· 64 ·· 65 ·
Performance | Chassis
Suspension.
The front axle has a wide-spaced
aluminium double wishbone
arrangement with an aluminium subframe. The wide spacing
bet ween the wishbones keeps the
forces in the wheel suspension
low for precision wheel guidance
and excellent handling. The rear axle is an aluminium
multi-link setup. This axle design
minimises the pitching of the body
under acceleration and braking.
The high proportion of aluminium
used in the construction of the
axles reduces the weight of
the vehicle and of the unsprung
masses, helping to improve fuel
economy and increase agilit y.
Steering and Servotronic.
Precise and direct: describes a
t ypical Porsche steering system
–
with variable steering ratio.
Around the straight ahead position,
such as during motorway driving,
the ratio is less direct with no loss
of agilit y or feedback from the
road. When the steering wheel is
turned further, the ratio becomes
more direct, allowing easier cor -
nering and parking.
Servotronic, a speed-sensitive
power-steering system, is available
as an option for all Panamera
models. At high speeds, the steer -
ing is firm and responds with
extreme precision while steering comfort remains as high as you
would expect. At low speeds,
Servotronic’s ratio adjusts for
easy manoeuvring and parking.
Wheels and Tyre Pressure
Monitoring (TPM).
The new Panamera and Panamera 4
models are fit ted as standard with
18-inch Panamera wheels, the
Panamera S and 4S with 18-inch
Panamera S wheels. All wheels
are light weight alloys featuring a
classic sport y design. Tyre sizes
245/50 ZR 18 and 275/45 ZR 18
are fit ted to the front and rear,
respectively. The Panamera Turbo is equipped
with 19 -inch Panamera Turbo alloy
wheels as standard. The t yres
are slightly wider to cope with the
increased power output of this
model: 255/45 ZR 19 at the front,
285/40 ZR 19 at the rear.
A selection of 18-inch to 20 -inch
wheels is available from our range
of options (p. 147).
19-inch all-season t yres are
offered as an alternative at no
extra cost for all Panamera
models with standard or optional
19-inch wheels. A low-rolling
resistance version of these t yres
is available as an option*. The
three
main components of the
Panamera Turbo front axle
Panamera Turbo rear axle 19 - inch Panamera Turbo wheel
18 - inch Panamera S wheel
18 - inch Panamera wheel
t yre – the rubber compound, the
tread pat tern and the architec -
ture of the t yre substructure –
have been optimised to minimise
roll resistance and thus improve
fuel economy, with no ef fect on
comfort or performance compared
with the regular 19 -inch all-season
t yres.
For increased comfort and safet y,
Tyre Pressure Monitoring (TPM)
sends warnings to the on -board
computer’s display screen in
the event of low t yre pressure as
well as in the event of a loss of
pressure. The system is available
as an option for the Panamera
and Panamera 4 and is standard
in all other models.
* Available from 10/2010 at the earliest.
· 66 ·· 67 ·
Standard in the Panamera S, 4S
and Turbo and optional for the
Panamera and Panamera 4, PASM
is an electronic damping control
system which of fers continuous
adjustment of the damping forces
according to the road conditions
and driving st yle.
Designed to operate in accord-
ance with the skyhook principle, the suspension acts to keep the
body stable. This reduces body
movement and thus increases
comfort in each of the four seats.
Using a separate but ton on the
centre console, the driver can
select bet ween three modes:
‘Comfort ’, ‘SPORT’ or ‘SPORT
PLUS’. Sensors record the body
movements that accompany powerful acceleration, braking
and rapid cornering or uneven
road surfaces.
Signals such as lateral accel-
eration, steering angle, brake
pressure and engine torque are
also analysed. The PASM control
unit evaluates the driving condi
-
tions and modifies the damping
force on each of the wheels
in accordance with the selected
mode.
For your safet y, PASM contin -
uously monitors the driving condi -
tions. If you are driving in ‘Comfort ’
mode and suddenly adopt a
sportier and more dynamic driving
st yle, the system automatically
switches to a harder rating within
the ‘Comfort ’ setup range to
increase driving stabilit y and
safet y. If, in ‘SPORT’ or ‘SPORT PLUS’
mode, the qualit y of the road
sur face drops below a certain
threshold, PASM immediately
switches to
a softer rating within
the setup range to optimise
traction and grip. As soon as
the road surface improves, the
system reverts to the original
harder rating.
This may sound rather compli
-
cated, but for you it involves
nothing more than the press of a
but ton. And you can feel the
result: increased driving stabilit y,
more comfort and improved
performance.
