bronson7

Priceless

MerlinRS

Legendary Walter Röhrl is driving the new manual gt3. Here is the translation:

First two minutes:
Reporter states that he (Röhrl) prefers a manual.
Röhrl: Only for the sake of having a challenge, all my old Porsches are manuals too, I don't want to get used to the PDK. For "normal" human beings who seek track experience, PDK is a must.

Continues to stress the advantages of the PDK, especially not having to lift the hand off the steering while and stopping the acceleration when shifting manually for a split second.

Minutes 2-4:
Says how balanced and safe the car is, esp hardly intervenes.

ML///

I feel like the manual is offered only because the buyers complained, but yet, I can't help but notice in all the interviews the Porsche guys are saying if you go to the track - PDK is a MUST. I struggle to understand why they insist this is a must. Does anyone know how long the PDK transmission will last? I don't hear of people running their PDKs up to 150,000 miles. I'm curious how much abuse it can take for someone that regularly visits the track.

Wild Weasel

I honestly think it just comes down to preference.

The value of PDK on the track isn't lost on me and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. Lately I've been working on my heel/toe technique and the danger of a money shift is lingering in the back of my mind.

Now... the sense of accomplishment and just plain fun of shifting myself makes it worth the risk, but when I just want to go fast I'll still turn on the auto-rev-matching and have at it.

There's more to the rev-matching than just taking away the need to heel/toe. It also adds an audible warning against a money-shift so I can let the clutch out with confidence every single time.

It's not lost on me that I'm letting the computer do a major part of the work for me and that it's not much of a stretch from there to go to PDK. In the future though, as my technique improves, I'll have the option of using it less and less. And there's no question that on the street I'll take the manual every time.

So I can understand that people who just want to go fast are better off with the PDK.

I want more than that though. I want to genuinely play with the car while I'm out there.

Manifold

IMO, PDK and manual are both fine for both road and track. There's no right or wrong answer overall, since each option has its pros and cons, so there's no "must" involved here. And the difference between them is also lessened a bit by the PDK having the manual option and the manual having the rev-matching option, so the comparison isn't simply between traditional auto vs. traditional manual.

If I had no other sports cars currently, and was in the market for a 991.2 GT3 for some combo of road and track use, I'd lean towards getting the PDK, while continuing to wonder what I was missing by not getting the manual.

Footsoldier

Out of interest, how does the audible alarm work? If you are going to shift quickly from say 5th to 4th instead of 6th, how will it know, and how does it stop you in time?

TRAKCAR

Exactly, well said.

Wild Weasel

As soon as you move the shifter into the gear you want, the rev-matching does it's thing.

You know instinctively what it's going to do. If you intend to shift from 5th to 6th, you're not expecting it to do anything at all. If, instead, you hear the engine rev up... you know instantly it's gone wrong and you don't let the clutch out.

Same thing if you're going from 5th to 4th but somehow get 2nd instead. The engine is going to scream at you and you'll know it's not 4th.

Without it, you don't get those revs until you start letting the clutch out and the car lurches and the revs scream even if you've done a perfect heel-toe rev-match to where you think you're shifting to.

ML///

I love rowing my own gears, but I also found the rev-match feature (GT4) quite remarkable on track. However, the reason I'm leaning towards PDK due to the increase in regular traffic in my area. I'm sure we all watch those videos on YouTube about getting out and drive, then you're all pumped to get out and hammer some backroads and before you know it you're sitting in traffic or some slow moving train. One extreme example - stopping on the highway due a traffic accident or rubbernecking. It drives me crazy having to creep the car in 5mph stop and go traffic with a manual. I guess I have to figure out what makes sense for me. Hopefully more manual reviews will be released soon.

Mvez

This car is a monster regardless of what tranny you pick. Imagine what the RS is going to be like.....

golfnutintib

for tracking

chasing lap times certainly easier and usually faster with pdk - just steer and manage throttle/braking

chasing full involvement, personal challenge of coordination/skill - much better with manual

usctrojanGT3

Exactly and I'll keep buying Porsche GT cars until one of 2 things happen...they stop making NA cars OR my left leg drops off.

jmh981

It blows my mind, in this era of technology, that there isn't a money-shift fail safe - some sort of electronic shift-gate block that makes it impossible to shift into a gear if the computer senses an over-rev, a la PDK.

Mvez

+1. Lock in my build this week.

bronson7

B/C Porsche would then sell less parts for repairs. More $$$ in the bottom line.