Wanted to trade '07 turbo for new turbo S, but only PDK offered. What is real difference from oil driven auto trans, maybe quicker shifts? One feature that looks advantageous over manuals is the 1-2 shift under full acceleration....would be nice not to hit the rev-limiter. And too, no more danger of a mechanical overrev by a panic driven downshift error. But both these features are included with auto-transmissions.

However, for those manual shifters that got the PDK, what is your opinion?? Is the driving involvement/enjoyment gone?

I see Porsche mags talked down PDK in 2008 for the 911. They labeled it the "disappointment of the year." These same folks said "avoid PDK because it will irritate the hell out of you." Looks like 911 buyers love being irritated bcause most 911s come with PDK. Some say the reason is that at signing, dealers warn buyers, resale value will fall drastically unless PDK in included. I often wonder who we buy our cars for, our pleasure or for the next buyer's enjoyment?? Some mags say that manual boxes within 2-3 years will be outdated like drum brakes. I know that anti-lock brakes do wonders for drivers needing to brake under emergency conditions, but this PDK push, not so sure.

 

Have you driven a 997 TT with pdk? I have driven a 997.2 TT pdk and a 997 TT S. This trany is amazing and these cars are stupid fast. Driving in manual mode in sports plus is very fun. I have always driven manual cars, but there is no going back for me after driving the new turbo.

 

pdk is better than tiptronic in all aspects. no arguement.

between manual and pdk, there will always be a sense of loss in control and involvement with the pdk. basically, pdk feels like a faster automatic.

 

I cannot comment on the daily aspects of PDK yet since I will take delivery this week. I can however speak to the extensive test drives I have taken in the process of narrowing the make and model I ultimatly purchased. I looked at the Ferarri California and Porsche 911 mainly. The Ferrari was nice but it felt fragile to me. Almost like I was going to break it?? My Mothers 1986 XJS felt the same way to me. Great cars, but not for me. I drove the 4S and Turbo in Stick Shift and the Turbo S in PDK. I can drive a 5 speed better than most. The PDK shifts like you are pulling a trigger, not shifting a transmission. Both up and down. It is so fast, it takes a few seconds to realize that the car shifted you are on the gas and there was no delay! I cannnot imaging anyone not liking the performance of the tranny. I can see some pure-ists missing the 6 speed but I am all for technology moving ahead at full speed and will not miss it one bit compared to the performance PDK offers. Just my 2 cents. You need to drive it to experience the instant shifting. It allows you to focus more on you line in spirited driving and allows make the car better all around car with out scarificing raw, in your face performance. I feel stick shifts will be going the way of the horse and buggy. The transintions might be tough for some, but I think its for the better.

 

The primary difference is that PDK is not really a true 'automatic' transmission (meaning it doesn't use a torque convertor like Tiptronic does). What it is, is a dual-clutch transmission that's electro-hydraulically actuated that has manual and automatic modes. It's the same type of transmission that comes in the GT-R, 458 Italia, BMW DCT M3, Audi DSG, Veyron, and McLaren MP4-12C.

Benefits over Tiptronic is that it has less parasitic drag (meaning more power to the ground), quicker shift speeds, and allows for more control of gear selection than an auto does.

Benefits over a manual are all of the above, plus no loss of boost between shifts, more consistent shifting, and no fear of mechanical over-rev.

All that said; if you want to shift your car manually, neither PDK or Tiptronic will be a good choice for you.

 

Having owned a manual 2006 4S and now a new PDK Turbo S, I have forgotten about the manual. More than wanting to 'feel' the car, I want the car to respond to me - instantly. The PDK is so fast that the gear changes impress with speed and precision. The manual I had in my 4S reminds me of my old turntable... Slow, imprecise. With the boost perfectly crescendoing upward with the as you rev higher, the excitement of the performance overwhelms the intimacy with the manual.

I have found the Turbo S so fast I almost feel like it is too fast. So much power.

I don't miss the manual at all.

 

No loss of boost in between shifts = WIN for me. I can't wait until I can afford to upgrade to a 997.2 Turbo S w/ PDK!!

 

First of all I use my cars only a couple of time a month, these are not daily drivers.

I had a 2009 Turbo cab with a 6 speed, I now have a 2011 Turbo S cab with PDK I prefer the manual trans experience, you fell more in control. 3 things that stick out with me are

1) the rev-limiter between 1st and 2nd gear would occur many times, does not happen with PDK. this is a win for PDK
2) you control the low end of the RPM's with the manual. PDK keeps the RPMs up based on Sport or Sport plus mode. Win for manual
3) PDK car is much faster

So my summary PDK is much better and faster for straight line acceleration, but for a driver interaction the manual wins.

 

I can't truly compare the PDK with a manual, but I can compare a BMW SMG with a manual.

The SMG is oh my gawd cool. Slick trigger fast up AND down shifts, rev matching downshifts that encourage you to go from 6-5-4-3-2-1 as fast as you can because it just sounds so good. And it IS much faster. It's really awesome for the first week of ownership, and for every time you've got a passenger in the shotgun seat.

Having said that, when I'm being paid by someone else to get a car as fast as possible around a track (or a street or whatever), then I'll go with a PDK. When I'M the one paying for my own driving enjoyment, well, there's NOTHING like the feeling of revmatching every downshift as you prep for a corner, or getting the shift just right so that it's effortlessly smooth. It's just SO worth the engagement with the car.

Yeah, I guess I'm old school. So I want the stick. And in saying the above, except when I had a passenger in the BMW, I generally ended up driving around town in "automatic" mode. I've currently got 5 vehicles, every single one of them has a manual transmission. I don't even think about it when I'm driving, shifting is truly second nature. Pulling levers on the steering wheel was more of an effort only because I actually had to think about it.

Having said that, my current automobile adoration is the new Macca 12C which you can't even get a manual gear lever for, so don't take any comments I'm making as being worth any more than my own $0.02.

 

I have put about 4k miles on the Turbo S PDK.

Overall I like it much better than my tuned 997.1 TT Tip. The cars feels much faster.

One of the complaints I have with the PDK is that the upshifts seem delayed from the time I hit the shifter until the shift is actually executed. Once the car starts the shift it's instant. If you try and switch gears looking at the tachometer you need to pull the gear change a bit sooner than you would like to. The downshift happens the instant you pull the shifter.

I wonder if this is just my car or is this a common experience?

In sport plus auto mode the car shifts perfectly.

 

Very useful discussion. I understand that PDK was first available in 2010 in the 997 TT? I'm shopping uded 911 turbos.

What changes will the 991 bring with the tranny? any?