Sport suspension option on 997 C4S ??

[sidicks]

Just wanted some advice from the 'experts' on here regarding the lowered suspension option on a 997 C4S.

As I understand it, this incorporates:
- 20mm lowered suspension
- Stiffened springs and anti-roll bars
- Multi-plate limited slip differential

Presumably the key advantages are:
- More sporty handling for better track day performance
- Car looks better/meaner sitting lower ?

Disadvantages are:
- Stiffer, so less comfortable in general use
- Less ground clearance (could be important for accessing my drive!)

My view is that as I have no intention of tracking the car, and don't claim to be Walter Rohrl behind the wheel, then this is an option I can do without.

Anyone here have any other thoughts (or can at least confirm I've made the right choice ?)

Thanks

Sidicks

[simonharrod911]

I can't see why you would select this option, particularly on the 4WD version. PASM in sport mode is good enough for the road, and for everyday driving it's a relief to switch it off.

[jjr1]

The -20mm is nowhere near as firm as the PASM in sport mode so it acts as a great compromise between the soft/hard settings of PASM

The car looks better by a country mile. The standard car really does not look like a sports car on its Cayenne springs.

The setup is far more compliant on a bumpy road, presumably the type where you press on and therefore won't try and throw you off it like a PASM in sport mode.

The LSD may have little benefit for you if you have 4wd but it hugely helps the 2wd on track/road and saves expensive spinning of tyres in to huge plumes of smoke.

The car will definitely be lower. The front will catch speed bumps etc but if you don't try and take them Bo and Luke style you will not damage the car as there is no splitter ala GT3

My advice, get it or at least get a decent test drive of it before you opt for the SUV style set up.

[Adam B]

is it a no cost option as they remove the expensive PASM?

I thought PASM in either mode adjusted to driving style therefore only in SPort mode and pressing on is it harsh?

is PASM sport on a bumpy road really that bad - haven;t read this in any road tests, harsh yes but not trying to chuck you in a hedge

[jjr1]

The criticism of the Sport mode by owners can be seen on some boards and the occasional letter to the editor (Autocar one I remember, where the guy moaned it was trying to kill him). Evo in their test of the -20mm C2S said it rode better than the standard car and offered up more communication and was less aloof.

I even took a technician out from my OPC to sort out a squeal from the steering/dashboard and we went up and down some bumpy roads at high speed trying to get the damn car to squeak (why do they always go quiet anywhere near a technician?) and he was gobsmacked by how hard I was attacking the road. He said they used the same route for their own shakedowns of customers cars and the satandard C2S would have bounced all over the place at the same speed.
The technician also told me at that time he much preferred the standard suspension of the C2 over the PASM, not least because PASM cars have had early problems with grinding/bumping noises at slow speeds.

On my test drive of a C2S I was shocked at the bobbling front end and was at that moment regretting having even ordered one. Took my own car down the same road after it was delivered and it was a completely different animal.

The only way though to see if it suits is to get a test drive. I am sure all people who contribute to this thread will either seek to persuade you one way or the other in an attempt to justify their own purchase.

Finally that article by Chris Harris extolling the virtues of the standard C2 over the C2S for its better ride/handling may well have something to do with his dislke of PASM. Daft git should have tried the -20mm

[abarber]

I would personally go for the sport suspension option on a C2S, not driven a C4S 997 as yet. This is having experienced a PASM equiped C2S driven hard at chobham. The front end never really settles in sport model, feels overdamped. Perfectly fine on smooth roads though.

With the weight of the diff up front, a C4S PASM may be better, I don't know.

Not exactly a fan of the throttle response with PASM either, sport mode feels very artificial and short travel, non-sport very slack. Somewhere in between would be perfect, i.e. no switch.
Both modes seem to have some throttle lag too, very noticable after driving a non dbw car.

Otherwise fantastic cars. Make sure you get the PSE, emits a lovely bellow!

[JP.]

abarber said:

.....Not exactly a fan of the throttle response with PASM either,

PASM doesn’t change the throttle response the sports chrono option does.

Only advice, test drive both.

[willr]

jjr1 said:

The technician also told me at that time he much preferred the standard suspension of the C2 over the PASM, not least because PASM cars have had early problems with grinding/bumping noises at slow speeds.

Is this the same problem mentioned by simonharrod911? Have there really been many of these cases?
I think I noticed this on a PASM-equipped car the other day...

[jjr1]

It was a Nottingham technician that told me and the way he was talking he had seen a few come in.