Steve 96C4S

I rowed gears, as we call it, for years on my 1988 911 Carrera (had it for 5 years) and my 96 911 C4S (had it for 12 years). Now I get this 2012 911 Turbo S 18 months ago with PDK and from the moment I first drove it I felt like I was cheating, not having to go through the gears manually like I had done before on my older 911's.

Sometimes I thought, with my hands on the steering wheel taking off from a traffic light, does it look lame to others that I'm not shifting gears and my hands are only on the steering wheel at all times? I know, I'm not supposed to worry what others think but it's only natural that we do this at times.

I'm grateful not to have to shift gears. My left knee was acting up for years and traffic is usually horrendous in the DC Metro region with bumper to bumper traffic a lot, but it still sometimes feels like I'm ... cheating, not driving like a "real" Porsche sports car driver does.

I don't care that the newer Porsche cars have even less manual shifter options, I'm talking about me and my car. It's just an odd sensation at times. I occasionally reach for the shifter and a split second later I laugh at myself. No shifter.

And don't even mention that I can use my paddle shifters. Ha ha. I will probably never, ever use them. Have no interest in them at all. I really enjoy not having to shift. Lazy driving of a Turbo S is pretty sweet in a way, and it also feels a bit lame in another way.

Just sayin'.

Steve

Southpaw

Just about all of the newer, exotic cars and the fastest cars in the world are equipped with dual clutch transmissions or some sort of super fast auto.

Don't look at it as cheating...look at is as leveling the playing field. Love it or hate it - but without it, you're left behind.

But for someone who's also been driving manuals for many years, it's something you'll always look back to because it's a whole different kind of joy.

vbb

It's all a personal preference to be honest. Most people on here do not want any type of automatic on their 911, but there are a few that do. My advice to you is drive what you like and don't worry about what others think of you and your car.

The PDK is an awesome transmission. Way more engaging than the tiptronic. I had a PDK on my last 911, and it is really more like driving a manual than an automatic when you use the paddles. That said, I left it in fully auto mode probably 90% of the time. I test drove a manual 997 Turbo before purchasing my Tiptronic. Personally, I found the fact that the tips were going for nearly $10K less than similar manuals in some instances to be the better deal. While I would prefer a manual over the tip, the difference was not worth $7K-$10K to me... not on a car that I drive 3K-4K miles a year.

My daily driver is a manual, so some would say I have it backwards.

eddielasvegas

Well Steve, you are clearly not connected in anyway to your car (might as well drive an Accord or Camry) and could not possibly be enjoying it like those that drive a MT.



Eddie

Dodaleca

If you have a bad knee that prevents you from enjoying the car with a stick then you're doing the right thing if you enjoy what you're driving now.


I bought mine with a 6 spd as they're getting harder to find all the time (in good used and new vehicles) and maybe in the future I too might not be able to drive one (fortunately for me at the moment my right knee is the worst one!).

Dennis C

I've thought about this a bit too, as my current 911 is the first sports car that I have owned without a manual transmission.

I think you need to embrace PDK to really enjoy it. I drive mine in manual mode more than 50% of the time. I did some nice canyon carving today in manual mode. There is a technique that needs to be mastered to drive a PDK car well in manual mode. It's not as easy as a video game, as some have suggested. The more I drive it, the more I appreciate it. You can have an engaging experience without using your left leg....

dbeck84

I don't feel less for having ABS, PASM, PTM, auto adjusting suspension or variable vane turbos. I absolutely felt more "connected" to cars which did not - if you drove the car you drove every aspect of it and there is something rewarding when you can do that well. In a perfect would I could buy two and for that once a month drive row my own gears and spent hours finding the perfect time in a corner to engage the clutch. Maybe I am getting old but the genuine reasons aside being able to drink a cup of coffee and relax a bit while in raffic could be a sound trad off.
It makes the car faster, reliable, convenient to opperate and while many purists belief any upgrade made since 74 has been a step in the wrong direction I think the boffins in Germany are pretty smart guys. They built it and the vast majority of new models opt for it. If you went back now i bet you would hate it within a week. adored a 993 my father owned and was 100% set on buying on back when i could afford it. It was still amazing when i finally got there but it didnt match my memories at all. It might be worth 3x mine auction now but i have 3x the car. If someone looks in and passes judgement I always put the ball in their court. I gave 4 reasons I made the decision tell me one other than you want to feel like an "actual" driver while bring passed by others. New isnt't always better but the gaps between the setups are so dramatic other than personal preference - which everyone is entitled - you made the right call.

