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Interesting thread, kind of. From the point of view that so many rave about MT, it is interesting to note how many are honest enough to say they don’t h&t.

I grew up driving manual cars in the UK and thought I would never own an automatic since they were always too slushy and not sporty enough. When I started buying expensive cars - brand new original M roadster was my first, 996 C4S was my second, manual all the way. XKR, DB9 were my first automatics and I made a mistake with the XKR. A car for an older man. DB9 was ok. Manual DBS that came after it was again much better. But then, 360 Spider F1 followed by 430 and a string of DCTs. I loved this new ‘sporting’ two-pedal format. I just do not prefer manual anymore. I have two special Imprezas which are manuals and I can heel and toe, rev match and left foot brake (though you need very slim shoes to do that in a manual car).

Part, but only part, of my issue is that heel and toe has helped to give me a (hopefully temporary) problem with my right ankle. So I don’t bother much anymore, where I used to heel and toe everywhere, even on the road, out of habit. I only ever left foot braked in a manual to prove to myself I could really, it is a bit too much to think about on the road. (When I say ‘road’, I mean empty, very fast roads). I left foot brake always in a two pedal car - it is gratifying and a great feeling, and I am more comfortable with my left than right. Having all four limbs working and on the control surfaces at all times gives you a feeling of imediate control over the car that is truly lovely and is, to me, more pure and ‘uninterrupted’ than with a manual.

I’m bored with manual really and will only ever choose one because I want a particular car and either the two-pedal option does not exist or is poor for the driver. I can see the pleasure in getting a perfect h&t change but there are other pleasures I would have to forego from not driving a good DCT car. I will always want a manual car in the garage for ‘old times’ sake’ but the PDK/F1 transmissions are my preference now, especially on track. I always use the paddles manually.

It’s a bit of snobbery to form the view that people who drive the PDK can’t drive properly. As with all cars, your understanding of the machinery you are using is an interesting, rewarding and telling part of the driver’s ability - whether it be manual or PDK. All major series race drivers use two-pedal cars and it is very easy to tell the good ones from the bad ones. I therefore conclude that selecting PDK is not the thing that marks you out as a bad or weak driver.

Edit: I should add, my last Porsche was a 997 GTS and it is the sweetest manual change I have ever used. Very slick and satisfying, so I do think Porsche do manual ‘boxes very well, possibly even the best there is. My Imprezas are much tighter and even more mechanical feeling. I have seen inside the gearbox and diff of these cars and the engineering is literally beautiful but the transmission is so tightly packed given the layout, packaging and need to incorporate the shafts for the four wheel drive system Subaru uses, no wonder it is stiffer than the Porsche.

2nd Edit; the videos of Leh and Senna are amazing. But especially Senna. Leh has perfected the art of getting the manual change close to the PDK. Senna just seems to have a sublime connection with the car that is almost lazy by comparison but so in-tune with the machine. Unhurried, using the car as an expression of him. I’ve seen the video before but nice to remember it again. My favourite driver ever.

this, and becoming an expert ht guy is way easier than people realize. If you are enamoured with the “perfect” ht, you aren’t doing it right. This is the biggest difference between intermediate drivers and racers in shifting. Intermediates spend WAY too much mental energy trying to hit the perfect downshift (and discussing it on rennlist as if it’s the ideal objective and how you are so much better than PDK drivers) - you are focused on the wrong goal. Asking the question indicates a lack of knowledge about how to do it right. It’s just not that hard, but we can’t get out of our own way.

driving “smoothly” is a radically misplaced and overstated objective that demonstrates a lack of knowledge about how to drive fast. the goal is to be efficient and quick without upsetting the car, not shift so gingerly that grandma won’t spill her latte. Watch senna hit the throttle, it’s quick and HARD.

with modern synchros and lwfw, it’s REALLY easy to ht well. The biggest obstacle is simple - don’t be so focused on smooth, and dial up your aggression by 3x. The pursuit of “smoothness” results in being too delicate with the process, which, ironically, is the biggest obstacle to being smooth. “Slam” the throttle with your heel or foot side like you are mad at it, get the revs up quickly, go overboard!

once you have found the “too much” level, you can dial it back down easily. In my experience, most students don’t come anywhere near too much on the track. They are always under revving and trying to hold a perfect rpm to create “smoothness” - that’s not how you do it. Start by going way over the ideal rpm and let the synchros handle the alignment- shoot for redline.

Track times and smoothness actually comes from the speed of the shift, which allows you to put energy into proper braking and turning, which is what really matters!

Ht is a “pop” and a shift. That’s it. Think of it as similar to “speedshifting” in a drag race but in reverse, you may upset the car a bit, but being quick with the shift is way faster than being smooth. Once you have the quickness down, it’s pretty easy to make it a bit smoother, but you have to get to that aggressive/efficient level to make it all work.