so i took my 01 C4 out and hit a patch a black ice. it was in a neighborhood street so i was going 20 mph so i just corrected and it was fine. i have dunlop wintersports on my car.

the PSM went off and it was really loud. a touch louder than when ABS goes off. is that normal?

also, just as a side note, i've had to correct for slips due to ice many a time, but the 911 is the best mannered that i've come across. i swear it would make a fantastic drift car.

 

ABS most commonly activates brake control solenoids at the front, PSM can/will activate up to three brake solenoids simultaneously, both of the rear wheels and one front. ABS "releases" brakng forces, whereas PSM will most commonly apply braking forces.

"Drifting" a Porsche C4 would undountedly require disabling PSM, but even so the VC might stiffen up and start delivering a large portion of engine torque to the front wheels, thereby alleviating the ability to "drift".

 

It can be noisy. Additionally, it turns down the volume on my radio in my car when it activates so that makes it seem even louder.

 

yes - it is kind of loud

 

I came flying up on a yahoo coming off the freeway that stopped on the offramp to be extra safe not to cause any accidents ( I guess ??)

Got to try the ABS with the new Blizzaks...thought it was a bit noisy myself...I dont have PMS (sorry PSM ) though so no way to compare... glad you stayed on the road... me too !

 

Glad you stayed on the road, Ed! I know that feeling. There's no way to quantify, but I'd say the PSM is at least twice as noisy as the ABS. I think you also feel the PSM more - so it's more intrusive.

After the PSM has tried all it can to modulate the brakes, then it cuts the throttle on you. That's a weird feeling. You're at the track, muscling it through a corner, getting some drift, trying to put the power down and all of a sudden you feel the car coasting!

 

p.s. From my experience, in the snow, when the PSM intervenes, your instinct is to work with it - i.e. you let off the power and try to counter steer - the same thing the PSM is doing.

On the track, especially if you're used to a different car, you can fight with the PSM. But, you can also learn with the PSM by modifying your line and your application of the brakes and power to prevent the PSM from interfering. In fact, I believe this can make you faster in the long run!

 

yea, I have to say, being "old school" and learning to drive in the snow using the skids and sliding releasing the brakes and grabbing tracking, then locking them up to control a partial spin fo the outcome... ABS can be a problem. Just when I have the brakes on full and want it to slide out, it doesn't! A few years ago a smashed the front of my truck into a parked container trailer while doing donuts in a parking lot... the ABS was totally to blame (well, to be fair, I was to blame) for coming on and NOT allowing the truck to get sideways so I could miss it...I felt like an idiot who had never seen snow, and yet I have always gone out and played with my cars in the snow....I love to slide, drift, spin and cruise around when its slippery...

that was before ABS days...and I assume PSM too...

 

thanks for all the replies. i never had the PSM come on before so it was a bit startling. thought something was wrong at first.

i'm also a bit old school. i learned to navigate in snow in a camaro iroc z. as you can imagine it was a challenge, but i learned all about controlled slippage and proper counter steering on a rear drive platform (with huge amounts fo torque).

the only other all wheel drive car i've had was an audi A4 and it seemed less intrusive than in my C4.

i will be looking forward to getting the feel for it in an empty parking lot this winter

 

It is a bit noisy, however it is better than the sound of crunching metal.