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This is really a personal choice you will have to make so I’ll tell you mine.
I am on 911 number 14. All manual shift cars till #14. I had 4 previous TT cars all manual. I always wanted a TTS, for me it was the pinnacle of Porsche street cars. While in my dealer for warranty work on my Guards Red 991 4S manual I was looking at what they had, as usual, and saw the TTS, minimally optioned like I would have ordered myself. They asked if I wanted to drive it while waiting for my car and initially I said “It’s a PDK I’m not interested”. The SA is a good friend and said give it a roll. During the drive in auto and a little PDK I said to the sales guy, “It’s nice but I miss the manual”. He said let’s really drive it so you can see that you would never be able to extract from this car in manual shift what you can with the PDK. Wow was he right.
I drive it mostly in Sport in manual mode and shift with the stick or the paddles. Sometimes if I have an Fcar or like at a light in a not busy area I slip it into Sport Plus and auto and let the PDK do it’s job with the pedal pushed to max. It’s a great transmission, maybe the best in the market, definitely for the price. Do I miss the manual, honestly no. After driving TR 3’s, TR6’s, several iterations of the Z cars from 240 to 300 Turbo, BMW’s and then a bunch of 911’s all manual I am really happy with the PDK. Good luck in your choice. All great choices.
You are spot on about the PDK, I am a manual guy who also had a very similar experience when I ordered my last 991.2 C4S(which I ended up ordering in PDK after going into the dealership with 'manual only' on my brain). However I have one caveat here, unfortunately Porsche has taken away the ability to shift the new 992 PDK with the center shifter which for me was the only way I enjoy driving PDK cars as it gives me a perfect blend between the control/right hand(or left in the UK) of a manual and the precision of the PDK. Now that this option is off the table and it's flappy paddles only I am going back to my roots and ordering a 992CS in manual.
I bought my first 911 in 1970, and have owned many cars during the past 50 years. All of my sports cars were manuals and nearly all of my DDs were AT. When I have my Porsche serviced, I'm almost always given a Porsche with PDK as a loaner. So I've driven cars with PDKs for many hours. My only advice to anyone who is considering buying a PDK for the first time, is to get as many hours as possible behind the wheel of a PDK equipped car. In my case I was initially really impressed with the PDK driving experience, but after a couple of hours behind the wheel I became bored. OTOH I've talked to some Porsche owners who love PDK so much, that they won't ever consider buying a MT car again.
Bottom line is there's no general rule regarding the superiority of the driving experience for either transmission. It's a 100% personal, subjective choice.
This is really a personal choice you will have to make so I’ll tell you mine.
I am on 911 number 14. All manual shift cars till #14. I had 4 previous TT cars all manual. I always wanted a TTS, for me it was the pinnacle of Porsche street cars. While in my dealer for warranty work on my Guards Red 991 4S manual I was looking at what they had, as usual, and saw the TTS, minimally optioned like I would have ordered myself. They asked if I wanted to drive it while waiting for my car and initially I said “It’s a PDK I’m not interested”. The SA is a good friend and said give it a roll. During the drive in auto and a little PDK I said to the sales guy, “It’s nice but I miss the manual”. He said let’s really drive it so you can see that you would never be able to extract from this car in manual shift what you can with the PDK. Wow was he right.
I drive it mostly in Sport in manual mode and shift with the stick or the paddles. Sometimes if I have an Fcar or like at a light in a not busy area I slip it into Sport Plus and auto and let the PDK do it’s job with the pedal pushed to max. It’s a great transmission, maybe the best in the market, definitely for the price. Do I miss the manual, honestly no. After driving TR 3’s, TR6’s, several iterations of the Z cars from 240 to 300 Turbo, BMW’s and then a bunch of 911’s all manual I am really happy with the PDK. Good luck in your choice. All great choices.
I think if I had a TT (any), I would want a PDK. The S and my GT350 are about the limit of what I want to try and control with my foot and hand. I'm not as fast or accurate as I used to be. This S may be my last manual, unless I pick up something retro or a small, 2 door convertible of some kind.
Opinion, of course, but I'd be interested in your thoughts. I said "need" not "like" or "prefer", but I've driven manual cars for 35 years without being able to heel/toe or needing to tap the gas on downshift .... except on the track. I like to practice it, but it has never been needed (the fact that 99.99% of drivers don't do it is, I would suggest, evidence).
All that's being said here makes sense, but as I'm going back and forth on this, I can't help but think of owners of Ferraris, McClarens, Lamborghinis, AMG's, Astons and Audi R8's. Are they all driving dulled-down cars because they are not manuals? Are they not enjoying the driving experience as much as those of us with manual Porsches? As much as I've enjoyed shifting for myself over the years, I'm having to acknowledge that manuals are an anachronism, and that the state of the art has changed. From what I can discern, the PDK is very possibly the best automatic ever made, and I'm sure there are those who get great pleasure from it in places other than the track. I just wish that Porsche made a switchable PDK with three pedals and a shifter so my mental agonies over this can be resolved.
