front end feels floaty on quick turns but shocks not the problem
 

I recently got my 80 Targa on the road after 2 years of hiding. The front end feels very, very floaty when you do a quick turn (lane change). Checked the shocks and struts and no bounce. Any other ideas on what could be the issue and how to diagnose?
thanks

Top mounts? A-arm bushings? Anywhere there's (25 year old) rubber.

Welcome !

Obviously you might have a lot of previous experience with 911´s - but if you don´t the feel of the very light front end is rather different from most cars.

The feeling of the front wandering lightly is probably typical for most 911´s, albeit less so with younger models.

I was stunned in the beginning, came over it and now I love the light, responsive feeling.

Please note I don´t say there is nothing wrong with your car. Just that there is a basic feeling of what you describe in most 911´s.

Which you perhaps very well know if you are not a newbie like me - then ignore this post. :)

Also the bounce test is virtually useless on Porsche, the shocks have to be more or less shot to bounce pathologically. My old hydralic Boge didn´t bounce the car at all. I changed anyway (to Bilstein) and the ride changed dramatically for the better.

Throw some weight all the way in the front of the trunk.

As Markus said these cars just feel that way.

I changed all mounts/bushings/shocks/balljoints/you name it on the front suspenstion and even rebuilt the steering rack... it was still there; until I threw some weight in the front it had the floaty feeling.

Have an experienced wrench check out the components and the alignment and see what he says.

- Michiel

Stupid question:

What's wrong with an alignment?

There are many angles on the 911's front suspension that can be adjusted. Camber/Caster/Toe.

Sometimes body sag affects these - although not the only thing to affect it - (and this is not uncommon with older 911s) and makes the car handle differently.

An alignement wrench will check the current angles against the factory setting and adjust where necessary.

I'm not saying this is the root of the problem or that this car has problems with body sag all I'm doing is pointing at a few points that COULD be an issue.

Just filling the tank with gas changes the feel of the car. When the tank is very low on fuel the front can feel a little floaty.

Also check the front sway bar and make sure it's attached.

Wait a minute--911s are supposed to feel "floaty"? A bit light maybe, compared to a front engined car. You can't just hog the wheel over and have it dive into a turn, especially on power. But you can certainly manage turn-in very precisely with weight transfer, and the unboosted steering makes certain that you know exactly what's going on.

Floaty implies something else entirely...

What tire pressures are you running? Are you carrying your spare tire?

Good someone else feels this too... thought it was just me... people (non Porsche owners) were trying to convince me it was just my imagination.

All of the above points are good, but there's one more possible cause:

If the tires are old and have gone through a lot of heat cycles, they'll harden up and not give you the turn in 'bite' you'd like.

When I bought my car back in Feb I would describe it just like that "floaty"... replaced half the front suspension and steering. And it still feels a bit like that (although much tighter and quicker response). Throwing weight in the front fixes it.

Other 911's (mainly Carrera's) that I have driven in have the same feel to them.

It's just a way of describing it. After a while you get used to the feel of the car... but when you first have it (or drive it after long storage) it feels "strange".

No offence RallyJon...

I'm not suggesting there is nothing wrong; I stand by my earlier suggestion to have it checked by a wrench.

You need to take steps with this:

1) Fill up the tank, and compare the floatiness to when it's near empty, just like Bobby suggests.

2) Remove the spare (if you haven't already) and drive the car around with it out to confirm the floatines, then put the spare back in. In my car, removing the spare instilled the feeling you're having, but it also made the car much more lively.

3) Check the tire pressure in the front.

4) Bushing wear - 25 yrs. old? The only thing that gets better after 25 yrs. is a college co-ed, preferably brunette. :D

5) Alignment, corner balance, ride height adjustment - US 911s were raised to comply with Fed laws. Who knows what kind of ill-effects that had on the suspension.

6) Not that it will help the floatiness, but install turbo tie rods when you do your alignment work.

7) Most important: find a reputable Porsche shop who races 911s, to do the work. I'd recommend TRE, but they're down here in SoCal.

Check the corner balance weights. was it improperly lowered? The front end will feel light normally.

When I bought my 911E, I had the same experience at high speed. The car's front end felt floaty, kind of drifted. Then I got it to Otto for suspension work and corner balance. Now, the front end feels planted. No floating. No drifting. And I drive my car on the track eight times a year.

So, my answer is no. That floaty feeling doesn't need to be a part of your 911 driving experience. But it will take a qualified professional wrench (and some of your hard earned $$$) to put it right.

This is a 911. You shouldn't have to remove the spare tire or fill the tank or perform any upgrades to obtain a stable ride.

That said. Check the shocks. How many miles? I suspect yours are the original ones; also the frt/rear tire pressures and alignment. You can go beyond that and start modifying for incremental improvements, but the $$ increments increase as well.

Sherwood

We're going WAY beyond basics....

1.) Check alignment.... to establish a baseline and if anything wierd shows up.
2.) Inspite of your statement.....I'll bet shocks.... they don't respond to the "bounce" test like other cars. BTDT with this issue on what I thought were good prior shocks. Not true..it was the shocks.

- Wil