Suspension Secrets - it's pure sorcery!
Discussion
I've owned my 991.2 GTS since October last year and it's an absolutely fantastic car. I was originally thinking 991.1 for the NA engine, but was attracted by the extra performance, external and internal styling improvements and improved steering feel over the Gen 1 version. No car is perfect (and I have a few very minor niggles, like a very faint 'tinkling' rattle under the bonnet somewhere, and a tiny trim rattle), but I really don't know what else I'd step into that gives me everything the 991.2 GTS does.
This week though, it got about 20% better, following a trip to Suspension Secrets (https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk). For £250, they carried out a full suspension geometry and alignment and I can't begin to describe the transformation. Way beyond what I expected - it feels like a different car. The steering is 'lighter' (but not in a bad way) and has so much more feel - it feels properly connected. Best thing I can liken it to is the steering feel of my old 987.2 Boxster S. The car is so much more agile, more nimble - the steering just feels 'alive'. The level of mid-corner grip feels so much higher, and the way the back end hooks up on hard cornering exit is phenomenal. It inspires a tonne more confidence, even for an average pilot like me. Looking forward to taking it on track at Anglesey mid-April to see how it performs there.
If you've got a 911 - of any variation - then I genuinely think that a trip to these guys would be the best (or first) upgrade/mod you could ever carry out. They're nothing short of magicians!
They're based in Cheshire, and are lovely blokes to boot - not to mention their waiting area, the top-drawer racing sim you can play on while you wait, and a collection of customer supercars and restomods you can ogle over that are patiently waiting for their treatment. They do tonnes more than just geometry work, as the name suggests and you'll see from their website.
I went to them as they're pretty local, but I suspect the likes of Centre Gravity perform similar miracles. Now to contemplate a Lichfield stage 1 tune to 530 BHP...has anyone had this (or similar) done to their 991?
This week though, it got about 20% better, following a trip to Suspension Secrets (https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk). For £250, they carried out a full suspension geometry and alignment and I can't begin to describe the transformation. Way beyond what I expected - it feels like a different car. The steering is 'lighter' (but not in a bad way) and has so much more feel - it feels properly connected. Best thing I can liken it to is the steering feel of my old 987.2 Boxster S. The car is so much more agile, more nimble - the steering just feels 'alive'. The level of mid-corner grip feels so much higher, and the way the back end hooks up on hard cornering exit is phenomenal. It inspires a tonne more confidence, even for an average pilot like me. Looking forward to taking it on track at Anglesey mid-April to see how it performs there.
If you've got a 911 - of any variation - then I genuinely think that a trip to these guys would be the best (or first) upgrade/mod you could ever carry out. They're nothing short of magicians!
They're based in Cheshire, and are lovely blokes to boot - not to mention their waiting area, the top-drawer racing sim you can play on while you wait, and a collection of customer supercars and restomods you can ogle over that are patiently waiting for their treatment. They do tonnes more than just geometry work, as the name suggests and you'll see from their website.
I went to them as they're pretty local, but I suspect the likes of Centre Gravity perform similar miracles. Now to contemplate a Lichfield stage 1 tune to 530 BHP...has anyone had this (or similar) done to their 991?
I'm pretty sure it won't affect warranty, no. What's interesting is that, as Matt at SS pointed out on my visit, the amount of adjustment that Porsche build into the suspension geometry from factory is evident just by looking at the amount of movement that is possible from the bolt placement on the suspension top mounts under the hood cover - take a look and you'll see what I mean (but don't be tempted to get your socket set out!).
Not sure what Centre Gravity charge. My visit at Suspension Secrets took about two hours - so lots of time for coffee and the racing sim.
Not sure what Centre Gravity charge. My visit at Suspension Secrets took about two hours - so lots of time for coffee and the racing sim.
AndrewBA said:
Not sure what Centre Gravity charge. My visit at Suspension Secrets took about two hours - so lots of time for coffee and the racing sim.
Has 997.2 Cab tweaked by Center Gravity last November.Had the rear "coffin arms" replaced followed by a Full Geo & wheel balance.
Full Geo alone takes half a day and £300, but they are OCD about getting it perfect.
Not cheap but great value for money. The difference in cornering, handling & compliance is significant.
Especially on a Cabriolet.
They had this waiting round the back
I know CoG are 911 experts, that's how they got into the suspension tweaking business.
I had a Honda S2000 "tuned" by CoG in 2007, and after they'd finished the car was a completely different car...I had all the suspension bushes dismantled and lubricated followed by a fast road geo. If I remember right it was around £300 at the time, but I remember being out for a blast with a mate in another S2000 and my car was so much more composed on bumpy surfaces and under braking. Steering was much improved too...the car was pretty much faster in every corner and you could brake much later.
