Wandering Boxster
 

Just bought a nice Boxster and am enjoying it a lot. But there is one thing that keeps bugging about the handling. It does love corners but it seems to wander about a bit when going straight. It does not have a preference for left and right, it just does not seem as 'planted' as I expected it to be. Now I am not novice when it comes to performance motors (changes in a track equipped Lotus Elise for this Porsche and owned other sportscars) so I know it will be be like the Merc S I use for day to day driving, but I just did not expect this.

I did check tires, pressures and had an alignment done. That helped a bit but it is still not what I expect. It could be just how the car is, it could also be that there is something wrong. I am attaching the alignment report, It's french but I'm sure it will be readable for the people 'in the know'. The garage who done it is one we know well, they do a good job and they love working on my cars instead of the standard load of Renaults and Peugots.

Hoping for comments.

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Congrats on the unit, when they did the alignment did they inspect the other suspension components? There are many sources for a problem like the one you describe. Does the car drive smoothly? When you first get a Boxster the steering can feel twitchy because it's so much more precise than say a Ford truck as I switch back and fourth from. Otherwise if it's a real problem it could be a lot of different things. From worn suspension components to a bent wheel or need for balancing.

what speeds are we talking? my car starts to get floaty up around the 150 to 200 kph mark. is your car an 's'? if so, look at the centre radiator - the air is vented down from that rad - you've got upforce on your front end! the only real solution to that is a gt2/gt3 conversion that vents the rad upwards. it is possible but a bit of work.

I also switch back and forth from a Ford truck to my Boxster. If my wheels are straight and the road I am on is not crowned too severely, I can take my hands off the wheel and usually make it into third gear before a steering adjsutement is required, so I'm thinking you are right in thinking that something is wrong. I'll dig up my last alignment and compare and post if necessary in a bit.

Does it wander on all roads, or just ones with grooves worn from traffic? They can tend to "tram line" in grooves.

What tires are you running? On some of my other cars the difference between different types of new tires was very noticeable.

When I got my '04 it wandered badly in rutted pavement and I thought that it was just the nature of the beast. After a set of new tires it held the road perfectly.

My French is non-existant.

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With all respect, I compared the wandering to a Lotus Elise I just got rid off, and the BMW M5, Caterham and the Maserati Quattroporte I still own. Not long ago I rented a Ford F150 in the USA and returned it after 12 miles because I did not had any impression of a connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels. I know it is hugely popular but I found it... well better not go there.

Yes the car drives very smooth, no vibration, feels VERY planted in corners. I have driven it a few hours at max speed on the German Autobahn and it the wandering feeling does not seem to change much with speed. It's just not as accurate as I expected it to be. The car has only 25k miles, suspension is fully checked, tires are standard and have only 2000 miles on them. The vendor tells me it is a sports car and is supposed to be lifely. That's fine, but of all the sports cars I driven this one seems to demand the most attention, every little rut in the road will try to get you on the grass.

Again, it could very well be the character of the car. To be honest I had a serious 911 and I sold it because it was just not my kind of car. It's a heavy sports car and I prefer a much lighter sports car, but I find the strange the Caterham that weighs 1/3 and has more power is much easier to drive in a straight line. That one seems to sense what I want, the Boxster needs to be told. I am not too worried, I bought this one for my wife and she will never drive it seriously. But I have this nagging feeling that there is something wrong and the car does not perform as expected.

I just wonder if there are people who can compare it to other comparable cars and tell me if the recognize the feeling.

But that sounds strange.... Of course the old tires could have been really rotten but most of the time when a tire gets old it will loose grip, not tracking ability. In fact, I prefer a bit worn tire on the cars I use for long distance driving as they tend to be less nervous!

I feel like my '03 is still not tracking as well as I would expect either. Thing is, the front Pirellis are from 2006, even though they have plenty of tread on them. I suspect that once I replace all my tyres I'll be happier. Attached are the alignment settings I ended up with when my brother aligned the wheels for me.

Notice how screwed the toe settings were previously. No wonder I got it at such a good price.

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I'll just note also that the car has less than 22,000 miles on the odometer so it shouldn't be due to worn suspension. Bushings all seem fine.

What year car? What size tires and wheel diameter?

New tires solved that problem for me. Did not think I needed them .....but I did.

I have no French so I can't read your alignment specs but.... In my GT3 and my Boxster if I am setting them for the track I reduce the the toe-in to 0". Helps with turn in but has the effect of making it wander in a straight line - which does not matter on a track but can be annoying on the road. Is it possible that you have a little less toe than the factory calls for?