Performance
| Chassis
The road to success is rarely a smooth one.
Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM).
Continuous adjustment based on load and speed
· 68 ·· 69 ·
Adaptive air suspension.
The Panamera Turbo is equipped
with adaptive air suspension and
PASM as standard. This combined
system enhances both driving
dynamics and comfort at the
same time. For all other Panamera
models, adaptive air suspension
is available as an option. It comprises a levelling system,
a manual lif t function, ride-height
adjustment capabilit y and the
abilit y to vary the spring rate.
The purpose of the levelling
system is to automatically keep
the vehicle level constant,
re
gardless of load distribution.
For manoeuvring, the manual
lif t function enables you to raise
the vehicle body by 20 mm to minimise the risk of grounding,
e.
g. when entering garages.*
When you select the ‘SPORT
PLUS’ chassis programme, the
height of the body automatically
drops to Low Level (–25 mm). At
the same time, a harder spring
rating is achieved through a
reduction in the amount of air
stored in the air suspension.
In simple terms, it ’s a sports
chassis at the push of a but ton.
High Level.
At 20 mm above Normal Level,
this is intended for driving over
ramps and into garage entrances.
The chassis automatically reverts
to Normal Level as soon as
the vehicle reaches a speed of
18 mph (30 km/ h).
Normal Level.
The usual height for the system
with a maximum ground clearance
of 144 mm above DIN unladen
weight.
Low Level.
This is 25 mm below Normal
Level with a maximum ground
clearance of 119 mm. In ‘SPORT
PLUS’ mode, the vehicle body
drops to Low Level and a harder
spring rate is set. This assures
optimum roadholding with a
sport y driving st yle.
Performance | Chassis
* The vehicle must not be driven at High
Level on public roads as the maximum
permissible installation height of the
reflector units may then be exceeded.
· 70 ·· 71 ·
A Porsche holds the road well, its
handling is sport y and precise –
but you’ve known this for a long
time.
What you might not know is
that, with the optional Porsche
Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC)
with Porsche Torque Vectoring
Plus (PT V Plus), road holding can
be even further improved in all the Panamera models for even more
dynamic per formance and
increased comfort.
PDCC is an active anti-roll system
that anticipates and significantly
reduces lateral body movement
during cornering manoeuvres. In
addition, it minimises the lateral
instabilit y of the vehicle on uneven
ground. The ef fect is achieved with the aid of active anti-roll bars
on the front and rear axles which
respond to the current steering
angle and lateral acceleration
by producing a stabilising force
that precisely negates the roll
of the body.
PT V Plus combined with PDCC is
a system that actively enhances
vehicle dynamics and stabilit y. Operating in conjunction with an
electronically regulated rear dif
-
ferential lock, it works by varying
the torque distribution to the rear
wheels. As a function of steering
angle and steering speed,
accel -
erator pedal position, yaw rate and
vehicle speed, PT V Plus is able
to improve steering response and
steering precision by specific
braking of the right or left rear
wheel.
To be more precise, this means
that when the car is driven asser -
tively into a corner, moderate
brake pressure is applied to the inside rear wheel. Consequently,
a greater amount of drive force is
distributed to the outside rear
wheel, inducing an additional
rotational pulse (yaw movement)
around the vehicle’s vertical axis.
This results in a direct and sport y
steering action as the car enters
the corner.
At low and medium vehicle speeds,
PT V Plus significantly increases
agilit y and steering precision.
At high speeds and when acceler -
ating out of corners, the elec -
tron
ically regulated rear differential
lock ensures greater driving
stabilit y. It also serves to improve
traction at the rear wheels on
road surfaces with varying levels
of grip as well as on snow and ice.
For the driver, this means remark -
able stabilit y and easier handling,
optimum traction, and greater
agilit y at every speed with precise
steering and stable load transfer
characteristics. The result is
a high level of driving pleasure.
Rapid cornering in the Panamera Turbo with PDCC (illustrative example)
Rapid cornering in the Panamera S without PDCC (illustrative example)
Performance | Chassis
A wavering course was never your thing.
Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC)
with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus).
· 72 ·· 73 ·
Vehicle yaw/
course deviation
Vehicle yaw/
course deviationCorrection to
vehicle course
deviation and
stabilisation
Correction to
vehicle course
deviation and
stabilisationOversteer without PSM Oversteer with PSM
Understeer with PSM
Understeer without PSM
Performance | Chassis
As standard, all Panamera models
are equipped with enhanced
Porsche Stabilit y Management
(PSM), which maintains stabilit y
even at the limits of dynamic
driving per formance. Sensors
continuously monitor the direction,
speed, yaw velocit y and lateral
acceleration of the car. Using
this information, PSM is able to calculate the actual direction of
travel at any given moment. If
the car be gins to oversteer or
understeer, PSM applies selective
braking
on individual wheels to
restore
stabilit y.
