Have my first track day in the GT3 on monday. Was curious if you guys had any advice if I should set it to sport(stiff) or leave it off?

Ideally i think it would be better on at the track, due to smooth surface...but wondering are there any different characteristics the car exhibits with it on sport(stiff) mode than having it off?

any preferences?

 

Are you new to tracking and DE's? If yes you may want to try with it off and then turn it on as you gain experience.

OTOH, it may be fine just to leave it on from the beginning.

If your new discuss with your instructor.

Good luck

 

actually if the GT3 is like the RS it's self adapting. i.e. When you are driving hard on the track the suspension stiffens regardless of if you have pushed the button on the console that looks like a shock. Likewise if in the stiff setting and the track/road gets rough it will go into a soft suspension setting. The computer continuously monitors and makes changes in milliseconds. Personally I set to stiff before starting. Even if the car is turned off it will maintain this setting when the car is started.

Now the stability control SC and traction control SC + TC buttons are a whole different matter and should be turned off or left on depending on your skill level.

 

bperry, IMHO, I think you are confusing the shocks with the DEM's; Duynamic Engine Mounts. They do that, but the shocks are either firm or firmer. Just 2 settings on and off. The Corvettes have shocks like you are describing, but Porsche applied the tachnology only to the engine mounts. STD on RS, optional on GT3.

To OP, I think you probably have a better feel for what the car does if you leave them soft for your first day, once you get a feel for the car and track in the second day try hard and see if you like it. The difference is not huge.

 

In my first track day my instructor advised me to leave PASM in the softest setting, but it was also very wet that day. He said since I was new to the car and track driving it was the best idea to keep sport button off.

 

You may be correct. I don't have my owners manual in front of me. I'll have to look it up when I get back to the States.

 

If you are new to the track, I recommend leaving PASM in the "normal" setting. In the "sport" setting, the reactions of the car are quicker and sharper, and perhaps a bit less forgiving of mistakes. The suspension is plenty stiff in "normal" mode.

 

I am absolutely certain that when PASM is in normal mode it will automatically switch to sport when the computers sense a sporting driving dynamic. If you select sport mode the suspension will stay in sport mode -and only sport mode- unless you manually select normal. The computer does not default back to normal from sport. This applies to all PASM 997s, too include the gt3 and RS.

The dynamic mounts as mentioned above continually and seamlessly change according to the driving dynamic.

No disrespect meant to anyone. I just happened to look into this awhile ago.

To the OP, with the aforementioned said, I'd suggest normal PASM mode and let the computer sort it out for now. For the record you can not disable PASM.

 

No problem, I could be wrong, only drove the '10RS on stiff setting and I never read my manual, but I have to disagree because at Sebring the car will bounce off the track in stiff setting (Certainly the MKI GT3) and I leave it in soft and stays there. For a few corners I put it n stiff and I would not be able to carry the same speed in soft.

PASM are the shocks.

Sport button remaps engine.

 

thanks guys...seems soft mode will provide me more feedback, so ill try that for the first few runs...as it is a private track day ill have plenty of opportunity...just going to be a Cup car, myself and maybe 3 other cars! Very excited

to the above, to me it doesnt seem that pasm is self adjusting, i have driven on "soft" and "stiff" and no matter how hard im driving the "soft" mode doest seem to get close to as firm as it is on the "stiff" setting.

 

^^ I would have to agree with each of you above in real world situations. My statements are Porsche speak and/or Porsche theory. My .2 gt3 feels -although not tracked- as you mention.

 

I don't believe the PASM is self adjusting. It wont' hurt to experiment between the 2 settings while you are on the track.

By the way, which track are you going to? You should get more than enough track miles with so few cars in your group. Enjoy!!!

 

I have seen PASM damping curves for "normal" and "sport" on other Porsche models (not the GT3). The damping rates can vary quite a bit at a given damper velocity, unlike a fixed suspension. That's the nature of PASM. The stiff end of the "normal" setting is not as highly damped as the stiff end of the "sport" setting. There is partial overlap of the ranges covered by the two modes. The GT3 could be different...I don't know for sure, but they sure feel different on the track.

 

As I stated above PASM IS clearly self-adjusting while in normal mode. The acronym (PASM) itself tells you it is active.

The manual reads "Example: If the vehicle is driven in a very sporty manner in Normal mode, PASM automatically adapts the shock-absorber behavior to the driving situation accordingly."

 

If PASM was self adjusting then why would you need two buttons to choose a mode? I'm confused..