Apr 30, 2007 5:37:55 PM
- easy_rider911
- Rennteam VIP
- Loc: London , United Kingdom
- Posts: 22190, Gallery
- Registered on: Nov 8, 2004
-20mm sports suspension has spoiled me!
This lunchtime, I organised a little test drive of a 997 C2S (manual, PSE, Sport Chrono, PASM). Don't worry, I'm not planning to make any car changes. I just felt like trying PASM again since I've been driving my -20mm sports suspension for the last 6 months and I thought I would be in a better position to compare my -20mm car with a PASM car.
Good grief! It was awful, absolutely awful. Like driving a different car altogether. I've driven over 5150 miles in my 997 C2S with -20mm sports suspension. I never realised how much that has 'spoiled' me.
It's not so much the ride comfort that horrified me. After all, PASM Normal Mode soaked up all the bumps etc and PASM Sport Mode wasn't that bad in terms of a nice firm ride (but it did feel much too 'bouncy' and remote with no 'give' at all).
BUT the really shocking thing was steering feel. There was NONE. The steering on a PASM car (in both Normal and Sport Modes) felt utterly lifeless, numb and imprecise. There was no feedback to speak of.
It literally felt like a different car.
No wonder some car magazines complain about the 997 steering feel being less than that in the 996.
I stepped back into my -20mm car. OMG what a relief! Such a difference. I drove off and the steering was happily chatting away to me. Wonderful steering feel. The steering reaction to my inputs was instant, razor sharp.
During the test drive, I had told the salesman that the steering feel was awful. He suddenly became very keen to compare it with the -20mm. He had never experienced it before. So I took him out for a brief drive. You should have seen the look on his face. At the end of the drive, he just said one thing: "Forget whatever I said to you during our test drive. Your car is so much better to drive than the PASM car I took you out in." I think that says it all really.
I have only one fear now. That the -20mm has perhaps rendered me unable to put up with any other suspension set up!
Anyway, no offence intended here and I know this may trigger debate about why -20mm isn't available in North America BUT I just thought I would share these few observations with you guys FWIW... Thank goodness I listened to RC, Carlos from Spain, Fanch, antonio2 and others etc etc
-20mm ROCKS!!!