As I said originally, with my manual I shift from third, touch 5 but not engage , and grab seven all the time on fast entry to the interstate, and I rarely at all use sixth. That's a track gear.

 

So you are NOT free to skip gears going up. You have to pass via 5th to go to 7th. That is very annoying.
(and a bit stupid too, why didn't Porsche put the 7th next to the 6th instead of next to the 5th, no chance of a 4th to 7th shift then, and 5th to 6th is just straight down, so no chance of going to 7th there either)

Anyhow. Going down you don't have that constraint I hope ? Free to select any forward gear you like, am I right ?

 

Ah, I stand corrected. The .PDFs are very explicit, even stating that 7-2 shifts can be achieved directly.

I have a PDK 981S myself, but it hasn't seen any track time, and I will confess that I have never driven it hard enough on the street to observe a 7-2 downshift. I assumed it would have to go through the intermediate gears, but apparently if you hit the downshift paddle quickly enough, it doesn't need to. This calls for further, um, study.

Either way, my last manual Porsche will, indeed, be my last manual Porsche.

 

The OP chose PDK. There are plenty of PDK vs manual threads on this forum.

SINCE the OP CHOSE PDK ..

1) If the PDK is going to be driven in manual mode, save at least 4k and get the 7 speed manual with a clutch. Functionally no difference other than an automated clutch.
2) Sport Chrono has the performance engine map in Sport Plus. The base map is the economy map. Mashing the throttle with PDK in auto mode and sport plus mode will be faster than any human in the loop.

The OP chose the 3.4. For the 991, it is underpowered. Numerous professional reviews and personal experiences on this forum bear this out. The POWER BAND for the 3.4 is in the upper rev range. The Sport Chrono is going to extract max performance from the 3.4 in Sport Plus mode with PDK In auto mode.

The OP should consider the 3.8 for more punch. Again plenty of 3.4 vs 3.8 threads on this forum.

Back on topic.

For the 7 speed manual with a clutch, Porsche's reasoning for locking out 7th gear until 5th or 6th is engaged has to do with track use. At the track Porsche contends a mis-shift into 7th, the economy gear, would not be helpful. So it is locked out to make sure the driver really wants 7th gear.

 

Yes, going down you may select any gear in any order. On the upshift you must just touch fifth ever so lightly to gain sixth or seventh. It's really not very annoying it's like a bobble/ wobble in the gate sort of thing. Really, a breeze.

 

Plenty of power with the 3.4 !
3.4 with Pdk is faster than 3.8 with MT, also faster than any 997 S.
Many pro "drivers" commented on the 3.4 being the sweet choice for the carrera.
People drag racing in straight lines complaining about lack of torque and hp bought the wrong car for the job, it's a carrera not a muscle car.

 

+1
Totally agree with u bccars. I ordered a 3.4 on 7/14. It was plenty fast and sounded amazing above 5,000 rpm. Its $10k+ well saved I feel.

 

We agree as well. You have to take it up to 6000 rpm's to begin to experience its power, though. But it's there to utilize and the traction is spot on, never any spin. Also, the mileage is great; we can average over 35 mpg sometimes. And, yes it sounds awesome.

 

My C2 arrives mid to late October. Hopefully I can get the first 2k miles done quickly so i can start to enjoy taking the revs to 6k+ It did sound great on the test drive i did at the dealership in the higher rev range.
That is seriously good mileage. I assume thats driving at a steady speed, no a/c on ? Porsche I think only rates a PDK C2 coupe at 28 MPG. Its nice to hear that you can do so well on the gas especially since I plan on using mine as a DD.

 

We just did 33 mpg with the AC on at 75 mph plus over a six hundred mile weekend trip to Atlantic City, with a deviation into Manhattan and out again.

 

35.1mpg on return trip State College to western suburbs of Philadelphia Car shows Average speed 60 over 170 miles but traveled at 75 on turnpike and limited access highways

31mpg on way up to Happy Valley.

You really have work to knock down the mileage.

Sent from my iPhone using Rennlist

 

Just hit 300+ miles on our C4S.

Observations

Good stuff:
* Standard leather seats w heat/cool are awesome, super supportive and comfortable, hour and a half trip = zero fatigue. Way cool fore/aft handle.
* Gauges in yellow are a must - super easy to read and just snap the interior out (yellow exterior)
* Sport Design steering wheel best $250 spent.
* Full Glass has trick electric sunshade
* Exhaust note is perfect,(no PSE), IMHO, and in sport mode kicks it up even more, plenty agressive, would NOT want it any louder.
* Manual trans a joy to drive although clutch take-up is right near floor.
* Standard headlights are incredible............damn near daytime driving.
* Standard interior lighting is very good.
Downsides:
* Brake dust horrible, will probably have S wheels powdercoated black.
* Front/rear distance sensors do not pick up 5" high parking stops - did a test with an observer outside, otherwise good system with green to yellow zones.
* Glove compartment could be deeper - what the heck are they doing with space between the tunnel and bottom of the tray?
* Rear view mirror could be better design - shaped for more view angle.
* Need a manual opening front trunk (from the passenger compartment) - procedure for getting in with dead battery is just plain idiotic.
* Not crazy about the key, insertion seems a bit Awkward - imprecise, maybe even delicate........? Maybe just me.
Overall, the car is just friggin' incredible, no regrets whatsoever.
The above is of course IMHO.
Best, Bret.

 

Use this:

 

I was at the Metro NY concourse yesterday and they were telling me about using something like this. Or wax the wheels.

In your opinion, which works better?