To PASM or not to PASM....

That is the question. My order is placed, but considering this addition. I want a fast, super-responsive rocket, but don't want to break the bank or have maintenance problems in the future. I'll be driving it a min 50mi daily, avg speed ~80mph hwy most of the time, weaving thru trucks and slow riders in the fast lane. Don't know what will be worse: Regretting getting it or regretting not getting it. Also, do you really need the sport chrono pkg along with PASM ? Any advice?

Personally, I think the Sport Chrono option is a joke. It is getting misinterpreted by many people. Your not getting any more HP. Its just changing the E throttle 'movement'. The pedal has 5 inches of 'movement' standard for full throttle. If you get the Sport Chrono option and turn it on,it moves all the 'movement' of the 5 inches into 3 inches so you perceive a more sporty feel when your on the gas. You still have 5 inches of movement but the throttle response is changed so full throttle is 2 inches sooner. I had a 944 way back when. They sold a throttle cam that did the same thing.... That only cost $25 I can do the same throttle wise with my right foot without ordering the Sport Chrono option. Now with PASM /Sport Chronoyou also get another 'stiffer' shock setting.... Most guys I know have never used that highest setting saying it is WAY TO STIFF. Some people complain about the normal 'Sport' setting on the PASM . I personally do not like the 'zit' sticking out of the dash. It does not look right to me. But that is only my opinion. Since i'm a performance kind of guy- I ordered the PASM .....It also lowers the car from the factory10mm more than a standard suspension. I hope this helps. Edited by - C.Plavan on 09/02/2005 6:30:59 PM

I'm going to have to agree and disagree with Chad since I have a 2005 Boxster S with Sport Chrono , not only does it change the throttle mapping, but it also backs off the PSM settings. BOTH are nice to have on the track as it makes heel-toe'ing easier and allows you to push the car more before the computer kicks in to try and override what you are doing. Sure you can turn PSM off, but then you are placing yourself more at risk and there may be other reasons not to turn it off entirely. Sport Chrono also has the nice stop watch, I happen to like the look of it, especially at night when it is illuminated. I used it during my last track outing to compare lap times and it certainly helped me put some numbers behind what I was doing, of course there are cheaper options for stop watches . Finally, if you have PCM you also get nice visual bar graphs of your times, but that's not really necessary, although a bluetooth send/print option would be nice to export those. PASM is also another must have IMHO if you are going to track the car, not only do you get lower ride height (which can be lowered further with different PASM compatible springs from TechArt and H&R) but you also get variable ride comfort. With the Sport Chrono / PASM combo you get more settings than simply PASM alone, not sure why Porsche made that little bonus, I guess to encourage them to both be purchased together. Could PASM break? Sure, it is more electronic 'stuff' on the car, but if you are going to be pushing your car, particularly on the track, I think you'll enjoy its capabilities and most of all its flexibility to be a track warrior on weekends and a commuter vehicle during the week. Hope that helps!

K-man S is right about the PSM. I forgot about that aspect. However, once you brake and trip the antilocks PSM turns back on automatically ruining your fun (Or saving your life ) The remapping is just throttle response. Less throttle movement = more gas VS. standard mode.It makes you think it is faster. It's a nice 'trick' but nothing you can't already do with your right foot acceleration [/quote]wise. Its just giving you more performance 'feel' with minimal pedal movement. It's not giving you anymore HP or torque performance, however Porsche would like you to think so. Good marketing if you ask me.

I agree no additional HP, but it does apply the throttle more how I like it and easier to heel toe...

Both K-Man S and C.Plavan offer very valid and thorough reasons to go with PASM and Sport Chrono . This is why I decided against them..... Took two new987s out, one with both the otherwith neither (both on 19' wheels, so 18's may be a little different). After about 30 minutes in each I had made my decision...... If you wantTHE bestfactory suspension for the track PASM may be for you.Since my Cayman will be used for 95% street driving I found the sport mode of PASM to be a bit on the harsh sidefor normal everyday driving on all types of streets. On the freeway it tended to thud over every expansion joint and made the car feel unsettled on marginal streets. Using the normal mode made the car feel a bit soft and even floaty over certain roads........great 'ride', but not for me in everyday driving. Then took the standard S out..........it was fantastic from the start.Not too harsh and not too soft.......was firm without being jolting and still gave a good ride.......a compromise I could easily live with and Ineverhad to worry what 'mode' I was in. It feltgreat at alltimes without having to mess with any controls. Mindyou the standard Cayman S suspension will be a step above the Boxster S to begin with......bigger roll bars andtweeks to the springs and shocks........not to mention the already stiffer structure of the coupe.........so I can only think thenon- PASM equipped Cayman S will be a steller handling machine to begin with. It has also been reported that the Cayman S without PASM was 3 seconds slower around Nurburgring than a PASM equipped version.......that puts the Cayman S with PASM @ 8.11 and the Cayman S without PASM @ 8.14.......thats a 1% improvement for $2k. To some this maywell be worth the price......to me it wasn't. For the type of driving you will be doing, a non- PASM car will be just fine. Now for Sport Chrono ....... I don't really like the wart. It may be helpful at the track but I can't see any other practical reason for it except maybe timing the wife to see how late shes running(this may make it worth the price to some). As far as the throttle mapping is concerned........it does make the car feel a bit more 'lively' and is neat for the first 5 minutes, but then started to bug me after a while......I don't think I could have it on 100% of the time, whichof course there is a switch for it. In the end I would probably leave it off most of the time. Again it mayhave merit for track usage, but I didn't find much value in it for street or highway driving. PASM and SC are nice items to offer, but don't let Porschebuffalo you into believingthey are 'needed' items....they may be nice for some but certainly not needed by any means. The Cayman S will alreadybefast and super-responsive without PASM or SC but either or both may turn out to beto your liking........best thing to do istest drive cars with and without then make a decision.

