Finally, someone really test the 991S with PDDC against GTR

Enjoy the video

 

Thanks so much for posting. Very interesting.

 

Yes, interesting. Some pros to PDCC and some cons. Pretty much boils down to how you want the car to feel when driving. Good, believable comments from both testers.

What I would really like to see is a group of good drivers testing a non-PDCC car and a PDCC car back to back. That would be more interesting.

As far a the GTR goes,....heck the 997.2 beat it in Automobile magazine a few years back (best drivers car), no surprise here.

 

I wish they could be very specific about the exact setup and options on the actual cars they test. The understeer they mention could be related to many factors and is particularly susceptible to chassis and suspension settings. I would therefore have liked to know whether they had the -20mm lowered suspension etc. I would appreciate them testing a like for like 991S with the only difference being PDCC. I am intrigued. Very nice review though and my thanks again for posting.

 

If looks are any indication, the car didn't have SPASM as it has a regular front spoiler on it.

That is another test I'd like to see, SPASM vs. non-SPASM. I believe I have yet to see a SPASM car in an official road test,....wonder why?

 

+1

Agree entirely. So much of the handling is going to change and be affected by spasm. I am surprised that the older fellow didn't mention that.

 

The PDCC issue is relatively straight forward - stiff suspensions that don't roll place more emphasis on the tire's grip. Once the tire's grip is exceeded you get instant understeer. Whereas with a traditional suspension you can manipulate weight transfer (via driving style) to have more of an effect on the tire's threshold of grip.

What I'm curious about is the active rear diff. Does that produce any discernible side effects (aside from a tad more rear brake pad wear)? We've got a BMW with active rear diff, and its totally transparent. You wouldn't know it was there - although it does its job of making the car more eager to turn in to corners - like a car with more toe out on the front end.

In a perfect word I'd love to see a sports car that can operate on two dramatically different settings for all suspension components dampers, springs, roll bars and bushings. That way you could have a street mode and a track mode, but unlike PDCC, they would each be linear - superior for enthusiast

 

Nice Post

 

Throughout Porsche's history there have been many pros and cons to their sport suspensions,....the M030 option dating back decades was either loved or hated by many track drivers. Just swapping stiffer springs and bars doesn't necessarily improve handling. Often Porsche went too far the other direction actually hurting suspension compliance and feeling. Just think how far they have come with PASM in sport mode since the 997.1. Took them a few years to get it right.

I contend for the 991 that PDCC and SPASM don't really alter real world performance by any great amount, maybe a little more for the track. They both do alter the feeling of the drive a bit,....and if it is a feeling you like, they are money well spent.

What continues to amaze me is how well most tests/testers are enamored with the stock setup of an S,...and even some that favor a non-S. That says a lot for how Porsche got it right with the 991.

 

Nice analysis.

 

It seems the new buzzword is ORGANIC! I really liked that. 911 still has it but I fear it will lose it too, as the time moves on. It's like bikes; nowadays they all have traction control, abs, anti-hop anti-slip, anti-willie and so on. The “organic” is being replaced by performance at all cost. And where will this leave the enjoyment, the driving skill? Nowhere! The future drivers driving such technology packed cars will shoot you out of sky with zero driving skills. Consequently, just like in the F1 whereby the car is 75% of the performance equation and the driver merely 25, the road car will evolve into the same stride. And if you are true enthusiast, skilled driver, searching for that magic car feeling, what then? I guess you pack up and go home just like Schumi did…