Fatcat0520

Hi guys, I am debating between Manual and PDK. From reviews, I've seen there seems to be a long gear ratio with the manual causing you to be stuck with 1st and 2nd gear since they didn't develop a new transition for the car, while the PDK runs much smoother. (I never drove a manual in my life)considering getting a GT4 or the Spyder, leaning towards GT4 since I didn't use the convertible feature on my previous car. Input would be appreciated. As of rn, I am pretty set on getting the LWCB since I love the looks of it and will most likely track the car, we'll see. I live in Socal so it's not like the convertible wouldn't be used, it's just I personally never used it much for some reason.

SpyderSenseOC

If you are leaning toward a manual, do NOT let the talk about long gears dissuade you. It will not lessen your enjoyment of the car in the least. Where I would be concerned if I were you is whether having a manual will detract from the tracking you said you would do. I've driven manuals my whole life and my Spyder is a manual here in So Cal where it is perfection.

But I'm a track novice and I would get a lot more out of a PDK on the track because it lets me focus on the track and not the work involved in manually shifting gears and dealing with that third pedal.

GTSPYDER23

I live in S CA, just got my manual Spyder with sofas, and love it. Love it for me. I only daily and do twisty roads. No track for me. Manual is fantastic.... I personally don't mind the long gears. But, you touch upon a topic that has clearly no right or wrong. Just your personal preference. Obviously, if you are going to track it, go PDK for sure.

colnagoG60

For reference, this "youtuber" bought a spyder, had had shorter gearing installed, and motor worked to 4.5L, before taking delivery from Porsche...but after driving a V8 Cayman, and the Sharkwerks GT4, and Sharkwerks 4.1L and 4.2L GT3s:

slowdown

Manual... Get your left foot busy. I don't know why every journalist started making such an issue over the 1st and 2nd gear ratios.

colnagoG60

Long 2nd, low torque, and narrow powerband made the 981 feel sluggish. Reviewers probably thought pointing out the gearing on camera made them feel like they understand driving dynamics. But again, 981 feels sluggish...didn't help that power dips at 4,500rpm, so while it "looks" race car, "sounds" race car, it doesn't "get up and go", like race car...IMHO.

Xxyion

I went with PDK for my GT4. I live in NorCal and i also have some medical issues with my left foot so for me it was the choice that makes sense.

That being said, do not let the "tall gearing" dissuade you from getting MT if that is what you want. I drove a 981 GT4 and a 981 Boxster GTS both with MT before i bought my GT4 and i did not think that the gearing was much of an issue.

That being said it sounds like you've never driven manual before. With that in mind, getting a PDK wouldn't be a bad decision at all. The PDK in this car is one of the best transmissions ive ever driven. It is literally an automatic manual car. It doesn't creep forward like other automatics. Even when starting from a complete stop, you can almost feel the computer clutching in and out for you. it's pretty crazy. And its lightning quick. I absolutely love it and i have zero regrets.

You honestly can't go wrong with either one, but i would urge you to choose the one that speaks to you the most.

akhbhaat

Gearing is a non-issue, and the PDK ratios are only a little shorter than the MT anyhow. Having gearing that takes you well past most speed limits in 2nd frankly just jives with the fact that the car is far too capable to exploit on public roads in general; it suits the character of the car. I actually liked the MT gearing on track--it's tall, but the car is quick enough that you're still not spending an inordinate amount of time in each gear, and so it feels like you're working it an appropriate amount without the shifting really getting in the way. On road, you'll still be working the shift lever frequently; how often are you running the engine to redline on the street anyhow? These have some of the nicest gearboxes you can get in a production road car.

That said, if I buy another GT4 I'd seriously consider getting it in PDK. I enjoyed my (MT) GT4s much more on track than on the road; PDK is a lot of fun on track and I'm a good enough driver to honestly understand and appreciate the limits of my own skill--so crutch or not, it does make me a bit faster and I enjoy playing with the gears free of worry. Plus, I have another old school car with MT for the road...would be a tough call.

