Chris(MA)

I've done some reading on here and my car seems to exhibit the light front end feeling at speeds over 80-85mph
Most of the threads are old so recommend the M030 upgrade as a fix but I'm not even sure if that's available for my yr 2k car anymore?
I replaced the front fork arms with new ones a while back and polyurethane sway bar bushings. Apart from that the car is a stock convertible.

What should I try? I don't want to spend loads of $$ or end up with rock hard suspension.

Jengah

This same thing almost made me rething buying a 996 after my first test drive of one a couple years back, so I knnow what you are feeling.

Start with an alignment. This is probably your least expensive fix and the thing that is likely the culprit, UNLESS you have worn shocks. If you have really old shocks, replace those with whatever you want as long as they are OE quality or better/stiffer. From there, crappy tires could be your culprit.

You don't need to add weight to the frunk, or add a front spoiler, or any of the other goofy things you will read. The car did not come from the factory with that floaty feeling.

Good luck.

GC996

Chris, how long have you had the 996? What is the year and what front bumper do you have?

GC996

The reason I ask how long you have had it, is that if you are new to the 996, and the 911 in general, you will notice that the front end is light and all typically feel like they are floating. The steering wheel and front end feels "alive". It's an odd feeling where you think something is wrong.

However, by design nothing is wrong with the feel of a 911, but the 996 is a 20 year old car, and suspension parts do eventually need to be replaced. Not to mention, alignment needs to be done and corners need to be balanced.

I am assuming that when you say stock, you mean that you don't have an oem aero carerra wing on the back with a non aero front bumper (no front spoiler).

So if you are running a stock carerra front bumper without a spoiler, and a stock rear engine lid, then you don't have an imbalance from aero.

Then you need to look at if it's an alignment-balance issue or a shock-coil issue of just being worn out.

Alignment/corner balance will cost you good money to get done, but will eliminate an issue if there is one.

If it's your suspension, there are many aftermarket coilover systems you can use to replace your suspension or just replace with stock Oem parts. Don't know what a replacement stock suspension would be, but you are looking at between 2-3k for an aftermarket suspension that is adjustable as to ride height and stiffness. I have been running Bilstein PSS9s for 15 years (still performing just fine). Today it would be the PSS10 system. Ohlin has a great set of coilovers. Some of the folks here on RL swear by Feal.

Keep in the back of your mind that if you go thru the alignment and corner balancing costs first, and then find you will need to replace the suspension, you will have those costs for a second time.

Obviously, there is more to this with other suspension parts beyond coilovers, but I list a few things to think about. I suspect others will have more suggestions.

Good news is once you refresh your suspension, your good for a good long time. Find a good Porsche Indy in the area. That can take a look and give you their thoughts as to what is needed. Who knows, your suspension may be in great shape and it's just the "standard" floating feeling of the 911.

*as a side note, check that your tires are not over inflated, which means you are driving on a thin patch of rubber. This can certainly create a "floaty" feeling.

Chris(MA)

I've had it a few years. Had an 88 Carrera before and it felt more stable than my 996 at higher speeds.

Regular non wide bodywork Inc bumper, year 2000

Mike Murphy

Amount of gas in the tank also matters. Full tank, steering is heavier. Empty tank, it’s light. But I agree with alignment as a first step. Also make sure your rear spoiler is working, and I don’t remember if the front has a factory splitter or not. The older air cooled cars did, and that could affect high speed stability.

Chris(MA)

Had a theory about this on my way home from work tonight. My old Carrera had no rear spoiler at all, 996 has electronic of course.
Over 70+ mph in my old Carrera the front hood being a wedge might get pushed down?
In the 996 the rear spoiler deploys, pushing the rear, doesn't this lift the front?
Is there any way to prevent the spoiler deploying on my 996 to see if this is true?

amfp

I had a similar issue. My camber was off. Stock 996, no mods.

HoustonCgrBkr

How noticeable was the improvement after the camber was adjusted?

amfp

In past was loose over 80 mph. After adjustment, it was solid at about those speeds.

Mike Murphy

Probably the safe way to do this is drive on the highway at 80, slow back down to 45 and switch the rear spoiler off. Then back up to speed to see if that changes the handling...

I don’t think rear spoiler has enough downforce at 80 to matter too much though. At 150, different story.

GC996

Yeah, you probably need an suspension update. Back end may be sagging. Happens in a 20 year old car.

zbomb

Unless your suspension is in perfect shape, I would remove aero influence from your mind. The aero on stock cars is fine, if you feel as though your handling is off - its likely a mechanical issue in your suspension / steering, mis-setting of suspension settings, bad tires, or, just something intrinsic to the handling of a 911 that you don't like.

For what you describe, I would start with the springs and dampers, if they are original - they have lived a long life. If you want to drive the car regularly approaching triple digit speeds and have a ride that inspires ANY confidence, you should replace them, after replacing - get an alignment.

And for that matter, if you're planning on driving that fast with any type of aggression, ie, not straight on a highway - then you should be going over each component in the suspension, steering and brakes for wear and replacing ANYTHING that requires it.

You bought a car that's greatest dynamic attribute is its handling, you can reap the benefits of that choice by making sure your suspension / steering / brakes are in good order and if you like to drive the car aggressively, at speed, the car will reward you greatly - far more than the sum of the investment in my opinion.

RyanH.

The rear spoiler does not generate downforce. It spoils the air flow to reduce lift.

Chris(MA)

I'm going to work on the alignment first and try that. My shocks don't seem worn and it's not had an alignment since I bought it several years ago. I'll report back on how well it worked