997 GTS + TPC DSC
Discussion
Toying with the idea of doing the TPC mod on the GTS. Quoted around £1300-1400 for the unit and wondering if it's worth the investment to cope with bumpy but fun B roads around me? Anyone had recent experience with the latest unit which has only 2 modes as opposed to 3 and mimics the stock settings as far as the PASM light goes?
Just put it onto my car (7.2rs) last week at Silverstone.
On the road, have to admit I didn't find a lot of difference other than the car porpoising rather less over bumps/uneven surfaces. Little to no change in ride comfort but that said I never felt the car rode at all harshly anyway. In my (pretty limited and slow) time on track so far I do think it's better especially on fast direction changes and you can run over kerbs without the rear feeling like it might skip on the 'firm' mode.
On the road, have to admit I didn't find a lot of difference other than the car porpoising rather less over bumps/uneven surfaces. Little to no change in ride comfort but that said I never felt the car rode at all harshly anyway. In my (pretty limited and slow) time on track so far I do think it's better especially on fast direction changes and you can run over kerbs without the rear feeling like it might skip on the 'firm' mode.
c4sman said:
Toying with the idea of doing the TPC mod on the GTS. Quoted around £1300-1400 for the unit and wondering if it's worth the investment to cope with bumpy but fun B roads around me? Anyone had recent experience with the latest unit which has only 2 modes as opposed to 3 and mimics the stock settings as far as the PASM light goes?
Had it on my GTS 2wd albeit the 3 version but its the same really. If you keep it as delivered I wouldnt do it again. I spent a lot of effort tweeking it myself and it was certainly an improvement in the end . I found it very difficult to get near the oem sport programming which I used in mode 3. End of the day it has the potential however the software side hasnt had much effort by TPC which you can see when you look. OP, I've been debating the same thing for ages and read every review of the module I can.
Do you have stock suspension/geo?
I have progressive rate lowering springs and a quite aggressive geo on my 2wd GTS and that transformed the car handling massively and for less than the £1,300+ of the DSC unit. I'm still considering the DSC unit but I'm happy with the handling of the car and I can't see it improving the car in it's current state by a huge margin.
I must admit I have not read a bad review of the unit, it's just the degrees of improvement that vary in reviews.
Do you have stock suspension/geo?
I have progressive rate lowering springs and a quite aggressive geo on my 2wd GTS and that transformed the car handling massively and for less than the £1,300+ of the DSC unit. I'm still considering the DSC unit but I'm happy with the handling of the car and I can't see it improving the car in it's current state by a huge margin.
I must admit I have not read a bad review of the unit, it's just the degrees of improvement that vary in reviews.
Cheib said:
OP out of interest what don't you like about the GTS's suspension ? I really like mine in the Normal PASM setting as a road car. Sport PASM never gets used on the road....only used it really when I have taken the car to PEC a couple of times.
I wouldn't say I don't like it, just that I think there is further room for improvement on the road particularly in bumpy situations where i think it could "breath" a little more with the road. Equally I don't want it softer as such as i enjoy the flat cornering stance, which is why the DSC is tempting me as it appears to provide more compliance over bumps with better turn in and roll stiffness (best of all worlds). I guess I am looking to turn it from an amazing road car to an astonishing road car 
Actually my first P car was a brand new 987 S in 2005 on passive suspension and one of my memories of that car was the quality of the damping, absorbing bumps whilst being flat, agile and light on its feet. Had 5 911s since then and prefer the slightly more challenging handling of the rear lump and the GTS is the best I have had, but always looking for more!
Big E 118 said:
OP, I've been debating the same thing for ages and read every review of the module I can.
Do you have stock suspension/geo?
I have progressive rate lowering springs and a quite aggressive geo on my 2wd GTS and that transformed the car handling massively and for less than the £1,300+ of the DSC unit. I'm still considering the DSC unit but I'm happy with the handling of the car and I can't see it improving the car in it's current state by a huge margin.
I must admit I have not read a bad review of the unit, it's just the degrees of improvement that vary in reviews.
I do wonder if I could play a bit with the geo. Any recommendations of where to go for this (I can get pretty much anywhere in the south east) Could you elaborate on the progressive rate springs? Where did you source them from and do they improve what I describe above?Do you have stock suspension/geo?
I have progressive rate lowering springs and a quite aggressive geo on my 2wd GTS and that transformed the car handling massively and for less than the £1,300+ of the DSC unit. I'm still considering the DSC unit but I'm happy with the handling of the car and I can't see it improving the car in it's current state by a huge margin.
I must admit I have not read a bad review of the unit, it's just the degrees of improvement that vary in reviews.
Edited by c4sman on Wednesday 12th April 13:18
c4sman said:
I do wonder if I could play a bit with the geo. Any recommendations of where to go for this (I can get pretty much anywhere in the south east) Could you elaborate on the progressive rate springs? Where did you source them from and do they improve what I describe above?
