Nov 16, 2005 5:26:43 PM
- Porsche-Jeck
- Rennteam Master
-
- Loc: Rheinland , Germany
- Posts: 4856, Gallery
- Registered on: Jun 27, 2005
Running in circles about wheels & suspension - Need Help !
As I am approaching the deadline for a change of the spec for my 987 S the most nerve wrecking decision seems to be the choice of wheels and suspension 
IMO performance / driveability comes first (before looks and appearance).
Unfortunately the dealerships nearby don't have all the variants (wheel sizes / PASM/stock suspension) available as demo cars
, so I won't have the chance for a real life comparison (oops - perhaps I should be careful with the word "real" in order not to run into a struggle like RC at the Cayman board 
) before confirming the definitive spec.
So far I've only driven the car with the 19 inch + PASM setup, but of course there was no chance to push the demo car to the limit during a testdrive (I would call it more some warm-up laps than anything else even if there was some spirited driving on nice curvy roads
)
So I have to consider the following alternatives:
18 inch wheels + stock suspension vs. 18 inch + PASM
OR
19 inch wheels + stock suspension vs. 19 inch + PASM
I am familiar with the pros and cons in theory (18 inch: more comfy ride due to higher flexibility of the rubber's sidewall, slightly better acceleration and Vmax due to less unsprung weight, less understeer at the corner entrance but less grip at the curves apex - should work the other way round for the 19'') but I think I am better off to collect some long-term experiences from some Rennteam fellows (preferable pilots who have been driven various setups already).
My guesstimate for now is not to upgrade to the 19'' (I've appreciated the comments from Ente and GR in the other thread regarding the more responsive road-feeling of the smaller sized wheels), but there would be some intense discussions with my co-pilot regarding looks (19'' are looking nicer IMO also)
As for looks: would the Cayman 18'' rims look nicer than the original Boxster 18'' rims ? (I've seen the Cayman rims only once at the Frankfurt Automobile show and liked them somewhat, however nobody would have seen them in the flesh on a boxster as available next year only). The new carrera sport wheel also appealed to me, but the rubber dimension (305 at rear) might be overkill for the Boxster..
Regarding PASM there seem to be some controversial discussions going on (more amongst 997 S owners) about its merits: some praising it for its variability (I would agree to this point) some are complaining about a kind of numb feeling in normal mode and even some rolling motions in the rear car when cornering very quickly, so I'm a little bit puzzled
During my test drive I LOVED the PASM in sport mode
but I was not so convinced with the normal mode (felt indeed a little bit disconnected from the road IMO - at least from my expectations from a sportscar / my daily driver is a 3series bimmer with sport suspension providing more road-feel compared to the comfy PASM normal mode IMO. Don't flame me for this blasphemy 
.Maybe it's only me or a matter of getting accustomed to the different kind of road feels different cars provide ?
Also I wasn't able to find the correct setup during a high speed test on the autobahn (in normal mode nice and comfy for a lengthy autobahnride as long as you go straightline , but I found the system's intrusive behaviour at high speed curves, hard breaking, quick lane changes etc. a little bit irritating, whereas a multi hour autobahn run in sport mode might only provide some benefits for my orthopaedist
If I would be in the market for a 997S I definately would consider to go for the -20mm Option, but unfortunately there is no such thing for the Boxster.
BTW the dealerships I spoke to have not been a great help: regarding the PASM their comments varied from "Must have" to "if you opt for it it's like throwing money away".
Also I am a little bit concerned about the long-term reliabilty/durability of the PASM shock absorbers (its a quite new system and I intend to keep the Boxster for long-term) and replacement costs (nobody seems to know anything about the latter).
So basically I feel stuck in a compromise situation: when opting for PASM I might feel unhappy with the Normal mode (appropriate for maybe 70% of the seat time) except for cruising in the city and with the stock suspension I might miss the IMO fantastic drive feeling the sport mode provides during a spirited drive...
I understood that RC would recommend PASM (even more for the Boxster than the 997S) but I had the impression that he also more liked it for the Sport mode than the Normal mode..
Also I had no chance to drive a car with the short shifter
I've opted for it, as the throws of the stock system seemed a little bit too long for a sportscar IMO (although otherwise I was very happy with the gearbox) - I know the short shifter could be retrofitted aftersales, but I'm a fan of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rule so I think I'll confirm this option also and keep my fingers crossed that my wife would not need to subscribe for a bodybuilder class just to change gears
I hope I don't bother you Rennteam fellows with the questions, which for sure have been discussed previously, but as the 987S is a relative new model some owners might have changed (or confirmed) their early views on some of the options based on a meanwhile more profound experience
Anyway, some of you guys might qulify as a psychatrist if you would be able to deliberate me from my RUNNING-IN-CIRCLES mode....just tell me about the right medicine....RC I've learned from another thread that you are apharmacist....I must talk to my health insurance company about the coverage of all illness costs evoked by this crazy P-virus
IMO performance / driveability comes first (before looks and appearance).
