Some of you guys have been following our 997.1 build over the past year or so and on the performance/hp front the car is doing really great. However, as it is with any platform as you increase power, especially if you double the power and go further, the OEM suspension shows its ugly sides very quickly.

Many here are very familiar with the shortcomings of the OEM 997.1 suspension setup and there's plenty of great discussion about it on here. We thought we'd start with the Eibach rear sway bar and rear toe links, alignment and go from there. We got them here but never installed them as of yet. We've also been leaning towards Bilstein coilovers, various mounts/bushings/etc but held off as we were not interested in either having a stiffer suspension most of the time or lowering/upsetting the geometry to gain in the aesthetics department.

Most of the driving with our shop 997.1 Turbo is straight line acceleration runs, 1/4, 1/2 mile and we had the following issues to solve:

1) Under hard acceleration mostly in 1st and 2nd, at times 3rd gear, the car would just feel unstable with a floaty feel causing a need to slightly steer to keep it straight. This was very dangerous naturally and it was there in both Normal and Sport PASM modes.

2) WHEELHOP! - OMG! Absolutely horrible, disgusting, wheelhop in 1st and 2nd gears. We HAD to use boost by gear lowering boost to wastegate spring pressure in 1st gear and setting it a little higher from there in 2nd to avoid this drivetrain killing phenomenon. Really nasty!

3) Very dangerous instability when breaking hard at higher speeds even in Sport mode. The car would nose dive hard and try to fish tail the rear just braking hard while going straight!

First two really I couldn't blame Porsche suspension guys for as they're mostly a product of much higher power/torque than the car came with from the factory but #3 was a huge W T F. With 245 front 325 rear Pirelli Trofeo R tires we really didn't expect any issues while braking hard at higher speeds but it was really dangerous!

Now, it was hard to ignore all the great reviews on TPC Racing's DSC module and boy are we glad we decided to try it! It was installed 3 days ago and every single issue is eliminated, period! All we did was plug the module in without a single change to OEM suspension. Car hasn't even gone in to double check alignment!

With this thread we want to express our utmost thanks and respect to the TPC Racing team for such an amazing product! We were not happy at all knowing that we have these suspension issues at hand. It brought back wheelhop nightmares especially given how frustrating and how much time we spent on the E9x BMW platform trying to put the power down

Thank you! You have a truly unique and outstanding product guys!

Dzenno@PTF

 

Thanks for the kind words! Glad the DSC has worked out so well for you!

We'll also be releasing our tuning software before the year's end, which should provide some great opportunities for you guys in your straight line applications. You'll be able to increase the damping value of the shocks based mph. You could probably get some improvements on your launch control as well, by adjusting the rear-front damping values.

 

How does the TPC DSC module impact the cars driving characteristics if you swap to an aftermarket coilover setup, like a JRZ, Ohlins, etc.??

Or is PASM eliminated by making that switch?

 

Really looking forward to the software for it although right now even on an uneven street surface we're getting excellent traction with no wheelhop but we also need to turn up our launch control settings a touch!

Dzenno@PTF

 

It would get eliminated in that case. DSC is a PASM control module and works with electronic dampers such as OEM.

 

That makes perfect sense. The current base maps we send out were developed out of the algorithms and data gathered from about 7 years of road racing a fleet of GT3 Cup cars, and Mike has an uncanny knowledge of suspension systems. His level of knowledge in both driving and engineering have allowed him to really hone the map to a universal standard that should transition near perfectly into any form of motorsport or street driving; of course this is also due to its active nature.

I think our users will be hard pressed to create a map that they like more than the base maps, but we welcome the challenge! However, we don't put as much development into straight line applications, so I'm sure you guys can make some improvements on the launch control!

 

The TPC DSC module is great, still loving every minute of it in my TTS! Great product.

 

I like the "under braking swag" detail. May need to look at this module more seriously.


When I "Brake" under track load (150MPH,) I feel a swing side to side. I would love to see a module like this eliminate this with no suspension change. Is this even possible?

 

It is possible! What you're experiencing is nose dive, causing all the weight to transfer to the front of the car, which opens up the back to loose handling characteristics and "swing." By increasing the damping rate in the front, the DSC will keep the weight of the car more evenly distributed, which greatly reduces, if not eliminates, what you're experiencing.

 

@elite1, that is exactly the issue I had with the car and it has been eliminated but I have to be honest I haven't yet had a chance to go 150mph and brake hard to verify. Regardless, it was happening at somewhat slower speeds than that as well and it has gone away. Have you done any changes to your OEM suspension so far?

Dzenno@PTF

 

where is the best place to acquire this module for a competitive price?

-Jose

 

Looks like I am spending more money. ha.

just to be clear.. shock damping can not change how much weight is transferred, only the rate at which it is transferred and the distribution of that weight b/w the two front tires.

 

Well pick up the pace and floor the car for a few seconds and try it at 150mph I don't see this issue driving 30mph with sudden braking.


Anyhow, I have installed H&R lowering springs but have retained the stock shocks. Cup control arms, tarret drops with GT2 sways.

 

Great point! Does this system balance the shock load side to side if it were to become unstable? If so, does this balancing limit itself to 2 seconds etc.?

 

Anyone in Denver or wouldn't mind shipping for rental purposes? Days of inquire are the 16th to the 22nd?

I'll pay for shipments! PM me.

I really would like to see the difference at the track prior to purchasing it.