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PASM vs Aftermarket Coilovers

6K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  fdonato 
#1 ·
From everything Ive read it seems that for the roads I have to deal with and the roads I like to drive on, I should be looking for PASM, but Ive come across some cars with aftermarket coilovers (think PSS9, Onlins, etc) and I wonder if those good aftermarket coils would be compliant enough to deal with the daily duties of the crap roads in most of LA, and my neighborhood specifically.

Those of you who have ideally experienced both, can you please comment on the pros/cons. Also, if you have those aftermarket coilovers and daily drive the car in an area with subpar roads please let me know ... The itch is getting worse, but Im trying to remain patient.

Thanks
-Simon
 
#2 ·
I have PASM on my current car
Have had regular coil overs like KWs and etc on other cars before this.
And my favorite was a custom 3-way coil over set up for me specifically.


If I had the chance and the down time, I would go for custom coilovers. They ride like a magic carpet and couple of tweaks, would be a track weapon.

The down side is that they run the lowest possible spring rate and with the most finely tuned valves and etc, such that the oil would need to be replaced and seals serviced every 20k miles.


So now with less time available, the PASM with DSC is a very close 2nd, with the option for a knowledgeable person to tune the DSC module to be as close to a magic carpet as possible.

No regrets if you go PASM with DSC unless you have specific reasons to lower the ride and etc
 
#3 · (Edited)
There is a car (06 Cayman S with 14k, PASM, SC, heated seats,etc) on Bring a Trailer, currently the bid in $26 and counting. TPC/DSC is magic for these cars, so that is where I would start. I do not know your motivation for the track or other events, but certainly that would really work. You could even add the R springs and the Tarett GT adjustable swaybars to the PASM system. The PASM shocks are robust enough to handle a higher spring rate (R Springs and Tarett GT Swaybars) and respond to the faster piston motion signals from the DSC controller.

I do have Ohlins R&T coilovers for the past 2 years, and really enjoy them. Six months after the Ohlins install, I had Tarett Cup LCA's and GT Swaybars with down links installed. With a good corner balance and alignment, the car was totally transformed, improving turnin, weight transfer across the car and throttle steering in and coming out of the corners. Seems that the Ohlins and the Tarett LCA's that are lighter, stiffer with greater ability to transmit cornering info along with the Tarett GT swaybars to keep the car weight transfer manageable across the car, the car really has improved in handling. Oh, the camber also was changed as well as the car's track increased.

I routinely reach under the front and rear to turn the golder knob, (rebound/compression adjuster back and forth) for autocross (4-6 clicks), HPDE's (4-7 clicks), Porsche tour's (7-8 clicks) and most importantly daily drives (10-12 clicks). I usually adjust the back slightly lower than the front. The shock rate without the swaybars spring rate included is 400 lbs/in f and 458 lbs/in rear, its good enough for my limited track work.
 
#4 ·
I’ve had PASM on my 987.2, with and without the DSC. I’ve previously had KW coilovers on a 996 and currently have Tractive coilovers with DSC on the cayman. The short answer is that DSC plus PASM is probably the best option for you. It’s the best cost to benefit ratio in my opinion for a daily driver that also does track duty. I drove an hour plus each way from Santa Monica to the valley for five years and it was comfortable. Combined with aftermarket sway bars I had neutral handling with modest body roll through the esses at Buttonwillow.

I found KW to be too harsh on the street (although in Boston which has much worse roads than LA). I also never changed the spring rates which might have helped.

The Tractive setup is great. It’s all the benefits of the DSC with the ability to adjust height, corner balance, allows easy changes to springs, and has theoretically faster shock adjustments. That said, it’s expensive and for most people the additional benefits wouldn’t justify the cost.

-Shawn


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