Ahsai

Dealer did a 4-wheel alignment and said the right front castor is off by a hair even after adjustment. The tolerance is 7.33 and mine can only be corrrected to 7.25. They said to get perfect adjustment, they will need to replace the control arm ($800), which they don't recommend since it's only slightly off. The car tracks straight and have no handling problems that I could tell.

I think it's ok to leave it but would like to get your opinion...

BTW, I got new rear tires today and I managed to put a nail on one of the brand new tire...need to bring it back for tire repair tomorrow

Much appreciated!

- Ahsai

Armando Ramirez

A small amount of caster can have big effects....tracking is only part of it. getting the car OUT of a turn will be harder if you don't have the right amount...at higher speeds it might be amplified. In your case I'm not sure how much effect it will have. Maybe others will chime it.

Odd though I would have expected that a worn arm would have allowed MORE not less. But would not hold it over time.

Now for what you don't want to hear..LOL
When you replace the control arm do both! Because the other one will go soon after. Also get the one from the cup car which will let you get more negative camber too.

Doesn't soud like you have a big problem...but you have an excuse to do a nice upgrade :-)

Ahsai

Thanks Armando. I only have 12k miles ('03 model) on my car so I doubt the arm is worn. I wonder if the car was like that when I bought it (at 2k miles used). Who knows. Dealer recommended the alignment same time as the tire change and I figure I never checked the alignment before so it may not be a bad idea. The car drives ok and I think I'll leave that for now.



- Ahsai

Bob Rouleau

Ahsal - caster is not adjustable on the 996. I would take the car to a race shop and have them check the alignment. Dealers don't usually do a great job in my experience. You can buy adjustable control arms from Porsche Motor Sport to permit caster adjustment, but they cost 1,500 dollars each!

Best,

Ahsai

Thanks for the reply, Bob. So you think the 5 minute difference really warrants a $400 job (3.5hrs according to a local indy)?

- Ahsai

Ahsai

BTW, the caster should be between 7 deg 30' and 8 deg 30' and mine is 7 deg 25' so it's only 5 minutes difference....

- Ahsai

C4 Pazzo

As Bob Rouleau said, you can't adjust the caster on a 996 without installing a control arm with an adjustable caster eccentric. The OEM Porsche part is about $500 from Sunset, IIRC. You don't necessarily have to replace both, but if you only replace one you would adjust it to match the other side. I went through this exercise last year because my car was tracking slightly right and I needed to replace the control arm anyway. I ended up just getting the non-adjustable control arm and my car is fine. If your car is tracking straight, don't worry about it. Just try to forget the tech ever mentioned the very minor deviation from specs and enjoy driving your car.

Ahsai

Pazzo, thanks for the info and since my car is tracking damn straight, I think I may be ok.
Yea, I'm trying to forget about what the mechanic said so I could sleep better at night. Besides, I'm thinking about upgrading my suspension in the near future. So I'll need another alignment anyway when I do that.



- Ahsai