crossroads

I purchased my '13 C4S MT cab in February and this stick may be the best yet. For my background , I've had a 993 C2, 996 C2, and 997 GT3 with MT's.

Feel(of the lever) - the throws are light and the engagement is precise. In this regard, the GT3 was the best with a bolt action rifle feel.

Shifter gate - the 7 speed is a little weird especially when down shifting from 7th gear. I have to be careful because the lever self centers and wants to go from 7th to 4th. I just have to be careful.

Lever height - so far it's ok although I may want to try a short shift kit which has a shorter lever.

Clutch pedal - the best of all the other MT Porsches. It is light with engagement about half way through the pedal travel. Makes me wonder why it took them so long to perfect it.

Downshifting - this is what really sets this transmission apart from the earlier Porsches. It is by far the easiest and smoothest to rev match downshifts. I know I'm not that good but this MT makes me a lot smoother than in the other cars. I sense it's the development of the PDK which contributes to this. Whatever the case, it makes the MT especially enjoyable.

It's a shame that the MT has gotten so good given that it's days are numbered. One thing to hope for is that the MT in the 991.2 GT3 will be fantastic. If it is, I may have to consider giving up my cab for one. Naaahh.

john weires

My Porsche manual transmission experience is limited to a 2011 Spyder, which is 6 gears. It's the best manual I've ever operated in any car. Smooth, precise, and properly weighted clutch with excellent engagement point.

I have had PDK in two other cars including a 2009 C2S with gen one PDK and a 2014 GT3 gen two which is much smoother and also smarter than gen one. It is the best automatic transmission in the world spoiling me for anything less in an auto.

I have read about the 7th gear to 4th gear unintended downshift tendency with Porsche's latest MT. I will eventually probably buy a 991.2 GTS and want to be flexible on which gear box I get as I will probably buy the car used and CPO.

So it is good to hear all of the 7 speed's high points other than the one foible that one can learn to work around. I also like the idea of the overdrive and better mileage that the 7 speed gives for longer highway trips.

4pipes

The real neat thing about manuals is that you get used to them real fast from all the shifting. I can't imagine my Porsche without one.

Key Left

If you put miles on it it gets progressively better due to breaking-in. I have 47K on my '13 C2 . Drive it!

4pipes

Mine's a month old with 4600 miles on it!

NF4710

Yes the manual in these cars is fantastic. After extended driving one gets used to the unconventional shift pattern. PDK is fantastic but I find myself enjoying the stick more.

NF

Penn4S

Put the GT4 short shift kit in and you will love it even more.

titanflyer

After driving a Macan GTS for less than a year and just feeling like "this isn't a 911"...I personally wasn't going to buy a PDK 911, so I did a search and found one. It's fantastic and probably the best I have ever driven, but still, I do wonder if the 2005 S2000 I had was a little better. I am not sure why and might be just remembering it like you do with an ex-girlfriend, but it did feel better in my memory.

Gary JR

One of these days I'm going to try 7th gear.

Jabs1542

Trick on the 7th gear downshift, which took a little while to get my head wrapped around this. Drop out of 7th, let the shifter center itself (between 3 and 4), then push it as far to the right as you can and drop it down into 6th. I can now do this very quickly and instinctively.

My problem has been 6 to 5 at the track (I can get well into 6th before the bus stop at Watkins Glenn). You can't let go of the stick because it will center itself to 3, and you can't push to the right while moving the stick up or you'll hit 7. I resolved this by going from 6 to 4 prior to the bus stop since I take the bus stop in 4 anyway, but that move from 6 to 5 takes a little thought during a tense high speed moment at the track.

AlBinVA

If I am on the highway with light traffic, I am 7th gear. In medium to heavy traffic, 6th is much better because it provides more pedal response if needed. Nice to have options. Care is needed when downshifting from 7th. A steady grip is needed to keep the lever from travelling to 4th.

seattle_sun

How fast are you going?
I would figure 5th gear top speed is 160ish?

I also love the MT. I hardly ever go into 7th and if I do, I'm usually just cruising, so dropping into 6th has not been a problem.

Key Left

One thing I do which is fun is only use 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th both up and down the range. It somehow gives you more gutsy drive experience. Try it.

KenTO

I have a 991.2 and when I shift 7 to 6 I always shift down with a little lateral pressure, it always goes into 6th.

rkwfxd

I disagree completely. I pretty much hate the MT7 in my car and can't wait to get rid of it. After 39 years of driving MT cars I've never had to think so much about what gear I just shifted to. Never needed a gear position indicator before but in this car I can't live without it.

Wait was that 3rd or 5th? Better look at the dash before I release the clutch. 6th or 4th? Same thing.

OK pay close attention now. You are going for 1st to pull forward, make sure do don't catch reverse by mistake.

It's kind of a shame because I really like this car except for the MT.