Okay so I am going to ask this question. Even though it might be like opening pandora's box.

Let me start this by stating I am looking for real comparisons and not what has been written before.

I happen to like manual sports cars and I have driven a few PDKs and F1s and SMGs.

My questions are; What is it like in daily life to drive a PDK? Has your driving style changed? If so how? What have been the differences you have experienced? I am sure as this discussion proceeds I will have other questions.

You see it is easy for me to know what I am getting with a manual. It is extremely familiar to me. When I have driven a PDK 911. It is a brief time. Nothing like what I have in manual cars. So for some one like me to decide to buy a PDK 911 is a big change.

Now, I know the PDK shifts faster than I can and it is better on fuel etc etc. What I want to know is the fun factor. How is it fun? When is it fun?

Thanks,
James

 

James, tune in here:

https://rennlist.com/forums/997-foru...d-on-gtss.html

 

Thanks Addict.

I have read all that. It seems when this topic is brought up people are defending their choice. Which I completely understand. What I am looking for is info from the people that have made the change to PDK and what they have experienced.

Thanks again,
Cheers

 

^You should ask an oil related question!

 

Okay I am game. So what is the issue with oil and the PDK?

Thanks,

 

James, you missed my point and attempt at some humor. If you ask an oil related question ("What Oil Should I Use In My Porsche?" or "When Should I Change My Oil?") you'll get some fun stuff.

 

I've been hearing about 'top tier' nitrogen lately.
What is that....like, nitrogen with Techron, or something?

 

I have never owned a non-manual car, until my recent PDK purchase. I bought it initially as a compromise, so my wife would be able to drive home if I had a couple of drinks. After 3 weeks of driving it, I actually like it far more than I expected I would. Its still fun to drive, and you can easily be quite involved in the driving and shifting. In traffic, its a wonderful thing to not have to shift. In my limited experience so far, I feel like its the best of both worlds, and I'd probably buy it again even if the 6-speed was an option.

 

I made the change from 6 speed to manual and find absolutely no change in my driving habits. About the only difference is that when my wife and I go for an Icee on a hot afternoon it is easier to drink the Icee driving the PDK than it was driving the 6 speed. I drive the PDK in "auto" when I need one hand to do something other than steering and in manual when both hands are available for driving. I like both, have had both, and would go the PDK route again.

 

I'd like to get into this thread as well. I sold my '06S last year (manual) & am close to getting back in after I see what the 991 is all about. I've test driven the PDK & it's a great transmission. The majority of my driving is in the desert (Palm Desert) & manual is a lot of fun. The problem is when on occasion I take the P car to LA & get stuck in traffic. Every time I did that in the manual car, my left leg was tired & the manual was a pain. The PDK seems to be a good compromise for all situations.

 

With just over four decades driving sports cars with manual transmissions, I recently made the jump over to PDK. After a long retirement from weekend track driving I returned to it last year with a manual 997S. I never really thought about the PDK as an option till I drove the manual on the track. With my many years away from the track I discovered that 'heal-toe' shifting was no longer an option for me. Arthritis, broken ankles and general discomfort at the pedals made me consider the PDK as an option. A few months ago I traded my 997S even for the white CS2 that you can see on the left. I am personally very pleased and will probably never look back. That being said, I'm sure that you realize this is all about personal taste and decision making. Some are more comfortable with traditional approaches to this. Some think that they 'have more control' of the car with a manual. My perspective on this is that I'd prefer to have both hands on the wheel as the car is gently drifting around a hairpin at speed. I never expected to see technology like this available to me at a relatively affordable price. Put the thing in 'D' and take it to the mall. Or put it in 'M' and thrash it around the track paddle shifting through the esses. So far it's amazing. I expect that you will find the opinions of actual owners of these things to be overly positive, and those that 'have driven' one to be considerably less so. Especially since the guy that has one probably isn't gonna admit to anyone that he made a mistake and hates it.

a note to No HTwo O - I grew up in Arl. Hts. in the 50's and 60's and have many fond memories.

 

Hi James,

Honestly, NO ONE can answer this question without bias, and at the end of the day what's fun for one, is not much fun for another. So, only way to be 100% is to maybe get a long test drive... maybe on a used car that dealer isn't too worried about, do at least an hr of test drive and drive in your typical route (home to work, etc...), otherwise it's all people's opinions and preference.

Now, subjectively speaking from my own experience... I'd still prefer manual in terms of fun factor, while I see PDK benefits in some scenarios...

As much as PDK is great in shifting, and takes the guess work out, you can NEVER replace the heel-toe, brake, downshift, accelerate sensation of manual. This is what I really enjoy after mastering heel-toe shifting and is a great fun whenever I could speed up enough to do that properly. When I test drove PDK I totally missed that... Then, at time when I am stuck in traffic, going up a hill behind slow traffic, riding on bumpy roads, when tired, etc... I wish I had a PDK. BTW, I did enjoy shifting in milliseconds between gears and that is definitely *fun*.

So, in my opinion, IF the car is your weekend ride, you love heel-toe shifting, you don't drive too much in traffic, you love the shifting *fun*, manual is the way to go. However, if your ride is daily, you do drive in traffic a lot, and care about shifting speed (possibly for tracking), then PDK gets the nod.

Good luck!

 

Exactly! This question is a preference question, it is akin to asking what is the best color.

Neither is right, neither is wrong. Try them both and see what stirs your pot best.

 

I've been driving manuals for twenty years in Los Angeles and now I'm at the point where I simply see a MT as wasted effort. I'm frequently in traffic even though I only drive my Pcar on weekends! And a MT in traffic is only for the brave.
I thought the PDK seemed interesting but believed "a real porsche has a manual" etc. So I rented a PDK Carrera and felt like it was MORE an extension of me/more interactive than a MT because the response is so immediate to inputs. I felt directly connected to the transmission. So my next P car will be PDK and I won't have to worry about getting stuck in traffic
My use is primarily city driving with about 1 DE per month.

 

I got to drive a bunch of 911's, Boxters, Caymen's on the "track" at the Porsche Roadshow...all were PDK's...I have to tell you - it was AWESOME. It shifted very well and very, very quickly. Nothing like a tiptronic.

If you do a lot of city driving - get it.