Dynamic options

[ze_shark]

Waiting for the configurator to open here in (southern) Malaysia to order a MY25 CT4S. More inclined toward Sport Turismo but not imported here, and road conditions make CT sensible, less so with the CT design 21 wheels i will spec. Somewhat of a brave choice given the embryonic nature of the charging infrastructure.

I have not found much commentary about the following options:
- PSCB ? Cruise speeds are fairly high around here. Standard brakes look a bit light for such a heavy car.
- Rear wheel steering ? Gen 1 demo car here doesn't have it. Sounds like a no brainer for a car that size and tight spaces in Singapore
- PTV+ ? reasonably (for Porsche) priced but worth it ? I did not get the impression that fighting understeer is a top priority ?
- Active Ride: brand new so obviously nobody has experience, and very expensive. In spite of the practical aspect of raising the car of ingress/egress, money better spent on staying in shape ? Roll/dive/squat body movements did not feel to me like a major cause of concern on the CT4S i drove ?
- Other ? anything else that is a lesser known must-have ?

Amongst the indulgent cosmetic options that are on the fence:
- Pano roof with sunshine control very much beyond the splurge limit by now. Not sure why a retractable curtain is not available ?
- Thinking more to go solid roof with race-tex headliner, surprised not to see more cars with that option ? pics ?
- Color-wise, a bit sad to proceed by elimination. All year scorching tropical sun a factor here so dark colors are masochism. Many say that Ice Gray is reminiscent of Suzuka Gray with Audi (had my S5 and RS6 Perf in that color, was looking to change) ? Maybe frozen blue, but it is harder to find a two tone leather option which makes sense with it.
- Specíng insulated glass for that same reason.

Suggestions welcome !

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[RAHRCR]

None of these options are must have but each of them does add something that is interesting enough to consider. I would not upgrade the brakes because more braking is needed. All options (including standard brakes) are plenty in that regard. I have all of the Gen 1 performance options. The only one that I can specifically detect is the PTV+. That doesnt mean it isn’t doing something….I just cant tell it apart from what the rest of the car is doing.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

Pretty much as @RAHRCR, I have the first 3 and rate PTV+ as the most beneficial...particularly when driving enthusiastically on twisty roads. I feel that RAS also contributes in those situations, I know it improves stability when manoeuvring at higher speeds but I don't think that's necessary, and I think its benefit in very low speed manoeuvring is often overstated (it's less than a 5% reduction in turning circle, assuming that the refresh doesn't improve on the original's small angular range). I wasn't aware that PSCB improved braking, but with your chosen wheels they'll help keep the very visible discs looking their best.
Personally I love the black/bordeaux interior with Frozen Blue, but appreciate that puts me in a minority subset of the minority of people who like FB.

 

[Boss Hogg]

I rate RAS, my Taycan has a smaller turning circle than my wife's mini. Handy for parking and narrow streets.

If going upgraded brakes I'd go the whole hog and get PCCB, the PSCBs are heavy.

 

[KLHubb]

All the aforementioned options offer real benefits, in my opinion.
The Tungsten coated brakes are a must-have in damp climates, since regen means normal brakes are not often used. I love rear steering, and would miss the performance package. Thermal/acoustic glass is wonderful for quieting road noise, and a real benefit in hot climates.
If you are a music lover, go for the Burmester audio system...it's wonderful.

 

[mystermykee]

I rate RAS, my Taycan has a smaller turning circle than my wife's mini. Handy for parking and narrow streets.

If going upgraded brakes I'd go the whole hog and get PCCB, the PSCBs are heavy.

This. RAS is a must! I think it's one of the options that is most noticeable with regard to the handling characteristics of the car. I've been driving around a loaner without RAS and it's obvious at parking lot speeds and tight turns. At moderate speeds, turn in seems much tighter/quicker. But who am I to say, it could also be due to PDCC and lower profile tires with 21s the loaner does not have.

Standard brakes are enough....only until you see another Taycan with PSCBs or PCCBs . Definitely would go PCCBs with my next build.

If you are a music lover, go for the Burmester audio system...it's wonderful.

Agreed. Loaner right now has Bose and I sure do miss Burmester. But I can see how Bose is enough for some if all they ever had was Bose.

RAS, PCCBs, Burmester....that's what almost 20k in options alone? Lol

 

[TDinDC]

Standard brakes are enough....only until you see another Taycan with PSCBs or PCCBs . Definitely would go PCCBs with my next build.


RAS, PCCBs, Burmester....that's what almost 20k in options alone? Lol

My CT is the first Porsche for me with PCCBs. I have absolutely zero regrets. Significant unsprung weight reduction. Porsche says that a reduction of 1 lb. of unsprung weight is like removing 7 lbs of "sprung" (in the car) weight., which is supposed to improve ride quality, handling, and even acceleration. Now, can us mere mortals tell the difference? I have no idea particularly since I don't have a non-PCCB CT for comparison. But, as I change my winter for summer tires/rims and the rims are spotless following a simple car wash to remove the same kind of dirt that you find on the rest of the car (i.e., not brake dust) and remember that I basically never have to clean my car, I find that I don't much care how much of a performance differential I can perceive . . . and yellow calipers look pretty good with Mamba green.

