Discussion
slippydiff said:
Apologies for the long post in advance !
Runner911/Nervous, I picked my car up 10 days ago and drove back from S. London to N. Wales. By the time I got back I was exhausted. Anyone following me up the M40 would have thought I was pd !
The car was horribly nervous and fidgety, it also tramlined and was nearly impossible to keep in a straight line.
I ended up steering it with three fingertips cos it was so sensitive to steering inputs.
When I picked the car up it had brand new Pirrelli Rossos on the back that hadn't turned a single revolution.
I found the car a real handful and thought I'd made a massive mistake in purchasing it
I checked the pressures when they were cold the morning after collecting the car and found the N/S/R was running at 41psi and the other side was spot on at 37 psi (Runner911 I'm not sure where you get your TP figures from ? my handbook says 32 front cold and 37 rear cold )I'd suggest you set your rear pressures to these figures and see what the results are ?
Whilst checking the front tyres I noticed they were Pirellis but not N Rated
Correcting the rear pressures and getting some miles on the back tyres has improved the car noticeably.
Last Friday I had the front tyres replaced with the correct N rated versions. The tyre fitter originally put what he thought was 35 psi in them.
The car was vastly improved and a lot less fidgety.
I rechecked the tyre pressures the following day and found them to actually be 33psi.
I've decreased the pressure 1psi and the front of the car feels nicely planted now.
As has been previously mentioned, the car does seem to very critical to running the correct tyre pressures.
I went out for some "spirited" driving on what IMHO are some of the best driving roads in the UK, with a crowd off the Rennlist Forum at the weekend (thanks for a most entertaining afternoon gents) having spent a total of 9 hours in the seat over two days, I think I'm starting to "understand" the car a bit better now. I can only say I think I made the right choice when choosing between the GT3 and the GT2. Now I've started to bond with the GT3 I think it is a superb piece of kit !
My car is booked in for a geometry set up at JZM next week. Steve McHale says the car should be hands off at 90mph and should track straight without fidgeting or wandering at that speed when set up correctly.
I look forward to driving it once the geometry has been adjusted.
PLEASE slippy, if youre gonna post something like this at least say at the top 'dont worry Nervy, this has a happy ending'. ive little enough hair left without your help
ps glad you got it sorted, its my turn tommorow 
Not to worry Nervy, spend a couple of full days in the seat and you'll start to get a handle on how the car "works" What suspension is your car running JZR or something similar ?
I seriously thought I'd made a big mistake buying the GT3 after my drive home, but by the close of play last Sunday any doubts had been erased totally.
I'm looking forward to driving it once it's been set up with the correct ride heights and geometry set as per the factory specs.
Dunny, are you a mate of Rob M ? he told me how you'd had problems with your car when I met up with him at the weekend.
One of the first things Steve McHale at JZ Machtech said to me when I described the handling of my car was the ride heights are critical and the springs do tend to sag over time.
To the likes of JZ M and Parr these are "faults" they see all the time, whilst I appreciate your car was under warranty ? I think this shows the benefits of a knowledgeable independant over an OPC.
I know the lads at Solihull Porsche well (having been one of their subcontractors up until 3 years ago) they do try hard but there's no substitute for the in depth knowledge of a specialist IMO
I seriously thought I'd made a big mistake buying the GT3 after my drive home, but by the close of play last Sunday any doubts had been erased totally.
I'm looking forward to driving it once it's been set up with the correct ride heights and geometry set as per the factory specs.
Dunny, are you a mate of Rob M ? he told me how you'd had problems with your car when I met up with him at the weekend.
One of the first things Steve McHale at JZ Machtech said to me when I described the handling of my car was the ride heights are critical and the springs do tend to sag over time.
To the likes of JZ M and Parr these are "faults" they see all the time, whilst I appreciate your car was under warranty ? I think this shows the benefits of a knowledgeable independant over an OPC.
I know the lads at Solihull Porsche well (having been one of their subcontractors up until 3 years ago) they do try hard but there's no substitute for the in depth knowledge of a specialist IMO
The GT3 is very sensitive to changes in road surfaces. On relatively flat tarmac you will find the car quite normal but as soon as things get a little bumpy or camber's change, the car may feel like it has a mind of it's own. It sorts itself out most of the time but occasionally it may need a little input from the driver
Slippydiff, Hi! Yes I'm Rob's friend with the GT3. Agreed, specialists know so much more than OPC's. It was Parrs that suggested right back at the start it was ride height, but Solihull kept dismissing that, preferring to work on rear camber/toe in. I have to say it can easily be upset at any time by all manner of things though, as even new tyres feel dreadful for first 100 or so miles. Also noted a pressure drop of just 3psi on nearside front will start to bring drag to the left back.
In fact Rob drove the car at its worst and hated it but took it out this week and loved it.
Has he sent you a link to the Wales pictures. I'd loved to have been there but marital duties dictated mowing of lawns etc. etc. There's some shots of yours, looks lovely by the way. I like Zanzibar, particularly as it doesn't risk turning Guards Pink over time!
In fact Rob drove the car at its worst and hated it but took it out this week and loved it.
Has he sent you a link to the Wales pictures. I'd loved to have been there but marital duties dictated mowing of lawns etc. etc. There's some shots of yours, looks lovely by the way. I like Zanzibar, particularly as it doesn't risk turning Guards Pink over time!
Dunny, the problem is that to an "average technician" it does feel like a rear toe problem that's steering the rear of the car. Or as Steve McHale says "makes it feel like the back end can't make up it's mind up which way it wants go !"
Thanks for the comment on the car.
Sunday was an excellent hoon with some good, friendly, likeminded enthusiasts.
