Been considering a suspension upgrade on my .1 Turbo.

Does anyone have thoughts on setting these cars up with a TPC Racing DSC box + OEM PASM or Bilstein Damptronics versus a quality passive system like Öhlins Road and Track if you never see track use? Damptronics from Bilstein have been quite hard to come by lately, seemingly on eternal backorder, and on reflection I very rarely switch modes on my car and would probably get by just fine with one setting. From what I can tell, the OEM PASM units and Damptronics both are not really at the peak of suspension design, so it makes me wonder if the car would be better off just having a higher quality passive setup.

Has anyone driven both?

 

A well setup passive system can work very well in 90+% of mixed daily and sport driving....but it starts getting into the ability, resources and additional mods needed to dial in the car.

The DSC is a a great unit for improving the stock 997.1tt PASM setup.....perfect.....no! It improves ride and handling in both normal and sport modes without additional mods. Since it is plug and play or can be tuned, it offers a nice range of adjustment based on the factory setup. You can change spring rates and sway bars to further tweak the setup.

Most people don't need coil overs for the street, since the car is not usually readjusted once the preferred static height is set.....much is the same for spring rates and even damping. They tend to tradeoff life and nvh for adjustability which most street users will never need.

The first gen PASM really does need assistance and the DSG is probably the single best add....or inaddition even adding a GT2 rear sway bar on the 6spd to improve turn-in feel and reduce some roll.

If you want the ultimate go the DSC and TPC suspension for a full blown set up.... $$$$$.

 

Yes the DSC is the way I am going now, just awaiting delivery.

 

OE PASM units are actually fairly good for what they are. The issue is the car is setup as as a GT passenger car. That use does not mix with sporty / track use very well. I bought a coilover set and had them custom valved to match the spring rate I chose and then the shop chose a bump stop length to work with. The car is wonderful in all cases, I DD and some AX as well. All I need to do now is swap out the front roll bar and put some good rubber on and I'll be all set.

The downside of the OEM components is the same as a lot of off the shelf parts, they have too much overall damping. The OE setup also jacks down and pulls the chassis into the bump stops, which while that isn't exactly a bad thing it does cause harshness and introduce unpredictability when driven on the edge. That is due to the bump stops being fairly long, dense / hard material and engaged often simulate an infinite spring rate. The thing to remember when choosing suspension upgrades is springs transmit stiffness, shocks transmit harshness to you the driver.

As a daily driver / street driver you will not see suspension velocities beyond 1-5 inches per second much if not ever. (pot holes and road debris not withstanding) On the track with bumps and curbing you can get some high shock velocities. The DSC is cost effective but wont be perfect. A passive suspension will NOT be cost effective but will get you closer to "perfection"

 

If money is no object, DSC & Tractive would be the way to go,

For those of us without endless amounts of cash who want more performance, DSC & Coilover or DSC and stock PASM (possibly with lowering springs) are good alternatives.

I have the PSS9's and after getting the car and being very disappointed in the ride over more challenging roads, installed the DSC and it has been a game changer, I have not messed with any of the maps available, but I have been busy with other projects, so maybe later.

Ed

 

If you're not trying to drop the car for looks, and want to stay with the OEM PASM, the DSC plus a GT2 rear sway bar will greatly improve both ride and handling .....and both are 100% reversable and both are very easy to install.

If you choose springs, contact DSC bc they may have already done a map for your specific setup. They could install it before they ship.