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Old 02-13-2019, 04:53 PM   #1
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Question Is the PSM system worth it....

Hi,..is the PSM system worth holding out for, I see some boxster's i'am interested in but ( no PSM) I thought I would try for the fully loaded version,Thinking the PSM system should be safer on rainy wet Interstates at say 75 -80 MPH,...Not that I would go THAT fast but just in general is it worth the wait !! Thanks Frank

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Old 02-13-2019, 05:31 PM   #2
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I drive my non-PSM equipped '02 in the rain at all speeds, and never have a problem. I'm not sure why you think you need PSM.
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Old 02-13-2019, 05:47 PM   #3
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Well,..I don't have any experience with traction control and was just curious if it is a safety feature or not ,I know tire choice is just as important...IDK that's why iam asking the question,..
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Old 02-13-2019, 06:13 PM   #4
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Psm....

....is a safety net in case you drive the car past its traction limits.

If you have good car control, and know how to counter steer and such, you can enjoy a non-PSM Porsche with no fear and no loss.

It's there to keep you from oversteering or understeering into the guardrail in a turn, more than anything else.

If you are a good driver, you actually want PSM turned OFF when you are having fun behind the wheel.

If you think you would push the car hard, and push her hard in slick conditions, and you want an electronic safety net in case you "get it all wrong", then go for it.

I drove a 1993 Miata for 23 years without ABS, stability control, or any other driver aids, and it was a blast to power slide through every turn every chance I got. Never needed the nanny.

If you find a good car, and it didn't have PSM, I'd buy her.

It comes down to your comfort level driving hard and your confidence in your ability to maintain control yourself.

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Old 02-14-2019, 02:20 AM   #5
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Well,..I don't have any experience with traction control and was just curious if it is a safety feature or not ,I know tire choice is just as important...IDK that's why iam asking the question,..
PSM is not traction control, it is stability (read yaw) management.
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Old 02-14-2019, 05:25 AM   #6
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I don't have any management systems on my car (other than ABS). I have found that as long as the tires are in good condition, this car is very stable in wet conditions (Different tires will effect wet traction of course). I have only had issues when I drove in a down pour with way over due for replacement front tires. I still remember driving the Blue Ridge parkway for the first time. It was in a rain storm, heavy fog (needed to use the GPS to know when sharp turns were coming up). I was driving way to fast trying to make it from one end to the other in 1 day. I went into some of those sharp corners way, way to fast and the car handled it without any slipping. So IMO it doesn't need to be a limiting factor in your selection process.
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Old 02-14-2019, 08:59 AM   #7
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I drive cars with/without PSM all the time and am perfectly comfortable in either. Does it work? Yes. Modern PSM in a 981 or later variant is nearly perfect and you can barely tell when it activates. Do I want it on during most street driving, most track driving, and especially inclement weather? Yes I do. It absolutely will catch you when you cannot catch yourself.
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Old 02-14-2019, 09:50 AM   #8
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I have it because I specifically wanted it when I bought mine new in 2003. By that time the Boxster had been around for over 6 years and they weren't selling so well, and dealers were ordering them with less options to keep the sticker prices down. There weren't many S's available new then that had PSM, heated seats, cruise control and a black or blue interior. If you want a 2003 or 2004 986 there may be a lot more that don't have PSM than do, unless you want a 2004 550 SE as those were all fairly loaded and it may have been standard on that model.

While I wanted PSM, I've never gotten into a situation on the street where it was needed. On the track I'm only a beginner with a handful of HPDE's under my belt - it hasn't come in to play but I'm glad it's there.
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Old 02-14-2019, 10:45 AM   #9
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I drive cars with/without PSM all the time and am perfectly comfortable in either. Does it work? Yes. Modern PSM in a 981 or later variant is nearly perfect and you can barely tell when it activates. Do I want it on during most street driving, most track driving, and especially inclement weather? Yes I do. It absolutely will catch you when you cannot catch yourself.
Plus one. This is me too. the PSM kicks-in for me on the street a LOT.... especially in inclement weather. :dance:
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Old 02-14-2019, 11:07 AM   #10
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[QUOTE=maytag;589073]Plus one. This is me too. the PSM kicks-in for me on the street a LOT.... especially in inclement weather. :dance:[/QUOTE



