[SD987]

Bmuss, it wasn't a situation of me "getting" PASM, it was on the car that I wanted. For me to get a handle on the difference between PASM and PASM-less I'd have to spend a considerable amount of time in otherwise identically set up cars and experience conditions across the five programs that are superimposed over the "normal" and "sport" setting, that include:

* Lane change module
* Vertical control module
* Lateral acceleration module
* Brake module
* Load change module

I haven't had that opportunity.

However, for practical reasons I wouldn't recommend PASM to a prospective purchaser based on my Boxster experiences and wouldn't spec it on a car. Reasons I wouldn't include:

1. IMO there's better ways to spend $1990 on the Porsche options list. PASM in Sport mode makes the car feel more "buttoned down", but doesn't add $2K more button-down-edness.

2. I've done alot of Boxster reading and I've never seen documentation that quantifies a performance improvement from driving with PASM. I suspect PASMs impact is more psychological than physical for most.

3. Folks with 19 inch rims will recommend PASM "to improve ride quality", although I think one person said this and now others parrot the line. The 987 was optimized through design specifically for 19s by increasing the dynamic tire rolling circumference by 5% vs. the previous model and modifying the vehicle ratio spread (transmission, axle transmission, wheel/tires). Point being, the car is already setup for 19s without employing variable dampers.

4. As one of the few folks that have PASM without sport chrono I can tell you that the throttle mapping is slightly different with PASM in sports mode as a stand-alone application. I dont' much care for the adjustment, but that's just personal preference.

5. I've read about Eslai's PASM shock replacement and at least one case of "PASM Failure" in the OBC. There's also a lengthy debate on Rennteam about PASM not working correctly on a member's car (although in that instance I suspect it's user error, not the car). In summation, I don't think the car or my wallet really benefit from the unnecessary introduction of new things that can fail on a Porsche.

6. Clearance as described below, for street driving, the car could benefit from 10mm more clearance, not less.