Admittedly have a second with a manual would be amazing. massive fan of them but i dont have that kind of $ so until they buy me the car they think i should own let me enjoy the one i do.

ok-cami

Steve,
I always like your posts. They are typically both thoughtful and somewhat humorous; I can often relate in many ways.
My DD is a 991tt but I've held my others w manual trans.
Have you considered picking up a second 911, perhaps a 996, with 6MT to satisfy the urge? Reasonably priced nowadays. Just a thought.

johnbelk

I agree personal preference is ideed a large part of the decision. Loved my 09 TT w/6 speed and rowing the gears on the back roads. However, in traffic not so much fun... But then I drove and bought a 12 TTS, and have fell in love with the PDK's flexibilty and performance. The car in Sports Plus Mode configuration should be relabled "Dr. Jeckle and Mr. Hyde, as the car becomes a beast. The PDK's ability to up and down shift at just the right moment leaves a smile on my face every time. The first time I performed a launch control in the TTS, I was shocked how brutal it was... Not in a million years would I'd try to achieve the same in my 09 TT for fear of destroying the clutch. And for damn sure I'm not letting someone in their, Vette, Stang, or whatever embarrass me at the light... (maybe inmature, but I can't let it go...lol).
I do miss the 09 TT and it's beautiful 6 speed, but for "me" the PDK is just a joy to drive and isn't that what matters at the end of the day? Life is way to short to worry about what someone thinks..drive what you love...JB

triplenet

Only way I would want a PDK would be as a daily driver ....

Other than that - rowing gears probably 90% of driving pleasure for me ...

that said, I wouldn't mind PDk for the track just to see if I could shave some time off my laps ...

JBsZ06

The grass is always greener. Enjoy what you have. The PDk is very cool.

The technology today has just moved to a level that has made manual transmission sports cars almost irrelevant.

I've been driving manual sports cars for over forty years. Porsches PDk is the best transmission in the world.

Part throttle downshifts are its expertise.

khiroshima

Funny post-- I felt exactly the same way when purchasing my '13 Turbo, it is my first non-manual sports car in my life (wow). I also enjoy shifting and get a charge when I nail the perfect rev matched downshift or double-clutch, it's life's simple pleasures . . . I have also enjoyed my PDK's perfect shifts EVERY time, HaHa

I also like that I can drive it in traffic and never second guess which car to drive. These are amazing machines! KH

Southpaw

Seems to be common that a lot of us have driven manuals all our lives and was able to make the switch and not regret it... as a matter of fact, very very few people I've talked to regret going to PDK.
Sure, I'd love to have a second one that is manual but we all want variety at our disposal.
I value having something fast so this levels the playing field with today's quickest which are predominantly dual clutch (GTR, 488GTB, R8, McLarens, AMG GTS, etc..)
I do miss hitting a perfect heel-toe in my .1 but these quick, downshift blips make up for it.

TT Surgeon

Had a 2011tts, 7mo later sold it and got another 997.1tt 6mt, I was bored outta my mind, that's just me though.....

saudio

I kinda feel the same. not 90%, but a significant amount of the fun is changing gears. However, I've never tracked enough or been disciplined enough to become really proficient at heel-toe so having a PDK just for track events would be awesome. I'd love to see what I could do if I was able to concentrate just on hitting the apex rather than rev matching.

I guess I need a PDK track day only car. Time for a few more lottery tickets.

I do have to say though that I can't see myself ever owning anything but a MT unless I become physically unable to change gears. I had a PDK loaner for a few days and I really liked it as far as autos go, but I missed my MT the whole time.