Tyre "skip"

[DocSteve]

I noticed recently a worrying judder and knocking noise when turning my Cayman S slowly - near to full lock. I was convinced there was something in the tyre or similar but couldn't find anything. I rang Nottingham Porsche (who have been very helpful btw) and spoke to their mechanic who told me not to worry and this was a normal characteristic of the car. He said it occurs on certain road surfaces and results from one tyre being dragged across the road and skipping.

I was happy to accept the theory but it does seem a bit odd. Is this really a common trait?

The car is generally awesome, and I seem to like it more each time I take it out. It is so much more fun than the M5 it replaced (although that was a beast in its own way too!).

Steve

[Richard Hamilton]

Pretty normal. Worse when reversing. Both my 996s did it too.

[kustard]

Mine does exactly the same thing and I was worried too - but a search on here found a fair few posts saying not to worry about it, so I've done just that

[DocSteve]

kustard said:

Mine does exactly the same thing and I was worried too - but a search on here found a fair few posts saying not to worry about it, so I've done just that

Sorry, probably should have done a better search. Fail...

[Captain James T]

Yep, most of mine have done it and have been told it's quite normal

[Trev450]

There was a thread about this the other day. Its down to the suspension geometry (Akerman angle) and is normal for these cars.

[khushy]

its totally normal - especially at this time of year with slightly damp conditions - drive on!

[Scelto]

It's obviously a done deal, but just to add to the chorus of "it's normal" - my wife's 2010 Boxster did this from new as well, though only at parking speeds.

My 997.2 doesn't though.

[FisiP1]

Full lock throws up some pretty horrid noises in a lot of other cars too, totally normal.

[MrCooke]

Porsche got round the problem on the 996 GT3 by making the tyres foul the arch liners on full lock so you don't notice the 'skipping' over the scraping.

[s_mcneil]

MrCooke said:

Porsche got round the problem on the 996 GT3 by making the tyres foul the arch liners on full lock so you don't notice the 'skipping' over the scraping.

Haha, so true!

[matc]

MrCooke said:

Porsche got round the problem on the 996 GT3 by making the tyres foul the arch liners on full lock so you don't notice the 'skipping' over the scraping.

Sounds like the perfect solution!!


Oh and just to add my Cayman did this as well.

[Lordglenmorangie]

And it grabs Tarmac and spits it out which is OK, if it's not your drive way

[nickfrog]

Always a good idea not to use full lock if possible anyway as it put a disproportionate amount of stress on the pump.

[sonnenschein3000]

I thought I'd update this thread as it's from 2012 and the 981 Cayman hadn't been released then...

My 981 cayman on 20" wheels does this too

[Jonny08]

sonnenschein3000 said:

I thought I'd update this thread as it's from 2012 and the 981 Cayman hadn't been released then...

My 981 cayman on 20" wheels does this too

Yep, mine too, it's normal behaviour. I borrowed a 718 on 20" wheels a fortnight ago and that did it too, not as bad as my 981 though.

[s999sws]

My 981 on 20 inch wheels does it. The first time it happened I got out of the car to have a look , thinking that one of the tyres had been dragged off the actual wheel!
I now try to just manoeuvre slowly when on full lock.
Sws

[Slippydiff]

nickfrog said:

Always a good idea not to use full lock if possible anyway as it put a disproportionate amount of stress on the pump.

Urban myth, hydraulic PAS pumps have a bypass valve which opens on full lock, ithat noise is the fluid being pumped though the relief valve. Seen and explained here between 16.08 and 18.45 :

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EDBKpFv997I

[s999sws]

Don't forget the 981 doesn't have a pump. An electric motor is used to move the steering arms, as well as using the motor to cetralise the wheels after a turn.
Sws