Rear Axle Steering - how to confirm it's installed / working?

[KTC]

You know you have it because....

.... just like many $2,000 USD options with Porsche
.... no one can tell the difference.

??

Enjoy the car in good health.

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[Jayyvr890]

Have Panamera ST without RAS and just took delivery of Taycan CT with RAS. The difference has been more noticeable than expected during my daily errands.

In drive thru at Chick-FiL-A today (real world testing for middle america) there appeared a seemingly impossibly tight u-turn due to parking lot construction. I watched car after car, including a Camry in front of me, needing to make a three point turn to enter the drive thru. I was surprised to make the turn in one pass. That chicken sandwich tasted better than usual…

Absolutely! I have a tight turn out of my parkade and basically anything bigger than a compact needs to make 3 point turns. Given that the Taycan is the size of a Ranger Rover I dont think I could make that corner without RAS.

 

[4rg3nt0]

Thank you so much, this is very helpful. I will try this later today and report.

Ok folks, happy to report that it is actually working .. phew!! I did the camera test and it is working as it should. The test didn't show because the car was stationary. It's interesting to see how the rear-axle returns to normal the moment you stop rolling even if the steering is completely turned in any direction.



Happy customer!

 

[4rg3nt0]

Ok folks, happy to report that it is actually working .. phew!! I did the camera test and it is working as it should. The test didn't show because the car was stationary. It's interesting to see how the rear-axle returns to normal the moment you stop rolling even if the steering is completely turned in any direction.
Happy customer!

here is the video:

Thank you for all the responses and suggestions.
cheers

 

[Rainforest]

here is the video:

Thank you for all the responses and suggestions.
cheers

So you just hold the phone with your hand and turn left and right? I need to try this too.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

...The test didn't show because the car was stationary. It's interesting to see how the rear-axle returns to normal the moment you stop rolling even if the steering is completely turned in any direction...

I did wonder whether that might be the case- thanks for sharing.

 

[iten]

I am surprised you need to go through all these tests to confirm it. I could feel it the day I picked up my car, and it put a smile on my face every time I successfully make a tight turn in one go.....

On the other hand, I don't feel the difference at all when driving at high speed.

I personally think it is a must have for city driving....

 

[W1NGE]

I am surprised you need to go through all these tests to confirm it. I could feel it the day I picked up my car, and it put a smile on my face every time I successfully make a tight turn in one go.....

On the other hand, I don't feel the difference at all when driving at high speed.

I personally think it is a must have for city driving....

I think it depends if you are a first time Porsche customer or not. I've been duped by Porsche for decades now and I honestly didn't notice the presence of RAS hence my original concern / consternation. I also got fooled into thinking the turn of the wheels would be visible when stationary but as we've now confirmed this is not the case (even my Porsche Dealer didn't point this out when asked).

The car(s) are finely tuned and all handle very well - Taycan in particular is rock solid at speed with razor sharp steering thanks in part to Power Steering Plus (PSP) and so RAS most likely wouldn't be as noticeable.

U-Turns are not a 'thing' really in UK so again no day-to-day usage may disguise the presence of RAS also.

Tight parking manoeuvres is the most likely use case to highlight the RAS advantage but again depends what you are used to - a Panamera ST is pretty much the same dimensions as the Taycan and in my case I could park my non-RAS ST in very tight spaces (underground car park) and in truth did the exact same with my Taycan with the same number of turns / manoeuvres.

Clearly RAS (including PSP) brings something advantageous to the table and if budget permits it is always worth having than not and certainly triumphs over other pointless electronic gadgetry that might be optioned.

I have to do my own 'camera test' but happy now that I've seen others with shared concerns assure themselves that they indeed got what they paid for.

 

[4rg3nt0]

So you just hold the phone with your hand and turn left and right? I need to try this too.

yes, while slowly rolling.. it doesn't when stationary.

 

[W1NGE]

yes, while slowly rolling.. it doesn't when stationary.

May be useful to see if the angle of turn is greater when in Sport / Sport Plus mode for manoeuvres (I believe it is when at speed).

 

[whitex]

Seems that if one has to go through a full scale investigation to determine if a pricey option was installed, it begs this question: Was the option worth the $$$ in the first place?

Yea, just like airbags - you never know for sure if you have them until you need them

 

[whitex]

Show's for me.

Didn't show for me in the thread (audio only), but when I downloaded it and played it, I could view it.

 

[Windpower]

here is the video:

Great video. Thanks! The amount of movement shown in your video is pretty dramatic. I have rear wheel steering on my Taycan. There's a tight turn into my driveway (there are two pillars flanking the driveway) and I need to swing out with my other cars but the Taycan allows me to make a direct turn in. Sweet.

 

[Tooney]

My wife got in 4S, drove hard left circle. I walked behind and saw rear left wheel turn out slightly while she turned and straighten up when she drove straight. What is so difficult about this?

 

[DL_AU]

Such a cool option! Any idea what proportion of Taycans have rear axle steering?

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