Under acceleration on wet or low-
grip road surfaces, PSM improves
traction – and agilit y – using the
automatic brake dif ferential (ABD), antislip regulation (ASR) and
engine drag torque control (MSR).
When ‘SPORT PLUS’ mode is
selected
on the optional Sport
Chrono Package Plus (p. 74)
or Sport
Chrono Package Turbo
(p. 76), the PSM intervention
threshold is raised to allow a
sportier driving st yle.
For an even more dynamic expe-
rience, you always have the
option to deactivate PSM. It is
automatically reactivated, for your
safet y, only if you brake harder
and either of the front wheels (in
SPORT PLUS mode, both of the front
wheels) requires ABS assistance.
ABS and ABD, however, remain
active at all times.
For an even higher level of active
safet y, the enhanced PSM includes
t wo additional functions: pre -
charging of the brake system, and
brake assist. If you suddenly release the accel
-
erator pedal, PSM detects the
release of the throt tle and auto -
matically readies the braking
system. This precharging of the
braking system builds up a small
amount of pressure so that the
brake pads are already in light
contact with the brake discs. If
you actually need to apply the
brakes, maximum braking power
is therefore achieved much
sooner, which reduces the stop -
ping distance even further. Brake
assist, on the other hand, is
able to interpret a panic braking situation from a rapid increase in
brake pressure and acts to ensure
that the amount of brake pressure
required for maximum decelera
-
tion is immediately available.
PSM therefore of fers a high level
of driving stabilit y and safet y com -
bined with extraordinary agil
it y.
In line with the Porsche philosophy.
Even a Porsche has limits to its dynamic performance.
Porsche Stability Management (PSM).
· 74 ·· 75 ·
SPORT button.
The SPORT but ton, which is fit ted
as standard, enables you to
select a setup that favours either
comfort or sport y performance.
At the push of a but ton, the elec -
tronic engine management system
switches the engine mapping
to of fer an even sharper response
and engine dynamics that are more direct. In vehicles with
Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK),
upshif ts in automatic mode take
place at higher engine speeds
than in ‘Comfort ’ mode and
downshifts are swifter. In addition,
Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM) and Porsche
Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC)
also switch to ‘
SPORT’ mode to
deliver harder damping and more
direct steering and, therefore,
bet ter road holding.
Sport Chrono Package Plus.
You expect sport y performance,
otherwise you wouldn’t be consid -
ering a Porsche. Indeed, you
expect a higher level of sport y
performance, otherwise you
would have no urge to keep read-
ing. Available as an option for
all Panamera models equipped
with the naturally aspirated engine is the Sport Chrono Package Plus
(only in conjunction with Porsche
Communication Management –
PCM). This package of fers even
sportier tuning of the chassis and
engine setup – the ultimate sports
experience.
Included in the package are a
digital and analogue stopwatch,
the SPORT PLUS but ton, and a
per formance display in the PCM
for displaying lap times.
When the SPORT PLUS but ton
on the centre console is selected,
the engine management system
adapts for performance driving
and the rev-limiter is adjusted to a
harder set ting.
The Porsche Active Suspension
Management (PASM) – standard in
the Panamera S, 4S and Turbo,
optional for the Panamera and
Panamera 4 – also switches to ‘
SPORT PLUS’ mode for harder d a m p
-
ing
and more direct steering, and,
therefore, bet ter road holding. The
optional adaptive air suspension
(standard in the Panamera Turbo)
drops the chassis to Low Level
and hardens the spring rate.
In ‘
SPORT PLUS’ mode, the trigger
threshold for PSM is raised for
increased longitudinal and lateral
dynamics. Agilit y is enhanced
when braking for corners with PSM
enabling greater manoeuvrabilit y
under braking and exit accel-
eration, especially at low speeds.
For maximum dexterit y, PSM
can be set to standby while the
car is still in ‘SPORT PLUS’ mode.
For safet y, it is set to intervene
automatically only when ABS
assistance is required on both the
front wheels.
A key component of the Sport
Chrono Package Plus is the stop -
watch mounted on the dashboard.
It displays recorded driving time
in hours, minutes and seconds.
Seconds, tenths and hundredths
of a second appear on a display
screen. Alternatively, the stop -
watch can be used as a conven -
tional clock. Porsche Communica -
tion Management (PCM, p. 108)
has a special performance display
to view, store and evaluate
lap times or other driving times.
