Hi..

I have a few days left to lock my order for Carrera 4S .. but this issue of PDCC is bugging the hell out of me .. i read nearly every post on this topic and opinions are divided and the only valid conclusion i can draw that it ultimately a personal choice .. and that's fair enough

However i feel the issue of PDCC has not been covered with regards to 4-wheel drive and therefore request your guidance..

for my prospective im considering PDCC because:
1) This will be my 1st Porsche ... thus im not going to be missing that Porsche/911 feel that every 1 is talking about .. i.e. no point reference
2) Im not major track person ..so lap-times is not concern.. however i do go for a drive on some twisty roads every weekend
3) We have the worst roads ever ever ever .. its criminally bad !.. and from what i read it seems PDCC provides a more comfortable and forgiving ride .. especially that ill be including SPASM in my order..

However the following concerns me:
A) its well known that 4-wheel drive cars tend to under-steer a bit.. so will the PDCC improves or worsen the under-steer?
B) This seems to be complex system and thus there could be maintenance issues down the line

I know that 4S has not yet been driven and thus its more difficult to provide a constructive opinion .. Nonetheless id really appreciate some feedback in view of the above factors

 

I know for me, I do not have PDCC and find it perfect in the twisty roads. Also, in LA our roads suck, and the ride is great. My vote would be to save the money on the option and maybe add another option.

 

I've been to LA .. the roads are velvet compared to here .. not exaggerating .. i had to change front tyres 3 times in 18 months on my Audi S5 from the potholes (trenches) we have here

 

Really in Saudi Arabia the road are bad? I thought they are all silky smooth but hey I've only been there once when I was a kid...

 

I'm having the same difficult decision regarding PDCC.

But I was not under the impression that it improves ride quality the way you're thinking it will (re: your comment about road conditions). I could be wrong, please someone correct me, but from the descriptions I have read about PDCC, it basically it enables/disables the sway bars (enables while cornering and disables when not cornering). So adding it doesn't improve your ride quality... rather it's an option to reduce body roll in turns without having to sacrifice ride quality (what happens usually with sway bars) when driving normally.

It seems to me it will shave a few tenths on the track and drastically reduce body roll both on and off the track at a cost of $3K if that's worth it to you. The cons are (from what I have read):

1.) Loss of traditional feel
2.) Loss of rolling sensation when cornering which some people like
3.) Less ability to detect when you're close to losing grip (arguable)

The other question is regarding resale. I took a look through most of the build posts for 991s and it seems PDCC is very close to 50% (found in 50% of builds). My question is how much resale will be affected by the lack or existence of this feature. In 3-5 years, will your car be less desirable without this for new buyers?

 

In Riyadh the capital the roads are v good .. however in Jeddah its a huge issue ... its so bad that i wont be able to drive the 4S every day .. even though its good enough for that anywhere else.. if i did it will be wrecked by the roads or the nutty drivers (like the S5 )..

 

If you are concerned about ride comfort I'd stay away from S-PASM...

Based on my research about the 991 C4S I can tell you this, it has a totally new awd system and has been engineered specifically to "feel" as neutral as possible.
Now based upon the other brand new systems on the 991 (spray pattern DFI, PDK, suspension, elec. steering PDCC etc..) I'm going to say that while some may not agree on each individual component I think most agree that collectively the 991 is a leap into the future of Porsche engineering.
Which has been able to provide both a very comfortable luxury feel and a true sports car! (it's soft in normal mode and a monster in sport+).

So it's safe to say the awd drive system will follow that same pattern.
I've got a C4S cab on order and have no doubts whatsoever this variant of the 991 is going to be amazing!!

Get the PDCC, skip the S-PASM, that is best way to get the "comfort" your after if you find that still doesn't do the trick change your 20" rims for the 19".

But I think you'll be fine.
Enjoy!

 

Well from what i understand (and i might be hugely mistaken).. disabling or softening of the sway bar in PDCC (while driving in straight line) provides a relatively more compliant ride .. compared with a uniformly tensioned sway bar (non PDCC)..

please some clarification

 

You are correct, it's like driving with disconnected sway bars when in comfort mode (primarily when going straight) this stops the transfer of bumps and rebound going from one side to the other yet when driving more spiritedly it will automatically stiffen things up giving a sharper more connective handling (like having track sway bars for harder suspension).

 

Hmm .. no can do !!.. and i know im gonna sound superficial..but i care about aesthetics .. so if im gonna shell out $140K+ i want it to look as good as they can make it .. so SPASM + 20 inch rims are deal breakers..

i know its gonna create an issue with roads here .. but im trying to minimize the damage.. and take some tips on board

 

Hmm, I had figured the non-PDCC would have a softer setup and thus the 'disconnected state' with PDCC would be comparable to without PDCC. If it's actually even softer than the stock setup, then yeah, it would improve the ride quality.

 

Yeah with "normal" and PASM the sway bars are the same stiffness/thickness with S-PASM they are significantly thicker (as well as the spring rates).
They provide a constant setting which lies somewhere between sport and comfort... for track use many will put thicker/stiffer sway bars (as well as solid engine mounts) works great but SUCKS for street use.

The PDCC can go from pure comfort to pure sport... it stiffens to create similar setting as track sways (and in the 991 S is working in combination with variably motor mounts) but when roads are bad it will automatically deselect the harder settings for more complaint ones and revert back when the computer reads smoother road surfaces.

 

The debate will rage on about PDCC, but I think the answer to one of your concerns is clear -- that it does indeed increase comfort when the car is not pushed (that is, with relaxed stiffness of the sway bar drop links). I have a C2S with SPASM and PDCC and the ride is really good, much better than my 997.1 with non-sport suspension.

 

No not superficial at all.
I wouldn't go with 19's either... most whom take S-PASM will opt to take PDCC as well precisely because the PDCC helps to negate the slightly stiffer ride of the SPASM.

Personally I think you'll be fine if you go with both, the 991 is arguably the "smoothest" most "comfortable" sports car out there right now.

I'm sure you're going to love it!

 

+1 and...
As you may know from my sig that I do have spasm, sport Chrono (includes dynamic engine mounts) and pdcc. Sid, is quite right in that this setup is incredibly variable and one which is of course in part determined by road surface and other parameters such as acceleration etc. From my experience so far I am amazed at the flexibility that this setup gives the car. From its ability to offer all day cruise driving in comfort thru to track and speed type setup for performance and exhilaration. I know a sports car just cannot be brilliant at both comfort and GT3 ( my previous car was a 997.2 GT3) like handling for performance. I now think that the 991 2S with the setup I have ( as its the only one I know) does do both staggeringly well! It's possibly the only car out there that can!

Well said fb. IMO spasm is a must if pdcc is chosen. Agree that the ride is MUCH better than the 997 (IMO both .1 and .2).