Yea! I think its cheesy

Because its shifting automatically some times when I don't expect it.

Shaa.. Everyone knows it not exactly like a manual. How is downshifting when you touch the brakes in a PDK 'identically to a manual car'. In a manual it always stays in the same gear always, until I shift.

 

I would prol get a PDk for the nuvo techno aspect, having THE BEST manu-matic available is a must to try a while.
One thing i wonder about is that I like to regularly wind out 2 or 3 gears depending on what im in, then usually well above the posted speed limit I like to kick it into N and coast quietly looking ahead to the next stop.
Is anything like that possible w/ PDK? Could you be coasting in N like say an off ramp, then pick a gear, hi or lo, depending on how you could take the next corner? How about purposeful engine braking from high RPM, brrrapp, bbrrraaapp rrrrap rap, is called for on occasion. How about dropping more than one gear at a time, does the PDK need to cycle through each one. Some of these nonsensical abilities of the MT i fear i would miss.
To the OP, you should get one just so you can say you have tried it and your qualified opinion is....

 

Have you even driven a PDK car? It does none of those things in manual mode.

 

just took my GTS PDK on some Bay Area back roads today to push it a bit. First half of the ride I used the shifter in manual mode Sport and it felt just like a full manual transmission but without the clutch. Very responsive, very very fast. Second half I threw it into Sport Plus mode and the car did the work. In this mode it didn't shift until about 7500 rpm. Since the roads were weaving I only hit 3rd once. If I only had manual I wouldn't have those options and wouldn't know what gear the car 'should' be in in racing mode.

To me PDK is the way to go. Use it as a Manual, use it as an auto getting a coffee, use it in beast mode (sports plus),and use it like an F1 with the paddle shifters. Like 3 transmission types in One.

 

The ZF 7 speed (PDK) has been in development since 2003. It's a dual clutch box. Shorter gears then the corresponding manual 7 speed. The paddles don't shift. They operate the dual clutch, disengaging one shaft and engaging the other. It's a great box. But it can't hold a candle to a 35 Kg seamless F1 box. Not even close. They're not even remotely related.

PDK is great on the track, especially in auto mode. No one can beat their own auto time on the track using it in manual mode. It's not a manual by any stretch of the manual definition. The gears are pre-selected by an algorithm depending on driving conditions way before one pulls a paddle. Pulling a paddle is an electronic signaling process to operate the dual clutch. What part of PDK is manual? The driver doesn't even select the gear before pulling the paddle (no, up and down is not shifting). Pulling the paddle is an electronic process, how's that a manual system? If Porsche wished, they could have a voice activated paddle. "Up" or "Down." It would go through the same electronic signal pathway.

PDK is great. But it's not a manual.

No one ever said F1 is pure except a BMW PR person during the E60 M5 launch in Geneva. I think I laughed the loudest there. F1 is stressful, the amount of work done in the cockpit is insane and not something most drivers look forward to. That's why they have test drivers. No one wants to change brake bias, sway bar stiffness, throttle response, etc. going an average 160 mph in an open wheel racer. It's not fun.

When in doubt get the manual. If you're tired of shifting or you want speed without working too much for it get the PDK. Nothing wrong with either choice. As long as we have a choice.

 

We just have a difference of opinion. I believe "pulling" a paddle/stick is a manual process. What it triggers may be an electronic process but the result is the same as a traditional manual - shift the gear up or down. It was just faster with fewer steps to make it happen when compared to a manual. ie left foot depressing the clutch right hand shifting gears, left foot releasing the clutch.

What I can't argue with and will concede is that you know a lot more about these systems than anyone I have seen speak on the subject. And I will also agree that it's personal preference.

For me having owned both and driving through the hills of San Francisco... I would take the PDK all day and every day.

 

And the PDK vs Manual debate rages on and on. OP, nothing new in any of these posts that has not be said before in the myriad of other manual/pdk threads you said you have already read. I am sure the past 36 posts, and all the other PDK threads you have read, has helped you to definitely make a decision?

 

How can anyone buy a 911 with an automatic transmission? Pure silly, yes, silly. I agree with Chuck regarding the PDK AUTOMATIC transmission and the unknown costs when it does crap out and there is no warranty left on your car-many people will regret this down the road. I had a 2011 Panamera 6 cyl and it obviously had the PDK (the manual transmission was an option very briefly). That car was a pleasure to drive and it was both comfortable and fast thanks to the PDK. One day I was driving through downtown Raleigh and the car was making funny noises. First I thought it was a belt, then I suspected the transmission (I had read many posts about the expensive PDK and issues with it) but my screen told me of problems and that I needed to pull over because the car was going to power down. The transmission was not the problem but some cam adjuster bolts (aluminum with steel shafts) broke off into the engine. Anyway, I traded the Panamera in on a 2013 911S with a manual transmission. I do not drive much in traffic and if I did, I would not be driving a 911 around in it. I understand that the PDK can shift faster but that does not get around the fact that it is not a manual transmission (if gears are able to shift automatically then you have an automatic transmission). In my opinion, automatic transmissions belong in sedans, SUV's and pickup trucks. There is no way I would have a sports car, such as a 911, with an automatic transmission. Most of my cars have been manuals and the only vehicles that have given me transmission problems were automatics. The PDK replacement vs. replacing a clutch is something to think about. Shifting a manual puts you in control.

 

Yes - pull back on both paddles and the transmission shifts to neutral, enabling you to coast.

 

That's true for the GT3. Is that true the other PDK cars?

 

In my opinion differences in opinion are healthy. When voiced and impersonally argued points our character.

I can completely see how the manual process of using your fingers that results in a different engine speed to drive shaft ratio can be perceived as manual process. Have fun driving these cars.

Your smile when driving is the same smile when I'm driving - it doesn't matter how the smiles got there.

 

Mine is PDK with the multi-function wheel and it does not work that way. It will not go into neutral unless you push the gear selector lever to N.

_Steve

 

debate is over

Moderator - Put all PDK threads to bed.

 

My advice - unless u battle a lot of heavy traffic commuting every day, get the manual with the Sports Chrono. I don't need the SC for downshifts, but my wife finds 3 pedal downshifts intimidating, altho she had manual cars for decades. Her bad habit when she needs to stop or slow significantly is to shove in the clutch too soon and overuse the brakes. Some drivers really need SC with the manual, so it is good to have even if u don't need it. It also gives u selectable throttle shutdown characteristics when approaching redline with WOT.

 

It works in my car. 2014 C2 with PDK + Sport Chrono + Optional sport steering wheel with the paddles. Perhaps the paddles are a requirement for this feature.