S front bumper question?

sammygon1 · 03-14-2004, 06:16 PM

So today I got the T up to about 90 on the freeway. No small feat in a 69T mind you. Anyway, when at speed the car felt very light and not really all that stable. My question is how much will an S front bumper help out on this issue. Is it a dramatic or marginal difference. The car has pretty good alignment (tracks straight) so I don't think that has anything to do with that. Also if anyone knows who makes a quality fiberglass S front bumper I would like to know. I looked at MA shaw online and the only make RS and RSR bumpers. Thanks. Sam

targa911S · 03-14-2004, 06:42 PM

the S spoiler does make a differance. And you can run it without adding a tail too. i'm sure our host sells a quality piece.

pjv911 · pjv911's Garage

I have a nice used original one for sale. By installing an original you will not harm your cars value by putting on a ill fitting glass unit. I would take $550.00 for it. Comes with S trim too.

Kurt Williams

Jack Olsen · 03-14-2004, 06:48 PM

How old are your bushings? How long since a corner balance? What kind of tires are you running? Lots of things will affect high speed stability.

You don't want to just mask the problems with a reduction in lift.

targa911S · 03-14-2004, 06:50 PM

good point Jack.

Early_S_Man · 03-14-2004, 07:08 PM

Early cars do not have stability issues when there aren't adverse winds present ... assuming tires are good and alignment isn't off! Of course, shocks, tie-rod ends, bushings, steering rack issues can contribute to the problem, but tires and alighnment are paramount!

I drove an abused 1967 911S in 1972 that was rock-steady all the way up to 130+ mph ... on skinny 165VR-15 Michelin tirs -- decent tires at the time, but not state-of-the-art by any means!

SandyI · 03-14-2004, 07:41 PM

I purchased my '69 911E with an S front spoiler. The car's front end felt way too light over 60 mph until I bought new shocks and had the car balanced all the way around. Now the car drives about 1000% better and tracks perfectly on 14" stock Fuchs.

Zeke · 03-14-2004, 07:44 PM

Sam, what is the ride height of your car? Of course, all of the above info is excellent, but the less air under the car the better.

sammygon1 · 03-14-2004, 07:59 PM

My tires are Yoko AVS ES100's. They are very new. Bushings are admittedly old. I'm sure they should probably be replaced. I haven't had a corner balance done yet. I have added stock factory sway bars front and rear. I believe they're 15mm.
Today there was a small crosswind.

Another thing I've noticed since I put the Yoko's on is that they seem to want to hunt on grated cement. They pull left a little then right. It's not so bad now after I put on the sway bars but still present. They do not hunt on regular asphalt. I have only had this car since Nov.
Thanks, for the input. Sam

sammygon1 · 03-14-2004, 08:00 PM

The car is set to Euro ride Height. It also has 16x6 Fuchs.

Early_S_Man · 03-14-2004, 09:28 PM

Sammy,

Both instability at high speeds and the hunting you describe are pointing towards a simple toe-out condition ... easily corrected with a wheel alignment! Being so light in the front, 911s are well behaved with toe-in in spec, but can be rather 'squirrely' ... to recall a Bobby Allison technical term from his test of the '74 models in Car and Driver!

The 'S' front spoiler does help quite a bit in cross or quartering winds, so don't get me wrong ... but you description doesn't jive with lack of a spoiler, or aero effects alone!