Paddle shifters vs. "Thumb" shifters
 

I just spent a few hours going over a million 981 Ss & GTSs.on AutoTrader. I seem to be too obtuse to determine which cars/years get which. Is there a consensus which is easier & quicker to use?

Paddles, ten times over for me!

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...306c511858.jpg

Those buttons just annoy.
But, if you've never driven with paddles before, they can be OK I am told.
Even then if you left down only, and right up only, it supposedly is manageable...

Plus, the paddles were an option, and upgrades regularly occur.

The thumb buttons are dumb. Instead of left to go down and right to go up, both buttons go up and down depending on whether you push or pull. I found it absolutely annoying. Every other manufacturer out there, even on fake flappy paddles with an autotragic trans, does left down and right up. Porsche got it way wrong. They fixed the issue for the PDK on the GTS model and gave it separate paddles (as pictured above), but I still don't understand why they used different styles between base/S and GTS. I was so annoyed with the buttons and the PDK after a Boxster S test drive that I ordered my GTS with a manual. Dealer tried to explain that the GTS would be "normal", but it wasn't a risk I wanted to take.


So for the 981..Base and S have spoke mounted dumb buttons for the PDK. GTS has rear mounted paddles which are infinitely better.

Another issue with the buttons - with a proper 6 & 9 hand position, it is possible to inadvertently shift in a corner.
Paddles are the only way to go.
Fortunately, it's relatively inexpensive to swap the steering wheel if that's the only option missing. Don't let the goofy button steering wheel sway you from an otherwise perfect car.

Paddles are the only way to go. The thumbs are hard to use with an up and down on both sides. Paddles are also generally universal. Thumbs are like using an H pattern with 1st up and to the right and 7th down and to the left.

Paddles are much better!

Paddles, it's not hard to swap the wheel should take the dealer around an hour maybe less, you can buy the wheel from any parts house, including if you'd like heat (requires a different clock spring) or multi-function (requires coding).

I did this before I took delivery of my Cayman S

Wheel swap to paddles is incredibly easy. I've done it a couple times, takes about 10-15 min at home, lots of videos on it.

Second this. And the buttons are creations straight from hell. Paddles all the way.

Thanx guys. I'm only looking at Ss and GTSs. At first I thought that 14s had the 'Thumbers', and later cars paddles, but that didn't seem to hold true. I was about to go with odd & even VINs.

I guess I'm a dissenting view.. I heard all the opinions expressed on this thread before (paddles were the only way to go) so when I found my Cayman I wanted to buy that came with a multi-function wheel, I figured I would budget for a wheel swap..

Now that I've driven it for a month, I don't mind the non-paddles, and I kinda line the other controls on the wheel as well.. This is my first PDK, so I have no built-in reference for how the steeling wheel shifting should work..

Anyway, my two cents, but the multi-function works fine for me. Maybe when I track the car I will change my opinion..

Thumb is dumb .. I have them and never use them .... Paddle is better but I believe in the future this will date our cars to a specific "era" also ....and that will defiantly also apply to the French tickler in the 992 ....... at some point all this marketing silliness and shaving a second or 3 on the Nurburgring will circle back to what really makes sense and a true organic driving experience .... the 6 speed manual ..

I like the paddles better. My 2015 S has paddles.

Oh Oh. What do you do about the 'other' functions if you switch to a wheel with paddle shifting?

Entirely reasonable!
While you can get a multi-function paddle wheel, if you've never used paddles, learning both-sides are up and down would come naturally and likely never cause problems.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/rennlis...8298232dbb.jpg

My view is simply if you've driven left-is-down, right-is-up paddles previously, adapting to the both-way buttons was a problem for me...
So, with MF versions of both paddles and buttons, and that they are easy to change, it's up to driver preference...