Will Feather

I would rather shift myself.

In today's cars, everything is electronically controlled. Throttle by wire takes away your 1:1 with the gas pedal. These transmissions will take away your 1:1 with the gears. Whats next, a computer controlled auto pilot (technology is just about there). If all control is taken away from us, why even bother driving a car.

Personally I like driving my car, without any modern "conveniences".

MAGK944

I was sceptical too but really, you have to try this transmission before you judge it. You can shift yourself and the response is instant, you actually gain more 1:1 feel with it. Please try it, you will not be dissapointed, this is true F1 technology passing down to road cars.

I wonder if there was the same resistance to new fangled technology back in the days when you had to double-clutch and match engine revs-to-speed before you changed gear. I am sure a lot of motorists then thought that synchomesh gears were going to take away their driving pleasure.

schwank

Sorry, jumped the gun there and misquoted. I really need to find that article.

87 944 C

i've driven a f430 with the f-gear(pdk for ferrari) and then got into my 944. i kinda forgot a lil what i was doing(the clutch idea) but even with the power and overall performance of the f430, i'd still rather a stick shift, it supplies so much more fun, and is a bit more involving. i bought the stick shift cars for a few reasons, track use, back road fun, and keeping me awake on long drives, and auto puts me to sleep.

at least lambo and porsche have both options.

CurtP

I haven't test driven a PDK, but I did do a test drive in a BMW 135i with STEPTRONIC. I liked it, but it just isn't something that I'd want even on my daily driver. I like shifting - even in traffic. I just couldn't imagine being on the track without a manual - but that's just me. Even my dragstrip car has a manual.

It would be good for the ladies though

harrisonrick

I've driven a paddle shift car and I don't like it...sure it may be faster shifting, but the fun thing about manual trannys is the shifting of the gears.

badcoupe

I really liked the trans in 01 360 modena F1 I drove it was really cool.

Keithr726

Porsche apparently put a race version of early pdk in a 951 when a customer asked for it in the 80s. Anyone have any information on it or where it is now?

schwank

That's the article in Excellence I mentioned above Keith. Damn it, I am gonna find that tonite!

roman944

these guys just don't understand

if this is just for a race car though, sure why not?

87 944 C

i fyou thought the f360 was great, try the 430...more power, more advanced trans, just a really great car all around, but still i'd rather buy the 355 just for the true 5spd(or was that 6?)


o as for that auto pilot thing, honda has em in minivans, in testing in japan. they take you to and from work. they can even bring you to the grocery store, where they drop you off in front and then go find a spot. when you're ready to leave, you click a homing button and the car comes and gets you...then there's the lexus that parks itself

reflexr

Waking up an old post, I have a 2013 911 PDK(open diff) I was gonna put in a 914, but the car is long gone. I also have a high mileage 951 with a new engine, that I have no issue modifying. It’s a pretty low optioned 87, nothing special as far as turbos go. Does anyone have an idea on what would be necessary to change it over?

FrenchToast

The original prototype PDKs were tested in a 944 Turbo. While they were ran occasionally in 962s for sprint events, reliability problems prevented it from showing up at Le Mans and reaching production cars of the era. Porsche had hoped to install it in production 968 and 969, then 996, but reliability issues prevented this.

You would have to use a Boxster or Cayman version, unless there's a way to flip the pinion gear on the 911 version. Then you'd need a shaft adapter, housing adapter (if it doesn't bolt up), custom carrier, and likely custom axles. It could require a custom fuel tank if the 968 version does not work. If the stock transmission module / TCU requires input from the ECU, you would need to somehow figure that out. Then you have to mount the shifter, cables, and the emergency neutral switch (if there is one). Most PDKs use shifter cables, with the 992 generation they've switched to a purely electronic shifter. Can't comment on the Panamacayenne PDKs.

There's no public documentation of the changes they made to test it in the 944. If you know a VIP at the factory you might be able to get some anecdotal info.

If you want the fastest shifts, it would be easier to install a sequential. Some of the modern sequentials have pretty high service intervals.

odurandina

re; Tony G.
He has a sequential box on his engineered 944 race car.
It's been a few years since regular updates.