cole328

Seems to me to be an amazing technology that allows me to stiffen up the car on the fly, and immediately soften it on bumpy roads. Is it simply that its something electronic that can interfere with mods?

David A

You can only corner balance the car with coil-overs.It make a big difference.

cole328

ahh so, is a corner balance mainly beneficial for track use? i took mine back to the dealer at 750 miles for a rebalance, and that sucker sure does feel righteous. The Braman service guy did a great job under warranty

sandwedge

So you got the B&M SSK in. Happy or........?

rfedele

it sucks..... kidding a bit. to me it seemed to be one more useless thing that would likely break given time. I never used it when I had it.

cole328

Hey Sand VERY happy much nicer throws for sure one content driver here

ECS

For what I do with the car I find it perfect (after they got the strange wallowing out of the '05 model). Had a 6 GT3 but that was a bit rough for every day. My '06 997S can fit my young daughter in the back, can handle crappy Atlanta city roads, and then go all out on the track at a level close to my 6GT3. Its not a race car but its a great car for all the things I do. (Plus, added 7 GT3 control arms for more front camber, 7 GT3 front air ducts, 6GT3 race seat, harness bar and harness.)

mglobe

I've been very happy with PASM. In normal mode, I find the car gives a bit more comfortable ride than my non-S did. Sport mode is too harsh for the street, but I really like sport mode on the track.

eljeffo64

I love mine - really makes a difference - sport is too stiff for most public roads but when you are playing with the locals on a local National route out here it's the bizz.... On the track, no question it works better, for me anyway.

RonCT

I don't hate PASM... To find the sweet spot in the system, you need 18s... On all roads and most tracks here in the Northeast, the combination of 19 and PASM just doesn't work well. Normal is all you can use on street and track. The stiffness of the dampening and the 19" sidewalls is just too much to wring out the fastest laps. Once I went to 18" track wheels and tires (RA1s), I found that the sidewall was compliant enough to use Sport at Watkins Glen and that resulted in quicker lap times. Not so at Lime Rock - that track is too rough...

I'm reminded about that scene in Ronin where DiNiro is talking about the type of gun he likes to use in response to Sean Bean's question... "It's just a tool - I use whatever's in the toolbox." Give me a 997 with standard oem coil overs, PASM, or something else and I'll just adapt and have a great time doing so.

mitch236

I can only give my experience from the 997 GT-3. PASM's problem is only felt on the track. The problem is that the system changes the damping factor while cornering. On the GT-3 (and I assume the same for the S) the car was generally faster on the soft setting. On the smooth sections, the PASM would stiffen the settings then on the bumpy sections it would soften. Sounds great doesn't it? The problem is that by the time the changes had taken effect, you had passed that part of the track. Also on turn 17 at Sebring in particular, since it is a long turn with changing track surfaces, the PASM would be changing settings while still in the turn! That was unsettling.

For street use, PASM is fine. However, I find I use the soft setting all the time.

ECS

Mitch, I definitely concur on the 7GT3. Everything I have read/heard from Johannes VanOverbeek to Walter Rohrl, stiff on the GT3 is only good for glass smooth F1 type tracks. Rohrl got a faster time on the Ring with regular. Same with Johannes at Infineon. On the 997S, the stiff setting is better for many more tracks. Rohrl got a better time on the Ring on stiff with the "S". And, on the tracks I run RA and Barber, stiff has definitely been better for me. I also believe it will get better when I go to 18"s. Size will be one factor but I believe the lighter wheel which has the huge effect on unsprung weight will be the key.

mitch236

Well that's good to hear since I still have a set of 18" from the GT-3. I've been told the offsets are the same. Does anyone know if that's true?

cviles

I think Mitch has it right -- nobody really "hates" PASM; it's just a street friendly technology that doesn't quite work on the track.

The problem is consistency. The system continuously changes the damping but it's a reactive system. It doesn't plan ahead, it only deals with what's been under the wheels and is behind the car. It has no memory of where the car has been on the track so it can't anticipate the setting for upcoming corner. Consequently, the car is always set up just a little bit differently every time you go through a corner. Most drivers prefer a setup that will behave the same way each time.

As a street technology, it's great. It provides a nice compromise for all the different kinds of roads I drive on. But I've heard nightmares about how hard it is to get all that stuff out if you want to modify the car, even if you're staying with a plug-in replacement like Bilstein Damptronics.

nkhalidi

This might be true if you leave PASM in soft, but in sport I don't think the car changes damping on-the-fly. I leave my PASM in soft on the street all the time, and in sport on the track all the time. I find the car compliant and comfortable on the street, and predictable and responsive on the track.

Maybe you take a different line on T17: I turn in a bit, brake hard while downshifting from 5th to 3rd, trail-brake while completing turn-in, go a bit wider than most, wait for a particularly rough bump, get on the gas early, clip the apex, then redline 3rd and shift into 4th just before the first bridge. Works for me. YMMV.