I had the geo done at Parr Motorsport in Crawley, I also hear Centre Gravity are very good but no personal experience. Edited by c4sman on Wednesday 12th April 13:18
The springs lower the car and really keep it flat while cornering even at track speeds. I would say they make the ride very slightly harsher so may not be what you are looking for.
Personally I'd look at a geo set up first and see what you think. It's quite surprising how "safe" the cars are set up form the factory and although with standard suspension the geo can't be altered drastically in my experience it can change the feel of the car. It's also not a big investment.
I've had an instructor from Millbrook and a pro racing driver comment that they like the set up of my car so I'm pretty confident Parr did a good job on it!
If you're calling Parr speak to Lawrence, he knows my GTS well and the options available for the car.
installed DSC on my 7.2 GT3 a fortnight ago
ride on UK roads is noticeably more compliant, but still ocassionally crashy.
when rolling over expansion joints, the car doesn't 'skip' anywhere near as much as before (if at all), and there is no trace of skittishness.
I can now use Sport mode on the suspension; on OEM, Sport unusable on UK roads. Sport is now firmer than OEM normal, and more polished and controlled.
suspension is more controlled, dampers react faster, and car is more fluid over bumpy roads.
steering also different on bumpy roads, it feels more keyed in.
well worth it.
I asked the DSC dealer to load the most bumpy road map he had for me.
Differences may be less pronounced on less firmly damped non GT cars.
ride on UK roads is noticeably more compliant, but still ocassionally crashy.
when rolling over expansion joints, the car doesn't 'skip' anywhere near as much as before (if at all), and there is no trace of skittishness.
I can now use Sport mode on the suspension; on OEM, Sport unusable on UK roads. Sport is now firmer than OEM normal, and more polished and controlled.
suspension is more controlled, dampers react faster, and car is more fluid over bumpy roads.
steering also different on bumpy roads, it feels more keyed in.
well worth it.
I asked the DSC dealer to load the most bumpy road map he had for me.
Differences may be less pronounced on less firmly damped non GT cars.
Thread Resurrection Warning
...so, had the geo done on my car as well as some kindly donated MPS Cup tyres and the car feels much better, but i have finally bitten the TPC DSC bullet and have one now on order. On balance, the positive reports seem to be 10x the negative/marginal reports so I have taken the gamble.
Will update once it arrives and I have fitted it.
...so, had the geo done on my car as well as some kindly donated MPS Cup tyres and the car feels much better, but i have finally bitten the TPC DSC bullet and have one now on order. On balance, the positive reports seem to be 10x the negative/marginal reports so I have taken the gamble.
Will update once it arrives and I have fitted it.
I fitted the DSC box to my 997 when I first got it 2 years ago and it totally transformed the handling. Both "normal" mode and "sport" mode. Im using the stock 2 settings which came with the box and havent felt the need to adjust them any more. I bought mine directly from TPC in the US and it cost just under £1000.
c4sman said:
Post Brexit exchange rate hasn’t helped me. Mines costing quite a bit more than that!
Try 9e - they’ve supplied quite a few people I know. http://www.nineexcellence.com/upgrades/suspension/...
Edited by LaSource on Thursday 15th March 20:12
LaSource said:
Try 9e - they’ve supplied quite a few people I know.
http://www.nineexcellence.com/upgrades/suspension/...
Too late for me. I’ve paid my money and taken a choice. Now I don’t want to know what I could have got it for!http://www.nineexcellence.com/upgrades/suspension/...
Edited by LaSource on Thursday 15th March 20:12
Edited by c4sman on Friday 16th March 15:35
After much deliberating I finally fitted one of the DSC modules on my 7.2 GT3 in Feb.
Whilst I haven't put many miles on her so far in view of the weather recently, I do agree with others that the car feels generally more composed and compliant, and Sport mode is now the default choice for me
It's worth remembering the module not only allows for much greater range and speed of shock damping compared to OEM, it's also exerting tighter control of the engine mounts on this particular model - and i think that also makes a big difference given the role the engine's weight plays in these cars.
Anyhow I'm just using the 2 standard 997 maps that came installed on the device for now, but plan to upload the "substantially firmer gcomfort than DSC Base file" at some stage for track work.
It's not cheap, but I'd say if you want to keep the flexibility of PASM and your OEM shocks, this has got to be the best £for£ update you can do for your suspension.
Whilst I haven't put many miles on her so far in view of the weather recently, I do agree with others that the car feels generally more composed and compliant, and Sport mode is now the default choice for me
It's worth remembering the module not only allows for much greater range and speed of shock damping compared to OEM, it's also exerting tighter control of the engine mounts on this particular model - and i think that also makes a big difference given the role the engine's weight plays in these cars.Anyhow I'm just using the 2 standard 997 maps that came installed on the device for now, but plan to upload the "substantially firmer gcomfort than DSC Base file" at some stage for track work.
It's not cheap, but I'd say if you want to keep the flexibility of PASM and your OEM shocks, this has got to be the best £for£ update you can do for your suspension.
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