Macan S

[Paul]

You could be right with regard to the GTS being stiffer (and lower) anyway, the weight difference is less than 50kg so not really a factor.

[Col Lamb]

I too have had a non-PASM Macan (SD on 19’s) and a PASM version (current GTS on 20’s)

The difference is most noticeable when driving enthusiastically. With the SD the nose would dip quite uncomfortably under hard braking and the body roll was significantly greater when cornering hard. With PASM the attitude is much flatter and constant, and of course, the degree of stiffness can be altered too.

In terms of comfort the difference for me, is less noticeable and for everyday driving there is probably little advantage to be gained.

This is why I'm so sceptical of so called adaptive/active damping systems... some drivers state it mainly improves comfort, whilst others, such as yourself, claim it mainly improves body control. Are you sure it's not just that the GTS has stiffer springs and thus less body roll..?? Also the heavy diesel engine may cause more nose dive than a lighter petrol unit!! As these are two quite different models I think maybe it's not a fair comparison.

I'm no expert, but as it's the dampers which are variable (not the springs) then active dampers will surely only make for a less 'bouncy' ride as they deal with spring recoil better. When turning into a corner, surely it's the spring stiffness which prevents excessive body roll... the dampers control the recoil of the springs when a wheel hits a bump or drops into a dip to stop excessive recoil. If someone more knowledgeable than myself could comment I'd be interested to hear opinions!

Here we go again, one thing for sure there are not many here who have driven a PASMless Macan, I am one of the few who have.

We have the doubters who raise there heads above the parapet and utter things like PASM is no use well that only confirms their total lack of understanding of how it works. PASM is not essential, but if one wants the best riding and best handling Macan then PASM is needed. That is why the GTS and Turbo models have it as standard, since it i proves the handling dramatically.

I can categorically tell you that a Macan on 21” wheels with no PASM gives a cr4p ride on uneven road surfaces, where it feels very skittish, the whole car judders if a wheel goes down a small hole in the tarmac, the car balance is upset by undulations, then if you hustle the car in the bends the slightest irregularity in the road surface can cause the car to skate sideways.

The nearest ride quality to a PASMless Macan would be a Beamer with M suspension and flat run flats or an Audi SQ, that is a very hard ride.

[Paul]

C’mon Col, make your position clear please!

(Oh, and my first SD was without PASM)

[Paul]

At the risk of boring everyone silly but to give a slightly more technical explanation this gives much, much detail!

Operating principles of PASM

PASM selects the required damper hardness for each individual wheel from a
precisely co-ordinated map in both the Normal and the Sport programme.
The possible damper settings range from comfortable to decidedly sporty.
Both programmes, which overlap slightly in some areas, are additionally
superimposed with five special software modules to provide the optimum
damper settings for every driving condition.
The system automatically selects the appropriate damper hardness based on
the PASM programme selected and the driving condition identified.
The Normal programme offers comfortable settings with low damper forces.
Special control algorithms in the PASM software modules enable the chassis to
offer greater active driving safety in extreme driving situations, even with the
Normal programme. To increase driving safety at higher speeds, the dampers
are automatically switched to a harder damper setting as speed increases.
The dampers switch to a hard characteristic when Sport mode is activated.
This offers superior agility and excellent steering precision on uneven surfaces.
If the system detects an uneven driving surface in Sport mode, it immediately
switches to a softer characteristic to improve contact with the road surface.
PASM selects the optimum damper setting for this softer characteristic from
the Sport map.
Since extremely hard damping is not always the ideal solution in every driving
situation (depending on the driving surface, the vehicle may start to bounce or
shift), the intentional overlap between the Normal and Sport maps allows a
noticeably soft setting to be selected if necessary. The customer gets an
“active sports chassis” which automatically responds to the actual road surface
and switches from a hard, sporty damping setting to a comfortable range as
necessary. PASM switches back to the original characteristic as soon as the
road surface is smooth enough.