Nice write-up AtlasCroc!

AtlasCroc, thanks for doing my homework for me! I was going to try to find inventory at my local dealers to test drive vehicles with/w-o PASM . Your driving profile seems comparable to mine. Unless anyone else has a differentperspective on the AtlasCroc experience, looks like I may have my answer....

I did the same side by side as AtlasCroc and I agree with his analysis and conclusion. I passed on the PASM and sport chrono .

I concur, even though I ordered SC and PASM , they aren't for everyone. Thank goodness they are options and not 'forced'.

I went and did the same test yesterday. I will concur that the PASM is nice, but not needed. I already have a race car, so there is REALLY no need to take the Caymanto the track. If you plan on tracking your car a bit and do not want to deal with springs/ shocks later then I would go for it. My plan is to get some lowering springs or coilovers because the car is way to high (987), even with the PASM . The Stock Boxster S suspension was just the way I liked it. I imagine the Cayman S suspension will be a little tighter which is fine. If PASM had one more setting between the normal and sport ride, I would of kept PASM . After driving the Boxster S, I also decided to dump my paint to sample (Hard pill to swallow for an extra $4300 AND having to wait ayear). So I went to my old trusty color Speed Yellow to follow in my 993 and 996 footsteps. Although, I need to see Atlas and grey leather. That may be a very cool combination. I'm still on for Nov. production. so I have till the end of this month to make any more changes..... The only other thing I may dump is the Full Leather.... the regular interior is much, much better in these cars than my old 996 with Full Leather. It's 500 times better than my old 2001 Boxster. It's not as 'plastic' anymore..... Still up in the air on the leather. I will be getting the leather sports seats either way... Those look and feel awesome. Yesterday, I saved myself $6300+ out of my wallet.... Maybe another $2095 too if I do not get the full leather, Hmmm. Decisions suck. Edited by - C.Plavan on 09/09/2005 11:13:43 AM

It's too bad about the paint to sample, it's just too much of a hassle on top of the price, and Idecided to go with white/black instead of riviera or mexico blue. I agree that the interior of the 987 series is leagues beyond the 986. My 986 had a lot of leather but itstill didn't compensate for the cheap plastic pieces. I decided to go for the full leather, which if you are going toget the leathersport seats anyway,becomes $1795 rather than $2095. I think the leatheradd a lot to theoverall feel of the cabin. I would also agree about the coilovers rather than the PASM . If you could get painted sport seat backs would youaddthem? We should have some new photos and information next week from the show.

Yeah- I might paint to sample my 'next' Cayman S Your right about the leather.... I forgot about the difference in sport leather seat prices depending on the package. Leather it is. I think painting the seat backs is a little to 'Rice' for me. Yellow can be overpowering if you have it everywhere. If you can paint the rear shock towers later I maydo that.I have seen some ugly boxsters when the owner paints EVERYTHING on the inside the exterior color. I may add the Yellow Seat belts later to break up the black interior.But then again it's just my taste and not theirs. I saw a Speed Yellow Boxster S with Cocoa interior.... What were they thinking????/fckeditor/editor/images/smiley/MWPX/end.gif

I'm eveluating this a little different from you guys. I'm getting PASM for the same reason I'm buying a Porsche. I appreciate the engineering. Automotive technology is cool and Porsche is the best. It's fun to support a company that makes cars and options that nobody needs, but everybody wants!I'm getting PCCB too, for the same reason. So I can stand around and talk with my friends about how cool it is. I road raced motorcycles for several years (at the track) and I know what really matters.I do intend to track the car, but at my skill level niether will matter.I'd have a hard time staying ahead of a pro driver if I was in a911 and he was in an old Boxster!Besides, if I wanted to go to the track a lot, I would get a real race car for a lot less money! It would be low tech, half the priceand destroy any street legal Porsche on the track. I won't actually enjoy driving the car any more or less with whatever options. I would have passed on Sport Chrono , the enginnering just isn't that cool, but it's cheap.

Was so glad to see the topic about PASM , as, I have been debating whether or not to leave the PASM & SC options on the car. I am going to the dealer to drive Boxsters with and without the PASM next week. I do think after reading all of the information though that I will probably leave the order the way it sits. I must say that I have tried everything I could to justify the PCCB option but the cost is awfully high. And, after hearing from Service Manager about people trying to get repairs done under warranty and being denied was sure that I would not buy it. He explained that the cars are track used without changing the street pads to a competition pad, causing the rotors to excessively heat up and warp. Supposedly the denial came from the fact that street pads were used under racing conditions. Don't have any other information about it at this time though.