Jason997.1

Despite the fact my daily is an electric...

My left foot felt weird having nothing to do in a sports car, and even in manual mode I felt a bit lost as to what gear I was in or how many gears I wanted to drop. I tested manual mode and used the paddle shifters.

Don't get me wrong, the tech is pretty awesome...

Has anyone gone from a manual to the PDK, felt apprehension at first, then learned to love the PDK?

Or went to a PDK and regretted it?

Cheers.

skuplist

Sold my 991 GT3 and got the Spyder for just this reason.

JCtx

I've been a manual guy all my life, and was afraid I might regret PDK when I decided to get it (for many reasons). But I was sold right away. And yes, I drive it in manual mode all the time. This thing is just amazing. It's the only DCT transmission with a mechanical lever and a parking feature, so no automatic electric brake engagement. When you engage a gear, it goes, whether you have a door, hood, or trunk open. And you can disengage the clutch by double-paddling at any time. Shifts are immediate, up or down. And the shifts have a lot of character, from the 'overrev' when up-shifting, to the very aggressive throttle blip when downshifting. It's just as engaging IMO, everybody in my household can drive the car (for a change), and no worries of ever missing a shift, or over-revving the engine accidentally, whether myself or somebody else. I'm super happy with it, but I suggest you drive one first if you have no other reason to get PDK. It's incredible, including the substantial feel of the paddles. By the way, the main reason to get PDK is the very short gearing of 6th gear on the manual, to the tune of 72 mph at 3K rpm. Even 6th gear on my PDK is taller than that at 76, and 7th is good for 108 at the same 3K rpm. It should have been a little shorter than that IMO (95 would have been perfect), but much better than just 72. I also wasn't crazy about the rubbery feel of its cable linkage, nor the position of R, which is the worst it can be. Still a very good tranny, but second rate compared to the 911. With PDK, you get exactly the same thing not only like the 911, but like all other super cars costing many times more, so it was time to embrace that new technology on this car. Good luck.

Underblu

Every Porsche I owned except for my last one was MT. PDK is marvelous, the shifts are instantaneous and you always seem to be in the optimum RPM range.

That said, it isn't an MT. An MT provides a bit more intimate interaction with your vehicle. and the MT in my Spyder is superlative with the exception of the long *** gearing.

As much as I loved PDK returning to an MT with the Spyder was like visiting an old friend.

Noah Fect

Regardless of which one you get, you're going to miss the other one. You just have to decide which one you will miss more.

digitalrurouni

I really wish the Spyder had the PDK.

Archimedes

Yup. I find the best is the one I'm in at the moment. But, if I was being honest, I'd say the additional performance of the PDK is worth it, as it allows me to focus more on the road and be a better, safer driver at speed in the mountains. 95% of the time I'm in the Spyder, I'm glad it's a manual, but there are certain times where I really wish it was a PDK. The harder I'm driving the car, the more I prefer the PDK. The rest of the time, I probably prefer the manual.

VGM911

Quote:

Originally Posted by elp_jc

I've been a manual guy all my life, and was afraid I might regret PDK when I decided to get it (for many reasons). But I was sold right away. And yes, I drive it in manual mode all the time. This thing is just amazing.

It's incredible, including the substantial feel of the paddles.

My experience mirrors elp_jc's....my current Boxster with PDK is my ninth Porsche, and the first without a stick shift transmission. I'm very happy with the PDK, especially since I drive it in manual mode all the time, too. I don't miss the clutch pedal at all.

MagicRat

I have manual in my Spyder and PDK in the 991. Was completely convinced by PDK until I'd spent some time with the 6MT. I just love the level of interaction it brings, even when driving slowly, and the satisfaction of getting a shift just right. I think I wish the 911 was manual more than I wish the Spyder was automatic (but the 7MT is different from the 6 so it's not a perfect comparison). All that said PDK for heavy traffic or really pressing on, and certainly for track use, is unbeatable.

RossL

I did the exact same. I also turned down an RS allocation at MSRP because I like the Spyder so much! It was a really hard decision to say the least. I'm still first for the RS.2 if/when it comes and I am hoping it's a manual

skuplist

Yes hoping manual in the next iteration also. So dealers are willing to take deposits this far out.

prrod

I am going on my 8th Porsche.
Other than for city, stop and go traffic duty, I will always prefer the manual.
I did buy a pdk 911, just to trade it back 6 months later for a manual.
The technology is awesome but the personal interaction was not there and it took away from the driving experience.

extanker

po believes in rev the snot outta every gear and hope to get to the turn first......the auto box does it quite well....i have no regrets going with a slush box

SCMike

Manuals? Pshaw, modern manual gearboxes have synchronized gears - that's too easy. A real man drives a non-synchro gearbox where you have to double-clutch just to get into gear (that was my first new car in 1962). Nowadays, all my Porsches have PDK. My left foot has no regrets since it is always firmly braced against the dead pedal.

PhilNotHill

Yes.

My wife will only drive a mt.

My solution is to have four cars. Two with dct and two with manuals. My wife can't drive both mts at the same time so there is always one to scratch that itch and it usually is the Boxster S with mt as shelikes to shop in the S4...more room to buy stuff.