Which air suspension modification module?

Wheels, Tyres, Suspension, Chassis, Issues and Fixes
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CliveH
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Post by CliveH »

Apologies if this has already been asked but I couldn't find a thread.

My research so far has brought up:

Techart
Cargraphic
Cete
AK Racing

I have discounted Cete and AK Racing on the basis that they both involve fiddling with wires and some soldering, as I want a complete plug and play solution which I can put back to stock when I come to sell the vehicle.

The other two seem to have similar features. Both are expensive for what is effectively an electronic tweak of the air suspension, although the Cargraphic offering is a little cheaper than the Techart one.

My questions are:

*What experience do people have of these modules (good and bad)?
*Are there other products to be considered?
*I can't find anything in the vehicle settings of the PCM to make any changes but is there any coding that can be done with a Durametric, for example, that would have the same effect as installation of a module?
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gasgas1
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Post by gasgas1 »

not sure if it's worth the trouble, over 55mph the ride height goes back up to standard.
nass
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Post by nass »

Not necessarily true, you can order the Cargraphic module (and possibly Techart as well, as they are the same hardware AFAIK) with that option turned off (must be done upon ordering, older models had the option to modify the plug of the wiring harness to the same effect).
Which I did for my module.
Also the suspension height can be adjusted (individually front-rear) I did not bother and left it at -20 mm.

The module adds extra flexibility to the already flexible air suspension setup. Less body roll, more direct steering (due to the decrease of toe-in), less understeer. Don't care about looks although it does look better.
But must be aware, that when lowering, alignment settings change: toe-in is reduced and may actually switch to toe-out and camber is increased to more than 2 degrees negative. In my case this is acceptable but may result in uneven tyre wear (which can be compensated by swapping tyres left-right, if they are not directional).
911Fiddler
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Post by 911Fiddler »

Interesting (to me) point about the camber changing when the suspension is lowered.
Makes sense when lowering significantly, to recheck everything, 4 wheel check. A perfectionist would also want to release the control arm securing bolts all round so that all rubber bushes are not over strained.
With front camber not being adjustable on the Macan, assuming all the front Suspension parts are the same, the GTS which sits quite a lot lower will sit permanently at an increased front camber. Given that, when lowering, it’s probably only toe that should be resolved.
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jaffacake
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Post by jaffacake »

Interesting chat. We've got the GTS suspension set-up and typically drive in the lowest setting. I'm seeing some uneven tyre wear on both front tyres, especially front left. Considered swapping them over but. whilst not directional, the PZeros have an "outside" label on the tyre which presumably prevents this.
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Nuclear Nick
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Post by Nuclear Nick »

jaffacake wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:52 pm Interesting chat. We've got the GTS suspension set-up and typically drive in the lowest setting. I'm seeing some uneven tyre wear on both front tyres, especially front left. Considered swapping them over but. whilst not directional, the PZeros have an "outside" label on the tyre which presumably prevents this.
They are directional, which is why it says ‘outside’, referring to the fitment on the rim. If you swapped sides it would still say ‘outside’ on the outside but they would be rotating the wrong way! As Porsche fit larger width tyres at the rear it means each tyre will only fit on one corner.

When you say uneven wear, do you mean the outsides are wearing more than the insides? This is normal, and it’s also common that the left front wears faster than the right in the UK due to the way we go around roundabouts and the extra debris etc on the left side of the road. It is accelerated by ‘enthusiastic’ drivers taking roundabouts and corners faster than average.
Nick

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jaffacake
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Post by jaffacake »

Nuclear Nick wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2020 8:49 pm They are directional, which is why it says ‘outside’, referring to the fitment on the rim. If you swapped sides it would still say ‘outside’ on the outside but they would be rotating the wrong way! As Porsche fit larger width tyres at the rear it means each tyre will only fit on one corner.
Hi Nick,

All P Zero tyres are not the same. These aren't directional. Directional tyres have an arrow showing the direction of rotation. These have an asymmetric tread pattern and simply have a marked "Outside". Both front tyres are identical and are indeed spinning in opposite directions. There is no "rotating the wrong way" on this tyre, but you could fit it inside out.

Sizes are different front to back, so I have a pair of each tyre size on my car - 2 fronts and 2 rears.

https://www.pirelli.com/tyres/en-gb/car ... uct/p-zero

Pirelli do make a "P Zero Direzionale" model which is indeed directional, these tyres are not those. I don't believe there are any "P Zero Direzionale" that are N rated in Macan sizes
When you say uneven wear, do you mean the outsides are wearing more than the insides? This is normal, and it’s also common that the left front wears faster than the right in the UK due to the way we go around roundabouts and the extra debris etc on the left side of the road. It is accelerated by ‘enthusiastic’ drivers taking roundabouts and corners faster than average.
Yes, the outside shoulders are visibly wearing a lot more that the inside - only on the front wheels. I'm aware of the UK roundabout effect - I've driven performance RWD and AWD cars for about 20 years including track days - but this is a lot more than I'm used to hence I brought it up. The rear tyres have even tread depth all the way across but the fronts are visibly worn across those outside shoulders. It looks like the effect of positive camber but it would appear that when lowering a car the camber should go negative, running more on the inner rims.

I'm confident the alignment should be good, the tracking/alignment was recently reset during a windscreen replacement, I'm just curious if this is a known feature of Macan with GTS style suspension geometry - the guys on this thread seem to know a lot more than I do in this area.
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SAC1
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Post by SAC1 »

Comment ref. outer shoulder wear on front tyres. In my experience this is an issue with the Macan. Near 2 ton weight / ability to take corners more rapidly than most other SUVs / large section width low profile tyres.

A lot will depend on your driving style and typical routes. If you predominantly do motorway driving = much less of an issue. If you do mainly town work and / or predominantly twisty A or B-roads = more prevalent.

The Michelin O/S/F on my SD was down to 3mm on the outer rib after 18,000 miles. The rest of this tyre was a 4-5mm and the other 3 tyres the same.

With my new GTS,II am running all 4 tyres 0.1 bar higher than recommended to attempt to offset this issue by keeping the tyre envelope tighter.
Steve

2020 GTS in Sapphire Blue
(sold) 2017 SD in Rhodium Silver
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jaffacake
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Post by jaffacake »

SAC1 wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2020 12:34 pm Comment ref. outer shoulder wear on front tyres. In my experience this is an issue with the Macan. Near 2 ton weight / ability to take corners more rapidly than most other SUVs / large section width low profile tyres.

A lot will depend on your driving style and typical routes. If you predominantly do motorway driving = much less of an issue. If you do mainly town work and / or predominantly twisty A or B-roads = more prevalent.

The Michelin O/S/F on my SD was down to 3mm on the outer rib after 18,000 miles. The rest of this tyre was a 4-5mm and the other 3 tyres the same.

With my new GTS,II am running all 4 tyres 0.1 bar higher than recommended to attempt to offset this issue by keeping the tyre envelope tighter.
Great feedback, just what I was looking for, thanks.

I've already added some extra pressure in the tyres - we're usually got 4 people in and often with bikes hanging off the back, so I figured running full time at "full load" settings would likely make sense. I've run over-pressure before and seen extra wear around the middle, so figured deliberately doing it might help a little.
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2018 Macan Turbo Exclusive Performance Edition with all the trimmings

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=10070
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