Did you check your tire pressures see if they are grossly over inflated? Hard time believing suspension is too hard

 

Get a small pillow….don’t sell it!

 

Unfortunately, the issue is with my condition, not with the car. Actually, over the last decade, I've always owned cars with massaging seats because of that. Being my second ride, I thought it could've worked: maybe it's just that it's no longer the time for a sports car for me.

 

That's really unfortunate. I know we say that the suspension is compliant, but it's compliant for what it is, which is a small sports car. Whenever I get into a bigger car after driving the 718, it feels like I'm riding on a cloud of pillows. I prefer the responsiveness and agility of the 718, unless the road is really rough. But if you're not able to physically handle the rough edges, it probably does need to go.

Beautiful car. I have a similar spec as yours but with PDK. A manual version is 🔥.

 

We are on the same page!

 

FWIW - I installed a DSC controller on my CGTS and it changed the performance of the PASM significantly. Normal mode is much more compliant now, while Sport/Sport+ mode is significantly improved on the track. If you have PASM, and you really want to hold on to the car, a DSC controller might be worth a try before selling the car.

 

Hi! Sorry, I will look dumb, but... what exactly is a DSC controller?

 

That is a beautiful car. Before giving up on the car, I would recommend checking the tire pressures. If not already, set to comfort setting and drop the pressure to 30psi cold.

DSC can also help, but thats a big cash outlays to just find out. Unless there is someone local who has a DSC you can try.

 

Am I the only cynical person here?

 

No.

 

and you live in Florida where the roads are generally in very good condition. When the pavement is in good condition I don't notice the difference between an Escalade and a 718 (suspension comfort). Never come to Quebec and ride in any vehicule. On great pavement I feel any car rides the same (not drive the same), but comfort wise then it could be the seats or something else....

 

While the suspension is much stiffer in the Porsche, I really don't notice any comfort difference between it and my Audi S3. Not sure what the OP's back issues are, but if it is that bad I am surprised that he can ride in any car.

 

Actually, when I said "the suspensions," I was just being too specific: I cannot say whether it is the suspensions alone or the seat. I think it's just the combination of three things: stiff suspension + firm seat + the position. Also, the manual gear option somehow limits the comfortable positions of the seat, since you have to find the right position to reach the clutch pedal, too. I have also noticed that, during a 2-hour trip, some discomfort comes from the resting position of the left foot, which seems to be too close to the seat. So, I think it's just a combination of things, more than just one. This would also explain why I noticed the issue after a trip that forced me to keep the same position for a while. Does it make sense?

 

You must run comfort pressure.
Also, you have the Pirelli PZ4 tire that has stiffer sidewall and quicker sportier feel than the more comfort oriented Michelin PS4S, or especially the Pilot Sport All seasons. Try with other tires.

Don't sell the car now, you can even try a 19" wheel with some other tires and you will be surprised how much more comfortable the car will be.

 

All good advice given by other forum members. Hope you can work something out.

DSC controller and 19 inch wheels will def make a big difference. If you go to 19” wheel route also look into tires that are more comfort/touring focused to further improve ride. Another option could be touring/comfort focused suspension with softer shocks and springs.

 

Yeah, actually, I love the car, and selling it to the dealer would make me lose not less than 25k, which for a 2-week-old car seems crazy, while selling it on my own would be a hassle. 😢 On the other hand, I know I just have to blame myself: since these cars are just going to sell out, I made a decision too quickly.

 

One thing I have to add: this is a great community, and I really appreciate your support!😊

 

Did you not drive a car before buying? Seems like your issues with the car would have been run into from not even that long of a test drive on any of the 718 variants. Porsche's ergonomics are some of the best for not just sports cars for any type of car.

 

Hi everybody, this is my GTS 4.0, the last one with manual transmission, Gentian Blue, available new in the US market.

Unfortunately, I did not realize how hard the suspensions were, and it only took a 100-mile trip to conclude that my back pain does not allow me to travel on it. So sad, considering the expectation and the amount of money put into it. I was planning to preserve it as the last of a kind, but now I think I should get rid of it...

First, let me address the elephant in the room and the (slight) cynicism that I may share with @Wiscombe64, @Thunder and perhaps others:

1) Your front bumper looks like you have some messy encounters in the 100 mile drive.
2) The immediate swap from amber to clear side markers is not something I would have expected from someone who apparently did not test drove a 718 long enough to realize the car itself was not a good fit for your ailing back. That's more of a "veteran" move.
3) Over the years in the 718 Forum, there have a number of other new car owners (or even ones with cars on order) to want to re-sell their car. Some pretty creative reasons.....but most of which boiled down to wanting to flip it for a profit.

