3.2s 2004 Boxster Suspension Refresh ?

[NoDoubts]

Recently picked up a good late 2004 Boxster 3.2s with 65k on the clock. It is well spec'd and has been well cared for. Good service history with recent major service. It has 4 new N2 Conti tyres, with 7mm+ tread, set to recommended pressures and has been recently 4 wheel aligned (late Autumn). It has had lower suspension (coffin) arms replaced (> 12 months ago). Front springs have also been replaced.

So, at what point (mileage / age / 'handling' ) does the suspension generally start to need more major work ?

The reason I ask is that it 'wavers / white lines' a little at legal motorway speeds. It does not feel 'planted'.....

My driving / handling skills / knowledge are not such that I can make decisions myself - so, is it subjective or are there any simple tests that can be made before writing blank cheques ?

[9e 28]

NoDoubts said:

Recently picked up a good late 2004 Boxster 3.2s with 65k on the clock. It is well spec'd and has been well cared for. Good service history with recent major service. It has 4 new N2 Conti tyres, with 7mm+ tread, set to recommended pressures and has been recently 4 wheel aligned (late Autumn). It has had lower suspension (coffin) arms replaced (> 12 months ago). Front springs have also been replaced.

So, at what point (mileage / age / 'handling' ) does the suspension generally start to need more major work ?

The reason I ask is that it 'wavers / white lines' a little at legal motorway speeds. It does not feel 'planted'.....

My driving / handling skills / knowledge are not such that I can make decisions myself - so, is it subjective or are there any simple tests that can be made before writing blank cheques ?

Have all the tyres rebalanced (its pennies) if you haven't already. Also check the coffin arms and springs are quality items and have been fitted correctly. Boxster should be planted and steady as a rock all the way to its VMAX of 170-180mph. The cars 11 years old now so suspension will be tired for sure but still its worrying that it does not feel planted.

[jayxx83]

Normally ball joints / track rod ends contribute to this sort of feeling. Do all these first and then if it still leaves something to be desired, replace the shocks. On a previous car I had this feeling. Swapped out for kW coilovers but it didn't feel much better.

Swapped out all ball joints and track rods and it was like a brand new car!

[NoDoubts]

Thanks. Assume any play will show up if front end is off the ground and front wheels 'rocked' top/bottom and if overly excessive will have been picked up at MOT ?

Is it an item checked during major service or would you have to make a point of asking for such a check ?

Guessing that it is not an expensive task to replace both to eliminate and have realignment repeated ?

Apart from that, can not fault the car

[ATM]

NoDoubts said:

The reason I ask is that it 'wavers / white lines' a little at legal motorway speeds. It does not feel 'planted'.....

Can you explain what this means please.

[NoDoubts]

It feels like it is following the road surface (inc white lines) - like I need to be constantly making really, really minor steering corrections. Strange fact is that on French roads before Xmas it was not really noticable. Can it simply be UK roads/camber etc ?

As mentioned, I am no driving god, so have found it hard to describe....

[Rockster]

NoDoubts said:

It feels like it is following the road surface (inc white lines) - like I need to be constantly making really, really minor steering corrections. Strange fact is that on French roads before Xmas it was not really noticable. Can it simply be UK roads/camber etc ?

As mentioned, I am no driving god, so have found it hard to describe....

Depending upon the severity that can be normal. These cars have fat wide tires and some tramlining is normal. As the tires wear this gets worse. I have actually pulled over to side of the road to check for a low tire because the worn tires were making the car feel so squirrely.

That the car was better behaved on French roads and not so well behaved on English roads makes me suspect what you are experiencing is normal. In the UK car mags I read all the reviewers rave about the quality of French roads and complian mightly about the lack of quality of their English counterparts.

[Uncle_Dave]

Have the wheel alignment checked on a decent machine, all 4 wheels. They're very sensitive to toe settings and if it's out which it likely is if it's not been done for a while then this will be contributing to the feeling of nervousness on the road that you describe.

If that doesn't improve things enough to your liking then i'd move on to the suggestion of track rod ends and ball joints.

[Mario149]

NoDoubts said:

Thanks. Assume any play will show up if front end is off the ground and front wheels 'rocked' top/bottom and if overly excessive will have been picked up at MOT ?

I personally wouldn't be relying on MOT checks to catch suspension issues - it's only designed to catch problems which may be dangerous, not "my high end mid engined sports car doesn't quite handle as it should" issues

[ATM]

Rockster said:

NoDoubts said:

It feels like it is following the road surface (inc white lines) - like I need to be constantly making really, really minor steering corrections. Strange fact is that on French roads before Xmas it was not really noticable. Can it simply be UK roads/camber etc ?

As mentioned, I am no driving god, so have found it hard to describe....

Depending upon the severity that can be normal. These cars have fat wide tires and some tramlining is normal. As the tires wear this gets worse. I have actually pulled over to side of the road to check for a low tire because the worn tires were making the car feel so squirrely.

That the car was better behaved on French roads and not so well behaved on English roads makes me suspect what you are experiencing is normal. In the UK car mags I read all the reviewers rave about the quality of French roads and complian mightly about the lack of quality of their English counterparts.

This

I assume you have the 18 inch wheels. So quite fat and low profile. These will follow undulations more than a thinner softer tyre. Part of the experience of driving a Porsche is that more of these feelings are communicated to the driver. This is the essence of a sports car. You will need a while to tune in to this.

Also tyres are massively important. Dont wait till they're down to the 1.6 mm wear markers unless you really have to. Tyres degrade with age even if they are not even used. So check the date stamps on your tyres, the tread depth across the tyre and also keep a close eye on your pressures. Differences in pressures will be much more noticeable in your Porsche compared to a softer thinner tyre'd car and exaggerated again by the extra feel explained above.

I'd be much more inclined to go for a good geo and a new set of tyres before changing any suspension bits.

[griffter]

He's got new tyres, and had alignment done (although may not hurt to have it checked).

If it's worst in motorway scenario, when you're very lane conscious and the lanes are often rutted, it sounds normal.

I have to say I didn't particularly notice it when I had my boxster, but I'd had several mid-engined cars before.

The worst (my third middie) was an MR2 which I'd drive on the motorway and find totally unrelaxing because it would barely self-centre and had very little directional stability. But that's the point of a low polar moment of inertia (ie having the mass in the middle).

It is exacerbated when wide tyres only contact the road surface across a part or their width (Eg when the surface is rutted, cambered or uneven) because the drag on the tyre is biased to one side.

Maybe get a specialist or experienced boxster owner to drive it?

[ATM]

griffter said:

He's got new tyres, and had alignment done (although may not hurt to have it checked).

Oops - missed this

griffter said:

Maybe get a specialist or experienced boxster owner to drive it?

Yeah - I'll drive it.

NoDoubts said:

It has 4 new N2 Conti tyres, with 7mm+ tread, set to recommended pressures and has been recently 4 wheel aligned (late Autumn).

I had Conti and Pirelli on my Boxster back in 2004 / 2005 - both N rated. I found the Conti very stiff and the Pirelli a bit softer - I preferred the Pirelli. You could try reducing your pressures a bit and see if that makes a difference.