Sadiq

ok guys seriously.. wtf is drive-off assistant?

ds2k1

It's a feature found on the 997.2 that holds your car in place momentarily when you're on an incline, so that when you don't roll backwards (or forwards, I guess) when you're stopped on a hill and shifting into gear. Roughly. Now those that demand complete precision in explanation will jump in and augment/correct my explanation a thousand ways to Sunday.

modoz61

Hi All,

I have PDK and the drive off assistant first threw me when reversing up our steep driveway.

It engages if you stop on a hil using the brake either forward sloping or backward sloping.

I have found if you lightly apply the parking brake before moving either forward or reverse then you can keep the Drive off assistance from taking over.

Similarly if you starting reversing on the flat then progress either up or down hill then if you keep moving it will not kick in. But if the wheels stop moving it seems to kick in then patience is required to wait those 2 seconds for the release unless you have thought to lightly grab the parking brake. That seems to foil it.

Minok

Or you can just put it in the gear for the direction you want to go and apply the gas (or clutch+gas) and it will let go BEFORE the 2 seconds are up. You just need to apply the proper torque with the clutch.

aigle836

Well I am getting a bit more used to the system, but I still do not like it and I still would like to find a way to disable it.

Now I got some pictures for those interested.
So, 997.2 Targa 4S
Aquablue, Drak Grey Natural leather, Leather Sport Seats, Wheel Caps with colored crest, Wheel Spacers, Side skirts painted in exterior color, Sport Chrono, Thicker 3-spoke steering wheel in smooth leather, Rear center console in leather, Sport seat backs in leather, Gear lever trim in leather, Universal audio interface, bluetooth interface for mobile phone, 19" Carrera Classic Wheels, Door entry guards in Stainless steel: illimunated, sport shifter, front air intakes painted.

aigle836

Well I am working on getting used to it, but I still would like to be able to disable it.

For those who asked, here are some pictures:

997.2 Targa 4S, Aquablue, Dark grey natural leather, Leather sport seats, Wheel caps with colored crest, Wheel spacers, Side skirts painted in exterior color, Sprot Chrono Package, Thicker 3-spoke steering wheel in smooth leather, Rear center console in leather, Sport seat backs in leather, Gear lever trim in leather, Univeral Audio interface, Bluetooth interface for mobile phone, 19” Carrera classic wheel, Door entry guards in Stainless steel: illuminated, Sport shifter, Front air intakes painted.

solarlottry

I have a 09 turbo with manual trans and am wondering if this car has Hill Assist. If it does i cannot seem to get it to work. I was told by porsche that all the 09 models have it except the turbos. If anyone has any info on this it would be much appreciated. thanks

abe

I wonder if this is something that the dealer could reprogram...doen't sound like it.
Sounds like a feature that should not even be in a P car. Afterall, we P drivers are a notch above the rest!
abe

Chris C.

I find it works well most of the time, once you get used to applying gas against that feeling that you've mistakenly left the parking brake on

I found when I was in So Cal for delivery that the system didn't always engage. I will try to replicate but if you don't roll up to crest of the hill and hit the brake hard as you stop sometimes it allows you to roll backward as per normal. In other words, roll gradually in neutral or with the cluthc in and see if that works

Chris

Edgy01

Thanks for posting the pictures! Nice.

I always just used the old fashioned hand brake (parking brake) on serious enough hills (San Francisco) and it works just fine!

Fahrer

Great looking car!

I have such a feature on my BMW 535. With your foot on the brake, pushing the clutch will hold the car in place for about 1.5 seconds after you release the brake. This gives you enough time to get the throttle right and the car going without rolling back. It works in reverse too. The car uses the antilockl braking system to make this happen. This system also applies the brakes ever so slightly, occasionally, when you have the windshield wipers on in order to keep the rotors dry.

I am an old school driver and really do not need it. I, too, would normally use the hand brake to get going on steep hills. Bye the way, the hand brake was also helpful in controllng rear wheel slip when going up a hill in snow before traction control. Ahhh....... the good old days.

dD/dt

Beautiful car! I wasn't sure about that color on the targa, but it looks fantastic.

My BMW has the same brake assist on hills. Nifty but I could easily live without it. On a 911, it's there for the "why is the ignition on the left?" crowd.

hoppah

Sorry to necro this thread. Found it with a Google search on the topic.

So, new 911 owner here and ran into this "feature" recently on my manual 911 C2S. Totally horrible and irritating. I've been driving stick transmissions for 35+ years and know darn well how to take off on a hill. This "feature" may be just awesome for stick n00bs, but for me it's a total drag. The brake does not release until it "feels" the clutch engage, meaning there's an instant of "fight" between clutch and brake, as well as balkiness, and you have to goose a tiny bit more engine speed than you would normally, to overcome that moment of grab. If you don't, poof, the engine dies, which is humiliating. I was on a hill yesterday in very heavy traffic and this idiotic "feature" had my clutch hot by the time I reached the top due to the constant battle between it and the brakes. A smell I don't like coming from my new pride-n-joy.

I've got a note into the dealer expressing my desire to have this utterly and permanently disabled. I'm not optimistic. Anyone else have a different experience with attempting to get this turned off?

H.

SpeedyD

No luck having it turned off. Best approach I've found is to just get accustomed to the timing after you release the brake pedal... I think it's a two-count, and then just do the clutch/gas dance at the very, very end of that two-count as you normally would if you were doing this without an e-brake (and without the assist). The frustration can really set in if the timing is off and / or you re-engage the brakes (I think resetting the hill hold assist feature). Once the timing is down, however, it is a much smoother (and faster) exercise, and without burning the clutch.

hoppah

Argh. I am down with features, I just can't understand features you can't disable if you want to. This two-second dance will just convince folks behind me that the Porsche driver is busy texting instead of paying attention.

Double-argh.

Thanks for the reply.

H.