Suspension issues should only occur once. However, for the majority of Cayenne owners, these issues persist and continue to worsen. The following are a few causes of the ongoing issues:
- It is an extremely intricate mechanism. Your Porsche Cayenne has an active suspension that supports the weight of your car with pressured air. The distance between your chassis and the road is continuously measured by ride height sensors at each wheel. They transmit these readings to a suspension control module, a centralized computer. The compressor is then given instructions from this module on how much air to produce and where to send it. The air is then forced by the compressor into the air struts, which inflate to provide a smoother ride. It is complicated if it sounds that way.
- Moving parts and fragile components. Your car’s active suspension system is supported by a number of moving parts and accessories made of easily worn-out materials. For instance, with time, especially in cold climates, the rubber bladder section of your air springs starts to rot, crack, or tear.
- components that are interdependent. Each component of an air suspension system, like the one in your Cayenne, depends on the system as a whole functioning perfectly. The early deterioration of one component could accelerate the deterioration of the other parts. For instance, a minor flaw in your control module could make the compressor work harder than necessary and break sooner.
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Comfortable suspension and riding
Steel springs are standard on the Cayenne, E-Hybrid, GTS, and S versions. While we wouldn’t go so far as to call it unpleasant, it lacks the pliability of the Audi Q7, which is closely similar, and hits potholes and expansion joints with a notable thud.
The range-topping Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid come standard with the air suspension, which we advise getting as an option. Although the ride is still very firm in Comfort mode, it never crashes or bangs like a normal steel setup does. In reality, the majority of air suspension setups cause you to hear collisions more than you do to feel them. Any undulations are immediately corrected without the excessive body motion that is frequently present in tall SUVs.
The amount of cornering grip is really strong regardless of the Cayenne you choose. You’ll initially notice the nose slipping when pushing particularly hard; you can counteract this with a little extra force. If you put a lot of effort into it, you can even make the back tires slip. All Cayennes should be able to handle the majority of required off-roading as well, but if you want to go farther off the beaten path, opt for a Range Rover Sport.
PASM Air Suspension on the Porsche Cayenne (955/957)
When the 955 Cayenne was debuted in 2003, it accomplished things that no one thought a 5,000lb vehicle should be able to or should be capable of, making it one of the most adaptable and capable SUVs ever manufactured. The benefits of the air suspension cannot be disputed, even though diagnosing and fixing a Porsche Cayenne air suspension issue can take a little longer and cost more money.
All 955 and 957 Cayenne models had air suspension as an option, while all Turbo and Turbo S models came standard. Four air struts, an air pump, an air tank/accumulator, valves to regulate air pressure to the struts, a computer, and all of that make up the system. Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), the company’s adjustable shock absorber technology, is also available on 955 and 957 Cayennes with air suspension. The dynamic self-leveling air suspension and PASM’s constant cooperation provide the Cayenne with the best handling and grip, regardless of speed or circumstance, on or off-road.
The ride height and shock absorber settings for Porsche Cayenne models 955 and 957 with active air suspension and PASM are located just to the right of the 4WD controls. Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control can also be added on 957 Porsche Cayenne vehicles. Sway bars with hydraulic control are included in PDCC, adding even more control and improving on-road performance. Off-road, the PDCC sway bars can automatically separate to provide the suspension more articulation and travel at slower speeds.
Full PDCC is only offered on 957 vehicles, however it is comparable to the unique Off-Road Package option that includes a locking rear differential and active/auto-disconnecting rear sway bar. What symptoms indicate PDCC in a 957 Cayenne? The controls for the 4WD, air suspension, and PASM on a 957 Cayenne with PDCC are entirely silver, as opposed to silver switches and black buttons on non-PDCC vehicles. Since the Cayenne PDCC employs hydraulic fluid and a reservoir with an integrated filter, the reservoir replacement should be carried out as part of the PDCC service every 60,000 miles.
The air suspension on the Cayenne features six preset ride heights that can be chosen from, with an adjustable height range of around 4.5″. At 130 mph or above, the Cayenne moves a full 1.5″ lower than its usual ride height. It also makes modifications based on speed. Additionally, there is a unique off-road mode that gives nearly 11 inches of ground clearance by raising the ride height by 1 inch. According to reports, the Cayenne can cross water that is just under 22″ deep in this harsh setting, which is pretty unheard of for “luxury” SUVs.
Suitable for a racetrack
The Cayenne Turbo GT’s driving dynamics have been meticulously tuned to sports car standards and created with the possibility of use on a racetrack in mind. Starting with the center of gravity of the vehicle, the carbon roof saves about 22 kg at the top of the vehicle compared to the panoramic glass roof that is typically included with all Cayenne Coupe versions. The lighter roof not only makes the car lighter overall, but it also brings down the center of gravity, which is crucial for driving dynamics, and lessens body roll. The fact that the car rides 17 mm lower than the Cayenne Turbo Coupe enhances this effect. This establishes the conditions for excellent driving dynamics. In order to obtain the best performance and handling, both the active control systems and the passive chassis components have been altered. Additionally, the components and systems have been set up specifically for the Turbo GT in terms of how they interact.