For a car that more often sees weekend road use, or a Spyder (in general), I'd stick to MT. I test drove a 981 Boxster GTS PDK last week and figured the novelty would wear off quickly on the road (if I were thinking of using it as a daily driver I might reconsider, but I go out of my way to avoid driving in heavy traffic at all times).

Dyim

If you want ‘engagement’, get a manual.

If you do end up with a manual, that will be pretty gutsy to learn in this car IMO.

Manual vs PDK is one of those endless rennlist debate. You have to make up your own mind.

If you had a vert before and never dropped the top, then GT4.

Unless you like the look of the Spyder better.

When I was lusting after the Spyder, I never had a vert before. What I did was I bought a Miata to test out whether I am an open top guy. I ended up keeping both. You might want to buy a beater to learn your manual skills.

MT45

You won’t be dissatisfied with either. I have had back to back PDK (and love driving a manual)
First Pcar was 911 Carrera S (first year PDK) and now I just picked up a 718 Spyder (PDK)
I loved the speed at which the PDK shifted in my 2009 Carrera but oh my goodness… the 718 is even more refined and faster/precise shifting (on a whole other level)

Now that I’ve had the Spyder a few weeks, one thing I had not considered is that I will not likely be driving the Spyder “everywhere” like I did with the Carrera- no trips downtown or short errand runs shopping. The car is worth more and stands out as a target for idiots so no parking garages, downtown dinner trips or parking in tight spaces if can be avoided. If you have similar concerns, then you may have less concern about the inherent “extra work” of driving a MT in a city environment with dense traffic, lots of stoplights etc.

Given my current use case for the car (weekend rides in the mountains, car club rides, etc) I could have searched for a MT but wife likes to drive too and having PDK allows her to do that.

MT is just pure driving fun and PDK is blazing fast and easy to use AND you can manually shift it using the stick or paddles.
BTW, I drive mine that way 99% of the time

MotoFanatic

I had the same conundrum between PDK and manual. I personally went with manual since I had manual most of my life and miss it. Also, I'm not going to be using it as a daily (ie traffic) and I am not planning on tracking/auto crossing.

In your case, I would probably go with PDK seeing as how you've never driven a manual. At the very least I would learn how to drive manual on a car you don't care about and see if you even like it before spending this amount of money.

Either way, great cars! Good luck!
-Moto

Chinchilla

I looked at what can be reasonably be changed on the car when deciding on options.

It would probably be quite difficult and expensive to change between MT vs PDK after the fact, but MT gear ratios can be modified if you find it to be a major issue. So you need to be 100% on MT vs PDK going in.

Similarly, seats can be swapped. So if for whatever reason you don't get LWBS, you can swap them in the future (but will cost about $13K for a set off ebay).

BoxKing

You answered your own question:
Never driven a manual = PDK
Don’t take advantage of your past drop tops = GT4 (although the SPYDER is a sexy beast!). If I lived back in San Diego again, it would be the SPYDER all day everyday, and the top would never be up

IMHO, you’d have to log some serious seat time in a manual car to really learn how to utilize/enjoy it fully. This could take weeks (doubtful), months (doubtful), or years (likely). Could it be worth it… Ehhh, probably not, especially when the PDK is as refined as it is these days. As a 3 pedal lover myself, your case might be one of the first where I’d steer someone towards not going manual.

Regardless of your transmission choice, you will be grinning ear-2-ear in either platform!

Zhao

​​​​​​​Reviewers: A job that requires no provable skills at driving, knowledge about cars, or understanding how they work. Also a guy who's primary goal is to make money off clicks and requires manufacturers to like them or risk getting black listed for future cars.

Aka they say the darndest things. For all we know Porsche dropped every car off with a note on the steering wheel saying PDK is a 3g option and will be available in 2021, you are authorized to complain about the gearing so more people check the PDK box. You are also authorized to complain about the sound and say the interior is dated and could have used an update to digital touchscreen bull**** since all our other cars have that and we want them to buy those as well.

Unstock

If you've never driven a manual I would NOT have a Porsche as my first for sure. I would do what I did, PDK Spyder. Hard to beat the top down in a GT car