But.....I'm more than happy to give you and your predicament the benefit of the doubt. So if you would be so kind as to post your window sticker, and what you would reasonably take for the car, I will give it both some consideration for myself as well as pass it on to a friend that is in the market. I can also forward you a contact for the specialty dealer that paid a very good price for my previous Cayman S, that made the sale easy.

Cheers.

 

Lots of thoughtful comments in re: modifying the car. But what about addressing the OP's back pain?

My wife has pretty severe lower back issues (slipped discs). They flared up just before a 10 day trip to Europe. Her pain doctor gave her prescription strength lidocaine pads that allowed her to enjoy the trip (airplane flights, walking, bus rides, etc.) virtually pain free while not making her feel "drugged out."

A similar approach might work for the OP-- a competent pain management doctor will know. Hate to see him give up the car.

 

OP, what is your medical issue with your back?

 

In addition to non-Porsche dealers offering more, I see in the PCA mags some consignment sale companies that handle everything for you.

 

This is an entertaining thread if nothing else. Curious to see how this concludes.

 

Maybe the OP should limit his trips to no more than 50 miles. Can still get tons of enjoyment out of the car.

 

First, let me address the elephant in the room and the (slight) cynicism that I may share with @Wiscombe64, @Thunder and perhaps others:

1) Your front bumper looks like you have some messy encounters in the 100 mile drive.
2) The immediate swap from amber to clear side markers is not something I would have expected from someone who apparently did not test drove a 718 long enough to realize the car itself was not a good fit for your ailing back. That's more of a "veteran" move.
3) Over the years in the 718 Forum, there have a number of other new car owners (or even ones with cars on order) to want to re-sell their car. Some pretty creative reasons.....but most of which boiled down to wanting to flip it for a profit.

But.....I'm more than happy to give you and your predicament the benefit of the doubt. So if you would be so kind as to post your window sticker, and what you would reasonably take for the car, I will give it both some consideration for myself as well as pass it on to a friend that is in the market. I can also forward you a contact for the specialty dealer that paid a very good price for my previous Cayman S, that made the sale easy.

Cheers.

First, let me address the elephant in the room and the (slight) cynicism that I may share with @Wiscombe64, @Thunder and perhaps others:

1) Your front bumper looks like you have some messy encounters in the 100 mile drive.
2) The immediate swap from amber to clear side markers is not something I would have expected from someone who apparently did not test drove a 718 long enough to realize the car itself was not a good fit for your ailing back. That's more of a "veteran" move.
3) Over the years in the 718 Forum, there have a number of other new car owners (or even ones with cars on order) to want to re-sell their car. Some pretty creative reasons.....but most of which boiled down to wanting to flip it for a profit.

But.....I'm more than happy to give you and your predicament the benefit of the doubt. So if you would be so kind as to post your window sticker, and what you would reasonably take for the car, I will give it both some consideration for myself as well as pass it on to a friend that is in the market. I can also forward you a contact for the specialty dealer that paid a very good price for my previous Cayman S, that made the sale easy.

Cheers.

I really don't get it. I never said I drove 100 miles in total: I said that I realized how bad it was for my back after a 100 mile trip. The insects were there because the picture was taken in a county road in the middle of the forest, as you can see by the lack of paved road. The clear turn lights were purchased even before I got the car, as well as the model designation. Obviously I was not planning to keep it a couple of weeks. Other than that, you can read my posts in this forum, asking for help to deal with car settings just after I got it. So, what is the point on suggesting that my complaints or statements are not true? Do you really think it would be smart to buy a car just to keep it a couple of weeks? The sales tax alone is over 6k. How am I supposed to get more than I've paid?

 

Sorry I really wasn’t trying to add to your misery. I had not seen your earlier posts prior to this discussion.

But I’m still a little confused as to what you are looking for? Advise on selling the car? You have a lot of suggestions to keep it and try to make it more comfortable - is that what you were looking for? I’d be happy to take you out for a beer and share some regrettable purchase decisions I’ve made if that would help, but I don’t have any plans to be in Florida soon.

Going back to the second part of my previous post, I have a friend that is looking to replace his 20 year old Mercedes SL600 with something a little more engaging. And you can ask RAC Performance out of Texas what they might give you. They gave me $51.5k and paid for shipping for my 2014 Cayman S when my new GTS arrived. My dealer only offered $42k on trade in.

Good luck.

