PaulJohn

I pick up my Cayman S next week and would like some advice on how to get the best out of PDK on track without sport chrono.

I could happily keep it in manual mode but then I won't benefit from upshifts at the computers perfectly judged RPM.

I could keep it in auto (Sport mode) but then it wont pick the perfect gear for the next bend it knows nothing about and will upshift if i'm not always on full throttle.

So, option 1 is keep in in auto and use the paddles to select the best gear I choose for each bend
option 2 is to knock the gear lever into manual mode for bends and back again once full throttle is back on.
option 3 is using accelerator kick down in manual mode. Not sure this works in all scenarios.

Also, will the car upshift automatically or bounce off the rev limiter when in 'temporary' manual mode. ie does temp manual mode activated by paddles behave differently to manual mode selected by gear stick at the rev limit? I've read the posts about kick down.

Thanks in advance for your collective wisdom.
Paul

PTSFX

Scooby921

Sport Chrono is not a mandatory option for track use. The clock / chrono is pointless. It couples a few other options, but you don't need them to have fun. Put it in Sport mode and see what happens. Put it in manual mode and see what happens. You're not actually racing. You're not going to win anything. It's more important that you enjoy the experience and have fun. If picking your own gears is slower, but more fun then it's the better choice. It's why I bought a manual trans. I know it's slower, but I find it more enjoyable to pick my own gears. Even if I had a PDK I'd probably put it in manual mode just for the enjoyment.

ekam

Pretty sure PDK is smarter than you.

daylorb

I completely agree - I find picking my own gears much more fun and I like to know when weight is going to shift in the car anyway. The analog clock is a cruel reminder of the perfect place for an oil temp gauge...

PaulJohn

Yes agreed, I'll try our all the options and have fun along the way.

Thanks
Paul

brur

I have no business saying anything here, but...(you knew that was coming), I just got my Boxster Spyder, Driving it home after almost six hours of driving I came to a particularly wonderful mountain side twisty.
I took the first 3/4s in normal mode, and I have to admit it was just so-so. Finally, I decided to hit the sport tab. And there it was, the car was ready for each turn, going in, coming out, it became connected to my right foot.

Each nuance of the right foot becomes reflexive interpretation by the car, allowing a feeling of joint appreciation of the road. IOWs, try it you will like it.

catamount

I've done DE's in normal, sport and sport plus in auto mode with my Cayman S with PDK and gone full manual too. (All at VIR) Honestly, PDK just flat out shifts and thinks us humans. So, all my future events will most likely be in PDK auto mode with some occasional human intervention . As for sport chrono. I found normal was too lethargic, sport plus felt a bit too abusive since it is always in the lowest possible gear. Sport mode seemed, for me at least, the best overall choice. It always had the right gear in the bends and got the best top speed on the long straights.

No matter what choice you decide, you'll have a blast doing it just some blasts will be a lot more exciting. :-)

Dr.Bill

Don't forget - you can get the upgraded sport chrono software with sport plus button without the horrible dash wart.

daylorb

Question for everyone who uses auto mode - do you have the standard steering wheel or the paddle shifting wheel? If I did not have the upgraded paddle wheel, I may lean towards auto mode as well.

tomhartzell

I have the paddle wheel and use Auto Sport most of the time, with only occasional use of the paddles. As catamount indicates in his post, the PDK always seems to be in the right gear. (Even around town, where the need to suddenly punch it can arise.)

daylorb

I feel that in Sport mode the shifts happen too early in town when you want to punch it, and in sport plus it hangs in a low gear at high rpm's which is great for the track but not great for highway driving. I guess this is a testimonial to how well the system works, an automatic that folks like on street and track that was designed to be a fully functional manual as well that shifts like butter!

nxfedlt1

I end up running sport more so over sport plus in my GTB1 race build. The shifts are smoother and the very slightly lower RPM it shifts at isnt giving anything up. That said, I will still use the paddles depending on the corner to occasionally short shift, or down shift depending on exit, otherwise, leave it in auto.

PTSFX

ramans

OP didn't specify which model, but AFIK this is only true for the 987 not the 981 and beyond series, if you have info on where you can get it for a 981 please let us know.