Harrygator

Hi all. New on this board and to Porsche world also. I've developed a crush on the Cayman S and am trying to understand and build an option list before going to the dealer.

I'm interested in the PASM and PTV performance options but they are costly at $3100 in total. I do not plan to race the car but the active suspension and torque vectoring technology is intriguing.

My question is, are these options worth the cost if you're not tracking the car? The active suspension, PASM, does seem like a nanny system and if you choose PASM, you have to also select PTV or sport suspension. Any insights pro or con would be appreciated.

Harry

Bill Lehman

PASM electronically stiffens the shock as "required". The standard suspension is fine for street use. I also see no need for PTV on the street.

73S

PASM is more of a comfort option from my standpoint. It makes 20" wheels much more livable because it can go much softer than the stock suspension on rough roads. You can get PASM without ordering PTV. I didn't get PTV, but I will say that it can take a while to get the power down on corner exit without the limited slip differential. I think the differential is by far the more valuable part of PTV, not the actual torque vectoring itself.

jcastle

for street driver, PASM helps. But stock suspension is quite good and very compliant on street. no ptv needed unless tracking car.

125shifter

PASM also has a 10mm lower ride height so it's better looking too. I'm glad I got PASM to better handle rough streets. I also got PTV too but then I hammer it coming out of most turns even on the street.

william_b_noble

if you are going to drive it as a street car, beware of the lowered ride height and beware of the 20 inch wheels - the lowered height will mean much more scraping, and the very low profile tires give you a very rough ride. I replaced a 991 that had these things with a Cayman that did not, and threw some $$ in the trash along the way (and was called all sorts of nasty names in the 991 branch of this forum for not liking it). Be sure that the ride quality is what you want for just driving around, and that you can go where you normally go without problems (like pulling the front spoiler off when you back out of your driveway). The effect is a little less pronounced in the Cayman because the car is a little shorter.

TheDatanator

PASM yes for the reasons mentioned. No need for PTV as a DD.

Harrygator

I was worried about ride height with PASM lowering 10mm and sport suspension lowering 20mm. They love speed bumps here where I live and you literally have to crawl over them even with my Audi. I was also concerned about the 20" wheel ride quality vs 19". The 20" wheel options look so much nicer than the 19's so another tough decision.

Harrygator

Does the power go to one wheel with the stock differential? If so I definately would want the PTV just for the posi-traction.

73S

If you have PSM on, it will automatically brake the spinning wheel (basically an e-differential). If you turn PSM off, you lose that.

Driverxxx7

I have a 2014 CS, and I ordered the car with both PASM & PTV and 20 Carrera S wheels.
I have had the car for three weeks now, and I can tell you from my own experience from driving it on the street now for just over 1000 miles that there is no down side to having PASM, PTV, or 20 inch wheels on the street.
This is my third Cayman S as I sold my Gen2 in March that did not have PASM when I ordered my 2014, and the new car with the larger wheels, rides much better on the street than the Gen2 ever did.
There is no down side. PASM adjusts to your driving as it is active in normal mode all the time. Putting it in Sport mode makes the car noticeably handle even better, and firmer for any curve or turn you may come up against. As for PTV it is a very noticeable difference in those conditions, compared to the other 2014 CS cars I have driven without it.
PASM with PTV & 20 inch wheels is the only way to go. I would have never of ordered the car without them.

tangram

I also have a 2014 CS with PTV and PASM and 20" wheels. I track my cars. I actually think that for a DD you should save some $ and get the car with no PTV, no PASM and 19" wheels. If cost is a concern, buy the car as a bit of a stripper (forego all the high margin options like fancy paint, leather, nav, etc. It will still be an AMAZING vehicle and you won't miss any of this stuff. I would even go as far as say that you should take a hard look at the base Cayman (but only if getting a MT) before making your decision. This car is light years ahead of the competition, even in its most basic form. You WILL NOT be disappointed and you will feel pretty smug driving your new car with a fistful of Benajmins left over!

ninjabones

Spent the last few weeks test driving different cars (after selling my race car.. see avatar). Incredibly impressed with the performance of this car unmolested right from the factory. My "must haves" were PDK, PASM, Sport Chrono, Sport Exhaust and 19" wheels.

The 20" wheels are certainly sexy, but I'll stick with the 19" ones as the ride is less harsh, more tire options, and less likely to deal with road hazard issues. I will eventually buy 18" wheels for the track. I elected to stay away from PTV, as when the time comes that I feel an LSD is needed (and I'm not entirely convinced that it will be absolutely needed), I'd like to have a proper motorsport LSD and select the specs exactly as I feel are needed direct from Guard.

73S

I would note that there are NOT far more tire options for the 19 inch wheels. 40 aspect on 19 inch wheels is actually pretty unusual, whereas 35 aspect on 20 inch wheels is common. There is a much bigger selection if you get the 20 inch wheels. I got 19s, but tire selection isn't a good reason to do so.