John B is planning another one for the 21st May, see if you can make it. Cut the lawn one evening in the week, take her indoors out for a slap up meal and buy her some flowers/shoes/handbag (delete as applicable !)..................then get accused of having an affair !!!)
Your Guards Red car shouldn't turn pink as its paint is a two stage process of clear laquer painted over a base coat (hence clear over base) sorry if that comes over as patronising it's not meant to be !
The best way to tell is get some mild polish (Autoglym Red is ideal) on a clean cloth and rub a small area for a minute or two, if when you look at the cloth it's not turned red (ie removed a fine layer of paint) your car is clear over base and should not go "pink"
Thanks for the comment on the car.
Sunday was an excellent hoon with some good, friendly, likeminded enthusiasts.
John B is planning another one for the 21st May, see if you can make it. Cut the lawn one evening in the week, take her indoors out for a slap up meal and buy her some flowers/shoes/handbag (delete as applicable !)..................then get accused of having an affair !!!)
Your Guards Red car shouldn't turn pink as its paint is a two stage process of clear laquer painted over a base coat (hence clear over base) sorry if that comes over as patronising it's not meant to be !
The best way to tell is get some mild polish (Autoglym Red is ideal) on a clean cloth and rub a small area for a minute or two, if when you look at the cloth it's not turned red (ie removed a fine layer of paint) your car is clear over base and should not go "pink"
runner911 said:
Looking for advice here please.
My Mk.1 GT3 has covered only 7000 miles since manufacture in 2000. It has never been tracked.
Lately I've become aware that the car feels ever more "skittish/nervous" under normal driving conditions and the "tramlining " effect seems worse than it has ever been.|The tyres , Pirelli Assimetricos have covered around 2500 miles and appear as new.
My previous 911 was a 993 Carrera 4.I believe that 993's are notorious for wheels going out of alignment. The handling issues with my 993 were indeed cured by alignment at the OPC in Exeter.
Does anyone know if GT3's suffer the same alignment problems. If so how often do they need "setting up ?"
>> Edited by runner911 on Tuesday 25th April 09:18
With all due respect, you have had the car 6 years but have only covered 7000 miles. Thats ~1000 miles per annum. My immediate thought is how the hell can you develop any driving ability or knowledge of the car doing mileage that low? Porsche's are very rewarding cars, but at 1000 miles pa you will never develop an affinity with the car.
Hi Slippy Diff, another late one! Been on marital duties tonight again, sealing the shower this time!
Believe it or not, the car's a solid Guards Red, believe me the mop's very red when I've used a Porter Cable on it. Rob and I are car cleaning nuts and run another small company www.advancedcarproducts.com for Zaino car polish, so have done a fair bit of research into paint specs and the fading problem. I was surprised it wasn't clear over base too but it has its advantages when filling stone chips etc. as I can do them myself, wet and dry then polish to almost invisible. The down side is that it does fade with time even when not exposed to UV light.
However car's garaged and our Zaino system we import has a very high UV protection so it should be minimised. Not too bad at moment as when I fill a stone chip the paint's a good match with a Porsche touch up paint.
Will take your advice and plan the lawn duties to finest detail (by floodlight the night before if necessary) to ensure I'm out for the next Wales run...be good to meet up and swap stories. I did plan to be there and I'm only an hour from the meeting point so it was even more frustrating pushing a mower all day in the glorious sunshine watching the available hours slip by!
Believe it or not, the car's a solid Guards Red, believe me the mop's very red when I've used a Porter Cable on it. Rob and I are car cleaning nuts and run another small company www.advancedcarproducts.com for Zaino car polish, so have done a fair bit of research into paint specs and the fading problem. I was surprised it wasn't clear over base too but it has its advantages when filling stone chips etc. as I can do them myself, wet and dry then polish to almost invisible. The down side is that it does fade with time even when not exposed to UV light.
However car's garaged and our Zaino system we import has a very high UV protection so it should be minimised. Not too bad at moment as when I fill a stone chip the paint's a good match with a Porsche touch up paint.
Will take your advice and plan the lawn duties to finest detail (by floodlight the night before if necessary) to ensure I'm out for the next Wales run...be good to meet up and swap stories. I did plan to be there and I'm only an hour from the meeting point so it was even more frustrating pushing a mower all day in the glorious sunshine watching the available hours slip by!
runner911 said:
Looking for advice here please.
My Mk.1 GT3 has covered only 7000 miles since manufacture in 2000. It has never been tracked.
Lately I've become aware that the car feels ever more "skittish/nervous" under normal driving conditions and the "tramlining " effect seems worse than it has ever been.|The tyres , Pirelli Assimetricos have covered around 2500 miles and appear as new.
My previous 911 was a 993 Carrera 4.I believe that 993's are notorious for wheels going out of alignment. The handling issues with my 993 were indeed cured by alignment at the OPC in Exeter.
Does anyone know if GT3's suffer the same alignment problems. If so how often do they need "setting up ?"
>> Edited by runner911 on Tuesday 25th April 09:18
Do you leave it for very extended periods without rotating the wheels? Pretty sure tyres deform if you leave them with weight on too long without turning a wheel.
runner911 said:
Olivera/Dan H, no the car is never left for extended periods .I purchased the car in January this year and have since covered just over 2000 miles.I drive the car at least two/three times per week on average.
Unlikely to be my suggestion then! Maybe you are just driving faster now you've got used to it, and thus its moving about more?
My RS moves the wheel about a lot when making progress, but with a relaxed grip and a bit of faith it can be ignored and it will track true. Although as Steve says above, sometimes you need a little bit of input
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