Hi there, newb here getting ready to order a C2. I've driven a manual my whole life but am quite sold on the PDK after trying it this weekend - but I forgot to test a takeoff from neutral!

One thing I like about manuals is sitting at a light with 1st engaged and right foot ready on the accelerator. And the one thing I hate about automatics is the delay between taking your right foot off the brake and moving it to the accelerator.

I'm assuming with a PDK I can pull both paddles at a light and sit in neutral, hover my foot over the accelerator, then punch it when the light turns green.

My questions are:

• How smooth is the takeoff with this method?
• Does the PDK have to engage 1st before feeding in clutch, or is it already waiting in 1st?
• In other words, when you pull both paddles, does it merely disengage the clutch or does it actually put the car in neutral and keep the clutch engaged?

I know these questions are a little OCD, but maybe the answers would be helpful to anyone considering making the switch from MT to PDK.

Thanks!

 

Yes


No. When in neutral, you'll first have to manually engage 1st gear while you are holding down the brake pedal.
(Oooops, I'm always in manual mode, so I don't know what happens if you are in D)


The rest of your questions are very good and interesting questions, but I don't have the answers unfortunately. Someone more knowledgeable will chime in.

 

It is my understanding that with PDK, if you are sitting still and the car is in gear (ie "1" is indicated), first gear is engaged in the trans and the trans awaits the release of the clutch. Touching the throttle releases the clutch. The trans is in neutral only if you move the shift lever to neutral. If you have Sport Chrono you also have launch control and in Sport+ mode, can have the stopped car in first gear, and hold it still with the brake while revving the engine with peddle to the floor. The clutch will engage (perfectly managing wheel spin) when you lift your foot off the brake. The trick of pulling both levers to place the car in neutral is not advantageous if you plan to accelerate forward.

 

I agree with the OP, the fun with a manual is mainly the ability to hold high RPM at standstill and then drop the clutch for a take-off that befits the 911.

OK, even if you're over 50 - that is still fun.

Now how do you do that with the PDK ? Other than launch control - you can't really - at least I don't know how - legally.
You can place left foot on the brake, then give a good amount of throttle (not floor it but a good amount) and then let go of the brakes. That works.

If you are timid on the throttle you will feel the clutch is engaged and the engine is dragging. But if you push the throttle a tad faster the clutch lets go and re-engages nicely when you let go of the brake. This seems to work in all modes with sport-chrono (I do not know if this works if you don't have the sport chrono pack - maybe somebody else can tell us).
So this is sort of a "mini" launch control if you like.
There is no delay when you want to get going and the engine is near or at its power band so you get a good kick in the back.

Not sure if this is recommended practise or good for the gearbox. Might well be not. But it seems to work.

I have not managed to go from neutral into a gear with high RPM. It plain refuses.

Rainier
(yes, 50+ and still playing with toys)

 

"I agree with the OP, the fun with a manual is mainly the ability to hold high RPM at standstill and then drop the clutch for a take-off that befits the 911."

I have a MT but have not tried this. How high to you take the RPM before letting out the clutch?

Will this damage the clutch or transmission if done frequently?

Thanks.

 

Thanks for the answers so far. Just wanted to clarify that my questions are in the context of being in PDK manual mode, during an ordinary takeoff from a stop light, not necessarily a sport chrono launch. But it's good hearing about other scenarios too, I want to know everything about this thing

I guess I'm hoping that pulling both paddles puts you into a true neutral with clutch disengaged, which would have so many uses:

1) I could sit at a stoplight, take my foot off the brake and have it ready over the accelerator.

2) While parallel parking on an upward incline, I can pull both paddles and roll backward into the space. Oh wait, does the hill-hold feature prevent this? (Damn damn damn)

3) I could sit at a stoplight and blip the throttle a few times while I'm waiting.

4) When sitting in downhill traffic, pop in and out of neutral and let gravity do the work, which brings up an intriguing question: Can you bump-start a PDK? :-O

In short, I'm hoping that pulling both paddles will allow me to duplicate the subtle everyday pleasures of a MT.

 

I thought pulling both paddles for neutral was going to be in the GT3?

 

From a stand still leave pdk in 1st gear. If necessary rest your left foot on the brake, when the light turns green mash the throttle. The engine will rise to 3500 +/- rpms and catapult the car forward. It's the equivalent of dropping a manual clutch and feathering the gas until your tires hook up, then mashing the throttle. The difference is that with pdk there's no spinning of the tires and the launch is perfectly executed. By the way, if you are not using your left foot to brake, it's really worth the effort to learn as it's 1) more involving, 2) more efficient and 3) enables you to drive the car a lot faster.

 

No, it works in our cars too.

 

Good to know!
Thanks

 

+ 1 for Ranier and Handfull. The mini-launch control is wonderful (although I'm sure some people are wondering why the old man never grew up)

ChuckJ

 

From what I understand it's different.

In regular 991s, pulling both paddles will engage neutral, requiring a second pulling of either or both paddles to re-engage the gear. At a stop, if one is in neutral, the car will not allow you to re-engage first without having a foot on the break (sorry OP).

In the GT3, from what I've read/heard (correct me if I'm wrong), when both paddles are pulled, the clutch disengages momentarily, and when paddles are released, the gear re-engages. This would allow what the OP is asking (dumping the clutch at a stop) along with other hoonage that AP (in the Evo interview) is talking about.

I believe it's called "dumping the clutch" which is what I think launch control tries to duplicate. Of course it will wear the transmission out if done frequently, but on a manual IIRC it's just a wear on the clutch itself, which is kind of a consumable part anyways.

 

+1

I'm *definitely* going to try left foot braking. Have you considered modding your brake pedal? It would be great to extend it downward so you can keep both heels on the floor.

 

Damn! Well, it's another reason to get comfortable with left foot braking.

 

On my E92 M3 with dual clutch trans, you could be at a stand still in gear 1 in auto mode, slam the gas and the car automatically held the engine at 4-5K rpm for a second and then dropped the clutch. It would create a nice amount of wheel spin but not too much by any means. This was not using the launch control feature either. It was very helpful when doing a peel out and power-slide from a stand still into a street The launch control had much less wheel spin.