boybike

How come when the PSM is off
1). My car starts in 1st not 2nd gear
2). The shift points (when driving like a little old lady), change from 2200 to 3400 rpm?

Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

Bruce

mudman2

I was told that the change was the sport mode we all wanted.

JeffES

Not really a "sport mode", per se, but rather the settings allow for more or less control by the PSM.
Starting out in 2nd, and lower rpm shifts are "easier" (I know, I'm being very simplistic here....) to control.
PSM is a very good thing, and it's even better that it has an "off output" button. To find out why I didn't say "off" button, search here on the 'list.
Enjoy the ride!!!
J

skl

I've found when driving with it off, it never shifts into 6th on the highway, at least at the speeds I'm driving so I just tip it into 6th. Definitely much more aggressive...

boybike

So let me make sure I understand this:
PSM's main feature is to help save the drivers *** when he/she is driving too "ENTHUSIASTICALLY"
if is is OPERATIONAL, then it drives like a little old lady
If it is DEACTIVATED, and not protecting the driver from mistakes, it Shifts (and keeps the torque UP) like a wild person

Does this make any sense to anyone? Or have my Meds just not started working yet????

JeffES

Gotta check those meds....
PSM does not drive like a little old lady - and it's never 100% "off". It's a good thing.
J

Aeson

Porsche totally missed the boat with this one. There should be 2 controls - 1 for Sport mode and 1 for stability control. Instead you get a PSM button. So no driving sporty and safely at the same time for us.

...and yes - PSM does drive like a little old lady....

mudman2

Wow, some people really dont understand anything do they Jeff, just wondering if we have some trolls here !

boybike

When I am pushing the envelope, I would expect perhaps some oversteer when the rear wheels start skidding sideways, If I have the PSM off (and are reading the manual correctly!), The only thing that my car might do is laugh at me as opposed to any braking of the appropriate wheels. The way I inderstand it is that other tools are at my disposal, (ABS, Traction Control), but how will they help when cornering a little too fast?

Bruce

JeffES

Mud,
Yeah, trolls lurk in so many places....
I, too laughed at PSM - until a fellow by the name of H. Haywood took me on a few laps @ Road Atlanta (fall of '98).
Anyone who "knocks" PSM has not, in truth, experienced what it can do.
Boy - the Cayenne is always in "Four wheel drive" (no, I won't go into all of the details here), thus the tendency to understeer (not oversteer) - it's the nature of AWD/4WD drivetrains. When the PSM switch is in the "off" position, the system is still gathering and analysing all data streams. If you go into a turn too "hot", but DO NOT touch the pedals, well, anything can happen. If, however, you go in "hot" and apply the brakes, PSM "takes over" and will do it's best to save your bacon. Once you lift off of the brake pedal, PSM hibernates again until you call on it.
In fact, that's the analogy I liked to use - PSM can be "awake" and functioning all of the time, or you can make it "hibernate" for "emergency use only". Truly an amazing system, and is still, half a decade later, state of the art.
J

boybike

Thank you JeffES,

You da Man!

You have finally explained what the PSM off button will accomplish. Now I will feel more comfortable with the PSM off when I feel like driving more agressivly and having the Cayenne make most of the decisions as to shifting.

Bruce

JeffES

Boy,
Might I even "humbly" suggest this article:
http://webdisk.berkeley.edu/~dlrowney/PSM.txt
Jeff S.

mudman2

Thanks Jeff thats the best article I have read on the subject

davidbrondstetter

PSM saved my CS this weekend. I was a bit to aggressive getting onto the 5 and at over 80 an hour starting and ugly slide, psm kicked in and straighten the car out. Without it, I was into the wall. My suggestion, keep you foot off the brakes and steer the car exactly where you want to go. Call it "old lady", PSM allows you to have fun with your car without the fear of crashing your ride. If you haven't had PSM activate on you yet, you're the OLD LADY. :-)

It was still a bit scary, PSM didn't take that away.

boybike

I was NOT calling the PSM an old-lady, just that when it is on, the car shifts like a little old lady and usually is in too high of a gear to rapidly accelerate without downshifting 1 or 2 gears (I take a corner, at 20 and I notice I am in 4th gear). When it is turned off, then the car shifts much more agressivly and keeps the revs up to where I can get immediate response to the throttle without downshifting...

p.s. love the car, everything works right