levd

I was always driving my 997.2TT PDK in Sport Plus" mode on track.

But GT3 is a different animal and seems like PSM in PDK Sport will interfere much later than it does in Sport Plus on TT.

I'm not a good driver. Not at all. PSM saved me at least twice on track last summer. I need PSM to help me.

Also, when i'm hard on throttle, this car is very responsive even in normal mode.

I do not shift manually, fully relying on PDK.

So, for not so good driver, will driving on track in normal mode (exhaust and suspension buttons on, but PDK Sport off) affect lap times badly, or will it be more or less the same?

Thank you!

Bartron

I've had the opportunity to do this a couple days ago.

The short is you will hate running normal PDK 'city' program on the track.

Here's the long:

First I tried driving in manual which was fun but brand new car on familiar track so there was a lot of newness in the setup for me. It was fun but definitely wasn't a quick session.

Driving in PDK sport is amazing. The car downshifts exactly when you want it to and differentiates between full and partial throttle. Hence, it doesn't always wait till 8.5K to switch gears unless it's floored.

On the cool down laps, I flicked it over to normal PDK for fun. I also tried normal PDK for a couple laps during the day.

To me, throttle input and managing the car with throttle is just as important as all the other inputs. Keeping the car in the power band consistently allows you to modulate the throttle and affect the car. For example, if you're going 60 mph in 2nd or 3rd, you can really feel the effect of slight throttle changes on the car. If you are going 60 mph in 5th gear, you lose the precision and responsiveness of the car and you seem to muffle what the car is trying to tell you. Not to mention that the shifts are not consistent. The system learns and gets better but is nowhere as intuitive as the PDK Sport.

Do you have to drive ***** to the wall in PDK Sport? NO. You can drive at whatever comfort level you like in PDK Sport.

There are others here with way way way more track experience who will hopefully chime in but for me, if you want to use the PDK on the track, the PDK sport is the only option. Hope that helps.

levd

Thank you for such a detailed answer!

IvanBurns

I am a reasonably proficient driver, and have driven the GT3 is both Sport mode and Normal mode on a variety of tracks.

You will be fine in Normal mode. Like you said, the car is very responsive even in Normal mode. I can't comment on PSM differences, since I rarely trigger a PSM response. Note - that should be your goal!

But what I do know is that on some tracks, the car is too responsive in Sport mode. What happens is that the car aggressively downshifts and frequently drops to second gear, and then the car has so much torque that it is excessive. It unsettles the car and it is too easy to spin the wheels when powering out of a turn. So driving in Normal mode calms the car down, is still plenty responsive, and actually results in FASTER laps for some tracks and drivers. I don't have direct confirmation, but I heard that this is what the professional instructors tell their students at the US Porsche Sports Driving School in Birmingham.

Have fun with your driving, and be safe!

Manifold

If using in manual mode, Sport mode doesn't do anything. If using auto mode, use Sport mode, the shifting will be much better suited for the track, even for a beginner. I only leave the Sport mode off for the cool down lap, and for the warmup lap if the engine isn't already warm.

Leave the stability control and traction control on (ie, the lights for those two buttons shouldn't be on).

Bartron

If you want to focus on line and take some of the frenetics out of the experience, you can put it manual and leave it in 3rd gear. This is a strategy often used to help decrease the amount of sensory input coming at the driver. you won't have to worry about gear shifts (as the car will hold 3rd) but you'll learn what the car feels like when at mid/full roar. Perhaps without the distraction of the gears, you'll find yourself smoother and thus faster. Just another technique to try.

I've been a skier my whole life, when the weather sucks or when I'm bored, I just do some drills. I find ways to focus on specific aspects of my skiing and then bring it back together. As you spend time at the track, you'll find that there are plenty of driving drills you can do that accomplish the same thing. Most of them do not have an explicit goal of 'going fast'. By doing things smoothly, in control and with consistency, your times will decrease on their own. Check out Ross Bentley's books or any of the multiple coaches and books out there.

Not claiming to be an expert in any way, just passing along some of the things others have shown me that have made a difference.

Have FUN!

OCturbo

You will definately want to leave it in sport plus when in auto. A less experienced driver will want to brake sooner for corners, carry less speed through corners, and will get on the throttle later when exiting the corner. However, you will want to be wide open throttle with quick shifts on straightaways and sport plus will put you in the correct gear when entering and exiting corners

kshu1991

I think in Chris Harris film he mentioned that Porsche told him that it is better to use normal mode while shift manually.

aamersa

If a "not so good driver" just keep on driving regularly on track and you will become good with practice soon enough. I would advise that you use sport auto mode on track as it will keep you in the right gear all the time. The normal pdk mode is more economy oriented and best left for city driving.

OR you could go manual in which case it's not so important which mode u use. Let me tell you that in a 458, manual is your only option for performance driving, as the auto mode is so economy driven that it would be pathetic on a track. Normal modes just want to rush you to 7th. Not ideal on track.

Manifold

While I advocate using Sport mode when using PDK auto on track, I should note that I don't find the auto shifting to be perfect - very good, but not perfect. There are places where downshifts are later than I'd like, and other places where I'd prefer that the car held a higher gear rather than downshifting. But the does PDK shift consistently every lap (if the driver is consistent), so the imperfections in shifting eventually become a non-issue.

spooky

I'd go pdk-s as in normal mode the car will kick-down a gear or two in response to heavy throttle which is a harder to predict or be consistent where as in pdk-s it doesn't kick down making it more consistent and predictable. Concentrating on smooth inputs with throttle/steering will more than compensate for any over-perceived responsiveness of throttle imo