Hi,
For those of you who got their cars and had ordered (or not) PASM, could you please comment on the difference and feeling with and without if you tried both. Also does PASM cause concern for long term maintenance? What happens if it fails while driving? Thank you.
Hossam,
Welcome to the site, have you used the search feature and looked for PASM? There are many discussions on the topic already where members have discussed pros and cons and potential concerns such as long-term maintenance or the desire to lower the car, etc.
My personal opinion is that it is a great option for combo street/track driving so I ordered it after driving a car with it. If you never drive on the track it may not be necessary, and if you are a track nut it might not be necesary as you'd likely replace it with a PSS9 style suspension anyway. For me it was a good compromise for the time being, but again YMMV. Do a search and see what turns up./fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/thanks.gif
Thank you K-Man S for your welcome and your efforts on this site! Now that I did some search I found interesting discussions. This is an informative thread for those who come here:
http://www.planet-9.com/topic.asp?T...ORUM_ID=9&CAT_ID=4&Topic_Title=Does+the+Cayman+need+PASM?&Forum_Title=Cayman+UK
Thank you again!
Hossam
Welcome Hossam...
From all accounts I have seen both the normal and PASM suspensions for the Cayman are outstanding.
I chose not to go with PASM as I don't have a specific need for it. My Cayman will be 95% street driven with mostly good to excellent roads being traveled on.......so I don't really need a 'normal' setting to have a comfortable ride on bad streets or the much stiffer setup the 'sport' setting offers. The only thing I really like about PASM is the slightly lower ride height.
The Cayman is already a stiffer car than the Boxster S is and was meant to be a fantastic handling machine no matter whether PASM was chosen or not. My advice as always is to test drive some Boxsters with and withou the option (and of course a Cayman if possible) and see what you think. The $2k asking price may be worth every penny to you, or it could be used somewhere else on the car for greater enjoyment......
Thank you Atlas_Croc! Mine too would be like 98% street driven on very good roads in general. So it seems that PASM may not be needed for me. But I'll take your advice and at least test drive boxters with and without.
cheers...
After the official launch date of Jan. 14th the dealers will be allowed to let people test drive the PCNA display cars thay have, so you should be able to test drive an actual Cayman. From what I understand, most, of not all came equipped with PASM, then drive a Boxster without or a non-PASM Cayman if they have one. Make sure you drive the same route so you can judge for yourself.
I've driven both flavors of Boxster S on the autcross track, and IMHO, in that environment, it's a must. If you plan to use the car in any kind of compeition or driver's education events on the track, then PASM is a must. The other thing to consider, is that the PASM system, even in normal mode can change the shock damping in real time, so even if you're in normal mode, but begin to drive very agressively, it will make adjustments accordingly and stiffen the shocks in response to your driving style. In sport mode, it changes the map of the damping levels to achieve even more stiff levels, but it is still variable in real time depending an a lot of different information inputs such as wheel angle, ride height, throttle angle and g forces.
If you decide to get PASM, make sure you get the Sport Chrono package, too. Since I plan to use the car for such events, I ordered both.
Good luck,
brad
Thanks Brad! A test drive is needed for sure now!
Hossam
I have gone back and forth on getting the PASM like a yo-yo. The two views expressed by Atlas_Croc and beez sum up the dilemma perfectly.
I for one want to hear more opinions from those who have their cars and have tried it on US roads - not something that will happen here for a few more days.
As a daily driver for me, I think it already is stiffer than a Boxster, and with a bunch of options ordered already I'm not sure the extra 2K is worth it to me if I don't go to the track. And even if I do, then it seems like it costs me 2K for the one trip around the track. I could probably try a friends car for free.
So I'm not trying to be cheap, I just can't convince myself that I will use it.
I've (obviously) not driven a Cayman, but based on driving an '06 Boxster S w/PASM, I would NOT get it for purely street driving. With PASM set to 'normal' the ride is quite compliant & comfortable, but if it didn't automatically tighten up, I would find it too soft for spirited street driving. The Cayman's non PASM suspension has been described as between PASM normal & sport & assuming it's similar to a non PASM Boxster, it's very good for a street driven sportscar & not likely to disappoint you.
Set to sport, PASM is ill suited for other than track, good highway or similar very smooth roads. Much too stiff for my urban environment. For a street/track car it really is the best of both worlds which is why I would get it & SC. For predominantly/only track, there are better suspension set-ups than PASM.
I've not heard of PASM failures, although it's too soon to determine long term reliability. If the system fails, I'd presume the adjustability would be lost.