 

[KLHubb]

My CT is the first Porsche for me with PCCBs. I have absolutely zero regrets. Significant unsprung weight reduction. Porsche says that a reduction of 1 lb. of unsprung weight is like removing 7 lbs of "sprung" (in the car) weight., which is supposed to improve ride quality, handling, and even acceleration. Now, can us mere mortals tell the difference? I have no idea particularly since I don't have a non-PCCB CT for comparison. But, as I change my winter for summer tires/rims and the rims are spotless following a simple car wash to remove the same kind of dirt that you find on the rest of the car (i.e., not brake dust) and remember that I basically never have to clean my car, I find that I don't much care how much of a performance differential I can perceive . . . and yellow calipers look pretty good with Mamba green.

Good to know...thanks. I have a 2020 4S sedan in Mamba Green Metallic, with tungsten carbide brakes. I love them and they also shed virtually no dust, hence white calipers. I plan to try the PCCB's on my Cayman E, when it becomes available.

 

[TDinDC]

Good to know...thanks. I have a 2020 4S sedan in Mamba Green Metallic, with tungsten carbide brakes. I love them and they also shed virtually no dust, hence white calipers. I plan to try the PCCB's on my Cayman E, when it becomes available.

I considered those as well, but, surprisingly, they are actually heavier than the standard brakes, which pushed me over to the PCCBs.

 

[KLHubb]

I wasn't aware of the weight difference, but they are very effective in slowing this heavy vehicle.
I sense that it does a better job than my '09 911S....mybe it's time to do some maintenance of those brakes.

 

[f1eng]

- PSCB ? Cruise speeds are fairly high around here. Standard brakes look a bit light for such a heavy car.
- Rear wheel steering ? Gen 1 demo car here doesn't have it. Sounds like a no brainer for a car that size and tight spaces in Singapore
- PTV+ ? reasonably (for Porsche) priced but worth it ? I did not get the impression that fighting understeer is a top priority ?
- Active Ride: brand new so obviously nobody has experience, and very expensive. In spite of the practical aspect of raising the car of ingress/egress, money better spent on staying in shape ? Roll/dive/squat body movements did not feel to me like a major cause of concern on the CT4S i drove ?

I have a CT4S with torque vectoring, rear wheel steer and active anti roll bar options. I chose them because I know from my race engineering experience that they were better but was actually doubtful I was a good enough driver to really feel the difference.

Last week my car went in for the heater recall and the dealer lent me a CT4S with more cosmetic options than mine but without the dynamic ones and on the twisty cambered roads around here I noticed a marked difference between them so was belatedly delighted by my choice.

I extensively tested composite brakes against cast iron on Formula 1 from 1982 and once we got the wear acceptable the only lap time difference was due to the weight saving, the braking wasn’t better and cast iron had better feel when cold, which isn’t a factor in racing but is on a road car doing mainly regenerative braking.
I consider the cast iron brakes ideal for a Taycan, the shiny ones look nicer and so do the composite ones but the cast iron are more suitable for it IMO.

I had to take the standard audio system because the others weren’t available when I fixed my spec.
I compared it with a Bose system in the showroom and whilst the Bose had more options for DSP stuff and a higher rated power on classical well balanced recordings the standard system was low colouration and even frequency response. The Bose could do some faux surround effects I don’t care for but for me, as a music lover, the standard system was fine for a car system.
Having written that I listen to music at home in a dedicated room on a sound system which cost more than the Taycan and don’t expect much in a car after decades of trying in many cars.
The loan CT4S had Bose and as the last person using it had set it up with loads of bass and treble boost it was a truly dire sound. Horrible, but better once evened out a bit - I wouldn’t say I got it adjusted during the 45 minute drive to sound better than the standard system in my car with all adjustments neutral.

I am intrigued by the comments I see about unsprung weight benefits.
On Formula 1 cars we already have composite brakes but on the chassis dyno the reduced unsprung weight of titanium hub carriers over steel was inside experimental error, so effectively zero.

 

[KLHubb]

Watkins Glen opens in three weeks, and I plan to take my 2020 4S over for a few demo laps.
I want to see how the performance package feels(PDCC Sport, Rear axle steering, Sport Chrono, Torque Vectoring Plus) I won't be able to develop too much speed since we follow a pace car.

 

[ze_shark]

Last week my car went in for the heater recall and the dealer lent me a CT4S with more cosmetic options than mine but without the dynamic ones and on the twisty cambered roads around here I noticed a marked difference between them so was belatedly delighted by my choice.

Thanks for sharing your insights. How would you describe the difference and which system could explain it most ?

 

[WuffvonTrips]

- PTV+ ? reasonably (for Porsche) priced but worth it ? I did not get the impression that fighting understeer is a top priority ?

On twisty roads with uneven or loose surfaces it gives me more confidence that I'll to stay on line around corners (most memorably saving me embarrassment after taking a slight crest and, before the car had settled down from going light, being caught out by the sharpness of an immediate bend).

 

[f1eng]

Thanks for sharing your insights. How would you describe the difference and which system could explain it most ?

The car is more responsive and feels smaller and much nicer to drive.

I am unable to say which of the options gives the most on this type of road, probably a combination of all 3.
To know one would have to test all 3 separately with a better driver than me.

When I was testing Formula 1 cars I never changed more than one thing at once before sending the driver out again.

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