nozydog wrote: ↑Tue Nov 20, 2018 4:14 pm
I know I'm being controversial here but in my book, PASM is a marketing thing. I'm sure it has an effect, but from what I've read in forums (and believe me I've read a lot of owners opinions) it is subtle. Porsche know how to tune a steel spring/passive damper set up to the max and many owners without PASM are more than happy (as I am with my non adaptive BMW suspension) but on the other hand, some owners consider it a 'must have', so test drive both if your dealer has cars with both.
Nozydog, as someone who has owned Porches both with and without PASM, I can assure that the difference is very noticeable with the PASM equipped car giving a much more settled ride. So much so that I would never buy another Porsche without it.
I agree with your comment about Porsche being able to produce a well-tuned standard suspension but PASM is still night and day better than standard especially if you go for bigger wheels (which your post suggests you probably won't).
I would certainly suggest you try to drive PASM and non-PASM equipped cars back to back before completely dismissing it
Couldn't agree more [with VanB]. I test drove Macans with Air, PASM and without either. Found it quite difficult to assess the differences on a typical 20 minute test drive of each, as they all corner with little body roll and the ride quality even on the basic setup is good. But persuaded myself that PASM was worth the additional cost to my order spec [and to aid eventual re-sale value].
Living with my car for over a year, I am so glad i did take PASM. My default setting is the middle one, but use the first one [comfort] on particularly rough or potholed roads and the third [hardest] setting when pressing-on particularly on across-country roads. These differences are indeed tangible with experience and set the Macan apart in driveability enjoyment IMHO.
Steve
2020 GTS in Sapphire Blue
(sold) 2017 SD in Rhodium Silver
Paul wrote: ↑Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:58 am
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.
Thanks, I see you're Bristol based as I am! Yes I'm hoping Dick Lovett will have cars with and without PASM to test although I don't hold much hope. Most demonstrators seems to be fully loaded!
My intention would be to test a car without first and if I'm happy that body roll is contained enough for my driving then I won't bother testing PASM (comfort is not an issue for me as I like a firm ride so I wouldn't want PASM for that, I'll be getting 19 inch wheels also so not going too big) But yes I agree when spending this much on a car it would be sensible to test all options!
Paul wrote: ↑Wed Nov 21, 2018 9:58 am
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!
