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12dan34

Original Poster:

273 posts

111 months

Wednesday 11th January 2017
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I took it to Protyre in Bishop's Stortford, they checked the geo and it was out, by quite a bit! Haven't driven that many miles since but enough to know it's made a big difference it's actually becoming a joy to drive now!! Thanks to all that chipped in, and thanks to the guys at Protyre too

rubystone

11,254 posts

259 months

Wednesday 11th January 2017
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12dan34 said:
I took it to Protyre in Bishop's Stortford, they checked the geo and it was out, by quite a bit! Haven't driven that many miles since but enough to know it's made a big difference it's actually becoming a joy to drive now!! Thanks to all that chipped in, and thanks to the guys at Protyre too
Glad they sorted it. Their tyre guy works for Dunlop at BTCC rounds too. Takes great care of wheels when fitting them. And they'll generally price match tyres. I always use them if I can.

monthefish

20,443 posts

231 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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Something else to bear in mind is that 911's provide a great deal of feedback that most modern cars will isolate you from. This feedback overload can be unsettling, and sometimes it feels like you could drive faster in a more 'muted' car, but the fact is that you are just being isolated from what's actually going on at the wheels.
A 911 should be a more involved drive (but should never feel 'dangerous' - glad you got yours sorted)

996Type

711 posts

152 months

Thursday 12th January 2017
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Was unimpressed with my 996 initially, it wasn't bad as such, just not what I expected.

Once a defect was fixed with a bent front damper which triggered a suspension overhaul, the car was unbelievable compared to the one I'd bought.

A car that could once drift nearly a full lane on a UK motorway at 70mph became planted on track runs at 150mph.
This was at 110K so a refresh was overdue and the only thing the car needed.

With no prior experience other than a few old Lotus cars, it didn't occur to me initially the cars suspension could be so worn to create the vaugeness. I just thought maybe they were overrated as it was the 'newest' classic I'd owned.

It does sound like you have experienced the same thing.

I'd suggest the trip to COG for analysis.

If it's a full overhaul, it will be expensive, but the enjoyment you get from the car will be transformed.
I went on to do nearly 20K in the car as a daily driver before trading it for a 993 (which has just had its own suspension overhaul over Christmas). 996 drove better in my opinion but it's down to preferred experience.

Good luck with it.

pkoc

126 posts

200 months

Tuesday 17th January 2017
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When I originally got my 996 turbo, at first I thought it handled brilliantly but it was very twitchy except when I took it to Le Mans, where the French roads are much better quality and it was just perfect. Although the ride has always been a bit harsh on some UK roads.

A service at Porsche Colchester informed me that a previous owner has put GT3 suspension on it, which kind of answered a number of the sensitive driving twitchiness.

However, once I got all 4 tyres replaced, it turned out the tracking was completely out. Once this was resolved, the car was transformed.

It is now an absolute corker of a porker, and only the deeper ruts in the road upset the stability, although I am tempted to get rid of the GT3 suspension. Just need to think about how I am going to conceal the £3k cost to change it back out of the line of sight of the Mrs.