981S Suspension Geometry Settings
Discussion
Hi all ,
Some advice re suspension geometry settings please .
BACKGROUND
I bought my 981S in late 2016 , well after the 718had been released .
I believe that it was one of the last , if not the last , new 981Boxster sold by a UK OPC .
I bought it from OPC Mayfair , but collected it from OPC Reading , and about a month later took it on a 6,000 mile round trip to the continent - a journey that I have been doing twice a year for some years now in a variety of cars .
After carefully nursing the car through its ''break-in'' period , I was really unhappy with the car's handling - it seemed floaty , and didn't have the subjective seat-of-the-pants grip that I was hoping for at medium to high speeds .
I didn't have the confidence driving the 981S Boxster hard on these familiar roads that i had had with my Mk1 MX5 or my supercars .
I was really disappointed to the point that I rang the salesman and told him i didn't want the car.
When I got back OPC Reading looked at the car and said that the car and its Goodyear F1 tyres were all in perfect condition .
They looked at the suspension geometry and said that it was within factory setting limits .
I spoke directly at length with their Gold Technician and after explaining what i felt was lacking / deficient in the car's subjective handling , the Gold Technician said that he understood what I was disappointed by , and said that he would set the suspension geometry settings to one end of the maximum permitted OPC scale.
The car was pretty much transformed by this relatively simple intervention , and it now has 32,000 miles on the clock .
I only use this car for summer European trips , and it has been pretty much the perfect touring companion .
It has been to France , almost to Morocco, Portugal , Germany , Italy , Croatia , Slovenia , the Transfagarasan in Romania etc , etc .
It was closely followed by a battle tank for about 5 miles when it briefly entered Russia , and it ( but not me or my wife !! ) was briefly arrested by the most glamorous Ukranian border guards in 2018 for not having the necessary paperwork ( after which we were told that a bright yellow Porsche would be most welcome to tour around their country )
CURRENT ASK
I still wish the car was a bit more ''raw''
I was brought up on cars with no PAS , manual gearboxes , and no forced induction .
I am perfectly happy with the car's PDK transmission ,and the power and torque available are perfectly adequate .
Ditto the noise/ music from the flat-6 and the sports exhaust .
I suppose what I am , maybe unfairly , complaining about is the steering's sense of isolation - its very accurate but lacks detail in its feedback . I had this same complaint about my 355 .
I know that the 981's electric steering is one of its weak points , and I am wondering if anyone has gone beyond Porsche's suspension geometry limits to make their Boxster subjectively feel more ''raw'' and more '' feelsome '' .
Or does anyone have any other suggestions to make the Boxster feel more ''raw'' without a.dversely affecting its mechanical integrity .
I dont want to do anything major or irreversible to my bog-standard car which is currently pretty much just as it was when it was loaded onto a transporter in Zuffenhausen in 2016 .
Some advice re suspension geometry settings please .
BACKGROUND
I bought my 981S in late 2016 , well after the 718had been released .
I believe that it was one of the last , if not the last , new 981Boxster sold by a UK OPC .
I bought it from OPC Mayfair , but collected it from OPC Reading , and about a month later took it on a 6,000 mile round trip to the continent - a journey that I have been doing twice a year for some years now in a variety of cars .
After carefully nursing the car through its ''break-in'' period , I was really unhappy with the car's handling - it seemed floaty , and didn't have the subjective seat-of-the-pants grip that I was hoping for at medium to high speeds .
I didn't have the confidence driving the 981S Boxster hard on these familiar roads that i had had with my Mk1 MX5 or my supercars .
I was really disappointed to the point that I rang the salesman and told him i didn't want the car.
When I got back OPC Reading looked at the car and said that the car and its Goodyear F1 tyres were all in perfect condition .
They looked at the suspension geometry and said that it was within factory setting limits .
I spoke directly at length with their Gold Technician and after explaining what i felt was lacking / deficient in the car's subjective handling , the Gold Technician said that he understood what I was disappointed by , and said that he would set the suspension geometry settings to one end of the maximum permitted OPC scale.
The car was pretty much transformed by this relatively simple intervention , and it now has 32,000 miles on the clock .
I only use this car for summer European trips , and it has been pretty much the perfect touring companion .
It has been to France , almost to Morocco, Portugal , Germany , Italy , Croatia , Slovenia , the Transfagarasan in Romania etc , etc .
