ducstar

Should I be concerned with the typical driveway?

How does this compare to say a GT3 height?

If you have the 20mm option, did you also choose the expensive Front Axle Lift System?

Thanks for the insight. I'm leaning heavily towards a GTS purchase and have concerns with the standard 20mm lowered suspension.

stout

It's 10~ millimeters higher than the GT3, though some will say it's more like 5mm while others will say it's 15mm. In practice, there are variances.

I've driven cars at -10, -20, and -30 (and lower) for years, and you can get away with it if you learn how to approach driveways and inclines—as well as which ones to avoid. If you don't want the hassle factor, get the nose lift.

I don't think I could bring myself to order the normal PASM over Sport PASM, if only for the aesthetics and the fact that Sport PASM still rides really nicely. Also, I suspect most "next" buyers of your car will want a GTS with Sport PASM.

DNorby

I had a 2013S with SPASM. I had to be very careful and it did scrape quite a bit. Sometimes the front lip would come off partially and it is a good idea to pay attention to this because you may have to replace a lost lip. Now I have a 2017 base model (PASM is standard) and I hardly ever scrape which makes this car easier for driving around town.

Unless you are driving where everything is perfectly flat, like a race track or airport tarmac, then you will be constantly scraping the front lip of your car. I would not bother having it painted the same color since it will be getting scratched up.

991carreradriver

Had SPASM (20mm lower than no PASM) on my '16 C2. In the N/E, it scraped no matter how I approached. The part is not very expensive to replace, other than it has to be painted on the 12-16 versions.

On my GT3 (30mm lower than no PASM), I have FAL, so no issues. Ironically, the part on the GT3 is only $179 and is not painted, so its very low $ to replace.

Driven991

I have the SPASM 20 mm lower suspension and yes it will scrape my driveway if I do not come in at an angle very slowly. I go at it straight on then I have to use the FAL to clear the spoiler.

I occasionally take my car on the Ferry and I have to use the FAL to clear the exit/entrance ramps or I will scrape.

If I had purchased this car new I would not have paid for FAL but after owning it I would not have SPASM without it.

Valvefloat991

Depends where you are. In Colorado, in newer developments, there are no curb cuts with the assumption that everyone is driving a pickup or an SUV, which is 90 percent correct.

My base 991.2, which comes standard with PASM, is 10mm lower than a base 991.1, can barely make it over these high curbs, even with a perfect diagonal approach at a crawl.

P.S. I wish Porsche would do away with the -10mm description, as it is the new standard.

Dude174

It doesn't seem to scrape any more than the standard pasm I had on my previous S, but I don't have a steep driveway.

usccharles

I have a 991.2 GTS. I have FAL. I would recommend getting it.

I have only had my car for two months and always remember to use FAL and never scraped the front. except tonight coming out of a shopping mall garage and i forgot to use FAL... I scraped for the first time.

I'll never forget to use FAL over driveways after tonight

Hurricane

I never scraped anything with my PASM 991S. On my second 991S with SPASM, I only scraped coming out of my own drive way (would enter and exit at a 45 degree angle to avoid this).

Since that was the only case and I could mitigate it, I thought that FAL would be a waste of money and add extra weight and complexity to the car.

Dewinator

The way the spasm 991 sticks out mostly towards the center of the car, you can get pretty good at getting a huge corner angle and make almost any transition without a scrape. Unless you live in San Fran or something, it’s all about careful maneuvering and you can avoid scrapes. Not like other sports cars that stick out far on the sides and want to scrape no matter what angle you go at.

bmedude

I live on a steep hill but my driveway was built to compensate for it. With the standard pasm suspension, I scrape if I am not careful. If you live out in Houston I say go as low as possible. If you’re in a hilly area, stick with the standard height.

digits

I have SPASM and I also have front-axle-lift.

My driveway is pretty bad, so before I bought the car I drove it from the dealership to my house to actually try and see if it would even go up at all. I discovered that without front-axle-lift, I simply couldn't own this car at all. But that's me.

There are a few places that will definitely scrape - these primarily seem to be the aprons where a parking lot transitions to the road (gas stations are a common problem for me). My parking garage at work is kind of a hump I have to get over from the street, over the sidewalk, and down into the parking entrance. Without the lift, it will scrape every time no matter how I alter my approach.

You can spend the $ on this and you'll have a little bit of an easier time, or you can save the $ and just take extra care. You'll quickly learn where you should and shouldn't point the car.

Archimedes

I've scraped mine two times in three years, both due to my own stupidity. If I was paying attention, I could have avoided both of them.

BlueNorther

I ordered my 991.2 GTS with SPASM and no FAL based on a rennlist post showing it was 1 mm higher than my Cayman GTS, with which I've had no problems.





"I read it on the internet, it must be true..."

koala

I have curb ramps as my home is at the end of a cul-de-sac, and sometimes requires driving straight in/out if the neighbours are parked like ******.

Long story short, even with the curb ramps, I have minimal clearance with SPASM.

edit - should mention I've only managed to scrape the bottom of the front lip once, and that was coming out of a steep parking lot. I just take everything at extreme angles