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I think it is extremely small minded to somehow equate poor driving skills/talent with inability to drive a manual transmission. Perhaps its a personal ego trip. If you somehow feel that it adds to the overall driving experience by rowing the gears, then that's awesome- enjoy, its great that Porsche still offers that as an option. However the PDK has become so dang good that its hard to ignore. I track my cars, the PDK in the RS is phenomenal. My manual GT3 was not as much fun to drive on track compared to the lightning quick snap shifts of the PDK. But I still keep a manual car around for nostalgia and to hopefully teach my kids to drive someday!
PDK if you are tracking the car and are concerned with tenths of a second or you can't handle urban traffic and a manual transmission otherwise manual all the way.
Both my wife and I are diehard manual drivers, and I wish my Allroad was available with a stick. However, I had the chance to drive PDK equipped 911s and Caymans at a track event, and I was very impressed. I'm not ready for one yet, but I have no problem with those that go that route, whether it be for the track or the street. I'm just happy the Porsche makes something for just about everyone.
It's a personal thing, but if you haven'r driven both PDK and MT Porsche transmissions, your perspective is limited. The 1st used car I bought ~1980 was a stick, and I've driven them all my life. The last 2 "fun" cars I've had, over the past 3+ years, were autos, and I missed driving a MT. The 991.2 I recently bought has both the MT and "emergency" rear seating I wanted, plus many more attributes I love. The new Supra and LC500 were both eliminated on the lack of MT alone. I'm taking my '18 C2 to COTA in April, and I assure you that I won't be thinking about lap times as I enjoy exploring the limits of the very capable "base" 911. My preference for a MT boils down to one word: control. I want the car to do what I want, when I want, and quickly. Very quickly. I've come to appreciate Nick Murrys' videos on the 911, largely because he has ownership experience with the 991 &991.2, as well as driving experience with many past and present Porsche gearboxes. The PDK is one of, if not the best production auto. This video gives insight into some of the pros & cons of modern DCTs:
My DD is a '18 Tundra. Occasional moto & MTB injuries over the decades have taught me that toy haulers and DDs with autos can, at times, be more than moderately convenient. I remember very clearly driving to shoulder rehab for six weeks, shifting with my left hand in a left drive MT truck.
It's a personal thing, but if you haven'r driven both PDK and MT Porsche transmissions, your perspective is limited. The 1st used car I bought ~1980 was a stick, and I've driven them all my life. The last 2 "fun" cars I've had, over the past 3+ years, were autos, and I missed driving a MT. The 991.2 I recently bought has both the MT and "emergency" rear seating I wanted, plus many more attributes I love. The new Supra and LC500 were both eliminated on the lack of MT alone. I'm taking my '18 C2 to COTA in April, and I assure you that I won't be thinking about lap times as I enjoy exploring the limits of the very capable "base" 911. My preference for a MT boils down to one word: control. I want the car to do what I want, when I want, and quickly. Very quickly. I've come to appreciate Nick Murrys' videos on the 911, largely because he has ownership experience with the 991 &991.2, as well as driving experience with many past and present Porsche gearboxes. The PDK is one of, if not the best production auto. This video gives insight into some of the pros & cons of modern DCTs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RPKiAy4eVQ
My DD is a '18 Tundra. Occasional moto & MTB injuries over the decades have taught me that toy haulers and DDs with autos can, at times, be more than moderately convenient. I remember very clearly driving to shoulder rehab for six weeks, shifting with my left hand in a left drive MT truck.
Yup, I can clearly remember manually shifting with a broken wrist. Not comfortable.
Stall the car? With the hill hold feature, my 911 MT is the easiest I've ever driven. Seven forward gears is lot to cram into a shift gate, though. I find it's best to slow downshifts a bit, until the pattern becomes second nature. Some say they like the PDK better for track, and I'm sure it is faster/easier. For me, I'm there to enjoy myself, and don't get to concerned with lap times or point bys...
Agree. The 6 speed in my BS still amazes me after nearly 7 years. And HTing is so perfect and easy that it just makes me smile like no other car can. (That's why I wish rev matching was a standalone option or at least a standalone, button-activated feature on the 992) The 7 speed in the 911 (non-GT cars) bothers me. I really, really wish they would revert back to the 6-speed, but at least a manual will still be offered. I guess I could just replace the **** with one from a Boxster or Cayman and forget that there is an extra gear. Since the 7-speed was just a mechanical version of the 7-speed DPK, I guess it made economic sense to use it, but now that the PDK is 8-speeds, a 7-speed manual makes no sense. Extra gas mileage is a sorry excuse. I'd gladly give up 5 bhp (if that would even be necessary) in order to lose 7th with the manual. Since it seems that Porsche may be ready to eat crow over putting a 4-cylinder in the B/C, it would be perfect timing for them to do the same with the 7-speed manual: admit the mistake and give us a 6-speed!
02-23-2019, 07:37 PM
#savethemanuals 