That's why in 2003 when I was shopping for a Boxster S, I targeted 2000 MY.
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Old 02-14-2019, 05:31 PM   #11
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Thanks Guy's,..I appreciate all the info I can handle a car fairly well I have a 914 with some power,But I thought if I get a Boxster S,..why not get that goodie aswell it could save me and mine on a dark rainy twisty road someday,.!!! Frank
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Old 02-14-2019, 05:56 PM   #12
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[QUOTE=BYprodriver;589075]
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Plus one. This is me too. the PSM kicks-in for me on the street a LOT.... especially in inclement weather. :dance:[/QUOTE



That's why in 2003 when I was shopping for a Boxster S, I targeted 2000 MY.
....Ditto! The last of the anolog cars. I have a standing request to buy my car for this reason. The guy is a Radical driver. There is just something about having it all up to you..

Yes PSM is safer and probably would have saved me from myself on the street a couple of times but I am not sure how I feel about it on a track. I felt that the whole idea was to develop a feel for limits or the approach to them. Don't think one can do this with the brakes chattering every time you make the approach. Even in rain....you want just build up to where back end just slides or twitches a bit every time...well this is what I was going for anyway.

I can remember when a 996 TT guy in my run group started to get way faster than me after I had the upper hand for while. The straights were one thing but now he was diving past me into the Twisties. We were both new non-experts and I was definitely pretty far away from 10/10ths. So asked him how the heck he was able to get away with it....and he said "Oh I have stability control going off all the way around the lap now......it's saving me in every corner".

I have to admit that I felt a little cheated...
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Old 02-15-2019, 04:55 AM   #13
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I've got the more primitive TC in my 2000 S, and while it has only gone off a few times on the street (mostly when I try and make a right turn from a stop and I get on it too much...) it comes on virtually *every* *single* *corner* if I am on track and I forget to turn it off first. I will start a hot lap, hit the first corner at speed, and whoops there it is... On the TC, I think it is cutting the fuel and possibly braking one wheel due to inside wheel spin on corner exit. I left it on for the first few years but no turn it off.

Last time out, I had a big spin in the wet and I wonder if leaving it on would have helped me?

If my car had the more advanced PSM I'm not sure if I would leave it on or not. The "fast" folks that I have ridden in that have PSM usually turn it off and there is a lot of reports on the Cayman Register about folks overheating their brake fluid due to the rear brakes activating so much due to PSM. On my Boxster I go through 2-3 sets of front pads for every set of rear pads, and those guys go through 1:1 or even through the backs faster.

With the addition of Sport Mode Software, which supposedly raises the limits before PSM intervenes, I wonder if that makes a difference.

All that said, I leave it on for street driving But I don't think I would pass on a car that didn't have it, if the rest of the car spoke to me.
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Old 02-15-2019, 06:04 AM   #14
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I also have PSM on my 2003 S, although I never had use for it it's there in case.
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Old 02-16-2019, 04:00 AM   #15
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Not many boxster came with PSM. Going by how many boxsters I've bought I would say maybe 1 out of 10. I have TC on my 2000 and despise it. Mine goes off all the time if I forget to turn it off. Every time I try to take off fast it cuts the motor. It's even worse in the corners. It's become a habit now when I get in the car. Put key in ignition, start car car, turn off the TC. I wish I could eliminate it but on the later years with TC you can't.
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:21 AM   #16
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I have TC on my 2000 and despise it. Mine goes off all the time if I forget to turn it off. Every time I try to take off fast it cuts the motor. It's even worse in the corners. It's become a habit now when I get in the car. Put key in ignition, start car car, turn off the TC. I wish I could eliminate it but on the later years with TC you can't.
^^ This. ^^

I also have TC and it might be helpful if I was driving on ice but otherwise its useless because the levels are set so low it continually comes on.
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Old 02-18-2019, 10:36 AM   #17
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I have PSM on my 2003 S, I really like it.
It let´s me go all the way to the limit and a bit past, but not loose control. Feels very predictable and "just right".
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Old 03-11-2019, 11:10 AM   #18
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I do not have traction control or PSM on my 2000 Boxster S.

In the summer I prefer it, because it feels more fun to drive. Slower around the autocross track most likely (though their early TC slows you down, from what I've heard), but it's good for giving you a true feel of the car's limits.

In the winter I really wish I had it, because I definitely need winter tires. I've been running Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires that are supposed to be decent, but it's a real struggle sometimes to even get moving - especially if you're on a hill. Starting in 3rd gear solves the issue entirely, but then you get to deal with the touchy clutch and additional wear.

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