Every active system for improving driving performance available in the product line is standard on the new sporty Cayenne flagship. The Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) adaptive roll compensation system, rear axle steering, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), Power steering Plus, and the adaptive three-chamber air suspension with Porsche Active Stability Management (PASM) are all included as standard equipment.
Suspension by air
Air Suspension is another excellent option if you do not require Porsche Cayenne Suspension choices created exclusively for severe track use. Many air suspension kits on the market today, though mostly utilized for street or show cars, are robust enough to endure light track use as well. While opinions on coilovers versus air suspension can be hotly contested, in our opinion, air suspension is a fantastic Porsche Cayenne suspension option due to its unrivaled height adjustment.
Setup of the Porsche Cayenne’s suspension
The Porsche Cayenne, which was introduced in 2003 and is currently in its third generation, is described as a mid-size Luxury crossover.
The Porsche Cayenne’s front suspension system consists of a double-wishbone setup with coilover dampers.
The basic rear suspension consists of a 5-link independent suspension with a torsion bar and coil springs (lower control arm, upper control arm front, upper control arm rear, trailing arm, and toe control arm).
Instead of coilovers, the Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S models come standard with air suspension.
The Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) Damper Control is a system that uses solenoid control, accelerometers, and ride height sensors to regulate the air suspension pressure and the damping rate of the damper. PASM was included with the air suspension option on the Porsche 955 and 957 Cayenne models.
The Cayenne’s air suspension system comprises of solenoid valve blocks to distribute air pressure to the struts, air struts at each corner, an air compressor, an air tank reservoir/accumulator, and a control system to oversee everything. The air compressor in this system is shared with other mid-size SUVs from the Volkswagen Group, including the Audi Q7 and the VW Touareg.
Has the 2013 Porsche Cayenne been air-sprung?
Air suspension, which allows for a 0.8-inch ride height decrease over the Cayenne S, and Porsche Active Suspension Management are included in the list of standard features.
Is air suspension standard on all Porsche Cayenne S models?
In order to improve suspension comfort, Porsche offers air suspension as a standard or optional feature on all of its Cayennes, Panameras, and Macans. Porsche has created a brand-new three-chamber air suspension system just for the 2017 Panamera. With its innovative technology, this adaptable air suspension is setting new benchmarks, especially in terms of driving comfort. The new system features three air chambers per spring strut as opposed to the two utilized in the Panamera model’s system, and it also has an air volume that is roughly 60% greater. This makes it possible for the spring rates to have a much wider dispersion. As the spring rate may be electronically altered in a split second when necessary, such as during acceleration and braking or to decrease rolling motion, the chassis can be set to a lower fundamental spring rate for increased comfort. Additionally, the air suspension has the advantages of self-leveling and a range of ground clearance options.
Has air suspension been installed on the Porsche Cayenne?
Two distinct suspension configurations were offered for the Porsche Cayenne models 955 and 957. First, there was the common coil-spring and shock arrangement that was offered on all models with the exception of the Turbo. The sophisticated, self-adjusting Cayenne air suspension, which was an option on other versions but was standard on the Turbo, is another. The air suspension is a standard feature on the first-generation 9PA Cayenne even if it is an optional system on most variants. We’re going to concentrate mainly on the air suspension, covering frequent Porsche Cayenne air suspension issues, fixes, and more because it’s more complicated and needs a little bit more maintenance than the conventional coil spring suspension.
Do Porsche Cayenne Coupes come standard with air suspension?
The Cayenne Coupe’s steering is undoubtedly the best aspect of what Porsche has accomplished with it. When compared to other premium SUVs, the Cayenne Coupe stands out significantly because Porsche was able to make a car that weighs more than 5,000 pounds feel as taut and swift on its toes. The Porsche is pinpoint precise. Being constantly aware of what is going on at the wheels makes the automobile enjoyable even when you are merely driving about town.
All Cayenne Coupes come equipped with Porsche Active Stability Management air suspension in addition to its fast steering. The ride stiffness may be adjusted by the driver to Normal, Sport, or Sport Plus, and active anti-roll bars also function as electronic pry bars. In order to offset the bending forces of cornering, they are powered by a motor that pulls the bar up at each corner of the suspension.
Overall, a Porsche SUV steers flatter than you might expect it to be able to, and the slight rear-axle steering helps. In order to reduce the turning radius, the rear wheels turn in the same direction as the front ones when traveling slowly. When traveling quickly through curves, the rear wheels somewhat counter-steer to further reduce body roll.
One thing to keep in mind: The Cayenne Coupe’s standard wheel size is 20 inches, while the Turbo can have optional 22-inch wheels. Beginning with 19s is the Cayenne. The larger 22-inch wheels of the Turbo models could make bumpy roads feel particularly bone-jarring, but we found that the 21s were more than enough rubber.
Additionally, as we have noted, the Turbo is undeniably powerful, but you can feel its weight when you push the car into turns. Even while it lacks V-8 power, the Cayenne S feels more agile, and slimmer might actually be meaner or at the very least more exciting.