Porsche 911 Damping Analysis - FCM Elite Stage 3 vs. 997 base Bilstein (part 2)

#Porsche911 #Bilstein #Turbo #DampingRatios #ShockDynos #FCMElite

NOTE: I'm referencing the OE Bilstein dampers from the base 997. I don't have the PASM dynos (yet) which were original equipment on James's 911 Turbo. If/when I get those dynos I'll do a follow-up video. My working assumption is that the PASM would switch through similar damping ranges as the base 911 non-electronic dampers.

This is the second, more technical, part of my interview with FCM Elite Stage 3 owner James who did extensive research before deciding to work with Fat Cat Motorsports. "Night and day doesn't describe it" is one of my favorite quotes from the first part of our conversation.

In this video, I go into detail about the standard 997 (non-PASM) dampers from the 911 Carrera base I did for Carol a coupe years ago. I don't have James's PASM dampers yet but we're going to either test his dampers or try to source dynos from TPC or another vendor.

But the behavior of the OE Bilstein HD from the base 911 is very characteristic of 'Germanic' suspension tuning - more rebound bias that builds as shock velocity increases, pulling you into the front bump stops strongly and reducing compliance/suspension travel as a result.

The higher front bump stop spring rate and rebound bias also causes a higher effective spring rate which would contribute to the 'seat whacking against the head' feeling (pitching) that James describes.

I also show the standard H&R coilover dyno graphs (the starting point for our build for James), then the FCM Elite Stage 3 dynos to show how different (and IMO, improved) our approach is to get less jacking down, less pitching (none, effectively!), lower gas force (to reduce the high-frequency spring rate of the suspension) - and overall a smoother, more confidence-inspiring, stable, capable Porsche!

"From the factory, this is how it should feel!" - Carol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lP5wl9tIeM

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I asked James if he could summarize 'why would someone want to c..