MJSpeed

Choices are what we need.

If someone wants PDK then they should be able to get it and if someone wants a manual they should be able to get that. Why does it have to be one or the other?

I find it ridiculous that Porsche can't figure out how to mate the PDK gearbox to the Mezger engine. It sounds like such BULLSH!T that the company that produces cars like the 962 (which is where they supposedly developed PDK back some 30 years ago) can't figure this out or worse the RMS issue.

Look I enjoy the GT3/RS a lot and want the lightest, most hardcore version possible. However I also like progress and things that are state of the art like PDK, disk brakes & ABS (back in their time) and more. So I'm all for them figuring out how to mate it to the Mezger and reducing enough weight so that the car comes in at 3000lbs or less.

Larry Cable

Get a 997 GTS, sports suspension (incl LSD) and PDK etc ...

Larry Cable

according the the configurator PDK is a $4xxx option on the GTS, throw in another $9xx for the sports suspension and LSD sorted!

aussie jimmy

i honestly don't believe that the pdk can handle the torque of the gt3. i understand that the panaturbo has more torque with that gearbox, but a car like that will most probably not be used in the same way as a gt3.......i.e. under constant acel and decel loads for extended periods. something in the chain has to give way, and to me, the pdk will always be the weakest link. prob needs more intense maintenance too to keep it honest. i'd rather they ditch the mezger and bestow legendary status upon it, and build a new engine that will be more suited to the pdk.

Bill_C4S

soo riddle me how the Turbo S pumps its non trivial torque through PDK....

and if we're really pondering whether a Dual Clutch transmission can take the torque....consider the Veyron.

(Mind you at 80k for the gearbox..so it bloody well should)

NVRANUF

Was wondering the same on the previous comment, but your "riddle me this" is much more eloquent! Thank you!!

aussie jimmy

i'm talking about the persistent, continual, heavy loads on the drivetrain imposed upon thousands of gt3's around the world. soooooooooo many are heavily tracked. year after year. relatively reliably. race proven even in the n24. turbo s and panamera are driven mostly by straightliners, they are not tracked. generally speaking.
it's easy for the car to be squirted along a straight then slowed down and allowed time to recover. on the track, it's at least 20 mins flat-out, or even 24hrs in some cases. the gt3 legend is built upon this indestructibility. pdk is too much of an unknown to fark with that rep. turbo s and panaturbos are just test-beds actually, but their owners will never push them hard enough and for long enough, for porsche to get some true data.

cgomez

Main issue is that the Automotive industry overcomplicated things by going the DCT (Dual Clutch or PDK in P-Car speak) route to provide "clutch-pedal-less" manual sequential shifting.

The only reason for DCT to exist is that it works better as an "Auto" box that clutchless manuals that can be perfectly developed for performance driving or racing (like Ferraris F-1, Lambo's E-gear, BMW's SMG, etc.)

Other than in Auto mode single clutch-pedal-less manuals are MUCH better, lighter and simpler solution. I see nothing wrong with the 430 Scuderia or 599 GTO tranny and it provides a much better driving experience than DCTs that just feel too artificial (downshift hardcore blips are a blast, and those are eliminated in DCTs).

It will make a lot of sense for Porsche to be consistent with the performance spirit of the GTx cars and develop a single clutch paddle shifter just for those (and the Cup Car most importantly to get rid of the major reliability woes of the the CUp tranny)

MJSpeed

Though I agree with you, I don't think it'll happen.

amaist

I haven't driven a DCT but what I hear from others who own them it is inherently better at upshifting compared to the single clutch solution like the F-1 or SMG.

SMG type transmissions were always very rough on full throttle upshifts in their quickest mode where a DCT doesn't stress the drive train as much.

I could be wrong about this as I haven't personally pushed a DCT equipped car. I did see SMG fitted cars get visibly disturbed by the shift action on the track. Didn't see a spin caused by that but it did look weird and something that would get a stern talk from the instructor if that happened with a conventional manual car.

Larry Cable

I drove a PDK equiped C2S in Dubai for the 1st time and was very impressed with the transmission (less so with the STUPID shift buttons on the wheel, which are NOT intuitive) ... PDK was very smooth and quick ... certainly took a task off of my mind while trying to drive fast on an unfamilar track and evaluate the ride ...

While I still love (and require) a manual on my GT3, I could certainly see PDK being an attractive option on either a GTS or perhaps on the GT3 itself in the future (I would not want one, but understand now why some would).

I also drove an E90 M-DCT equiped car at the ring this summer and was equally impressed by the smooth and quick shifts ...

In contrast I recall testing an E46 SMG equiped car a few years ago and instantly hated it ... less so when I drove one again at the ring last year, but I still prefer the behavior of the PDK/DCT style to the SMG ... YMMV

Carrera GT

Here's a new take on an old drag box design. Dual clutch verse robotic single clutch is past tense.
http://www.gizmag.com/xtrac-shows-se...mission/17138/

MJSpeed

Now that's what I'm talking about!

FTS

No credible source, what so ever, but supposedly Porsche will be unveiling a "spectacular" new vehicle during the Detroit Auto Show.

And I thought Porsche won't even be at Detroit from now on.

996FourEss

Manthey has taken the Metzger engine to 4.1 liters so I think it works. PDK vs manual is an new topic, but I have driven a lot of cars with PDK (Panamera S), DCG (New M3) bout not yet a 911. All said and done though, if the singest biggest appeal of a 911 is its tactile experience, isn't manual core to that (and yes, I completely agree it is not the fastest way to go arund a track, but nore is an engine mounted behind the rear axle). Long live the manual transmission, for those of us that like to get heel and toe right Other similar, equally "less cutting edge" things that come to mind are: using traditional bottle openers to open a bottle of wine, automatic watches, talking on the phone, riding a mountain bike up a mountain notwithstanding there being a cable car, etc. It is all about tactile experience at the end of the day.

Let's be honest, it it were not, there would not still be this little anachronistic sports car that we all love....