Cold Croc,
Congratulations to both you and your son for giving autocross a try. It's a very easy sport to begin, yet extremely challenging to master. Keep it up! My daughter started co-driving at events with me after I had been autocrossing for about 4 years. She would get very frustrated at not being able to beat the old man. The key was getting her to focus first on her own improvement run-to-run and event-to-event; then later on her own "peer group" - drivers in similar cars with similar experience. So I recommend that you focus on improving your own times and let you son kill as many cones as his youthful enthusiasm allows. ;-)
At your next event, do remember to turn off the
PSM - you'll discover a whole new realm of traction limits and car control. If the idea of spinning your Cayman makes you nervous, you can leave
PSM on and (if you have
Sport Chrono) enable sport mode. This provides a more liberal slip-angle while still letting the "electronic nannies" monitor things.
Finally, most autocross events & organizations encourage coaching and helping of novices. Ask some local hot-shoes to take a ride with you and give you some advice. Also ask if you can ride along with one or more of them to learn first hand what they are doing inside the car.
Cheers,
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PSM - Porsche Stability Management
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While it can’t overcome the laws of physics, the revolutionary Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system does lend an added degree of balance and control to the Cayman’s mid-engine driving dynamics, inspiring surefooted confidence in corners and extreme situations.
A standard feature on the Cayman and Cayman S, PSM continuously monitors steering input, road speed, yaw velocity and lateral acceleration to calculate the actual direction of travel. If the car begins to steer off line, PSM instantly intervenes with precision brake inputs on individual wheels to help bring the car back onto the driver’s intended path.
If braking alone isn’t enough to correct the vehicle’s cornering line, PSM then calls on the Cayman’s engine management system, adjusting engine output as needed to help stabilize handling. PSM can also compensate in an instant for mid-corner changes in load resulting from deceleration or braking. When Sport mode is selected with the optional Sport Chrono Package, PSM’s threshold for intervention is raised, allowing for greater driver involvement. If you prefer driving without automatic PSM assistance, the system can be set to standby at any time. In this case, it will only intervene under heavy braking, where both front wheels exceed the ABS threshold.
For all of its technical ability, PSM goes virtually unnoticed in everyday driving situations, preserving the Cayman’s natural agility. |
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