| It's just a thought, but is the fact that you can't reach the ground really to do with a few mm pre-load? 9mm difference is less than half an inch.
I'm on tip toes on my ST as well, but that's only because I've got the rear ride height adjustment ridiculously high. I had it set right (lifted about an inch from standard) but crammed a bit more on when I went from a 170 to 180 rear tyre. It made no odds to the speed of steering so I've been meaning to set it back again. In the meantime, I have had a couple of near goes when I've tried to get my foot down in a hurry.
Now I know 996's have rear ride height adjusters as well...just a thought. | 
Jools
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