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Hi all,
I'm a new Porsche owner and have only driven my 2009 Targa 4S a couple times since I took delivery a couple weeks ago - certainly not enough time to get a true feel for the car, but now that the winter tires are on, I plan on having a lot more driving time. I've been driving a 2015 VW GTI for the past three years and really thought it was a terrific car. Very quick, light, and lots of fun. I'm used to driving the VW in normal or sports mode with or without the paddle shifter. When I'm driving up a hill, the computer knows to drop down to a lower gear for extra power if I depress the accelerator. For the Porsche, in normal driving mode the car seems to get to 6th gear and hold it, even up a hill unless I use the paddle shifters or switch into sports mode. However, with sports mode computer hovers around 3rd/4th gear, even when stuck behind other cars at a steady 40 mph. It feels a little wrong to be driving a Porsche that feels like it's lumbering under heavy weight because of the automatic the gear selection.
Here's my question: I'm new the car and will likely figure it out, but I can't help being used to the VW. Is what I am experiencing just a result of the first generation PDK system in the 2009 car versus the more modern VW system I was used to? I hear that the PDK system adapts to the driver, and hopefully it happens, but I don't know how this memory system works and if I can reset it to forget the previous owner's driving style. Lastly, I'm trying to "adapt" my own brain to the paddle shifters; in the VW both shifters are behind the wheel one side goes upshifts and one side downshifts - I've come to realize that on the 911 there are duplicate paddles (buttons) on the back and front of the steering wheel so the shifting can be done with one hand. Unfortunately until I learn, I keep double downshifting with my left hand on the button behind the wheel and then accidentally downshifting again when my right hand goes for the same button. Always a bad feeling to realize that I'm in 2nsd gear when I want to be in 4th! Maybe I'll stick to the gear shifter for now.
Thanks for your time and responses to these newbie questions.
Andy
seems like your driving the car in “limousine mode”/fuel economy mode. I have an 09c4s PDK and it’s simply amazing. I’m 50% of the time in sport plus mode, it’s ridiculously responsive and throws your head back from the torque. If you don’t have this, absolutely get it - it will be the best modification you can do to the car. In normal driving mode it feels like a Honda Civic, I’m only in this mode for first few minutes of driving car to warm it up. Enjoy!!
I'll be sure to try this. Maybe "lazy shifting" wasn't the right term, I'm not sure if those were my words, but I meant what voiceprint1 noted:
"the PDK does like to upshift into a higher gear when in auto mode"
The Sport button is great, but in truth I've only barely driven the car as I just got the winter tires fitted the other day (and just took delivery last week). The reason for my post was that in my very limited experience, auto mode was a race to 6th gear, sports mode was hovering around 3rd, and I was questioning whether or not there was a more dynamic automatic mode (something in between). Not complaining here, just trying to learn more about this great car from some folks with more experience than I.
Thanks again
Sounds like you haven't tried sport + at all. Not great for street driving in auto mode since it holds the gears to redline but I'm in sport plus manual 90% of the time. Lightning quick shifts and more importantly, you decide when those shifts happen. I have about 70,000 miles in two PDK 997's now. As I see it, auto in normal mode shouldn't even be there. 6th gear at 30 mph??? Doesn't this fall into the lugging/bad for the engine category? Auto in sport mode is ok to get the car up to temperature or when in bumper to bumper traffic or when talking on the phone. Other than than that, sport + manual all the way. That's the only PDK mode that does the car justice imo.
01-03-2018, 10:18 PM
PDK
