Porsche Macan Forum banner

PASM opinion from other forum

26K views 83 replies 38 participants last post by  Oliver 
#1 ·
I test drove a Macan with PASM from Chester to the Horse shoe Pass and through my favourite Welsh twisty roads in the Mold/Ruthin area, lets just say i was going fast, on smooth roads going fast it stiffened up automatically which was great until the roads deteriorated to lumpy bumpy and the suspension was too stiff on the corners hitting bumps the car was being knocked off line an inch or two, i pressed the button to select Comfort it but it stayed stiff, the car knows you are driving fast so thinks you want stiffer suspension which on a smooth road is great but on bumpy poor surfaces it too stiff, on returning the dealer said you cant go into the menus and stop it automatically stiffening the suspension when going fast on twisty roads. It would be better if you could select comfort or sport or auto and it stayed in your selected setting rather than automatically stiffening up when going fast around corners, our roads are often poorly surfaced and on twisty fast roads with poor surfaces supple suspension is often better than stiff. I took a Macan with steel suspension out and was surprised how good it was, it was supple and composed, bombing around corners it did lean a few degrees but not much. I think I will order mine with the standard steel suspension, for people who do track days on smooth race tracks PASM would be better though.
 
#2 ·
It is a balancing act. On rough roads going fast, which is more important? I'd rather have it stiff so I have a better controlled though bumpy ride.

A typical example: my BMW 330Ci with sport suspension is stiff and on a stretch of rough road it jumps around a bit but controllable. My Lexus SC430 is soft and on the same rough road it floats up and down, back and forth, and very hard to control. It is bordering on being dangerous so I have to slow down.

The good thing about fixed steel suspension is that you have the same expectation of the suspension responses based on previous experience so you are prepared.
 
#3 ·
Great perspective for those that can benefit from it. Texas is known for good highways. Surface roads are more a function of the county, and while most are great you do get the occasional area where road quality is poor. I'll also say that we're not known for lots of twisty's and the like... we 'tend' to lay our roads fairly straight. Probably has something to do with the relative flatness of the state and the distance between locations.

I keep mine in comfort mode 95% of the time. 95% of the time I'm commuting. If I get lucky and have some free lane in off/on ramps, I'll sometimes drop into sport for a little more assurance when using the right foot pedal. I've rarely actually used the third PASM setting.
 
#4 ·
I think the biggest confusion about PASM is the claim that PASM adjusts to road conditions actively. In my experience it doesn't seem to do that. However, it does seem to adjust to driving style (speed) actively. In order for it to be able to adjust to road conditions (actively) it would need the ability to read and analyze the road ahead with a camera based system similar to the one that the S class Merc has. So it seems to adjust to road conditions passively i.e. via the button, and to driving style actively i.e. based on driver input.

 
#5 · (Edited)
Steel suspension is very good, and in many cases less "intelligent" systems are more reliable and predictable. I do not regret my choice of steel springs.
 
#6 ·
I had the steel suspension on my S before trading in for the Turbo. The steel suspension is one of the best I've experienced. Not too soft, not too stiff, with a well controlled ride. You can't go wrong with the steel suspension.

That said, you can go every so slightly more right with PASM. And in my experience with it, comfort is comfort, and sport and sport plus are what they are. The comfort setting is a bit more compliant than the steel and gives a more luxurious ride. Whereas, the sport and sport plus are also not overly harsh but exert an amazing amount of body control not attainable with steel.

For me, PASM was a no brainer. With the addition of AS set on low, it's even that much better.
 
#7 ·
I agree that base suspension is fine... I almost stayed with that too but since my C7 also has a similar type of variable damping (MagRide), I figured why not add PASM as well on the Porsche. I like the versatility of the dampers... I mostly toggle in between Comfort and Sport but many of the roads near me here in So. FL are well paved unlike back in the Philly 'burbs (where I'm originally from).

Plus, Porsche's Macan website also claims: " PASM is an electronic damping control system. It actively and continuously adjusts damping force based on current road conditions and driving style..... PASM is permanently active, adapting automatically to the current driving situation with the aim of increasing driving stability and comfort." Therefore I opted to add PASM.

BTW, just wait until the AS guru chimes in... ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: fantom
#11 ·
What I have read leads me to believe that Steel plus PASM works. But, I also read that us country folk who might pull a utility trailer from time to time would benefit with A/S. I am convinced that I could have easily saved the money I spent on A/S and never suffered, but I do simply like the whole idea of air suspension and its added versatility.
 
#13 ·
@santastico

Ah, thought you might ask. Happy to answer, though I will tell you just fyi I've fully discussed it and its benefits in other threads earlier days in the forum.