I'm with OwingsMills on this....totally agree.....and thanks for the vocabulary lesson....i had to look up anachronism
Opinion, of course, but I'd be interested in your thoughts. I said "need" not "like" or "prefer", but I've driven manual cars for 35 years without being able to heel/toe or needing to tap the gas on downshift .... except on the track. I like to practice it, but it has never been needed (the fact that 99.99% of drivers don't do it is, I would suggest, evidence).
The ride is smoother and there is less strain on the drive train and reduced wear on the clutch by matching engine speed. It doesn't always have to mean heel/toe - more often it's just a tap on the gas. I don't really see a downside and honestly, for me, it's second nature. I'd have to force myself to drive another way.
The ride is smoother and there is less strain on the drive train and reduced wear on the clutch by matching engine speed. It doesn't always have to mean heel/toe - more often it's just a tap on the gas. I don't really see a downside and honestly, for me, it's second nature. I'd have to force myself to drive another way.
Sure, I can see that and I don't disagree - just consider it a preference and not a requirement.
I'm just happy that they offer both options so everyone can get what they like. I know what I like and I feel sorry for people stuck in the middle trying to decide.
i consider pdk a total advancement....i don't see many people asking for the return of drum brakes or manual steering to bring back their sense of engagement.....of course the race track has its own special needs that suit particular situations, that will never change...
Manual Transmission (with auto rev matching): Hit the brakes, anticipate apex, trail braking, choose gear in your head, left foot engage clutch, right hand off of wheel and change gear while aiming for apex...
That isn't PDK with a clutch. The manual transmission requires more mental and physical coordination than PDK. Either you want that or you don't. And I don't buy the commute traffic excuse either. If commuting is such a big part of a 911 owner's life, why did he/she buy that car in the first place???
If you grew up with automatic transmissions, PDK is great. If you grew up admiring racing car drivers like Vic Elford, watched heel-toeing by race drivers on mountain passes, and learned the beauty of a properly executed downshift, then your soul will give you no choice.
(For the record, even Vic Elford has said he was faster on track with the PDK and in auto mode. But so what? Its about the fun.)
i consider pdk a total advancement....i don't see many people asking for the return of drum brakes or manual steering to bring back their sense of engagement.....
LOL . . . . I'd add: 6 Volt Electrical Systems, King and Link Pin Front Suspensions, Breaker Point Ignition Systems, Solid Lifters, and Cable operated Clutches.
Another reason I get sticks is because hardly any of my friends/people today are able to drive them...makes it easier for me to appear to be a nice guy and say yes you can drive but then watch as they see they can't drive it...LOL
It's even better if my wife is around because she can drive stick and I'll say let my wife take you out for a spin then...
i consider pdk a total advancement....i don't see many people asking for the return of drum brakes or manual steering to bring back their sense of engagement.....of course the race track has its own special needs that suit particular situations, that will never change...
gravedgr post #53 hits nail on head
Originally Posted by Bluehighways
LOL . . . . I'd add: 6 Volt Electrical Systems, King and Link Pin Front Suspensions, Breaker Point Ignition Systems, Solid Lifters, and Cable operated Clutches.
Manual or PDK is THE MAJOR DECISION. You are right to be circumspect. It is finally subjective and there is no wrong answer. My take.....
Thought experiment: imagine if we had grown up through Sportmatic, Tiptronic, and now PDK with its choice or manual or automatic modes, evolved user paddles, crisp split second shifts, and computer based electronic integration with Sport Chrono and lidar (see pic). This is what we know to be Porsche's continuous development. Then !TADAH! Porsche introduces a new, revolutionary 100 lbs. lighter transmission......all manual, requiring a third pedal to operate the clutch, not in any race cars because no matter who's driving, it's not as fast. Would there be a question? Thought experiment over.
The reason I could prefer a manual is 50 years of trying to master it and occasionally getting it just right. The sublime ecstasy of heel and toe, timing, acceleration. The reason I've had PDK in recent P cars, however, is because I want to be where the technology is going. Even in automatic mode, PDK is more than just passively operating in the background. It matches my focus and coordinates with my driving intentions at that moment. Absolutely Cyborgian with Fun being part of the equation.
Two other things that helped me stay with PDK. Both are third order considerations that may have been mentioned elsewhere. PDK makes it easy for others to drive the car. I used to worry about the clutch getting abused or the gears getting mashed. And finally PARK. There are times - traffic jam, bridge opening, the drive- thru, airport drop-off, driver change - many occasions when it's convenient to put the transmission into PARK instead of shifting to neutral and holding the brake pedal, or securing the emergency brake, or turning off the ignition and doing whatever you do to make sure the car doesn't roll. PARK is a practical gift of PDK.
10-26-2020 | 09:44 AM
I'm not as fast or accurate as I used to be. This S may be my last manual, unless I pick up something retro or a small, 2 door convertible of some kind.