 

@Souther78 If you can't make the car work for you then selling is indeed the best option.😢

Now, I also have back issues (fractured L2), and here's how my adjustments went.

It took a long time to get the seating position right (14-way).—moving the seat up and down to get the view I wanted; then the seat tilt; then back and forth until my leg position fit the pedals and the foot rest; next was the thigh support; then the back incline; then the small of the back bolster—up, down, in, out, (This really took a lot of experimentation as I found small changes made big differences, especially on trips of more than an hour.); and finally the steering wheel height and distance.

At this point I went back over everything because some later adjustments affected the early ones.

When I was comfortable just sitting, then I drove, noticed any discomfort, and played with settings. (Weeks! with some adjustments changed in really small increments.)

Checked tyre pressure. Even 1 lb over the recommended made the ride quite rigid feeling. (With the 20" wheels I'd be using comfort pressure, my 18" have a decent sidewall flex.)

Lastly the suspension and the seat needed longer than the engine to break in. The initial abruptness and really "hard" feel developed into a flexible and responsive ride over all but the worst roads.

Note that some here have reported that the suspension shipping blocks were not removed on dealer preparation and this had drastic negative affects on the ride.

I hope this helps and you get to keep and enjoy the car. Mine is now running into year nine and driving is still a pleasure.

 

Thank you! I will investigate this, and of course I am trying different settings, although so far what a I've learnt is that one of the most helpful things is keep changing positions, and this is why massage seats help a lot: even if small, you have a continuous movement. Also, bigger and automatic cars generally offer more room to stretch during longer trips. The real deal here is that this is not my commuting car, and it was meant to spend at least half day (or, at least, half morning/evening) driving to enjoy open air driving.

 

OP have you checked to see if the dealer left the suspension blocks in? Have heard some people being surprised by a harsher than expected ride only to find the blocks were not taken out at delivery.

 

First:

• take it back to the dealer and make absolutely sure that the shipping blocks have been removed from the suspension
• look in the back of the owners manual for tire pressure data and set comfort pressure (as others have posted. IIRC 30f, 30r.)

Second mess with the seat:

I have 7 damaged intervertebral discs from lumbar to cervical, ranging from crushed to herniated from sports injuries. With most car seats either my neck, arms, or legs hurt or go numb within minutes. But, with Porsche's 18-way seats, after experimentation, I have found a window of perfect settings. Start with the seat bottom all the way down and work from there.

Then, if any of the first two have shown some relief, look into the DSC controller.

Last: sell it.

 

First:

• take it back to the dealer and make absolutely sure that the shipping blocks have been removed from the suspension
• look in the back of the owners manual for tire pressure data and set comfort pressure (as others have posted. IIRC 30f, 30r.)

Second mess with the seat:

I have 7 damaged intervertebral discs from, lumbar to cervical, ranging from crushed to herniated from sports injuries. With most car seats either my neck, arms, or legs hurt or go numb within minutes. But, with Porsche's 18-way seats, after experimentation, I have found a window of perfect settings. Start with the seat bottom all the way down and work from there.

Then, if and of the first two have shown some relief, look into the DSC controller.

Last: sell it.

Do you have a manual or automatic? And, if you had the opportunity to drive both, how would you say that this difference impacted your comfort?

 

you drove on a non - paved road? do you have full PPf film on the front?? i bought seat cushions like a taxi driver would have from amazon and use them on trips to a race track for my LWB seats, i really think cushions will solve a lot of this

 

You don’t need to be an old fart like me to have back issues. I have degenerative disk disease as well spinal stenosis. I can stack up my medical rap sheet with the best of them.

Driving my gts hurts! No getting away from that. I love the car. I deal with it. I get caught up with the enjoyment sharing open top driving with my wife, spirited driving by myself, I live on the left coast, and the roads will wash my cortex clean!

About solutions. I don’t know you, so I am shooting from the hip…

Get a TENS unit! I must own 6 of these….

… this one is a steel by the way, own 2 of this type. You can use it before, during and after driving. You turn this thing to sport plus mode and you will be numb in the lumbar before you know it. I sleep with **** thing… a lot!

Next is DMSO. I don’t give form medical advice, read about it. Some good reads on Substack, A midwestern doctor comes to mind.

Lose some weight! Maybe not appropriate but worked for me.

Take some given advice and take some shorter drives.

There are a lot of us sexagenarian basketcases on this forum as I gather, some even older. Some currently having life changing issues. Buck up! Then buckle up and keep your car for awhile. You already paid the price of admission. A minivan will not fix your back. Don’t let that beautiful car get away… There is always Soma!

Cheers and best wishes to you!