Lubrecon

As I have pointed out in my first posts as a new guy in search of a CS or other variant, I have a lot of questions to answer before I pull the trigger on any car. You guys here have been very patient with my lack of knowledge so far and I would like to impose on the board's experience some more if I may.

I have been looking exclusively at manual transmission cars so far, but may be realizing that I might be shortsighted in my search by not considering the PDK as well, not to mention excluding some very nice cars. So my new(old) guy question is why shouldn't I be looking at PDK cars as well as manual cars? What are the advantages and disadvantages to a PDK vs a manual? Without a history of consumer applications, could the PDK have some hidden short comings that no one knows about as yet? Will the PDK lead to a lot of high maintenance costs after warranty expires?

I probably have more questions on this topic, but these will help my consideration of the available cars. And from what I have seen so far from most here, I don't have to ask for candid answers.

Thanks again in advance.

CBejbl

If I may quote OCBen.......Dude, do a search on this topic.

Scott997

Yes and one advantage I can think of driving PDK is when your in the south of france and you have to use reverse on a really steep hill. Even with all of my experience I would not of been able to enjoy myself driving manual there. Changed my mind on PDK ripping gears through the Corniches. It's a great transmission. But then again I love heal toe shifting my GT3 lol.

Nugget

Everyone knows that the PDK is a sterile, boring transmission designed for florists and dentists who want to turn their Porsche into an uninspiring transportation appliance with a badge. One time a guy tried to take his PDK Carrera S to a racetrack and he wrecked it because he fell asleep from boredom on the main straight and drove into the armco. The PDK transmission also weighs seven-hundred and thirty pounds (I heard).

Similarly, the manual transmission is clearly an archaic and dangerous performance-robbing anachronism like bias ply tires and hand-crank engine starting. Statistics show that 85% of all manual transmission cars will eventually be wrecked when the driver unwisely tries to shift gears while negotiating a freeway on-ramp, unsettling the car and sending it into a ditch. The only people who would ever want a manual transmission are just septuagenerian luddites who are afraid of modern technology.

Ucube

Ha ha, I only wish I can still work the gears and a 3rd pedal when I'm in my 70's, but sure am looking forward to it!

To the OP, if your primary con of PDK is potentially high maintenance cost, I don't think you have much to fear.

TerpsRED

if your going to sit in traffic a bunch, PDK or Tip has an advantage. But then you don't really need a P-Car to do that.

Other than that, to me a sports car needs 2 feet to operate.

Lubrecon

Sorry to ask questions that have been asked before. As suggested, I did a search and have found a wealth of answers and discussions. Therefore, as someone used to say on Saturday Night Live...."Never mind."

beowulf

I would definitely pursue a PDK if I wanted to commute a lot in traffic. Driving to the LA Auto Show last
night in Downtown was a PITA with stop/go traffic in a manual. Glad I don't do that with any regularity.

I'm getting a PDK 911S for a few day to wring it's neck and really get a sense of this transmission and see if it's for me/or not. I still haven't locked in my allocation specs. I will post my PDK impressions.

PS: Lubrecon, the ghost of OC Ben lives on, don't let it frighten you

gravedgr

Here is the the bottom line - there are really only 3 or so legitimate reasons for choosing a manual over a PDK:

1) due to personal preference (that's why my GTS is coming as a manual)
2) due to cost (the PDK *is* more expensive, although not by much in relation to the price of a 911)
3) due to concerns over failure and/or repairs (see #2 - simpler is usually cheaper to maintain/repair)

Despite personally preferring the 6MT, PDK makes sense for probably 75% or more of all buyers.

LlBr

Get PDK. Shift UP and DOWN when and where you want. Lightning fast, perfectly rev-matched, maximum torque application to road (not a slush bucket), makes your head spin with how fast you're going while you're paying more attention to what the car is doing with the road.

AFAIK, nobody's ever cited what Formula One drivers thought when they lost their clutch pedal but I doubt it made their jobs anything but MORE exciting and demanding.

stevepow

Certainly worth considering, but no one can decide for you. The advantages of one over the other, if you can drive a manual, are not significant enough to matter - there's no clear advantage either way. It just comes down to what you like: you have to go drive some cars and figure it out.

PDK may have a slight speed advantage or gas mileage advantage, but the way most people drive their cars, those things are negligible and more talking points than anything else. Are you a race driver or a gas miser? If not, then don't worry about it.

That said there may be advantages toward PDK if anything about your life makes driving a manual challenging: wife can't drive it, health problems, tired of shifting, etc. But those are things about you, not about the cars.

If you like techie gadgets, PDK is very cool and the computer control is pretty amazing. But there's a lot of fun in doing all that manually too. My advice, if you can swing it, get one of each.


There will be some highly opinionated people on either side of the choice - let them put their money where their opinion is - if they buy the car for you, then whatever they think, PDK or Manual, is right. Otherwise, whatever you decide is right.

Ucube

Actually, the personal feelings of the F1 drivers would be irrelevant compared to those of regular owners. F1 is all about squeezing out that extra tenth, so it'd be silly for an F1 driver to complain about losing their clutch pedal. Personal preference makes all the difference in the real world. In fact, I'd be interested in knowing the transmission type in the F1 drivers' own personal fleet.

Mike in CA

To the OP, there are 2 objective numbers that weigh in favor of the MT over PDK; the $4000 price tag and the fact that PDK weighs 60lbs more. (Some of the price difference will come back at resale as I believe the trend will continue toward auto-manuals and most buyers will be looking for them.) The hard performance and efficiency numbers all come down on the side of PDK, although admittedly there are not huge differences.

The subjective side is fuzzier. A MT is more involving than PDK and if that is paramount to your sports car experience then the choice is easy. OTOH it's not like PDK isn't fun to drive, I find it very entertaining, and it has the versatility to be much more comfortable to use when the need arises, as in traffic or the city.

Personally, after 40 years of manuals in all my sports cars and even many family cars, I went with PDK. I really enjoy shifting for myself, but the main reason I drove MT's was that they performed better than automatics. PDK has reversed that, which cemented my choice. When combined with Sport Chrono it is a great street/track tansmission. On a tight autox course where most other drivers are trying to decide if shifting up to 3rd or down to 1st will cost more time than it gains, I select Sport+, get inhumanly perfect shifts, and can concentrate on my line and braking. I'm more than competitive with bigger HP cars and autox "specials".

There's no reasonable way to say which transmission is "better" in a global sense, only which one is better for you. Obviously I made my choice. Good luck with yours.

Kuhan

Go drive both and make your mind up. Anything we say is just talk.

Lugs H

Test drive both & go with the trans you really enjoyed using while driving.