I think the 7MT shifts beautifully. I don't notice any 'roughness' when compared against the 6MT Cayman I traded in. Of course, I spend a lot of time on the weekends driving a 1978 Ford F250 with an NP435 with a 6.69:1 granny gear and shifter throws that are measured in yards! . So I might not be as sensitive to minute changes between the Porsche 6MT and 7MT.

 

7mt is a disappointment to me for two reasons. 1-3 gear ratios are worthy of a 4 speed transmission (gearing too long, wide ratio gap between 2 and 3). My second reason is that my second gear is notchy/crunchy. I though it would get better with miles but now at 7k and no improvement, so I'll take it to the dealer soon.

 

Funny You should mention that, My beater is a 2012 civic Si, and I love the gear shifting in the car. Great car and a pleasure to drive as well.

 

Mine was the same, I just took it in for the 10k service and guess what now it's smooth as butter. I thought it was all in my head but I'm quite positive it isn't after driving it for a while after the 10k service. If you take it in ask them for the software upgrade, that's all that changed on mine besides an oil change at the service.

 

Agree that 2nd gear is the roughest. Has gotten better with 2 years of daily driving but still not the smoothest. When new, the clutch was way too heavy but now seems just right. When the car is parked outside in the cold the shifter is downright agricultural in feel. Takes a few minutes to loosen up.

The best manual I ever had was my ´96 Acura Integra GSR. My ´99 VW Jetta VR6 was pretty good. ´06 Audi S4 had a pretty mediocre shifter. ´09 BMW M3 manual was so horrible that I bought the DCT; my first non-manual car.

Really happy to shifting for myself in my 991, but really not that impressed with the quality of the shifter. Maybe I just have a particularly cantankerous example? I almost feel like Porsche is neglecting their manual to push the PDK which I will give some serious thought to for my next order.

 

Some of the 2nd gear problems/roughness you guys mentioned may be attributed to faulty parts. I have absolutely no problems with the 1st to 2nd shift, whether I'm driving in traffic or full throttle on a track. I've always had a hard time with 1st-2nd shifts in friends' BMWs, Mustangs, etc., but the 7MT in my 991 hasn't given me a single problem.

 

Interesting observations re 2nd gear probs.

I have a 997.2 with 6MT (Aisin G97/05) and I also have those notchy shifts from 1st to 2nd. The car has 60k miles on it and I am the second owner since 6 months. So I just assumed that synchros must be a bit worn by now. However, on 991 with low miles that should not be an issue.

It is also quite strange how some cars exhibit these issues from early on while others never seem to experience them. Leads me to believe that it's not a wear issue but something else.

Regards,

CF

 

I find 1st to 2nd pretty easy and smooth. Overall, I love the tranny. You should have driven a 1988 911 Targa - felt like a VW