Mine is through Geico, my insurance company. It's called mechanical breakdown insurance and costs less than $100 a year. I have had it on all my cars for many years. It's $250 deductible per instance. They reserve the right to inspect the car, but if it's at a dealer or other reputable place, they take their word for it and pay for the covered repair with a Geico CC over the phone and you come in, pay your $250 and go on your merry way.

I've used it over the years to the tune of thousands in repairs. I'll name some if you want me to.
 
#14 ·
How did you get that extended warranty? From Porsche?
 
#19 · (Edited)
If you want your PASM cake (stiffness/body control but even furthered) and to eat it too (smoothness, at the same time), AS is how to get that. Some people here say PASM itself is too hard, which would be due to the steel springs not being able to coddle through harsh surfaces when the shocks are in full stiffness. I think PASM steel in Comfort is definitely smoother than base though (but softer).

Base is good and impressive, but a little too much squish and lean (pitch and roll) for my tastes still. If I was scared of complexity I wouldn't get a Porsche. But if a passive suspension was able to give me the same stiffness yet smoothness at the same time, I'd choose simple every time. It's just complexity is needed nowadays to pull off those feats with such extremity. Especially on heavier cars.
 
#28 ·
It is an outlier, so far. We have enough of a sample here to know that AS issues are not common, even on the earliest builds. Not to try to diminish what you are experiencing, because it sounds terrible, but I don't think folks should be making major decisions based on it, yet. Especially those not looking to keep their Macan any longer than the warranty period.
 
#25 ·
30 days = Lemon Law I thought, no?That is beyond unacceptable. Please update us on what's happening. Good luck!

Edit - Saw update on AS Thread.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#30 ·
I have a turbo with the standard pasm and i honestly can tell 0 difference from a base suspension macan s i test drove. I even play with the sport suspension settings sometimes and it may feel a little firmer and bumpier. I would never pay for the option personally, just came standard on the turbo.
 
#33 ·
This was the one option that I kept wondering if I'd regret not ordering, all the way up to my delivery. I was somewhat re-assured by a long-time and experienced Porsche driver that said "I don't think you'll really miss it". I'm very happy with my non-PASM Macan, but every once in a while, I wonder if it would make my Macan corner "just a little bit flatter", even in normal mode.
:|
 
#31 ·
I'm sure that I will be happy with the PASM on my S. Back in the day I had Monroe adjustable shocks on my tricked out 1969 Dodge Charger the shocks did a decent job with the suspension to control the ride even then in 1977.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stingray
#41 ·
I wrote this for the AS thread but it closed. I figured it'd apply here as well:

I observe that humans tend to get primitive in fear when things like this (outlier components failures or test results, etc.) happen, sky is falling, etc. If the Macan turns out to be ill developed, I'm out the door. So far, it's looking very good compared to nearly any other car I've had and participated in. Which is a feat considering this car brings something entirely new to the table. Not to mention costs way less than most other Porsche's.

We'll see AS failures, PDK failures, engines, PASM, windows, etc. If they become disproportionate to the good stuff and start affecting Porsche's quality rankings, then it's an issue. Which is what happened to BMW during their F chassis launch and MB now.

Nearly all high end 4 door cars have AS. Porsche's Panamera and Cayenne are sworn by it. It's only gonna become more common. Yet some act like it's this scary new concept. AS is AS, it's nothing new, but it's becoming more dependent upon, and in the future, hard to avoid on big heavy cars in order to feel much smaller and more dynamic than they should have a right to. I'm more "concerned" with the ability of FI motors running somewhat high compression with Direct Injection, mated to new Start/Stop technology and semi high boost. As well as PDK on this car apparently having a 400 TQ threshold (not confirmed). AS is AS, I know what to expect.

Why do we get Porsche's? To have Lexus like serenity? No, for the drama. Arrogance, complex suspensions that make it drive like something it has no business driving like, FI, boost, DI, DCT, compression, etc. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. But some of them are what make the car so much fun.

I'd love a raw N/A light chassis fluff stripped car, but that's not really happening anymore. So ironically, SOME complexity is needed to make a car feel close to that. Right now it's in adaptive suspensions and lots of engine complexities and moving parts to get decent MPG in heavy cars and perform with proper pickup and power.
 
#42 ·
AS is the obvious solution to making a big, heavy vehicle handle better. Not sports car like, but better than any of its compatriots.

Another solution is to make things much lighter, which I suspect might be more expensive than AS. What would a 1000 lb lighter Macan cost ? Probably a lot.

A third solution is to use a more complex damper that has a hydraulic pump to raise or lower its equilibrium point. Not necessarily any cheaper or more reliable than AS. As I've mentioned a few times, I had an Audi RS4 and it had DRC, which was a clever diagonal hydraulic system (front right damper connected to rear left damper and likewise on the other side). This kept the car very flat in corners but was notoriously unreliable (and didn't have an active pump ). I had mine replaced twice under warranty.

