DB9 Sports Pack

[BT52]

Bit confused as I thought this was a 2006 option yet it is advertised on an 05 car in the classifieds?

Was there an option in 05 or was the pack retro-fittable?

[rick-dms-]

yes the sportspack is available as an option to retrofit

[AstonZagato]

I had an 05 to which I retro-fitted it. It is more expensive to retro fit on pre-06 cars so an 05 with SDP is rare.

[BT52]

Okay, so I tried one with sports pack on Saturday.
Was a bit surprised by the ride quality. Much harsher than I expected, but liked the steering.

Not as refined as I expected. More wind and tyre roar, yet far less engine/exhaust noise. This is the wrong way round. Also the engine note was far less musical than from outside. Definitely needs some sort of exhaust fiddling I'd say.

Anyway, this sports pack thing. There is a car advertised here that says sports pack, yet doesn't appear to have the 5 spoke wheels.
The dealer I spoke to said that the sports pack MUST have the lightweight wheels to work properly. This makes sense to me. But at £7-8k to retrofit vs £2.5k new option I'm guessing that not many earlier ones will have been changed.

Edited by BT52 on Monday 11th May 15:12

[tommo80]

I am picking up a 54 registered 2005 DB9 on Wednesday. It has a sport buttom on the center console. Does that mean it has the sport pack?

Rob

[nickco201]

No, that is simply the transmission sport mode. Holds gears longer, shifts a bit quicker, better downshifts etc when in AUTO mode. The sport Pack should be pretty obvious if it is fitted to the car. It most likely has the sport pack if it has the 5 twin spoke light weight wheels on it.

[rick-dms-]

nickco201 said:

The sport Pack should be pretty obvious if it is fitted to the car. It most likely has the sport pack if it has the 5 twin spoke light weight wheels on it.

But the wheels can be brought without the sportspack, and that is what a lot have done,

these are the wheels,

[Trommel]

How much lighter are they? They suit the car far less than the standard varieties.

[rick-dms-]

i need to look up the specs, but the sportspack reduces unsprung weight, by replacing the lower arms, wheels, wheel nuts etc, this is major benefit to sports handling, unsprung weight is everything that is below the suspension. the earlier cars have the steering rack and steering ecu replaced to the later level, plus a suspension upgrade, the pros are the earlier level cars have improved steering response, under aggressive driving the car will handle much better (great for track days) good value over just buying the sportspack wheels, cons, day to day the suspension is firmer so it will show up more annoying rattles and squeaks, also under normal driving it will not seem that much different, but the wheels look great, there is a sportspack for the V8 Vantage and the DB9 (not the DB9 Volante) with the V8 Vantage add the 4.3 power upgrade and a sports exhaust can really bring the car alive, But if the car is just used for daily commute or a weekend jaunt then the benefits will not be felt,

That's the beauty of Aston martin car's each one is unique and can still be trailered to personal taste

[Zod]

Trommel said:

How much lighter are they? They suit the car far less than the standard varieties.

I prefer them by a considerable margin. All a matter of personal taste.

You can tell a sports pack car as soon as you drive off. It is much firmer-riding.