It shows the total driving time,
lap distance, lap number and lap
times recorded so far. You can
view the current fastest lap and
the remaining range until empt y.
It is also useful away from the
racetrack. Evaluate your daily
mileage or define benchmark
times – and rediscover your old
routes.
SPORT but tons in the centre console Digital and analogue stopwatch on the dashboard
Performance | Chassis
Your mind is somewhere else.
How are you going to get there?
Performance enhancement systems.
· 76 ·· 77 ·
For the Panamera 4 and 4S, and
for the Panamera and Panamera S
when fit ted in combination with
Porsche Doppelkupplung
(PDK),
the optional Sport Chrono Package
Plus contains even more functions.
The shift times in ‘SPORT PLUS’
mode are shorter, the gear
changes sportier. In automatic
mode and at low rates of decel -
eration – even with high engine
speeds – the system initiates a
swif ter brake-induced downshif t.
In manual mode, gear changes
are faster, more dynamic and
more direct.
A special feature of this package
that further enhances sport y
performance is Launch Control,
which is designed to produce opti -
mum acceleration from a standing
start. This function is operated via
the SPORT PLUS but ton with the
‘D’ or ‘M’ drive position selected.
With the left foot depressing
the brake pedal, the driver fully
depresses the accelerator for
maximum throt tle. The engine is
rev ved to an optimum speed of
around 5,500 rpm and the clutch
is already held in slight contact.
The message ‘Launch Control active’ appears in the display on
the steering wheel for PDK* or
optional three-spoke sports steer
-
ing wheel with gearshif t paddles*.
Now, the driver simply releases
the brake pedal, and prepares for
maximum acceleration.
Sport Chrono Package Turbo.
For the Panamera Turbo, increased
power output is a mat ter of prin -
ciple. The same applies to the
optional Sport Chrono Package
Turbo. Typifying the Turbo philos -
ophy, it not only combines all the
functions of Sport Chrono Package
Plus, it adds one more: Overboost.
Imagine you are accelerating
at full throt tle with the SPORT or
SPORT PLUS but ton selected.
Boost pressure is temporarily
increased by 10 %, which considerably increases the maxi -
mum torque that the engine is
able to produce. Instead of the
normal 700 Nm, the overboost
function
generates a torque of up
to 770 Nm for a limited period
and
a feeling of satisfaction that
lasts even longer.
Performance | Chassis
* For Panamera S, Panamera 4S and
Panamera Turbo, available from
09/2010 at the earliest.
· 86 ·· 87 ·
Balance | Safet y
On request, we can equip any
Panamera model in the range with
a braking system that has already
had to cope with the harshest
requirements of the racetrack: the
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB). For the Panamera
and Panamera S models, it is
available only in conjunction with
19 -inch wheels or larger and for
the Panamera Turbo, it is com
-
patible only with 20 -inch wheels.
On the Panamera and
Panamera S models, the cross-
drilled ceramic brake discs have
a diameter of 390 mm at the
front and 350 mm at the rear. To
cope with more powerful brak -
ing on the Panamera Turbo,
these discs are 410 mm at the
front and 350 mm at the rear.
PCCB is characterised by its low
thermal expansion, which pre -
vents deformation under heav y
braking. Furthermore, the
ceramic brake discs are totally
resistant to corrosion and offer
more favourable noise- damping
properties. The use of six-piston aluminium
monobloc brake calipers on the
front axle and four-piston units at
the rear – all finished in yellow
– ensures extremely high brake
forces which, crucially, are excep
-
tionally consistent. The pedal
response is fast and precise with
only moderate input required.
All the necessary ingredients are
there for a short braking distance,
even in the toughest conditions.
Moreover, safet y under braking at
high speeds is increased thanks
to the excellent fade resistance of
PCCB.
The key advantage of PCCB is
the extremely low weight of the
ceramic brake discs, which are
approximately 50 % lighter than
standard discs of similar design
and size. As well as enhancing
performance and fuel economy, this represents a major reduction
in unsprung and rotating masses.
The consequence of this is bet ter
road holding and increased com
-
fort, particularly on uneven roads,
as well as greater agilit y and
improved handling. Please note that circuit racing,
track day use and other forms of
performance driving can signifi
-
cantly reduce the service life of
even the most durable brake pads
and discs.
As with conventional high-
performance braking systems,
we recommend that all brake
components be professionally
inspected and replaced where
necessary after every track
event.
PCCB
Presumably, you won’t be using your Panamera for motorsport activities.
But you never know.
Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB).