FiveRiversGTS

I have a question:
Driving in sport mode
Gear Selector in the "M" Position
Paddle Shifting

While cruising in 3rd gear on the highway,
Another vehicle pulled up next to me, then in front of me and then accelerated. I decided to do the same in terms of acceleration.

However I forgot to shift. I felt an abrupt jerking motion as if the car was about to slow down.
Quickly looking at the Tach I felt I was between 7K and 8K RPM. Quickly let off the gas and all was normal.

In the brief 3 seconds I wasn't sure what happened and I did not try to replicate the scenario.

1) Is this the normal design?
2) Is it okay to let this happen again?
3) Would any damage have occurred?

I have seen the terms Rev Limiter and abrupt engine shut down on the forums, is this what occurred.

Would someone be kind enough to explain this particular scenario and how to proceed moving forward.

TIA

cajerseyboy

Completely normal. The PDK will automatically disengage the clutch to prevent over revs when pushed beyond redline.

ace37

1) Yep
2) Yep, typically better to shift though
3) Nope, you're good.

You hit the rev limiter, that's all. The car can do that just fine and is not damaged. Don't sweat it at all, enjoy your car!

NoGaBiker

Not sure if what you felt was just the car hitting redline (in manual it won't upshift automatically and will cut fuel to prevent over revving), or the abrupt jolt of it automatically downshifting if you "floored it." Because there is a kick down switch that engages if you take her all the way to the floor. It assumes you want to haul as much *** as possible in that situation, and if you're not in the best gear to do so, the PDK will automatically put you there, whether it has to downshift 5 gears or 1. That downshift will produce a big jerk as it slams into the lower gear, and it will instantly put you near redline in a lot of situations because things start happening very quickly.

dkuznetsov

Bro the only way you can damage your engine is if you money shift on red line (shifting from 3rd to 2nd instead of 4th), other than that you dont have to worry especially with a PDK

LexVan

I was reading on the NYC area Prius Forum this morning about a gal that out accelerated a newer dark colored 911 from a roll.

Jabs1542

I don't know what's more disturbing; the fact that a Prius out accelerated a 911, or the fact that Lex is reading the Prius forums.

jimbo1111

Probably studying up on hybrid technology and how to do oil analysis on electric motor bearings.

Quadcammer

That wouldn't make much sense and would in fact be quite dangerous.

Typically the rev limit is fuel cut and the PDK programming simply wouldn't let you select a gear for which the revs would exceed said fuel cut.

CSK 911 C4S

I nailed the rev limiter once by accident..... It's definitely a abrupt halt to forward momentum and sounds horrific when you are not expecting it.

Archimedes

Yup, no damage to your motor. You might have tripped your Fetzer valve though. Call the dealer to see if they can reset it.

Double_J

OP just hit the rev limiter. Totally normal. One of the benefits of PDK is that the software will prevent any money shifts/mechanical overrevs. The car pretty much won't let your shifting choices/mistakes break it.

Also, if OP hasn't spent a ton of time over 4K RPMs or in sport mode, it's feels a little bit different than cruising at 2K or 3K. Engine braking is a more pronounced at higher RPMs, meaning that even small lifts on the throttle will result in a noticeable change in forward acceleration. Likewise, sport mode increases overall throttle sensitivity to driver input.

Finally, it might be regional terminology but on what highway were you cruising in third gear? In NJ, our normal highway speeds are usually 65mph to 75mph. Cruising in third gear would be unbearable!

911seeker

The GTS engine is well known to break if you red line it... ;-)

FiveRiversGTS

What's a Fetzer valve?
What would reset involve?
Necessary?

Perhaps not cruising...I was driving in 3rd gear with the RPM between 4-5K RPM on 95 in Maryland at the time. I like the feel and sound of the car in 3rd or 4th gear. In auto mode the PDK goes to 7th gear too quickly. When I had the manual S, I almost always drove up to 4th gear but definitely never 7th.

Thanks everyone who responded. Really appreciate the input.

Seems I am safe without damage to PDK.

FiveRiversGTS

Thank you. I did not engage a kick down.
Simply did a smooth acceleration.
However in regards to this feature:
Is the kick down any different if the gear selector is in "M" versus "D" mode ?

I think this is exactly what happened.
I almost felt the car may have briefly turned off but not sure about it. Definitely was not expecting it!