Does anyone know the logic that PDK uses when shifting, i.e., are shift points determined by rate of acceleration? What are the shift points for Sport and Sport + modes? I am not fully through my breakin period, so I have not fully explored Sport + but it seems to hang in first gear to well above 5000 RPM and I don't want to go much higher so I switch back to Sport so the car shifts up.

 

Sport+ shifts at redline.

I don't know that I have neat summary for the Normal and Sport points.

 

I've used sports+ mode and manually shifting to keep it under 5K during break-in. Give it a try.

 

Ditto. I have been doing break-in in Sport with manual shifting.

Seems to me Normal mode in Auto puts you very quickly into high gears -- maybe even too high for break-in/lugging?

 

I believe Sport Plus will shift right around red line if floored.

 

Hi Newman,
I can only relate my experience from my test drive and what my salesman said - he is very knowledgable about this stuff. I just tried sport+ this weekend, but was watching the course, not the tach.

Sport + is set up so that it does not want to downshift in automatic until it can do so when you would be at 4300+'ish RPM or more. It wants to drop you into the sweet spot of the power band for torque and bhp and will not shift into that higher gear until it can do that, or the red-line, whichever comes first. It will not let you go into the rev limiter and I don't know the exact shift points - it likely has multiple variables and will adjust the point based on a number of inputs. But that is the logic behind sports +.

As to sport, other it is somewhere in between and is set-up to expect you driving without necessarily engaging the additional suspension enhancement or activation of the magnetic engine mounts, I am not sure. It is a lot of fun for DD - but it eats gas.

As I said, I just crossed 1,100 miles and tried Sport+ and it is a monster - I am not completely comfortable with being that close to the red line or hearing my engine make that much of a production. I would never let my Tach go that high on my own. But, it was designed that way for a reason and my salesman said it absolutly can take it. I remember being on my first test drive and being in the left lane doing 74, in 2d,, and the tach hovering just under the redline and not shifting to third. I was a bit unnerved and I asked my salesman who, without missing a beat, said "your just not going fast enought - step on it!" Wow, what a car!

I hope that this helped.
Michael

 

I don't know the answer, but my guess is that the shift logic accounts for multiple variables: rpm, accel/decel, speed, braking force, etc. Or at least it should account for all of these variables if it wants to be smart. Even then, I don't think PDK will ever be able to anticipate the road ahead like a good driver would, so there are limitations.

I tried Sport+ for about 5 seconds in my first test drive of the 991. It was so aggressive and uninterested in upshifting that I had to turn it off (of course, this was a car still in break-in). Seems to me that it's a track-intended option, but in that situation I'd rather use the PDK in manual mode with paddles.

Do take all of this with a grain salt, since it comes from a guy devoted to manual (in sports cars).

 

this is the best way to drive these PDK's imo. just use the shifter and leave the steering wheel to steering.

sport + as the literature says loves the redline.

 

Thanks - your collective comments are reassuring, I thought something might have been wrong with my car when it didn't want to shift! Sports mode is good for me when I am feeling lazy, normal is good for highway cruising - got 27 MPG on a 300 mile trip yesterday, but I'll paddle shift most of the time. I am not unhappy with PDK, I am a little amazed by it to be honest, but I am a manual guy at heart like most of you.

 

Sport+ is really for the track or unique situations. I can't see using it very often.
I use the normal mode most often but hit sports when merging, when on a crowded highway where I may need to move around, and when I want to have a little fun on a nice clear road.

For a long highway trip, I agree, normal is best. When I had my MT cab, I was shifting into 6th to lower the revs and eek out better mileage. When I got it, I never thought I would ever see 6th. But 3d and 6 th used the most. With PDK in normal, I seem to spend all day in 7th and again rarely see 5th.

 

And how are you going to feel the first time in launch control and the RPM is continually bouncing off the stop while you sit there with your foot on the brake, praying it won't explode?

ChuckJ

 

I can’t speak to the 991, but I have PDK in my Cayman S. In regular mode the focus is fuel economy. The car drives easily and shifts between 2,000-3,000 rpm. If I am driving aggressively, the shift points move higher. Also, 7th gear will be engaged for highway driving. The main difference in the transmission with sport + is that the shift point is always close to the red line, and when you come off the gas, the car will downshift to keep the RPM’s in the 4,000-5000 range, keeping you in the power band. It is a bit much for the street, but for me it is a great learning tool for the track. Sport mode is somewhere in between. The shift points are higher than in the regular mode on the way up, and the RPM’s will fall lower than sport + on the way down. This can be fun for spirited driving on the street. Also it will not go into 7th gear in sport or sport +. I would think sneaking onto sport + during the break in period would be an exercise in stress and frustration, but at least you get to feel the firmer suspension.
I would imagine that in the 991, the basic concept is the same, but the RPM’s and available power will be different.
Hope this helps.

 

Great question!
Exhilarated, terrified, mortified, worried, and like a kid in a candy store…all at the same time! I doubt I would use it much. I only bought the SCP because I loved the idea of the magnetic engine mounts.

 

Guys, just remember to be sure to warm up the car before you let the revs get high.

 

Thanks for the reminder! I was about to use launch control to get out of my 100 foot driveway. I thought it might help me avoid scrapes on the undercarriage!