How long should I wait to align the car after lowering my 997.2 C2S? Is it time or mileage base? Also, I noticed the steering wheel kind of loose at high speed after lowering with H&Rs. Thank you!

 

100-150 miles

 

It won't cause any adverse wear on the tires?

 

Nope. Once you get it aligned, it should be more planted.

And do pay for the extra cost of "corner balancing", if possible. Ensure you are in it, with a half tank of gas, when the CB is being done.

 

Is corner balancing done at an alignment shop or a tire mounting place? Thanks

 

The 3 most popular places in So Cal for Porsche CB/Alignment do not do tires. They are strictly alignment shops.

I'll let other members near your residence chime in.

Let's hope my corner balancing recommendation does not turn into an argument here.
Some will say you won't need one; others will say yes.

 

My understanding is corner balancing is only beneficial for vehicles equipped with coilover suspension. Also not recommended for street driving only.

Not my opinion but just passing what I was told by some credible sources.

 

Robocop,
I assumed you have coilovers (adjustables)? If not, then you can't corner balance. Sorry for the assumption.

Corner balancing will not be needed for street driving --- for driving Ms. Daisy.

IMHO, since we tend to drive, corner and brake aggressively, corner balancing is always a must. Let's put it this way, I tried to bypass corner balancing one time but I immediately noticed that the car was not braking uniformly.

Folks, this is a one-time cost so do it (unless of course you are still experimenting with your ride height).

 

No, I installed H&R springs.

 

The stock suspension is not height adjustable, hence you can't corner balance. But if you install height adjustable coilovers, definitely do corner balance. Ride height can be perfect - meanwhile the corner weights are way off, you don't know unless the car goes on the scales and gets properly corner balanced.

The stiffer the springs installed, the more important it is to corner balance. Stiff springs are less forgiving of improper corner balancing.

 

+1.

Too bad the 997's can't be adjusted (unlike the prior older models).

Chuck,
Do you know the effects of installing aftermarket lowering springs to the car's balance? Since the springs aren't adjustable, do you know if the weight discrepancy will be negligible?

I have been thinking about just swapping the springs myself, but I just hate to bite the bullet without knowing the effects to the corner balances.

 

That depends on the tolerances held by the spring manufacturers, both in terms of spring rate and free length.

However most (all?) lowering springs are also stiffer. Stiffer springs are more sensitive to proper corner balance adjustment than are softer springs. Hence all else being equal, a stiffer spring will magnify any existing corner weight disparity.

This is because small height displacements on a stiff spring makes a bigger corner weight impact than will the same height displacement on a soft spring.

 

Won't lowering affect toe in/out & camber?

 

And that's basically the jest of my inquiry. I am sure that no one has spent the time to weigh the factory settings for a base line, install the aftermarket springs, and then weigh again.

50 lbs difference between the corners is a really fine adjustment.

 

You can not corner balance 997 Carrera coil overs! All the OP did was switch springs and all he can do and needs to do is get a proper alignment.