ELMEL

Really? PDK hesitation drives me insane. I find it most noticeable when parallel parking. Shift, wait, go. Shift, wait, go. Hate it.

Qwickrick

I had a student yesterday in a 2011 Turbo S PDK.....incredible car.

What does SPORT and SPORT PLUS modes do the shift points of the PDK?

Also, if you use the manual mode, and for example, you're in 3rd gear at low rpms and accelerate hard, will it still downshift to 2nd?

Can someone point me to a good explanation of PDK?

Thanks

Rick

avader906

If you intend to track, mod or race the car down the road (unlikely for average 997tt) then go with 6speed 997.1tt. For anything else it's taste and colors with latest turbo s pdk is decent even if compared with 458 etc.

turboraceme

gave up c4s 6-speed for a 2012 997tt, pdk, with those "annoying" thumb shifters. drove stick all my life and never found it to be of hassle even in nyc daily commutes. BUT, now, i couldn't be happier. PDK is just such an awesome product. lightening quick shifts, so crisp and yummy. i even love the thumb shifters (go ahead make my day, I just put a bullseye on my forehead.) Took a week of tooling around in manual mode to master the thumb shifter but now it's second nature. the auto mode in sport or sport plus shift better than i do so when i really wanna just get from point a to b, i just use the sport mode or if feeling naughty, the sport plus which is a real monster. Go ahead give PDK a try.

CarreraTurbo

I think the reason for the PKD hesitation off the intersection is the time computer needs to react to your foot input - if you step on accelerator hard the engine rpm and throttle response are calculated then the gear is engaged (all of this takes a bit more time than when you start in a pre-selected gear with a conventional automatic). Finally the car lurches with a gusto forward and sometimes it is difficult to modulate the acceleration in the city traffic. The PDK is also eager to upshift very quickly and in the stop-and-go traffic you are either bobbing in low gear (PDK manually) of driving like an old lady in a Mercedes (when in normal PKD mode). One day they will figure the PDK management software and this transmission one day may become not only a "technological marvel" but also a joy to drive, but in my view we are not there yet.

Maxsar

Sport and Sport Plus make the sift points much more aggressive. Sport Plus appears to be geared for track use. In manual mode the car won't up shift until you change gears. It also won't downshift upon sudden acceleration without your input.

I have bumped into the rev limiter a few times not being quick enough with the shifter. In manual mode the car will down shift if the revs get somewhere below 1000. So for example when you stop at a light the car goes back to first gear without any input on your part.

Regarding the buttons and paddles. I originally got my car with buttons. It was a mistake and I ordered a paddle shifting wheel. I was able to try the paddle shifting wheel on the street and at a drivers ed event. On the street it is fine. I still wasn't quite used to the pushing and pulling of the button after two weeks. On the track it was easy to up shift by mistake in sharp turns. My thumb would accidentally hit the wheel.

The paddle shifting wheel was much easier to get used to and far better on the track. Changing gears doesn't unsettle the car nearly as much as I do when I am changing gears. As a result I am able to change gears places where I wouldn't think of with a manual.

I don't miss having a manual as much as I thought I would. I tend to shift the PDK manually especially at low speeds. The car seems to be smoother that way.

saeyedoc

I've had mine for about 7 weeks now, dealing with traffic most days on my commute to work. At first, I was driving in Sport Auto all of the time, but it can be jerky in traffic at times. The problem seems to be mostly from downshifts into 1st at low speeds. It works great for highway cruising though, downshifts appropriately when passing and upshifts when back at steady speed to improve mileage.
I've recently been experimenting with using the paddle shifters in moderate to heavy traffic and like you, I find it to be smoother. It's much better to anticipate the traffic ahead, avoiding upshifts when there's slower traffic coming up and keeping it in 2nd when crawling at 15-20 mph. I will also short shift into 2nd when coming out of traffic lights. The downside is worse gas mileage, but it's way more fun.

OldGuy

SAeyedoc the jerkyness of the downshifts is because you ARE in Sport mode. In traffic turn it OFF and that goes away. SPort is for more aggressive street driving. I look at my 3.8 C2S like this
Regular mode--Wifey mode no jerkyness and real smooth driving excelllent milage
Sport mode - GT3 like much more aggressive street racer
Sport Plus- All out track car, moves and acellerates just at the THOUGHT of you wanting to go faster.

And thats just in a Carrera S Translate that to your turbo My guess would be like this
regular mode- Normal sedate turbo Like a 996 TT
Sport mode- Agressive Turbo, probably like a 996 GT2 in sportiness
SPort Plus- F40 super agressive Track mode, able to mow down anything in its path, superKiller MEGAcar

saeyedoc

I just don't like driving in regular mode, it seems to lag the engine too much, but I'll try it again in heavy traffic. I agree that sport mode contributes to the jerkiness at low speed, downshifts to first gear too much. I like using the paddle shifters in traffic, much easier to be in the right gear anticipating traffic ahead and avoiding 1st gear unless coming to a stop.

OldGuy

Eyedoc, there is a software fix for that. I would Love to see what a 997 TT PDK machine is like. My C2s PDK is faster than the 997.1 GT3 I had and a 996 TT. The PDK turbo has to be in the range of a 997 GT2