How can two 981s be so different?

[TB303]

Passive damping has more feel, and that of course affects the steering. Like I said, I noticed it on my 987, and there’s a reason they don’t put PASM on the Spyders.

[AlexNJ89]

TB303 said:

Passive damping has more feel, and that of course affects the steering. Like I said, I noticed it on my 987, and there’s a reason they don’t put PASM on the Spyders.

Would you also say passive damping has more weight to it too?

It would be good to know if it is PASM so I don't waste so much time on test drives.

[TB303]

AlexNJ89 said:

Would you also say passive damping has more weight to it too?

It would be good to know if it is PASM so I don't waste so much time on test drives.

I wouldn’t be confident to say that without comparing back to back, but I did notice an extra layer of disconnection from the driving experience.

[Milemuncher]

Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude and forgive me if I’ve missed something… but if you liked the original one you tried so much, why don’t you just buy it?

[AlexNJ89]

Milemuncher said:

Sorry, I’m not trying to be rude and forgive me if I’ve missed something… but if you liked the original one you tried so much, why don’t you just buy it?

It didn't have the sport design steering wheel and I like the paddles over the buttons.

It also wasn't a colour combination I liked.

[AlexNJ89]

Oh this is interesting.

Perhaps on car had Power Steering Plus and the other didn't?

https://www.planet-9.com/threads/is-power-steering...

[PaulD86]

Three possibilities spring to mind:

1. PASM - this would be the one I suspect
2. Power Steering Plus - I'm not sure what it is supposed to do, but I am sure I remember a Henry Catchpole video where he said it negatively impacted steering feel (although I could be wrong on that one)
3.Tyres/geo. If my first experience of a Porsche had been on Pirellis in the damp I'd never have bought one. Had it been on Michelins, I would have. And did. Geo can make quite a difference to the feel too.

I think option 1 is the probable one, however.

[Maxym]

My vote would go to geo: maybe the second car's was out or maybe the first one's had been tweaked. Tyres? Possibly.

Having driven a variety of Porsche - owners and loaners - in my experience there's not a lot of difference between cars of the same model in 'normal' driving. (In stark contrast, back in the day I had an Escort XR3i which was considered to be a rather good car at the time and I liked pretty much everything about it. I drove one on a Brands experience half-day and the steering was as dull as fk; it was like driving a different car.)

Something like a SD steering wheel can be retro-fitted BTW.

[AlexNJ89]

PaulD86 said:

Three possibilities spring to mind:

1. PASM - this would be the one I suspect
2. Power Steering Plus - I'm not sure what it is supposed to do, but I am sure I remember a Henry Catchpole video where he said it negatively impacted steering feel (although I could be wrong on that one)
3.Tyres/geo. If my first experience of a Porsche had been on Pirellis in the damp I'd never have bought one. Had it been on Michelins, I would have. And did. Geo can make quite a difference to the feel too.

I think option 1 is the probable one, however.

This is the conclusion I'm coming to too.

I think I'll only know once I've driven a few.

The reason I don't think it is geo is that the first I drove had heavier steering even on gravel, so unless I have misunderstood the impact of geometry I don't think it'll be that.

[anonymous-user]

When I upgraded to the 718 from my old 981 2.7 the steering was considerably improved. I think there are several versions of EPAS in operation and the earlier ones in the 981 were improved upon significantly in the more recent variants. Ymmv, of course..

[Funkydunc]

My money would be on the geometry being way out, or was it the difference between being able to twiddle the steering with one finger or having to use both hands?

Correct/good geometry massively changes the perception and feel of a car, more so in the turn in to a corner

[AlexNJ89]

Funkydunc said:

My money would be on the geometry being way out, or was it the difference between being able to twiddle the steering with one finger or having to use both hands?

Correct/good geometry massively changes the perception and feel of a car, more so in the turn in to a corner

The weighting was even different going at 1mph

[Red 5]

AlexNJ89 said:

The weighting was even different going at 1mph

The only things I can think of then, are power steering plus, that adds assistance as speeds drop, or VERY high tyre pressures.

There are also by design, ZERO pops and bangs in sport+, so the second car might have been tinkered with.
Re-map to add this feature, might also point to fettling in other areas on car two.

[AlexNJ89]

Red 5 said:

The only things I can think of then, are power steering plus, that adds assistance as speeds drop, or VERY high tyre pressures.

There are also by design, ZERO pops and bangs in sport+, so the second car might have been tinkered with.
Re-map to add this feature, might also point to fettling in other areas on car two.

I think it could be power steering plus too. I'm the kind of guy who likes steering feel even at low speeds.

I've watched a few videos on YouTube where sport+ does have pops and bangs.

Here's a timestamped example:
https://youtu.be/yWxm2FX5dAs?t=486

[Red 5]

AlexNJ89 said:

I think it could be power steering plus too. I'm the kind of guy who likes steering feel even at low speeds.

I've watched a few videos on YouTube where sport+ does have pops and bangs.

Here's a timestamped example:
https://youtu.be/yWxm2FX5dAs?t=486

Strange isn’t it!
Porsche have specifically added them to sport mode along with the artificially sharp throttle, just for fun/drama and test drive apeal.

Sport+ is supposed to have progressive throttle map, plus zero pops, so the cars can be used on track without contravening SPL limits (as much)
They occurr at frequencies most likely to excite a trackside meter.

I do know it’s one of the most popular things to program in, during remap type fettling.

[Milnsey]

Red 5 said:

Strange isn’t it!
Porsche have specifically added them to sport mode along with the artificially sharp throttle, just for fun/drama and test drive apeal.

Sport+ is supposed to have progressive throttle map, plus zero pops, so the cars can be used on track without contravening SPL limits (as much)
They occurr at frequencies most likely to excite a trackside meter.

I do know it’s one of the most popular things to program in, during remap type fettling.

Mine (unmodified) pops and bangs in Sport plus, always has done

[AlexNJ89]

When I get an 981 I may even see if I can map out the pops and crackles.

I wonder if it's a PSE thing?

[anonymous-user]

Sport activates the PSE if you have it, I had thought activating S+ turned it off. Which presumably makes sense if it's mainly a track mode.

So I guess you can override it and toggle the PSE switch back on in S+ if so desired.

[Royal Jelly]

Sport+ activates PSE if fitted, PASM in sport mode and adds more pops & bangs on mine.

All can be toggled on/off so in S+ you can just have the bits of it you want with the much crisper throttle response S+ gives. It’s an option I wouldn’t do without now. Previously I didn’t give it too much stock but it’s rare for me to drive in any other mode - I just turn PASM/PSE to normal to suit.

Only on a motorway run would I use S or normal modes. Otherwise it’s hard to see why you wouldn’t want the throttle response alone unless you’re concerned about fuel consumption.

Edited by Royal Jelly on Monday 14th June 07:10

[DJMC]

Firstly, forget any with push/pull buttons on the steering wheel. Go for the paddles. Nobody will want one with the buttons when you come to sell.

I tried five standard suspension cars before the PASM version I bought. Standard was OK, but PASM gave more comfort in normal mode, which suits me, and a firmer ride in Sport setting.

Maybe you didn't like either of these and preferred the middle setting of the standard suspension? I'd rate PASM as one of my top three "must haves" in speccing a car. PSE wouldn't even reach my bottom three - awful droning at 70mph. Gave me a headache in a courtesy car.

Have you tried a 2.7? I preferred it to the 3.4, but then I preferred normal and 14 way seats!