Quadcammer

Looking at a 2011 cs with air suspension but no pdcc. all air suspensions are junk and will have expensive failures so i would like to convert it to coils. is it as simple as installing the standard shocks struts and coils and programming air suspension out with durametric/ piwis or are there other differences in the suspension components?

Thanks

garrett376

It's as simple as buying a Cayenne with steel suspension already installed.

With your logic, though, you should possibly avoid a Cayenne altogether!

Quadcammer

Yeah thats cool but i need the full leather interior or else the interior looks so cheap so my choices are limited.

Why should i avoid the cayenne? Is it all unreliable junk?

garrett376

I was just using your mindset as everything has a chance to break, and everything is expensive to fix. It's a used Porsche. So if you consider air suspension to be junk for whatever reason, you'd probably consider everything else that has a chance to break as junk, too. Hence the recommendation to just avoid a Cayenne.

I personally don't have that "junk" mindset. So I'd get a turbo to have every gadget and the better trim to enjoy because if you've driven various Cayenne models, none are the same as the options change the character and capabilities of these vehicles significantly.

Quadcammer

If im honest the capabilities arent important to me at all. if i could stomach the looks of the japanese suvs id buy one in a second. the cayenne is acceptable looks wise, has a nice enough interior eith the leather trim, and will tow my track car. anything beyond that is superfluous. i will drive this like a 1989 buick century so any capabilities are irrelevant.

Hence if i can go to coil sptings i gain piece of mind that some $2k overcomplicated part isnt breaking prematurely

Thanks for your input

wkearney99

This.

Porsche vehicles like the Cayenne are built from the factory with an integrated number of options. Attempting to add or remove options at a later date is never really destined for success.

Honestly, if you want simple, then buy one that's set up with simple options. You will very likely not find success trying to cripple one already delivered with the air suspension setup. At least not without spending a lot of money.

That and be prepared for eye-wateringly expensive parts and labor costs. These are not inexpensive vehicles, no matter how much they depreciate over time. They're all not made in the kinds of quantities that after-market vendors want when it comes to creating parts. Thus just about everything that isn't shared on one of the other platforms is going to continue to have factory and dealer pricing.

But you likely know this already.

mafpolo

With air suspension it's not a matter of if it will break, just a matter of when. When it does, it is crazy expensive. Just because somebody wants a Cayenne, the assumption that you shouldn't buy a Cayenne unless you are willing to open your wallet to any degree. Having had two vehicles with failed air suspension I get it. I would never buy another air suspension car again, regardless of the advantages. I am not sure with Porsche, but with Lexus, you can buy a kit or replace the air with factory struts, shocks, etc. When I had my Range Rover HSE, I bought a kit. Surprisingly on both of those vehicles, the traditional suspension was better than the air. Your car, your choice. Buy what you want and convert it if you want.

chsu74

LOL at schooling Quad about Pcar ownership. Well, maybe he has not learned with 3 in his current stable. A fourth will light the bulb.

wkearney99

Heh, yes, sometimes you miss the 'number of posts' quantity.

Quadcammer

While I dig what people are saying about the difficulty converting, the parts are not expensive. A set of bilstein struts/shocks are about $1k, some used springs, another $500, and some top mounts and such, another few hundred. The car will likely just need to be told it doesn't have pasm or air suspension and it shouldn't freak.
That said, if the control arms or similar are different, it may become an issue that is overly expensive to rectify.

I've had a lot of air suspension fun on my S-class and Its not something I'm looking to repeat. Sadly the ones with the nicer spec interior usually have this crap air suspension. Hence my dilemma.

I spose there are options for repair, but it also seems like a lot of it involves throwing parts, like $2,300 air compressors at the problem.

rixtrix

Get a Touareg TDI. No air suspension offered.

RAudi Driver

Its easy to change out the air to clover system. Look on you tube.

If you already own a Cayenne with the air hen change it our if you need. If you are looking to buy, then look for one without the Air.

Good Luck with whatever you choose and keep us posted.

140.6er

RAudi Driver

Oops I meant spring system.

140.6er