About this event
Saturday September 7th, 2019
Cayenne/Macan Off-road Adventure Tour
This September, the PCA-SDR's Cayenne/Macan Off-Road Adventure Tour will head to the back country roads in Ramona, CA, in the Cleveland National Forest, for a half day of off-road driving along a route that consists of varying terrain of mostly single car-width dirt and rock trails. The trails are very scenic, starting out along a dirt road along the San Dieguito River which then turns up from Pamo Valley onto the Santa Ysabel Truck Trail where we will climb for about 1 hour to the peak of Black Mountain on single width rutted dirt and rocky trails. The drive will continue through Black Canyon along the Mesa Grande dirt road, and finish at the Lake Henshaw Cafe for lunch. This event is a wonderful opportunity to share the scenery and back-country driving adventure with the whole family, while experiencing the very capable off-road abilities of the Cayenne or Macan.
The event will have about 3.5 hours of off-road driving which will include a very scenic viewpoint stop at the top of Black Mountain for pictures and to enjoy the view with friends and family. After the off-road drive, we will take a 15 minute pavement drive and meet up for a delicious lunch where we can all sit, eat, and share stories of the drive. The lunch is not provided by the Club; you will order and pay for your own meal.
Required equipment should include tires with plenty of tread, and a mechanically reliable Cayenne or Macan. The roads are a mix of flat dirt roads, with narrow rutted dirt roads, with some areas where the vegetation makes the trail pretty tight. The trails are very dusty this time of year, and the bushes may create dust stripes along the doors and fenders, but irreversible paint damage should not occur with careful car placement. Don't let the "dust stripes" scare you! The trail requires an attentive driver to avoid obstacles that could be of harm, like protruding big rocks or paint-scratching twigs. If all goes favorably, at the end of the route, a healthy car wash session or two should be all that is needed to return your Porsche SUV to its garage queen status and remove any evidence of its off-roading adventures, with only your pictures and memory of the experience remaining!
We will communicate with each other during the drive using FRS type radios/walkie-talkies. If you do not have an FRS radio, please consider buying some of these handy radios. Inexpensive versions (2 radios under $30) as well as fancy versions can be purchased on amazon; just search for "FRS Radio" on amazon's site.
If you have any spare FRS radios, please bring them along just in case someone does not have a radio to use. Set your FRS radios to use channel 07, with privacy code/CTCSS code 01 (not DSC). If you're not sure how to set them up, bring your radios and we'll help you dial them in before the drive!
A road-worthy Cayenne or Macan with all season tires should be able to handle the drive, but if you still have any equipment concerns about your Cayenne or Macan, please contact the event organizer to discuss!
If you are coming from out of town, or even out of California, staying in the town of Ramona would put you at the start and close to the finish of the event.
Saturday September 7, 2019 Planned Schedule:
7:30AM meet at start point: Dunkin' Donuts parking lot in Ramona off Highway 67 / Main Street for donuts, coffee and drinks, and to use the restroom! Address: 1410 Main St, Ramona, CA 92065. Opens at 5:00AM.
Please get everything organized and be ready to depart before the briefing starts at 8:00 SHARP.
8:00AM SHARP-8:20AM Tour briefing, participant introductions, radio checks, and waiver signing in parking lot on the West side of the building. Set your FRS Radios using channel 7, privacy code 01.
8:30AM Pull out to the trailhead which is about 10 minutes away.
1PM: Conclusion of the drive and depart for lunch which is about 15 minutes away.
1:15PM Lunch at the Lake Henshaw Cafe. Address: 26439 Highway 76, Santa Ysabel, CA 92070-9663.
Around 2.5-3 hours of Off-road driving is planned!
The above schedule and route may change depending on the weather and trail conditions - that's what makes this is an adventure!
Event requirements
Porsche Cayenne or Macan in good mechanical shape, and an attentive driver looking to have some fun on some beautiful back country roads!
A full tank of gas should work for the entire day including the drive to and from home within San Diego County. For reference, my '11 Cayenne Turbo uses a little less than half a tank of gas (about 10gal used) for the entire off-road drive, including my 1 hour drive to Ramona from my home, plus the 1 hour drive back home at the end of the event.
All-terrain tires on smaller diameter wheels are preferred for decreased puncture risks, but good condition all-season tires will be adequate. Old tires with little to no tread depth may be at risk of a puncture, so please check your tires!! Tire inflation at the lower "partial load" setting is recommended, as airing down to a setting lower than "partial load" should not be necessary for this event and will likely trigger recurrent TPMS warnings. Low-profile summer street type tires and wheels 21" or larger in diameter with minimal sidewall protection will work if you are careful and don't mind the risk of getting a flat as they do have a higher risk of punctures or even wheel damage from the rocky terrain that we may encounter.
Off-road driving experience is not necessary as we hope to aid new drivers to help manage any situations that may be uncertain. And thanks to the Porsche off-road programming and control systems, challenging terrain can usually be passed with little effort. Overall the trails should be handled by any version of Cayenne or Macan that is carefully driven with tires that have decent tread remaining.
The driver should have a working knowledge of the Off-road programming features specified on your Cayenne or Macan. The owner's manual is the best place to familiarize yourself on the suspension settings, Off-road programming settings, and other features like Porsche Hill Control/Hill Descent - read up before the event, or email the event organizer and ask any questions you might have. Since we are traveling off the road, we will want to use Off-road mode. In a Macan, that means just pressing the off-road program button on the console and in the Cayennes, that means using the center rocker switch to activate the off-road programming. This event's trails will require off-road mode, and this is your chance to see how well your Porsche SUV performs off-road!
A well-maintained vehicle is essential, which includes:
- Tires in good condition with tire pressures set at the lower partial load setting; the full load setting will work, but will be less comfortable on the bumps and have a tendency to slide off or launch rocks and may have reduced traction compared to lower pressure setting of the partial load range. Make sure valve stem caps are installed and if you have a full-sized spare, bring it!
- Fluids at proper levels as steep grades will angle the vehicle and if fluids are low, it may cause issues or warnings at a minimum.
- No coolant leaks! Driving in warm weather at low speeds needs a healthy cooling system. Various Cayenne models have their cooling system weaknesses, so be sure to have any cooling system issues that may affect your model, addressed.
- No known suspension or chassis control faults: we will be utilizing the traction control wizardry of your Porsche so properly functioning vehicle systems are important.
- Due to the bumps and ruts, remove or restrain all loose items inside and outside.
This is a special kind of PCA SDR event since the whole family can come along for the drive. If minors will be attending the event, which they are absolutely encouraged to do, a Waiver for Minors must be signed by both parents. If only one parent will be actually attending the event, download the waiver PDF, print it using a color printer, and have both parents sign the waiver, and bring it to be turned in at the 8:00am tour briefing at the Dunkin' Donuts parking lot. Both parents need to sign the waiver for any minors in attendance.