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Suspension Geometry

calisa

PCGB Member
Member
997.1 C4S
Just had shocks replaced and suspension checked over and about to get a 4-wheel alignment and set up.
Does anyone have recommended suspension settings to use/compare to the factory recommendations?
standard height, road use only
 
Had my 987.2 Box done to OEM geometry, no demon tweaks etc, 4 years ago, even tyre wear, straight as a die very nice.
85K miles now on original suspension too.
Keep it simple, Porsche Engineers spent a long time getting it right.
 
997.1 C4S
Just had shocks replaced and suspension checked over and about to get a 4-wheel alignment and set up.
Does anyone have recommended suspension settings to use/compare to the factory recommendations?
standard height, road use only
For road use, stick to factory settings.
 
14 years ago - when I was a mere baby, šŸ‘¼šŸ¼ I did a forum run down of chassis setup on 997.
If you have the time and inclination, you may find this of some interest.
it's in the Members Only section and can be found here.
Regards,

Clive
 
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thanks for all the responses
OEM it is!
new shocks (Bilstein OEM equivalent), all bushes checked (all are OK), one tie rod end replaced, new tyres fitted and pressures checked (I've got a small compressor so tyre pressures are checked regularly)
Added bonus was getting access to see if there was corrosion or other problems. All good so its now time to turn hydrocarbons into smiles
 
I had my 997.2 C4S setup at Centre Gravity (Pete) - A bit of a trek for me, but worth it, they tested everything (Springs and Dampers all good), only changed 2 front diagonal control arms and engine mounts.
They set it up perfectly for my fast road driving (Incl bumpy B roads) Can thoroughly recommend them, like getting a new car, drove back in pouring rain with a huge grin... This made a bigger difference than the DSC I fitted previously.
 
I had my 997.2 C4S setup at Centre Gravity (Pete) - A bit of a trek for me, but worth it, they tested everything (Springs and Dampers all good), only changed 2 front diagonal control arms and engine mounts.
They set it up perfectly for my fast road driving (Incl bumpy B roads) Can thoroughly recommend them, like getting a new car, drove back in pouring rain with a huge grin... This made a bigger difference than the DSC I fitted previously.
I had a very similar experience to you and can't reccomend these guys enough both for their wizardy and they're also nice people :)
 
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Unfortunately Centre Gravity is a 350 mile journey (in each direction) so a non starter for me!
Got the car back yesterday and have did approx 120 miles. Very pleased with the results so far, but need dry roads to really enjoy the difference
 
The rear wheels will wear on the inner shoulders on OEM setup. I asked my local independent to stay within spec but reduce the toe/camber at the back to the edge of the tolerance. Also road use mostly, and happy to lose a few seconds on a theoretical ā€˜Ring lap for longer tyre life!
 
Before all this work where ever done, why leave the old track rod end on the car? Other side was replaced, the old side must be closing in to 'worn'.
Fresh joints all round sounds good.
 
What do you want from geo?

Do you want the car to be very planted or would you rather the rear end be a bit playful?


Personally I prefer my road car to be very planted, I want the back end to have to be seriously provoked to start coming round. I also don't like it tramlining all over the road, so I keep the front camber fairly conservative. I don't take hairpins at 70mph so don't need track camber.



Something like..
Front Camber negative 0.50 (about all you will get from standard hardwear, if you can get close to 1.0 great, do so and then maybe go to 0.04 toe in. If you can get less, some cars only get around 0.35, then reduce rear toe in down to around 0.10-0.12)
Front toe in 0.02
Rear camber negative 1.4
Rear toe in 0.14-0.18


The rear toe is one of the most important settings on these cars, it keeps the back end planted, drop to below 0.10 and unless you have far more aggressive settings up front the back end can start to get far too playful for the road. Well for me anyway, that may be what you are looking for.

The issue with many of these cars is three fold, the difference between the minimum and maximum of the Porsche settings will make the car feel completely different, one will understeer like mad and the other will overstear like mad, and the standard top mounts etc. will limit your settings. The third thing is Porsche need to have standard geo that will make tyres last as long as possible.
The setting above will probably see you get 8k miles at most out of the rear tyres as that toe in will start to scrub the inside edge, where as run them with 0.10 toe in and you might get 10k miles.
Personally, I would rather change my tyres every 8k miles and have a very planted car that inspires confidence on the road. I change them when they get to 4 or 5 years old regardless, they have lost all their bite by then anyway.
 
I had my 997.2 C4S setup at Centre Gravity (Pete) - A bit of a trek for me, but worth it, they tested everything (Springs and Dampers all good), only changed 2 front diagonal control arms and engine mounts.
They set it up perfectly for my fast road driving (Incl bumpy B roads) Can thoroughly recommend them, like getting a new car, drove back in pouring rain with a huge grin... This made a bigger difference than the DSC I fitted previously.
Same here, they do a fantastic job and they recommended the DSC controller which they sourced for me, and which made a big difference, especially noticeable at lower speeds on bumpy roads. Also very handy to be able to switch on sport mode without PASM sport plus coming on
 

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