Larry Cable

this is my experience also... very frustrating when on track and you squeeze the throttle into the kickdown zone as you exit a corner's apex...

two things I'd fix with PDK, eliminate the kickdown feature - and reprogram it not to short shift to 7th all the time in normal/sport mode ...

I actually wondered if the 7MT accelerator was electrically & mechanically compatible with the PDK pedal, minus the stupid useless kickdown then I
would swap it and be done with it...

sadly I am not aware of any aftermarket vendor that has attacked the PDK programming so we are 'stuck' with that I'm afraid

wsjchoi

Put it in Sport Plus and manual mode, optioned with PSE, it feels and sounds amazing
Even leaving it on "D" (Sport +) will give you aggressive up/down shifts

If everything is off and in "D", it feels like I'm driving my beetle..

Archimedes

Larry, my car never does this. I know you mentioned a long while back that you were having this issue, so I tested it again. In sport mode, my C2S will rarely ever drop into 7th in auto mode. When it does, it's only after I've droned on in 6th at 70+ on the freeway for a while. I wonder if your car has an older/newer map than mine.

I've also never had the car kickdown in manual mode when driving hard on the street. I'm guessing that's something that only happens at the limit at the track, but I'm gonna test that one as well, just out of curiosity.

On a related topic, I did a spirited drive in my C2S on Saturday, followed by one in my manual Spyder on Sunday. And all I can say is that the PDK is still awesome. Both great boxes, but man I love that PDK.

freeman

I had my 2013 PDK for 15 months. Upon my decision to try and sell, I advertised it at a price that I could afford a MT 2015 GTS. Sold it in 3 days.

Why you ask? I did not feel in control with the PDK in manual or automatic. I also drove a PDK GT3 at The Porsche Driving Experience in Atlanta. I did not feel in control in a PDK GT3 around their "track".

Before I get flamed, please have the kindness to realize that the concept of "control" is an individual experience. I never felt out of control in the 5 of 6 MT Porsches I have owned in the past 42 years.

Larry Cable

I think you misunderstand the behavior I find objectionable, its the behavior of the auto mode, both in normal and sport, to aggressively up-shift through the gears to 7th gear at every opportunity .. as far as I can tell the major difference between normal and sport is that it moves the 'short shift' point up about 1000rpm or so ... but it still loves to get the car into 7th as soon as is possible and keep it there

come out of any corner in Sport+ with some rpm headroom and if you are unfortunate enough to hit the kickdown on the accelerator it will obligingly drop a gear for you ...

Larry Cable

+1 even in manual mode, the car can, and in some circumstances, will change gears for you...

I think my ideal would be a *real* manual mode (sport+) that behaved entirely like a manual transmission... i.e no kickdown etc

maxpowers

If you have any inclination to shift yourself (like it sounds you do) get the manual. With sport chrono it will rev match, which makes it easier to drive in traffic.

The automatic/PDK will become more and more boring as you use it and get frustrating. If all you care about is the latest technology and lap times you can watch a professional or ride in a self driving car

Julian Thompson

Evening gents.

So it does rather look as though i may have made a mistake with PDK.

I really don't want it to change gear for me in manual!

Some questions then:

1) do the gt3 and gt3 rs suffer the same problem? Software swap if not?

2) is the kick down activated by a switch? Or actual position of the acceleration pedal? Could this be disabled/modified?

3) suppose there is nothing you can do with the auto upshift?

4) would any programming specialists be able to fix these issues with new maps/data?


Thanks in advance

Julian

Larry Cable

1) I dont know, but I very much doubt that it is possible to flash the PDK-S f/w into anything other than the models intended

2) I think it could either be a electromechanical switch (hence my interest in trying to swap it for a 7MT accelerator pedal) but I think someone posited that it was in fact based on pedal position (with a purely mechanical spring mechanism for 'feel')

3) I think you are correct

4) Ive personally never heard of any aftermarket vendor modifying the OEM PDK controller

In short I think we find ourselves up a certain creek sans paddle ...

Archimedes

No I understand what you're saying. If I'm in auto sport, my car will not upshift into 7th unless I drone on the freeway for a longggggg time. It will stay in 6th. I have to manually shift it to 7th to get it there.

Regarding the latter point, I rarely ever drive in sport+ on the street, so maybe that's why I haven't experienced it.

freeman

As an aside, I fully respect the insight that Julian and Larry have with the PDK versus my 15 months of trying. I really tried because I had multiple back surgeries that gave me heel/toe problems. I went back to MT because I missed it and took some heel/toe "therapy". I LOVE my MT 2015 GTS. I cannot heel/toe worth a hill of beans but I do not care. I LOVE the MT.

Again, it is a "choice" that all should have the occasion to decide.

Archimedes

I have to say, the only thing I hate about the Spyder is the rev matching in sport+. I just can't adjust to letting the car do it for me and don't care for it at all.

freeman

Again, an example of "choice". I love rev-matching since I am unable to heel/toe any longer.

Larry Cable

gotcha! I believe that in S+ 7th is never selected, I wonder if that is the case in plain 'S' also?

+1 you did the right thing IMO - I would not have specced PDK except for the fact that my wife wont/cant drive a stick and the GTS is "our" car, my GT3 is a manual - one reason why I didn't trade it for a 991 GT3 was the lack of a 6MT therein!

Larry Cable

In both N & S auto my car relentlessly short shifts to 7th regardless of the road conditions, I dont have to be at highway cruising speeds to attain 7th ... I can pull away from a set of lights and by the time I'm doing 40ish I'm in 7th lugging away like an old tugboat - reminds me of the accursed STEPTRONIC(tm) on my BMW X5 ...