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How important is adjustable air suspension for towing?
I'm looking at a 2014 disel for towing purposes and a friend with a 14 Cayenne S said to make sure that car has the adjustable ride height air suspension? I dont even see that as an option on the 14 disel. Any words of wisdom? Do all you towers have these feature on your Cayenne? Also sounds like a pain in the but when it brakes.
Last edited by Houston GT3; 11-18-2018 at 10:28 AM.
Reason: spelling error
You’ll get mixed opinions. Finding air suspension in a diesel is like searching for hens teeth. It was a must for me, so I searched nation wide for months and jumped when I found one. I love the air.
Air suspension is fantastic. I would not own one without it as the vehicle handles so much better in addition to the other perks: leveling, 2" height increase for off-roading, lowering for loading and uncoupling the trailer, and active dampening and dampening control. After all, most people buy Porsches for their great handling, and the PASM with Air Suspension significantly contributes to that experience.
Regarding reliability or "struggles": In no way are Cayennes simple. The suspension is one of many systems that make up these vehicles. If you go based on forum chatter, you should stay far away from diesels considering all of the "struggles" people have with them. Or lose your worries (and more of your assets) and get a new Cayenne with a warranty!
Yes and read the struggles folks have when the air suspension goes wrong in so many ways. I adhere to the KISS principle.
The 958 air suspension IMHO isn't particularly troublesome. Moreso the earlier 955/957 systems that used fresh air to top up. The 958 system is a semi-sealed system filled by the factory with nitrogen to avoid moisture caused corrosion of the control valves. That seems to have made a difference in reliability. I've heard of a few 958's that had some air suspension problems - but nothing like the earlier models.
I'd have to agree with Garrett - if you really want reliability perhaps a Cayenne isn't for you. I've heard the Toyota Land Cruiser lasts about forever.
I have the air level suspension in a 2014 Cayenne S. Even with a Spec Miata on a Featherlite 3110 and 9 SM tires on the tire rack, the rear end of the Cayenne will squat. That means less weight on nose and less front traction for steering/braking. I have had no issues with the air suspension. My transfer case failed and was replaced under warranty though. I think the bottom line with these is that if you want to own them outside of warranty, have a pocket of cash available for a rainy day. We will trade ours at 6 years and 60K miles and not risk owning it past CPO warranty.
^ For those of you who dont have air suspension, sounds like the "light front end / squat issues" that Surlynkid references either dont bother you or are not an issue?
I haven't noticed any problems without air suspension. Mine tows better than my previous BMW X5d and Grand Cherokee. I'm towing a GT3 on an open Featherlite trailer, roughly 5-6K lbs. I did notice that towing in sport mode made a huge difference. In regular mode it always felt like it was in the wrong gear and lugging, sport mode puts it in the perfect gear, it's pretty effortless.
^ For those of you who dont have air suspension, sounds like the "light front end / squat issues" that Surlynkid references either dont bother you or are not an issue?
I tow my 6,000 lb boat and 1,000+ trailer for a total of 7,000 lbs and have NO trouble at all with the steel suspension.
I would not have gotten the air suspension if I had the choice and was glad that the CD i did get did not have it.
It helped that the Touareg TDI I had did not have air either-as it is not even an option in the USA or North America, and as the truck did just find towing the boat, I knew that the Cayenne would tow the same exact way, and it does.
I towed with an S with standard springs. A little squat but steering still felt good, not loose nor anything alarming. I loaded trailer with car and tires and verified tongue weight was around 550lb.
If you send me pm with email I can send photo. For some reason still having problem uploading photos.
I'm towing a Boxster on an open 8045 trailerx with my 16 CD. Not that much weight at around 4000 lbs total. I really don't even notice the car is back there sometimes. I also don't notice much squatting or a light front end. A lot depends on tongue weight which is adjustable depending on where you park the car on the trailer.
I'm pushing the "safe" tongue weight limit with my enclosed trailer at 600+lbs, and the Cayenne pulls, turns, and tracks every bit as well as my previous tow vehicle - a 7,000lb. Chevy Avalanche 2500. I feel it a little more when the trailer wiggles when a semi passes, but attribute much of that to the wheelbase difference.
I'd like the air suspension, but couldn't find a 2015+ CD with all of my other "mandatory" options when I was searching.
11-18-2018, 10:27 AM
How important is adjustable air suspension for towing?