The following is a detailed description of the five software modules overlapping
Normal and Sport mode.

Lane-change module

The damper forces at both axles are immediately increased in response to
rapid steering movements, for example sudden evasive manoeuvres.
This reduces body tilt and instability, thereby significantly improving vehicle
control even in extreme situations.

Vertical-control module

In the Normal programme, the damper force is increased as soon as the
vertical movement of the body, for example when driving over uneven surfaces,
rises over a specific threshold value. This prevents body instability and therefore
woolly driving behaviour.
In the Sport programme, the damping is slightly reduced automatically to
improve contact between the road and the wheels as body movements
increase. This also results in a noticeable increase in comfort.

Lateral-acceleration module

If specific, speed-dependent thresholds for lateral acceleration are exceeded
when cornering in the Normal programme, the damper force is increased by
different, defined amounts for each side of the vehicle. This prevents vehicle
instability and significantly increases driving precision.
In the event of large vertical movements and high lateral acceleration
coinciding, the higher of the vertical-control and lateral-acceleration damping
values is set. This happens if, for example, the damping in the Sport
programme was previously decreased by the vertical-control module.

Brake module

PASM switches to harder damping at the start of a braking operation to reduce
vehicle nose-dive when braking. This way, higher brake forces can be
transmitted to the road faster. It switches back to a softer setting (this setting is
different for the front and rear axle) after a specific amount of time. The result
is improved road contact, and thus a shorter braking distance, particularly when
braking on uneven surfaces.

Load-change module

The damper characteristics for the front and rear axle are individually switched
when accelerating heavily, releasing the throttle or changing lanes. In Normal
mode, the dampers are briefly switched to a harder damping setting in these
driving conditions. This avoids excessive lifting or diving at the front of the
vehicle (“pitching”). In Sport mode, a softer damper characteristic is briefly
selected if necessary to improve traction when accelerating, particularly on
uneven surfaces.

Components

The PASM system comprises the following components:
• Four dampers with continuously adjustable damping force (each with one
bypass valve)
• PASM control module
• Two acceleration sensors for detecting vertical movement of the body
(one at the damper dome at the front right and one at the rear left).
Further signals such as lateral acceleration, steering angle, travel speed,
brake pressure, engine torque, etc. are read in via the CAN bus.
• One button for selecting the programme (Normal or Sport)
The system measures body movements via one acceleration sensor on each
axle (front and rear). Values such as lateral acceleration, steering wheel angle,
vehicle speed and information on possible braking operations are provided by
the PSM via the CAN bus. Engine rpm and torque values are provided by the
Motronic via the CAN bus.

Acceleration sensor

The acceleration sensors are attached to the front right and rear left spring
strut domes, respectively.
The arrangement allows lifting, pitching and rolling movements of the body to
be measured.

PASM control module

In left-hand drive vehicles, the PASM control module is installed on the front wall
(footwell passenger’s side) at the right. In right-hand drive vehicles it is installed
on the front wall (footwell passenger’s side) at the left.

Shock absorbers

Unlike conventional dampers, the PASM map-controlled damper also has an
electrically actuated hydraulic bypass valve (arrow).
The damping effect is provided by the oil in the damper flowing through a piston
valve when the vehicle moves. The smaller the valve cross section, the harder
the damping.
With the PASM damper, the oil can flow through a bypass valve, as well as
through a fixed valve in the main piston. The flow can be increased or reduced
by opening and closing the valve via a slide, producing continuous adjustment
of the damper force.
In the event of a system failure, the valve automatically closes. PASM is then in
the hardest damper setting and thus the safest mode from a driving dynamics
point of view (fail-safe principle).

[mark-yorkshire]

I too have had a non-PASM Macan (SD on 19’s) and a PASM version (current GTS on 20’s)

The difference is most noticeable when driving enthusiastically. With the SD the nose would dip quite uncomfortably under hard braking and the body roll was significantly greater when cornering hard. With PASM the attitude is much flatter and constant, and of course, the degree of stiffness can be altered too.