It was closely followed by a battle tank for about 5 miles when it briefly entered Russia , and it ( but not me or my wife !! ) was briefly arrested by the most glamorous Ukranian border guards in 2018 for not having the necessary paperwork ( after which we were told that a bright yellow Porsche would be most welcome to tour around their country )
CURRENT ASK
I still wish the car was a bit more ''raw''
I was brought up on cars with no PAS , manual gearboxes , and no forced induction .
I am perfectly happy with the car's PDK transmission ,and the power and torque available are perfectly adequate .
Ditto the noise/ music from the flat-6 and the sports exhaust .
I suppose what I am , maybe unfairly , complaining about is the steering's sense of isolation - its very accurate but lacks detail in its feedback . I had this same complaint about my 355 .
I know that the 981's electric steering is one of its weak points , and I am wondering if anyone has gone beyond Porsche's suspension geometry limits to make their Boxster subjectively feel more ''raw'' and more '' feelsome '' .
Or does anyone have any other suggestions to make the Boxster feel more ''raw'' without a.dversely affecting its mechanical integrity .
I dont want to do anything major or irreversible to my bog-standard car which is currently pretty much just as it was when it was loaded onto a transporter in Zuffenhausen in 2016 .
I doubt you'll get what you're looking for. Electric PAS is what it is.
As you have done, I've also found running as much camber and rear toe as you can, adding parts if you're happy to mod the car, makes it feel "better" but it's not a night and day change but does it not make things any more raw.
If you like the 981 package, you might enjoy a switch to a 981 GT4 as they do have a more raw feeling to them.
As you have done, I've also found running as much camber and rear toe as you can, adding parts if you're happy to mod the car, makes it feel "better" but it's not a night and day change but does it not make things any more raw.
If you like the 981 package, you might enjoy a switch to a 981 GT4 as they do have a more raw feeling to them.
Have you looked at the x73 kit?
Tightens up and lowers the car, and has really nice steering feedback and involvement. While still being Porsche parts.
Does have a trade off in ride comfort (particularly if ur focused on long tours) and ground clearance.
My 981 gts I bought with it so cant offer the direct comparison but it is genuinely brilliant handling and the steering feel and general involvement are great for me. Still not a caterham but then I’m glad of that!
Tightens up and lowers the car, and has really nice steering feedback and involvement. While still being Porsche parts.
Does have a trade off in ride comfort (particularly if ur focused on long tours) and ground clearance.
My 981 gts I bought with it so cant offer the direct comparison but it is genuinely brilliant handling and the steering feel and general involvement are great for me. Still not a caterham but then I’m glad of that!
Which wheels do you have on the car?
I've had 20, 19 and now 18 on mine. And they do feel different. If you want feedback through the wheel I think you need the 20 inch with low profile tyres. I've found the car feels a bit jittery and clumsy with the 20 inch setup. Now I've gone totally the other way with 18 inch and the thinnest tyres I could find. I think the car drives better like this but I'm not going to say it gives more feedback. So my point is just that you should consider trying different diameter wheels and different width of tyres.
I've had 20, 19 and now 18 on mine. And they do feel different. If you want feedback through the wheel I think you need the 20 inch with low profile tyres. I've found the car feels a bit jittery and clumsy with the 20 inch setup. Now I've gone totally the other way with 18 inch and the thinnest tyres I could find. I think the car drives better like this but I'm not going to say it gives more feedback. So my point is just that you should consider trying different diameter wheels and different width of tyres.
Thank you all for your replies .
ATM - I have 20 inch wheels with PASM .
Kawasicki - I have been on Goodyear F1 tyres all this time
Does anyone have direct experience of other NO rated tyres versus the Goodyear F1 tyres ?
I would be happy to try different tyres at my next tyre change ,but informal chats have suggested that the F1 tyres together with Michelins are pretty much the most suitable for the 981 .
Is this correct ?
Anyone tried both ?
Thank you and Merry Christmas
ATM - I have 20 inch wheels with PASM .
Kawasicki - I have been on Goodyear F1 tyres all this time
Does anyone have direct experience of other NO rated tyres versus the Goodyear F1 tyres ?
I would be happy to try different tyres at my next tyre change ,but informal chats have suggested that the F1 tyres together with Michelins are pretty much the most suitable for the 981 .
Is this correct ?
Anyone tried both ?
Thank you and Merry Christmas
PS4s are excellent, although I was coming off old pirellis. Lots more all weather grip and more comfortable too. Coped really well with some easy track use at the Porsche experience centre.
