Are PASM / PADM good options for track? 981 GT4
Discussion
As said PASM and PADM are standard on GT4.
The PASM dampers and springs are GT spec and different than non-GT models….
- Aluminium body.
- Inverted/upside down design
- Helper spring on the rear.
- Fully Height adjustable for purpose of corner weight balancing
PASM is pretty much bomb proof as a system. Have only heard of a few sporadic cases of leaking dampers.
PADM which on GT4 are the active transmission mounts are a bit less robust. The electrical sensor in one or both of the mounts can fail. It throws up a message on the display:
PADM disabled.
Service Required.
Driving is permitted.
The mount disables into the firm setting and you can continue to drive without issue or probably even noticing any adverse effect until you get it sorted. PADM issue seems to be more frequent in 718 than in 981 anecdotally. E.g I had my 981 GT4 for 5 years total, and 50+ trackdays, zero issues. I have had my 718 for just about a year in August, and PADM message came up on my dash this week. If car is under warranty as mine is, no issue book in with OPC and they’ll sort.
The PASM dampers and springs are GT spec and different than non-GT models….
- Aluminium body.
- Inverted/upside down design
- Helper spring on the rear.
- Fully Height adjustable for purpose of corner weight balancing
PASM is pretty much bomb proof as a system. Have only heard of a few sporadic cases of leaking dampers.
PADM which on GT4 are the active transmission mounts are a bit less robust. The electrical sensor in one or both of the mounts can fail. It throws up a message on the display:
PADM disabled.
Service Required.
Driving is permitted.
The mount disables into the firm setting and you can continue to drive without issue or probably even noticing any adverse effect until you get it sorted. PADM issue seems to be more frequent in 718 than in 981 anecdotally. E.g I had my 981 GT4 for 5 years total, and 50+ trackdays, zero issues. I have had my 718 for just about a year in August, and PADM message came up on my dash this week. If car is under warranty as mine is, no issue book in with OPC and they’ll sort.
Edited by TDT on Friday 28th July 09:47
kmpowell said:
Interesting differences between 2015 and current options P11 buckets only £1907
GT Silver then a 'special' colour £1595!
Chrono £1085!
Quite bizarre that the c£1600 GT4 sports buckets option came free and standard on my 2016 model £60k 981 Spyder.
adbett said:
Thanks, that's a load of helpful information ?? will take a look at the options list as well - anything on there that's particular good/not so good for track?
Only looking at clubsports so roll bar, buckets and harnesses already a must have!
For track that’s all you NEED. Only looking at clubsports so roll bar, buckets and harnesses already a must have!
Only other drive effecting option on 981 aside from
Buckets or sports seats, was whether you have Steel or PCCB brakes.
Other than that, fuel it and drive the wheels off it.
TDT said:
For track that’s all you NEED.
Only other drive effecting option on 981 aside from
Buckets or sports seats, was whether you have Steel or PCCB brakes.
Other than that, fuel it and drive the wheels off it.
A pair of dummy seatbelt clips to stop the warning pinging for the first half of the "out lap" in harnesses have been helpful. I think they were about £5 on Ebay. Other than that, everything that comes with the Clubsport package is everything you can need, as @TDT says.Only other drive effecting option on 981 aside from
Buckets or sports seats, was whether you have Steel or PCCB brakes.
Other than that, fuel it and drive the wheels off it.
I'm a few years into lots of road, and occasional track use of a 981 GT4. New set of tyres for dry tracks (Cup 2 in my case) was money well spent at the beginning. I bought a spare set of wheels so I can also wear out more suitable tyres on wet roads, and have also used them on wet tracks. (P Zero, quite a bit better than one might be led to believe, especially in the wet!)
More recently I had the suspension set up for my general use, but I'm glad I got a few track days under my belt on the original standard setup so I have a better feel for what changed. It wasn't cheap, but was money really well spent.
Not sure if you could get a 981 GT4 without Sports Chrono? I think you need that to make the "Track Precision" app work. I didn't think I needed it, but started using it earlier this year. It's a bit glitchy for "video" replay, and the sensor readings are all over the place on the older PCM version. However it's helpful, if just for lap times recorded for posterity without having to think about it too much.
If ever a car was made with everything you need for track days, and relative comfort getting there and back, it's the GT4. Cruise control is the final, slightly unlikely, "must have" for me. Makes endless 50 mph limit sections of the motorway going home a bit more bearable. Also helpful for commuting.
Liam
To stop the seat belt warning "ping" I just run the drivers inertia reel belt behind the seat and plug it in ...
You may quite quickly find that you can't get enough negative camber on the front wheels, the limiting factor being that the rear toe links are too short to retain good balance ... changing these and running more camber will save wasteful shoulder wear on the front tyres at trackdays, but of curse will wear the inner edge of tyres more quickly in general driving. The correct balance is reached when your tyres wear evenly across the surface, a balance !
This could be the start of a slippery slope of modification (spare wheels etc) ... or it could simply make the car everything that you want it to be
I saw the CR and GT4 as the spiritual successors to the jewel like 964RS ... my view on this has not changed ... my view on PADM is that the lesss there is to go wrong, the better.
What does PADM actually do ? Modify torque flex of the engine on its mounts to better suit road and track use, but does it really make much difference ? In the "olden" days the race cars had solid engine mounts and the RS cars had harder rubber engine mounts etc ...
You may quite quickly find that you can't get enough negative camber on the front wheels, the limiting factor being that the rear toe links are too short to retain good balance ... changing these and running more camber will save wasteful shoulder wear on the front tyres at trackdays, but of curse will wear the inner edge of tyres more quickly in general driving. The correct balance is reached when your tyres wear evenly across the surface, a balance !
This could be the start of a slippery slope of modification (spare wheels etc) ... or it could simply make the car everything that you want it to be
I saw the CR and GT4 as the spiritual successors to the jewel like 964RS ... my view on this has not changed ... my view on PADM is that the lesss there is to go wrong, the better.
What does PADM actually do ? Modify torque flex of the engine on its mounts to better suit road and track use, but does it really make much difference ? In the "olden" days the race cars had solid engine mounts and the RS cars had harder rubber engine mounts etc ...
Forgot the seat belt ping! Think I still have a seat clip blank somewhere from when I had my GT3.
Great to hear more about these cars, I've seen some advertised occasionally with MR toe links - guess this gives more adjustability than standard?
Do people run PCCBs on track or do you swap for steel as the cost to replace ceramics is £££?
Great to hear more about these cars, I've seen some advertised occasionally with MR toe links - guess this gives more adjustability than standard?
Do people run PCCBs on track or do you swap for steel as the cost to replace ceramics is £££?
Better to do a search on that ... there are 1000 different answers depending upon your usage, attitude to risk, brake dust and disc corrosion ...
If you buy a car with steel brakes and want carbon, there are better solutions than PCCB to massively reduce the risk and long term cost since brakes are a consumable ... but budget £10+k ??
If you buy a car with steel brakes and want carbon, there are better solutions than PCCB to massively reduce the risk and long term cost since brakes are a consumable ... but budget £10+k ??
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