Unfortunately the dealerships nearby don't have all the variants (wheel sizes / PASM/stock suspension) available as demo cars
, so I won't have the chance for a real life comparison (oops - perhaps I should be careful with the word "real" in order not to run into a struggle like RC at the Cayman board ) before confirming the definitive spec.
So far I've only driven the car with the 19 inch + PASM setup, but of course there was no chance to push the demo car to the limit during a testdrive (I would call it more some warm-up laps than anything else even if there was some spirited driving on nice curvy roads
)
So I have to consider the following alternatives:
18 inch wheels + stock suspension vs. 18 inch + PASM
OR
19 inch wheels + stock suspension vs. 19 inch + PASM
I am familiar with the pros and cons in theory (18 inch: more comfy ride due to higher flexibility of the rubber's sidewall, slightly better acceleration and Vmax due to less unsprung weight, less understeer at the corner entrance but less grip at the curves apex - should work the other way round for the 19'') but I think I am better off to collect some long-term experiences from some Rennteam fellows (preferable pilots who have been driven various setups already).
My guesstimate for now is not to upgrade to the 19'' (I've appreciated the comments from Ente and GR in the other thread regarding the more responsive road-feeling of the smaller sized wheels), but there would be some intense discussions with my co-pilot regarding looks (19'' are looking nicer IMO also)
As for looks: would the Cayman 18'' rims look nicer than the original Boxster 18'' rims ? (I've seen the Cayman rims only once at the Frankfurt Automobile show and liked them somewhat, however nobody would have seen them in the flesh on a boxster as available next year only). The new carrera sport wheel also appealed to me, but the rubber dimension (305 at rear) might be overkill for the Boxster..
Regarding PASM there seem to be some controversial discussions going on (more amongst 997 S owners) about its merits: some praising it for its variability (I would agree to this point) some are complaining about a kind of numb feeling in normal mode and even some rolling motions in the rear car when cornering very quickly, so I'm a little bit puzzled
During my test drive I LOVED the PASM in sport mode
but I was not so convinced with the normal mode (felt indeed a little bit disconnected from the road IMO - at least from my expectations from a sportscar / my daily driver is a 3series bimmer with sport suspension providing more road-feel compared to the comfy PASM normal mode IMO. Don't flame me for this blasphemy .Maybe it's only me or a matter of getting accustomed to the different kind of road feels different cars provide ?
Also I wasn't able to find the correct setup during a high speed test on the autobahn (in normal mode nice and comfy for a lengthy autobahnride as long as you go straightline , but I found the system's intrusive behaviour at high speed curves, hard breaking, quick lane changes etc. a little bit irritating, whereas a multi hour autobahn run in sport mode might only provide some benefits for my orthopaedist
If I would be in the market for a 997S I definately would consider to go for the -20mm Option, but unfortunately there is no such thing for the Boxster.
BTW the dealerships I spoke to have not been a great help: regarding the PASM their comments varied from "Must have" to "if you opt for it it's like throwing money away".
Also I am a little bit concerned about the long-term reliabilty/durability of the PASM shock absorbers (its a quite new system and I intend to keep the Boxster for long-term) and replacement costs (nobody seems to know anything about the latter).
So basically I feel stuck in a compromise situation: when opting for PASM I might feel unhappy with the Normal mode (appropriate for maybe 70% of the seat time) except for cruising in the city and with the stock suspension I might miss the IMO fantastic drive feeling the sport mode provides during a spirited drive...
I understood that RC would recommend PASM (even more for the Boxster than the 997S) but I had the impression that he also more liked it for the Sport mode than the Normal mode..
Also I had no chance to drive a car with the short shifter
I've opted for it, as the throws of the stock system seemed a little bit too long for a sportscar IMO (although otherwise I was very happy with the gearbox) - I know the short shifter could be retrofitted aftersales, but I'm a fan of the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" rule so I think I'll confirm this option also and keep my fingers crossed that my wife would not need to subscribe for a bodybuilder class just to change gears
I hope I don't bother you Rennteam fellows with the questions, which for sure have been discussed previously, but as the 987S is a relative new model some owners might have changed (or confirmed) their early views on some of the options based on a meanwhile more profound experience
Anyway, some of you guys might qulify as a psychatrist if you would be able to deliberate me from my RUNNING-IN-CIRCLES mode....just tell me about the right medicine....RC I've learned from another thread that you are apharmacist....I must talk to my health insurance company about the coverage of all illness costs evoked by this crazy P-virus
To be honest I like the cocoa also a lot, it's just another feeling inside the car (more "comfy" and classy).