If you are on pasm have you seen the mod to add the x73 roll bars? Well recommended by a few who have tried it as a halfway house between pasm and the full x73 kit.
https://youtu.be/y9KnF9Ie76M
If you are on pasm have you seen the mod to add the x73 roll bars? Well recommended by a few who have tried it as a halfway house between pasm and the full x73 kit.
https://youtu.be/y9KnF9Ie76M
Floaty is exactly how I would describe PASM, and missing the seat-of-the-pants grip is how I would describe a typical 981.
I would have suggested fitting the X73 kit, as it's a big improvement over the standard car/PASM, but it'll leave a warning light on your dash and I'm not sure you can program it out - so not really viable.
If MPS4S don't give you the improvement you are hoping for, then the only thing I could suggest would be swap for a 718, which I would describe as definitely more raw.
I would have suggested fitting the X73 kit, as it's a big improvement over the standard car/PASM, but it'll leave a warning light on your dash and I'm not sure you can program it out - so not really viable.
If MPS4S don't give you the improvement you are hoping for, then the only thing I could suggest would be swap for a 718, which I would describe as definitely more raw.
SkinnyPete said:
I would have suggested fitting the X73 kit, as it's a big improvement over the standard car/PASM, but it'll leave a warning light on your dash and I'm not sure you can program it out - so not really viable.
My car has no PASM so just standard passive dampers. X73 is basically the same only lower and stiffer. No reason the car can't be programmed as such. You will still have the damper button right - I don't have one so can't be sure.Personally I rate BOTH the Goodyear Eagle F1 and the Michelin PS4S as some of the best tyres you can buy for road use in UK.
If you're not familiar with mid-engine cars they can be twitchy things if set up aggressively. Many have left the road backwards in the hands of unwary drivers. Hence the basic chassis set-up from the factory and dealers is pretty benign. Similarly the suspension is set up for normal roads rather than a smooth race circuit. Having said that, PASM set to firm combined with 20" wheels is probably a pretty stiff ride.
If you're not familiar with mid-engine cars they can be twitchy things if set up aggressively. Many have left the road backwards in the hands of unwary drivers. Hence the basic chassis set-up from the factory and dealers is pretty benign. Similarly the suspension is set up for normal roads rather than a smooth race circuit. Having said that, PASM set to firm combined with 20" wheels is probably a pretty stiff ride.
Panamax said:
This sounds like a mid-engine car that's been adjusted to feel more like a front-engine RWD car, which seems a little unusual, although if the owner's happy I guess that's what counts.
I was thinking the same thing actually, maybe he should use his SUPERCARS more often..I took my 2016 981 GTS to RPM Technik to have the geo adjusted to a track setup using just the standard components as I didn't want to go too far for what is 95% a road car.
The car was so much better even though on paper there wasn't a huge difference. The devil is in the detail though and the car is generally much more planted and responsive. I went to Spa with the car and it was tremendous, none of the shoulders destroyed on the outer edges of the tyres for example.
Since returning, I have popped a 982 X73 rear bar on (which takes less than an hour) resulting in a car that is even more adjustable on the throttle without being an oversteery MK 2 Escort rally car wannabe. I also fitted a rear brace to help stiffen up the mountings which seemed to have the 982 captive nuts and bolt holes already present for the brace, due I suspect to Porsche having run out of 981 comnents as mine was such a late build. See 'Test Drive Scotland' on You Tube for a video about that particular tweak.
The car is now just fast and predictable with rather less inherent understeer. Having said that, the car was never a victim of understeer really.
The car was so much better even though on paper there wasn't a huge difference. The devil is in the detail though and the car is generally much more planted and responsive. I went to Spa with the car and it was tremendous, none of the shoulders destroyed on the outer edges of the tyres for example.
Since returning, I have popped a 982 X73 rear bar on (which takes less than an hour) resulting in a car that is even more adjustable on the throttle without being an oversteery MK 2 Escort rally car wannabe. I also fitted a rear brace to help stiffen up the mountings which seemed to have the 982 captive nuts and bolt holes already present for the brace, due I suspect to Porsche having run out of 981 comnents as mine was such a late build. See 'Test Drive Scotland' on You Tube for a video about that particular tweak.
The car is now just fast and predictable with rather less inherent understeer. Having said that, the car was never a victim of understeer really.
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