Porsche Enthusiasts Club Forum

Hi Guys,

I'm in a quandary over what to do with my 944 Turbo, now it is back on the road it doesn't feel to bad on perfect tarmac but on bad tarmac it follows the road quite badly so pretty sure it needs an alignment and possibly followed with a pair of new front tyres.

Now I've been in touch with Center Gravity and could take my car to them and get it sorted, however it isn't cheap and

a) I'm considering refurbishing the entire rear suspension (already have new shocks fitted) by dropping it all, dismantling, blasting painting and replacing the worn parts. But this might not be until the winter at least and possibly further ahead.
b) I could take it to somewhere that has a hunter alignment setup but not sure who I would trust to do the job properly

I previously had the car setup by Promax on their hunter alignment setup but now they aren't around anymore I don't really have a relationship with any other outfit that has this equipment. I know some kwik-fit outlets have hunter alignment (but not all have the top-end setup) and you are at the mercy of whoever is tasked with your alignment job on the day so could be someone excellent or someone who hasn't got a clue.

So if it was your money would you go to Center Gravity anyway and then just revisit next year after refurbing the rear suspension? or look for a cheaper alternative...

Thanks!

I've used CoG for both cars . The 993 had full suspension upgrade to RS spec. I fitted quite a bit of it and Chris and Pete completed it and set it up to my preferences.
Similar with the 944 but I did it all myself, shocks, arbs, top mounts, torsion bar reindex. I set the ride height where I wanted it and got the front reasonable but the rear geometry was way out, it went down the road like a crab. Again the car was transformed. Chris went through the pros and cons of setting it up for road/track use and suggested trackside tweaks to front camber and shock settings easily reversed for the drive home. Well pleased with both cars and Chris is a nice bloke a real enthusiast, worth every penny. But it's no use going with worn bushes and knackered shocks.
I used Elephant Racing,Paragon Products and Lindsey Racing in the States for the 944 stuff, 993 was all OPC except for the shocks.
I reckon if you're going to do some work on the rear end, leave CoG til after. You can do a lot with a piece of string, if it feels ok I'd leave it.

Must be 8 or 9 years and over 10k miles since I had my car set up by CoG. It still feels spot on, and wears the tyres evenly. No point in having an expensive set up, and then changing suspension components though. The rear alignment is fiddly to adjust, and needs a (cheap) special tool. I'd ask anyone that you're thinking about using if they have the tool, and if they've done a 944 before.

Not a 944 owner but I also took my 993 into CG for a two day suspension sort out, the car was on original equipment all round and drove ok, but all this stuff gradually degrades so was tired rather than totally knackered. The car is relatively low mileage, so this issue creeps up on you. Chris and Pete(both Porsche drivers and Tipec members) went through the options with me, and fitted replacement springs, dampers ,poly bushes, set the car up for "fast road" and 10mm over RS height. The car was transformed, I could not believe the results were so stark, sure it's not cheap, but worth every penny in my eyes, the car is on rails.When you are ready, take your car into them, they are great guys. Have a good chat on the phone first, they will then have an understanding what you are trying to achieve, all saves you some time explaining when you arrive.

I had my 968 improved by by CoG a year or two ago and it was absolutely transformed. I had my car reset to factory setup and new shock absorbers all round - my wife prefers comfort to performance! I have other cars which focus on performance.
I would take your car to a regular tyre place to get it temporarily set up until you have messed around with in in the winter then go to excellent CofG. The are a lot of money but it is great value for money. You could always speak to them and ask them what they can offer to do over two visits, one now and one in 12 months. They are very approachable.

You may find your rear spring plates are seized... I know some alignment places won't even take on 944 rear suspension.. If you are planning on an overhaul, then wait for your CG trip until afterwards.

Depends what you want to achieve with a rear suspension overhaul... I had mine done when I had a new clutch a couple of years ago, replaced some bushes with solid (Don't do this on a road car - too noisy!) and also the spring plates/bushes. FWIW the original torsion tube mounts & the suspension arm bushes were still in very good shape. Now bushes from Porsche are very expensive.

May be worth inspecting the transmission mount -if it's original it is likely to be well past it. Fill with urethane for a cheap repair.

Go to the Hunter website & find one local to you for a quick & dirty setup. This will be OK until you do the big refurb.
There are other 4 wheel alignment systems. My local place uses Supertracker. Check it's all free, sorting out the rear is a pain in the rear.

Well I took it to Zuffenhaus and I think they take them to an alignment place for you - needless to say my rear spring plates were / are seized so they managed to do the front but didn't attempt the rear although apparently it is only slightly out of spec.

I'm planning on doing the works

New spring plates
Wheel bearings
Bushes
Brake lines
Fuel lines
Calipers refurbed
Torsion tube and trailing arms blasted and powder coated or stripped and painted
EDIT: Also planning on rebuilding the CV joints and getting the axles stripped and powder coated
EDIT: Exhaust will need to come out so will be inspecting and replacing gaskets mounts etc..

Already replaced the shock absorbers and I refurbed the gearbox cross member and mount last year.

I think one of the rubber bushes that is £££ was replaced about 5 years ago and looks to be in excellent condition so hope to reuse that one.

Pic of my refurbed cross member and gearbox mount I even stuck in a piece of paper into the resin with the date and my name