In terms of comfort the difference for me, is less noticeable and for everyday driving there is probably little advantage to be gained.

As VanB says, drive both if you can back to back and decide for yourself.

All my Porsche cars have been without PASM and always found the ride acceptable. I have had various courtesy cars with PASM and never really noticed the difference on the Cayenne and Macan but sports + setting on the 911 is nice at speed as the car really hunkers down.

[RAA]

I'm in the queue for the new Macan S, and will definitely go for both PASM and Air-Suspension - our roads in the U.K. are atrocious.

[Pivot]

I'm in the queue for the new Macan S, and will definitely go for both PASM and Air-Suspension - our roads in the U.K. are atrocious.

When did you order yours?
Did you get an indicative ETA?

[Col Lamb]

At the risk of boring everyone silly but to give a slightly more technical explanation this gives much, much detail!

Operating principles of PASM

PASM selects the required damper hardness for each individual wheel from a
precisely co-ordinated map in both the Normal and the Sport programme.
The possible damper settings range from comfortable to decidedly sporty.
Both programmes, which overlap slightly in some areas, are additionally
superimposed with five special software modules to provide the optimum
damper settings for every driving condition.
The system automatically selects the appropriate damper hardness based on
the PASM programme selected and the driving condition identified.
The Normal programme offers comfortable settings with low damper forces.
Special control algorithms in the PASM software modules enable the chassis to
offer greater active driving safety in extreme driving situations, even with the
Normal programme. To increase driving safety at higher speeds, the dampers
are automatically switched to a harder damper setting as speed increases.
The dampers switch to a hard characteristic when Sport mode is activated.
This offers superior agility and excellent steering precision on uneven surfaces.
If the system detects an uneven driving surface in Sport mode, it immediately
switches to a softer characteristic to improve contact with the road surface.
PASM selects the optimum damper setting for this softer characteristic from
the Sport map.
Since extremely hard damping is not always the ideal solution in every driving
situation (depending on the driving surface, the vehicle may start to bounce or
shift), the intentional overlap between the Normal and Sport maps allows a
noticeably soft setting to be selected if necessary. The customer gets an
“active sports chassis” which automatically responds to the actual road surface
and switches from a hard, sporty damping setting to a comfortable range as
necessary. PASM switches back to the original characteristic as soon as the
road surface is smooth enough.

The following is a detailed description of the five software modules overlapping
Normal and Sport mode.

Lane-change module

The damper forces at both axles are immediately increased in response to
rapid steering movements, for example sudden evasive manoeuvres.
This reduces body tilt and instability, thereby significantly improving vehicle
control even in extreme situations.

Vertical-control module

In the Normal programme, the damper force is increased as soon as the
vertical movement of the body, for example when driving over uneven surfaces,
rises over a specific threshold value. This prevents body instability and therefore
woolly driving behaviour.
In the Sport programme, the damping is slightly reduced automatically to
improve contact between the road and the wheels as body movements
increase. This also results in a noticeable increase in comfort.

Lateral-acceleration module

If specific, speed-dependent thresholds for lateral acceleration are exceeded
when cornering in the Normal programme, the damper force is increased by
different, defined amounts for each side of the vehicle. This prevents vehicle
instability and significantly increases driving precision.
In the event of large vertical movements and high lateral acceleration
coinciding, the higher of the vertical-control and lateral-acceleration damping
values is set. This happens if, for example, the damping in the Sport
programme was previously decreased by the vertical-control module.

Brake module

PASM switches to harder damping at the start of a braking operation to reduce
vehicle nose-dive when braking. This way, higher brake forces can be
transmitted to the road faster. It switches back to a softer setting (this setting is
different for the front and rear axle) after a specific amount of time. The result
is improved road contact, and thus a shorter braking distance, particularly when
braking on uneven surfaces.

