Le Chef

So let's ask the question of potential PDK buyers. Given the choice between the current PDK steering wheel, and a steering wheel with simple "Left-down" & "Right-up" paddles behind the wheel, which would you choose?

Current PDK wheel

"Left-down" & "Right-up" paddles behind the wheel

OCBen

Again, you're biasing your question in an attempt to bias the response.

You need to strip your question of bias.

Ucube

+1.

To a non-track guy like me, the operation of the current PDK wheel buttons is just as "simple" as the alternative the OP's suggesting.

JohnAMG

Current steering wheel is fine by me. I like the idea of able to shift up/down by both hands. IMHO it is easier to push/pull buttons than reaching for the paddles. But what do I know, I am only a regular Joe with a Porsche.

John

JohnnyBahamas

Paddles... just as long as the paddles are on the steering column and thus do not move with the wheel.

ADias

The funny thing is that the new Z4 comes with left/right push pull buttons too. Same functions available on left or right, the difference being that push is shift down and pull is shift up.

OCBen

You don't suppose German engineers are on to something here, do you?

I mean, using simple buttons instead of antiquated levers like the Italians? (Disclaimer: bias intended)

What's automotive engineering coming to with these darn trend-setting Germans getting in the way?

JJS 03S

I think that I'd prefer a voice activated tranny: "UP, when you have a chance" or "DOWN, anytime now".
-Jay

am722

Do people dislike the buttons because they believe them to be inferior to paddles, or because they are semi-reminiscent of the Tiptronic?

zizu

The only thing I don't like about the buttons is they are counter-intuitive. They need to be reversed push to downshift and pull to upshift.

OCBen

Maybe they'll offer it with user preference settings that you can program under user options. Maybe not.

But what I don't get is why people saying that the current setting is counter-intuitive? Why is push to downshift more counter-intuitive inherently? I don't get it.

I do get that pushing forward to go forward faster makes sense to me and certainly seems intuitive on that basis. But I really don't get the opposite as being intuitive at all.

Chris from Cali

Again, I doubt any of the people that actually OWN a PDK car are even the slightest bit bothered by it. The G-forces are not so great as to not be able to upshift due to the 1,000,000,000 Gs we're pulling in acceleration...

ADias

Right. I suspect that the first sequential tranny was built with a 1st to 2nd, etc, pulling backwards. It has nothing to do with g-forces or intuition - it just happened. Then mass produced sequential trannys followed suit and the so-called "in-crowd" became used to it, meaning, they learned that design and proclaimed to the world that that design was the "intuitive" design. What those people will never admit is that their sclerotic brains cannot now adapt to something different.

But now, even BMW is messing up with them. The new Z4 does not have L & R paddles - it has 2 identical paddles with push/pull commands, albeit push to downshift and pull to upshift.

Chris from Cali

The funny thing is when things are referred to as "intuitive" when they are man-made things like cars, guns, electronics. Intuitive things are like putting a cup to your mouth to drink, being drawn to light, etc. All things mechanical/electronic/technical are learned behaviors, thus never "intuitive".

For the last time, the PDK buttons ARE NOT DIFFICULT TO LEARN OR GET USED TO!!

OCBen

Right, that's why I got nothing but crickets when I asked why the pulling backwards to go forward up the gear train was considered intuitive? There's nothing intuitive about it at all. And then there's the left and the right hand deal. What makes the right hand more intuitive for upshifts than the left hand?

They're basically confusing being used to with intuitive. It's like someone proclaiming that having the ignition switch on the right hand side is more intuitive than having it on the left. Come again?

For a new user never having known about any such shifting schemes, the current Porsche PDK shifting method is naturally more intuitive and easier to learn because of the push forward to continue going forward faster and pulling backward to go back down the geartrain or go back down in speed.