provoke

So everyone that has had the chance to drive the car a little bit after the newness has worn off has probably recognized some of the PDK weirdness at low speeds and off the initial start when attempting to drive under normal conditions.. After a few hundred miles you really start to notice things...... Both in normal PDK and PDK Sport.... Just wanted to hear some other views/opinions on the clunking into 1st gear and its unpredictability of how it shifts... Of course in PDK SPORT MANUAL mode the unpredictability goes away but I find it kind of weird the predictability of how it rev matches sometimes and others not as well as when it downshifts to accelerate... Don't get me wrong when pushing the car the way its meant to be driven there are no qualms whatsoever.. I cannot wait to get it on the track as the shifting is lightening fast and crisp! Just under normal everyday driving conditions I'm curious as to what others think. Thread on

carcommander

I think it's acceptable and honestly better than my 458. If you ever had an F1 Ferrari you would notice it.

provoke

I have a California.. I most always drive it in F1 mode.. I cant do that with the GT3 as the paddles are on the steering wheel. (1 thing that drives me crazy) so when pulling in/out ie gas stations or entrances/exits you are upside down trying to shift.. For a week I tried solely shifting with the gear leaver but just still feels weird under normal driving conditions. On the Ferrari when it downshifts automatically its seamless on mine. Granted its not a 458.. What do you notice on the 458?

NMM991

This is a minor inconvenience to me as well - I like the fact that the clutches are disengaged at standing and the car does creep, but don't like the first and second gear "rattle." I know what it is and I know that it is considered normal, but I would still prefer less noise if only so I don't have to explain it to everyone who rides in the car. I generally use the paddle shifters or the gear lever when turning to avoid Auto as well; the PDK-S shifts too quickly and too low an RPM in Auto on light throttle around town. Auto works fine on the track - if I could I would reprogram the Auto code to shift at 3 to 3,500 RPMs under light throttle.

Otherwise the PDK-S is perfect, smooth and very fast compared to the PDK in other models. The engine is truly spectacular, much better than the Metzger motor in my 2010 GT3 in my view (a minority view to be sure), I just hope that it proves to be as durable.

Alan C.

Run, hide! They are coming for you.

provoke

NMM991,

Yea I'm ok with the creep as you get used to it.. However valet scares the #$% of me a bit.. I can just see them having to reverse and it grabs too quick in tight situations... What is different is in the manual you can finesse the clutch and gas so you feel more in control.. Here its only gas so its a bit weird feeling at clutch auto engages.... Probably the more I drive it the more I will get used to it.. Yea you pinpointed exactly it as far as the low rpm.. It shifts up too fast in "auto" and then when it downshifts it jumps like 3 gears creating the jolt as if I floored it.. You can definitely feel the xtra power on this motor and its sounds absolutely amazing! I'm with ya lets please hope it holds as durable. I'm not saying I would trade it for a manual just getting used to it is all under normal driving conditions.

Mike in CA

It does require an educated touch to work the throttle and engage the clutch and you will get used to it. In really tight spots I will often use my left foot on the brake as a fail safe just in case the clutch bites a bit more aggressively than I intended.

bronson7

So what you boys are telling me, I shouldn't let my wife drive the car, being she has never driven a MT, doesn't want to learn and is afraid of them. Hell, that's the only way I was able to convince her to buy it, told her it will also drive like an automatic.

Fadi1

I found the auto mode convenient in traffic. Yes it envoys the crap out of me for shifting at 1500 rpm. But still in manual mode it feels as well as a third pedal one at low speed.
I love this car in all its aspect and I'm a guy who only goes occasionally to the track. So much better that my previous C2S/C4S I had with PDK/ manual.

carcommander

At low speeds when cold the 458 is not super smooth in automatic mode.