Load-change module

The damper characteristics for the front and rear axle are individually switched
when accelerating heavily, releasing the throttle or changing lanes. In Normal
mode, the dampers are briefly switched to a harder damping setting in these
driving conditions. This avoids excessive lifting or diving at the front of the
vehicle (“pitching”). In Sport mode, a softer damper characteristic is briefly
selected if necessary to improve traction when accelerating, particularly on
uneven surfaces.

Components

The PASM system comprises the following components:
• Four dampers with continuously adjustable damping force (each with one
bypass valve)
• PASM control module
• Two acceleration sensors for detecting vertical movement of the body
(one at the damper dome at the front right and one at the rear left).
Further signals such as lateral acceleration, steering angle, travel speed,
brake pressure, engine torque, etc. are read in via the CAN bus.
• One button for selecting the programme (Normal or Sport)
The system measures body movements via one acceleration sensor on each
axle (front and rear). Values such as lateral acceleration, steering wheel angle,
vehicle speed and information on possible braking operations are provided by
the PSM via the CAN bus. Engine rpm and torque values are provided by the
Motronic via the CAN bus.

Acceleration sensor

The acceleration sensors are attached to the front right and rear left spring
strut domes, respectively.
The arrangement allows lifting, pitching and rolling movements of the body to
be measured.

PASM control module

In left-hand drive vehicles, the PASM control module is installed on the front wall
(footwell passenger’s side) at the right. In right-hand drive vehicles it is installed
on the front wall (footwell passenger’s side) at the left.

Shock absorbers

Unlike conventional dampers, the PASM map-controlled damper also has an
electrically actuated hydraulic bypass valve (arrow).
The damping effect is provided by the oil in the damper flowing through a piston
valve when the vehicle moves. The smaller the valve cross section, the harder
the damping.
With the PASM damper, the oil can flow through a bypass valve, as well as
through a fixed valve in the main piston. The flow can be increased or reduced
by opening and closing the valve via a slide, producing continuous adjustment
of the damper force.
In the event of a system failure, the valve automatically closes. PASM is then in
the hardest damper setting and thus the safest mode from a driving dynamics
point of view (fail-safe principle).

Well posted Paul.

Hence if you do not include PASM you have not made the wisest of choices from a safety point alone.

[Pivot]

I found a solution to the bling lights on the rear-end... tinted LED tail-lights. Has anyone seen it in real life? It looks good on the configurator.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nozydog]

At the risk of boring everyone silly but to give a slightly more technical explanation this gives much, much detail!

Operating principles of PASM

PASM selects the required damper hardness for each individual wheel from a
precisely co-ordinated map in both the Normal and the Sport programme.
The possible damper settings range from comfortable to decidedly sporty.
Both programmes, which overlap slightly in some areas, are additionally
superimposed with five special software modules to provide the optimum
damper settings for every driving condition.
The system automatically selects the appropriate damper hardness based on
the PASM programme selected and the driving condition identified.
The Normal programme offers comfortable settings with low damper forces.
Special control algorithms in the PASM software modules enable the chassis to
offer greater active driving safety in extreme driving situations, even with the
Normal programme. To increase driving safety at higher speeds, the dampers
are automatically switched to a harder damper setting as speed increases.
The dampers switch to a hard characteristic when Sport mode is activated.
This offers superior agility and excellent steering precision on uneven surfaces.
If the system detects an uneven driving surface in Sport mode, it immediately
switches to a softer characteristic to improve contact with the road surface.
PASM selects the optimum damper setting for this softer characteristic from
the Sport map.
Since extremely hard damping is not always the ideal solution in every driving
situation (depending on the driving surface, the vehicle may start to bounce or
shift), the intentional overlap between the Normal and Sport maps allows a
noticeably soft setting to be selected if necessary. The customer gets an
“active sports chassis” which automatically responds to the actual road surface
and switches from a hard, sporty damping setting to a comfortable range as
necessary. PASM switches back to the original characteristic as soon as the
road surface is smooth enough.