I agree complexity comes at a cost. But good companies find ways to mitigate that cost, especially in terms of cost to the customer in time and inconvenience. I am not the beta tester for this stuff. I get enough of that at work. Like you say, AS has been around a long time and run for billions of miles in commercial trucking. Porsche should find a way to make it bullet proof.

I can't wait to get mine and play with it. Maybe this week.
 
#43 ·
Nobody wants to spend Saturdays visiting dealer to fix problems and most of them are hard to figure out and will take multiple visits... I say a buyer should decide for himself what he wants comfort reliability or a sporty ride. Having it all is just not gonna work at least not with 2015 macan. It's a brand new model and things have good chance to fail. Also every time you make turn you will have to rethink and adjust all the settings to a different road conditions and that is if road is familiar. If not you are screwed. It doesn't make much sense to me to play piano all the time... PASM AS for those who track the car or live in Germany where roads are golden. For a daily commuter here in Philly I want as much reliability as possible... SC + lowering springs will add some sportiness without extra lbs that PASM AS will add up and without potential reliability cons... For the comfort ride I would get a standard steel suspension and 18" rims with nice comfy tires... It's a new model so I will keep things simple
 
#44 ·
That's certainly a good way to keep simplicity and reliability.
 
#45 ·
I can guarantee that the vast majority of AS owners won't be spending Saturday's at dealers. Unless the car turns into a disaster.

If you want maximum available comfort with maximum sport handling with 20+" wheels yet still with ultimate ride sophistication for this chassis, Porsche offers that. But it's gonna have a slightly more fickle nature due to added complexity than simple and more limited steel springs.

No piano playing needed. AS/PASM adapts very well to any road. Adjusting shocks and "springs" allows considerable more versatility than just shocks with fixed springs.

Fact is, if you want simple, you can somewhat get that. But if you want this car to do many dynamic things at once, it can do that quite brilliantly, better than any car I've driven (sport, utility, comfort, even off road). Steel can do this, but AS does it a lot more. At a price. And with complexity. It's cool to have the best performance tech available on the car (part of the fun and novelty of owning a Porsche for me), but I've always liked simple too. I just think any Porsche isn't truly simple in drivetrain. Lowering springs can mess up things on the overall suspension as well. I blew shocks with all the extra pressure put into them.

Hydraulic suspensions are better indeed, I believe. But MORE fickle and EXPENSIVE! Again, added complexity to raise the bar in heavy vehicle performance.

Yep, a 1K lighter Macan would be the best way. Less complexity and with dynamics without the need for technology. But it'd need a full CF construction if that's even possible. Probably would cost $200+K, lol.

But McLaren P1, which imo is the pinnacle of automotive sports engineering right now (blasphemy, I know, but it might turn me on more than the 918 of which many prefer) uses advanced light construction but still adaptive suspension to raise and lower, etc. big cars find AS the prime candidate for this.

It's all about what your priorities are. AS is a new thing to this "class" and I'm sure others will follow suit.
 
#46 ·
I have to actually agree with those that say that AS is a great option and not really scared of failure, AS has been around on different models of cars for years and yes, you will get some failures just like you will get failures on PDK's, turbo units and many other parts of the cars. I understand that some feel that this is a must for performance but I would put money that few of these vehicles will ever see a track. I still will stay firm that if you wish to get the very most out of your Macan, take some lessons from a good instructor. This will help you better understand the limits than any performance add on you will add or install on any vehicle.
I think we even have some PCA driving instructors on this board.
 
#47 ·
Unless you want to pay at least $150K, and likely above such that compromises in design/performance/reliability problems are somewhat minimized, be prepared to temper in your reliability expectations with any performance vehicle. Whether it is the Macan S or the Turbo, we know that it could be even better than it is, for a price. BUT, for ME, my Turbo is MORE than GOOD ENOUGH (at least so far after 2500 mi), despite the possibilities of failures in some systems - that's the price you pay for innovation combined with an attainable price of admission. So, know what you are getting into when you buy a newer model Porsche: Mostly driving joy and excitement, with some possible frustration along the way. Not acceptable? Then choose a less exciting vehicle to drive.:)
 
#48 ·
Why do I have to choose a less exciting vehicle ? I have a first year, first few months of production 981 Cayman S with PTV and PASM. It is perfect. Never misses a beat. Been to the dealer just for its 1 year service. I was on the Planet 9 forums as soon as I ordered it and I would say the 981s had very, very few teething problems. Some people had some bigger issues. No more than here, and really most of the issues were exacerbated by poor dealer customer service and a failure for PCNA to act promptly. Same as here.

I want to say no car is perfect, but there are some that are darn close (in terms of reliability). We will have to wait a while to see how th Macan stacks up. Using a forum of a few enthusiasts is not a good sampling strategy.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top