I've never had many mods completed on any of my cars, but that £300 was so worth it, I'd have the suspension tweaked on any car that has highly developed suspension.
I had a Honda S2000 "tuned" by CoG in 2007, and after they'd finished the car was a completely different car...I had all the suspension bushes dismantled and lubricated followed by a fast road geo. If I remember right it was around £300 at the time, but I remember being out for a blast with a mate in another S2000 and my car was so much more composed on bumpy surfaces and under braking. Steering was much improved too...the car was pretty much faster in every corner and you could brake much later.
I've never had many mods completed on any of my cars, but that £300 was so worth it, I'd have the suspension tweaked on any car that has highly developed suspension.
The thing about CG is that they don't just think about the suspension but the whole car, when Chris looked over my car back in 2017 he found a drain funnel sitting on the undertray and replaced it, secured a couple of coolant pipes that were in the wrong place and also mentioned that my a/c was low on gas as the system was whining (I hadn't had the car long so assumed it was the engine compartment fan coming on).
It's always good to know there are other companies out there doing a great job on our cars though!
It's always good to know there are other companies out there doing a great job on our cars though!
peterg1955 said:
The thing about CG is that they don't just think about the suspension but the whole car, when Chris looked over my car back in 2017 he found a drain funnel sitting on the undertray and replaced it, secured a couple of coolant pipes that were in the wrong place and also mentioned that my a/c was low on gas as the system was whining (I hadn't had the car long so assumed it was the engine compartment fan coming on).
It's always good to know there are other companies out there doing a great job on our cars though!
Totally agree. Being a Cab mine has lots of drain holes. Chris took the covers off in the frunk section & showed how to clean them out. Followed by the drains at the back.It's always good to know there are other companies out there doing a great job on our cars though!
The front discs were on the limit so he phoned & asked if I wanted to have them done. Which I did.
80% of their work is Porsche so they also keep stock of the most common spares.
Ended up with an invoice of just over double the estimate, but then Chris had found much more than anticipated.
The results and confidence I now have in the car made it all worthwhile.
And he really did sharpen his pencil on the final invoice.
Holgate86 said:
I know CoG are 911 experts, that's how they got into the suspension tweaking business.
I had a Honda S2000 "tuned" by CoG in 2007, and after they'd finished the car was a completely different car...I had all the suspension bushes dismantled and lubricated followed by a fast road geo. If I remember right it was around £300 at the time, but I remember being out for a blast with a mate in another S2000 and my car was so much more composed on bumpy surfaces and under braking. Steering was much improved too...the car was pretty much faster in every corner and you could brake much later.
I've never had many mods completed on any of my cars, but that £300 was so worth it, I'd have the suspension tweaked on any car that has highly developed suspension.
I might consider taken my S2000. I had a Honda S2000 "tuned" by CoG in 2007, and after they'd finished the car was a completely different car...I had all the suspension bushes dismantled and lubricated followed by a fast road geo. If I remember right it was around £300 at the time, but I remember being out for a blast with a mate in another S2000 and my car was so much more composed on bumpy surfaces and under braking. Steering was much improved too...the car was pretty much faster in every corner and you could brake much later.
I've never had many mods completed on any of my cars, but that £300 was so worth it, I'd have the suspension tweaked on any car that has highly developed suspension.
G
AndrewBA said:
I've owned my 991.2 GTS since October last year and it's an absolutely fantastic car. I was originally thinking 991.1 for the NA engine, but was attracted by the extra performance, external and internal styling improvements and improved steering feel over the Gen 1 version. No car is perfect (and I have a few very minor niggles, like a very faint 'tinkling' rattle under the bonnet somewhere, and a tiny trim rattle), but I really don't know what else I'd step into that gives me everything the 991.2 GTS does.
This week though, it got about 20% better, following a trip to Suspension Secrets (https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk). For £250, they carried out a full suspension geometry and alignment and I can't begin to describe the transformation. Way beyond what I expected - it feels like a different car. The steering is 'lighter' (but not in a bad way) and has so much more feel - it feels properly connected. Best thing I can liken it to is the steering feel of my old 987.2 Boxster S. The car is so much more agile, more nimble - the steering just feels 'alive'. The level of mid-corner grip feels so much higher, and the way the back end hooks up on hard cornering exit is phenomenal. It inspires a tonne more confidence, even for an average pilot like me. Looking forward to taking it on track at Anglesey mid-April to see how it performs there.
