MistGt

Hi everyone! I just wanted to report on my first experience with the ever so long-awaited PDK tranny. And I must say: WOW!! This new 911 is the real deal. I am fortunate to have a very cool salesman at my local Porsche dealer. They are officially releasing the new 911s tomorrow, but we snuck to the back where they were being kept and took the Aqua Blue C2S cab for a spin.

I have had solid experience with the 997 Carrera S as it was the car we traded in for our 07 GT Silver Turbo about 3 months ago. We owned that car for about 2 1/2 years and put about 23k miles on it. So rather than comparing the new 911 to the Turbo, I thought I'd compare it to the old S. I'll start with the PDK...

It is everything that we hoped for and more. As most of you probably know, you can shift either paddle on the wheel up or down: push for upshifts, pull for downshifts. At first, I paddled through all seven gears (so weird seeing a 7 on the dash indicator!) slowly and I am happy to report very smooth shifting for daily driving and quick, painless throttle blips on downshifting. Since the car is a demo, I was able to get into the throttle pretty good and work those paddles, which shift seamlessly. Redline is up from 7300 to 7400. It is a bit of adjustment pushing the paddle in for an upshift, as I am used to the pulling motion found on most other transmissions for upshifts. I accidently pulled instead of pushed from going from 1 to 2, but nothing bad happened except for getting a nice engine sound around 6k rpms or so (whoops!).

Unfortunately, neither test car had the Sport Chrono, so I was unable to try Launch Control. Under hard acceleration, shifits are very quick, but I think most true Porsche enthusiasts will want that optional Sport Chrono because shifts could probably be a bit faster. The Sport Chrono will do just that, and more. Overall, would I trade a slick shifting manual (SSK) for the PDK? My personal answer, at least for now, remains no. I am a true manual enthusiast, and the SSK on the 997 Turbo is so satisfying to work that I would truly miss it, even if it meant losing a tenth here or there. That could change after I drive a Sport Chrono equipped car. However, it is the best Auto-Clutch tranny I've driven and it DOES make the car faster. The PDK is obviously night and day compared to the old TIP, which wasn't a bad tranny at all, but there are so many more positives that come from having this new PDK. That being said, I want to talk about the rest of the S too...

This new engine is an absolute gem. I thought the old S was fast (it still is), but this thing flat out hauls ***. The engine note sounds more aggressive, torque was linear and always on tap, and we got up to 90 mph on an empty backroad in a hurry thanks to that sweet PDK tranny. The DFI, from my seat of the pants experience, has improved throttle response and torque in the mid range, which was an area I thought the old S could use a little help. The engine revs more freely, thanks to less components within the engine, and as I mentioned earlier, you have the higher redline. Even though this was a convertible, the car felt lighter and more nimble than my old S, and cornered very well. This new 911 is truly an M3 and Corvette killer folks... I personally think the S would give a GTR fits around a track already, but when the PDK goes into the new turbo someday, game over!!

sparkhill

Thanks for the great review.

TT Surgeon

The tip is like the 600# gorrilla in the room now.

StickShift964

still like to row myself...call me old skool.

yemenmocha

The new 997S PDK is faster in a straight line than the Nissan GTR, according to some reviews. The GTR catches up in triple digits, but that is expected with the higher HP.

Look at the 12:30 point to the end on this video (but the whole video is worth watching)

http://www.drivers-republic.com/dr_t...&area=features


Can't wait to see what happens with the turbo getting DFI and PDK.

OldGuy

How do you sneak in and take a couple brand new 911s out for spins?

Likemystoppie?

Sports Chrono will add quicker shifts. But, the secret is also to get PASM Sport Suspension. It ALSO changes the shifting points even more aggressivly

Olli

Test drove the 997 Carrera S with a PDK today and agree with the first poster's impressions. I also drove with the Sports mode on and it does make a positive difference. This thing is really nice. Like most here I also prefer manuals, but don't know after this experience. At least for a daily driver this PDK might be even more fun.

MistGt

If you have a good relationship with your dealer/salesperson, anything is possible! I'm sure it also depends on how liberal the dealership is as well. Both of the new 911s they had on the lot were designated demo cars, so I am sure they will be driven a lot. I just happened to wander in a day before they were placed on the showroom floor to offically get "the party started".

Also, I forgot to mention the new ventilated seats and the IPOD/USB ports in the center console. Cool Stuff indeed!

Coochas

OK, I'm calling for an immediate cease and desist on all posts praising the PDK transmission.

I have a November build TT in the works and would prefer to stop second guessing myself.

Thank you for your cooperation.

cc: Atty. Ben Dover

Land Jet

Tiptronic cars are going to be taking a hard hit when PDK becomes an everyday reality.

OneManTX

True, but by that time, they have already taken a big hit simply by being older cars.

Likemystoppie?

You'll drive your car and forget about that pesky PDK!

PD-WHA?

Coochas

Thanks Chris...I needed a sanity check.

dk996tt

i need to take one for a spin!