[Lonestar968]

I don't know if I'm just getting old and feeble but I've really noticed that my steering takes much more effort than our Explorer. That's just plain wrong. It's great at speed but it kinda' sucks around town.

I don't have to wrestle with the steering wheel while turning and there are no unusual sounds, no leaking etc., it just feels heavier than I think it should.

Is mine normal???

Should I be alarmed? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

What does yours feel like?

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[Kim]

not over boosted like a big Chevy truck but certainly light on the highway and a bit more effort at slow speeds. Still easy to turn the wheel with one hand all the time, however. You have enough power steering fluid?

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[Cloud9...68]

The effort on mine seems pretty normal as well, and it hasn't changed in the 5-1/2 years I've owned it, either. I agree with Kim that you should check your power steering fluid. Also, it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and suck out the fluid from your reservoir with a siphon or turkey baster, refill it with the correct automatic transmission fluid, and repeat the process three or four times. I did that to one of our other cars (been meaning to do it to the 968 as a preventative measure), and it cured all kinds of clicks and clacks coming from the steering. Can't hurt...

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[94SilverCab]

Caster Blocks are a known weak spot also worth checking.

Jay

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[flash]

steering effort can be related to a number of things in the car:
toe settings
camber settings
castor settings
tire pressures
worn components
weak pump

then there are the human factors that can make it "feel" heavy:
too old to be playing 3 soccer games in one day and then trying to drive home
6 long island ice teas
dealing with 2 screaming kids all day
stepping out of a minivan and into your porsche
worn components
weak pump

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[rxter]

hahaha - nice one!

I parallel parked her this weekend and was really surprised at the amount of crank I had to put in the wheel. The steering is perfectly weighted, IMHO.

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[968 GUY]

6 Long Island Ice Teas??? = 2silver rings

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[Lonestar968]

Thanks guys!

To answer the querries, the fluid level is up to snuff, the reservoir was replaced 2 years ago (couldn't get the top off the old one!), it was refilled with whatever Porsche used at the dealership... I will have to somehow figure out how to tell if the caster blocks are OK (???), the tire pressures are good, I'm not completely certain whether the alignment is still within tolerance; I had it aligned at the same time the P/S reservoir was changed, I think the pump is OK... it's not making any noises at all, I also had the control arm (leading and trailing) bushings replaced with the p/s reservoir.

Might be time to just go on ahead and replace all of the suspension bushings. I reckon if I'm gonna' go that far, I might as well upgrade to M030/coilovers/braces/charlie arms/adjustable caster blocks...... whoooaaa...hold on.... did you feel that??? It felt like I was on some sort of slippery slope there for a second!!! [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif[/img]

I've got some checking to do this weekend for sure. Thanks all for the help!

Now to find that long island ice tea recipe...

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[flash]

the castor block is the front control arm trailing bushing

have you driven somebody else's car? is it different?

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[Lonestar968]

Oops, thanks Flash, what I meant was "camber plates" rather than castor blocks.

I haven't driven anyone else's 968 so I really don't have anything to judge it by. I'm only going on my own personal observation and comparisons. I do appreciate the feedback though.

Maybe a suspension rebuild/upgrade is in the works for this winter. So for a guy who tracks the car a few times a year should I go with stock or improved (Delrin) bushings for a rebuild??? Are there any advantages or detriments with improved bushings???

What about strut mounts? Should I go with stock or "monoball" type replacements???

Thanks again for the helpful input!!!

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[flash]

all of the monoball strut mounts (camber plates) will generate an added amount of harshness - i had them in and removed them - even as hard as i drive the car, i don't need extra camber anyway, and in fact am reducing the negative camber in the car now that i have braced everything - unfortunately the OEM mounts are ridiculously expensive - the earlier more affordable units are no longer available - i am looking at them to see if i can design a reasonable replacement

as for delrin, that's find in the sway bars, but spherical monoballs work better everywhere else (except the torsion tube where polybronze works well, though on a street car with torsions i think i would stay rubber)

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