The following is a detailed description of the five software modules overlapping
Normal and Sport mode.

Lane-change module

The damper forces at both axles are immediately increased in response to
rapid steering movements, for example sudden evasive manoeuvres.
This reduces body tilt and instability, thereby significantly improving vehicle
control even in extreme situations.

Vertical-control module

In the Normal programme, the damper force is increased as soon as the
vertical movement of the body, for example when driving over uneven surfaces,
rises over a specific threshold value. This prevents body instability and therefore
woolly driving behaviour.
In the Sport programme, the damping is slightly reduced automatically to
improve contact between the road and the wheels as body movements
increase. This also results in a noticeable increase in comfort.

Lateral-acceleration module

If specific, speed-dependent thresholds for lateral acceleration are exceeded
when cornering in the Normal programme, the damper force is increased by
different, defined amounts for each side of the vehicle. This prevents vehicle
instability and significantly increases driving precision.
In the event of large vertical movements and high lateral acceleration
coinciding, the higher of the vertical-control and lateral-acceleration damping
values is set. This happens if, for example, the damping in the Sport
programme was previously decreased by the vertical-control module.

Brake module

PASM switches to harder damping at the start of a braking operation to reduce
vehicle nose-dive when braking. This way, higher brake forces can be
transmitted to the road faster. It switches back to a softer setting (this setting is
different for the front and rear axle) after a specific amount of time. The result
is improved road contact, and thus a shorter braking distance, particularly when
braking on uneven surfaces.

Load-change module

The damper characteristics for the front and rear axle are individually switched
when accelerating heavily, releasing the throttle or changing lanes. In Normal
mode, the dampers are briefly switched to a harder damping setting in these
driving conditions. This avoids excessive lifting or diving at the front of the
vehicle (“pitching”). In Sport mode, a softer damper characteristic is briefly
selected if necessary to improve traction when accelerating, particularly on
uneven surfaces.

Components

The PASM system comprises the following components:
• Four dampers with continuously adjustable damping force (each with one
bypass valve)
• PASM control module
• Two acceleration sensors for detecting vertical movement of the body
(one at the damper dome at the front right and one at the rear left).
Further signals such as lateral acceleration, steering angle, travel speed,
brake pressure, engine torque, etc. are read in via the CAN bus.
• One button for selecting the programme (Normal or Sport)
The system measures body movements via one acceleration sensor on each
axle (front and rear). Values such as lateral acceleration, steering wheel angle,
vehicle speed and information on possible braking operations are provided by
the PSM via the CAN bus. Engine rpm and torque values are provided by the
Motronic via the CAN bus.

Acceleration sensor

The acceleration sensors are attached to the front right and rear left spring
strut domes, respectively.
The arrangement allows lifting, pitching and rolling movements of the body to
be measured.

PASM control module

In left-hand drive vehicles, the PASM control module is installed on the front wall
(footwell passenger’s side) at the right. In right-hand drive vehicles it is installed
on the front wall (footwell passenger’s side) at the left.

Shock absorbers

Unlike conventional dampers, the PASM map-controlled damper also has an
electrically actuated hydraulic bypass valve (arrow).
The damping effect is provided by the oil in the damper flowing through a piston
valve when the vehicle moves. The smaller the valve cross section, the harder
the damping.
With the PASM damper, the oil can flow through a bypass valve, as well as
through a fixed valve in the main piston. The flow can be increased or reduced
by opening and closing the valve via a slide, producing continuous adjustment
of the damper force.
In the event of a system failure, the valve automatically closes. PASM is then in
the hardest damper setting and thus the safest mode from a driving dynamics
point of view (fail-safe principle).

This is a really interesting read so thanks for posting! Where did you find this as Porsche themselves don't appear to offer much real insight into their PASM system!!

The 'load changing module' seems particularly useful as it will obviously keep the car flatter under hard breaking, which, with a car as heavy as the Macan being driven hard, could otherwise be quite an issue!