If you've got a 911 - of any variation - then I genuinely think that a trip to these guys would be the best (or first) upgrade/mod you could ever carry out. They're nothing short of magicians!
They're based in Cheshire, and are lovely blokes to boot - not to mention their waiting area, the top-drawer racing sim you can play on while you wait, and a collection of customer supercars and restomods you can ogle over that are patiently waiting for their treatment. They do tonnes more than just geometry work, as the name suggests and you'll see from their website.
I went to them as they're pretty local, but I suspect the likes of Centre Gravity perform similar miracles. Now to contemplate a Lichfield stage 1 tune to 530 BHP...has anyone had this (or similar) done to their 991?
Great tip, thank you. I need to get a few suspension tweaks to get my 991.2 carrera properly sorted. This week though, it got about 20% better, following a trip to Suspension Secrets (https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk). For £250, they carried out a full suspension geometry and alignment and I can't begin to describe the transformation. Way beyond what I expected - it feels like a different car. The steering is 'lighter' (but not in a bad way) and has so much more feel - it feels properly connected. Best thing I can liken it to is the steering feel of my old 987.2 Boxster S. The car is so much more agile, more nimble - the steering just feels 'alive'. The level of mid-corner grip feels so much higher, and the way the back end hooks up on hard cornering exit is phenomenal. It inspires a tonne more confidence, even for an average pilot like me. Looking forward to taking it on track at Anglesey mid-April to see how it performs there.
If you've got a 911 - of any variation - then I genuinely think that a trip to these guys would be the best (or first) upgrade/mod you could ever carry out. They're nothing short of magicians!
They're based in Cheshire, and are lovely blokes to boot - not to mention their waiting area, the top-drawer racing sim you can play on while you wait, and a collection of customer supercars and restomods you can ogle over that are patiently waiting for their treatment. They do tonnes more than just geometry work, as the name suggests and you'll see from their website.
I went to them as they're pretty local, but I suspect the likes of Centre Gravity perform similar miracles. Now to contemplate a Lichfield stage 1 tune to 530 BHP...has anyone had this (or similar) done to their 991?
Yes, I’d very much recommend Litchfield. My base car is up to 506bhp now with the remap and Akrapovic. An utter transformation.
Spyder75 said:
Four hours is nothing :-) I’ve been there loads and come from Ireland! They have plenty of customers from here that do the same...
Chris told me that story about you!Here's a good tip for everyone, they love pork pies & Stilton.
You get special treatment if you come bearing gifts.
However as I'm from Melton Mowbray the bar has been set quite high.
I took my Cayman into CG yesterday and the difference they have made is genuinely astounding. It's an expensive day out but I actually came away feeling as though i had got excellent value for money. My car feels totally different and far more benign despite running a pretty aggressive geo.
Having had many alignments in the past, I'd compare CG to the difference between a suit from M&S and something bespoke from Saville row... You get what you pay for
Having had many alignments in the past, I'd compare CG to the difference between a suit from M&S and something bespoke from Saville row... You get what you pay for
The big gains in performance are not eto be found from your engine, its always the chassis - and its generally the most ignored.
Optimising your chassis geometry is the first place to start if you want to enjoy your car. In that regard, whats crucial is that a driver knows exactly what he or she wants from the chassis before any work is done. Just how sharp or blunt you want your car to be within the restrictions of its adjustability
Optimising your chassis geometry is the first place to start if you want to enjoy your car. In that regard, whats crucial is that a driver knows exactly what he or she wants from the chassis before any work is done. Just how sharp or blunt you want your car to be within the restrictions of its adjustability
LennyM1984 said:
I took my Cayman into CG yesterday and the difference they have made is genuinely astounding. It's an expensive day out but I actually came away feeling as though i had got excellent value for money. My car feels totally different and far more benign despite running a pretty aggressive geo.
Having had many alignments in the past, I'd compare CG to the difference between a suit from M&S and something bespoke from Saville row... You get what you pay for
I have a 981 CGTS and intrigued by the magic that CG seem to be able to conjure and beginning to think that the trek may well be worth it. Do you mind advising roughly what sort of price I'm likely to be looking at assuming no repairs or replacements of parts? Thank.Having had many alignments in the past, I'd compare CG to the difference between a suit from M&S and something bespoke from Saville row... You get what you pay for
The alignment (although that doesn't really do it justice) was charged at 350 Inc VAT. My car was in good shape (95% of the suspension is new) but they still found a couple of knackered spherical joints and an inner track rod. They're very transparent about any issues they find (showing you them for yourself) and so I was happy to have them fix those parts (ie. It didn't feel as though they were "looking for problems"). It was honestly money well spent.
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