Just returned home from attending the 3 day PSDS Masters Plus course at Barber Motorsports Park.

During the course I did 3 track sessions in a PDK Carrera.
Put it in drive, just mat the throttle and go, it perfectly upshifts at redline.
Want a lower gear, just click the switch on the steering wheel, it perfectly blips, and the lower gear is engaged.
When you are aggressive it will hold your selected gear and not up--shift.

Would have liked to try it in sport however for the class it is disengaged for safety reasons since PSM perimeters are widened. I was told that the shifts are even quicker as well the blips are more pronounced.

IT JUST WORKS --- PERFECTLY each and every time.

No Need to learn Heel / Toe
No more missed shifts
It''s a manual transmission with an automatic clutch.

IT ROCKS!!!!

 

launch control very cool. Faster than my GT3 but I don't prefer it. Perfect shifts everytime-I was amazed when I drove it. I'll keep the GT3.

 

Coming back from a track day yesterday, I have to say that the manual shifting, and the heel toeing is a big part of the experience. I find that the involvement of these aspects as well as the steering, braking, shifting weight at the right moment, etc makes the day. I have a buddy with a DCT M3, he loves the shifting, however misses the extra extra involvement. He is now talking about a 996/997 GT3 as his track toy!

I think that driving without this involvement is taking it to a video game level, and too me it isn't about who is faster, but who is having the most fun. Track days are not races, it is meant to improve skill and have fun!

 

Good perspective Ed. Fun is what it is all about. But I assume you still kept ahead of the M3.

 

Nah, those beast are much faster then a C2S!

The day was wet, and I was just taking it easy getting use to the car again. Learned a lot from a great instructor, worked a lot on getting the line perfected and a few little tricks to get the car to rotate a little more in one of the turns.

Needless to say had a lot of fun, can't wait until the end of the month when I go for two days.

 

Another factor that is a plus for PDK is my expectation that if I get a manual, the clutch will be short lived. I've seem some owners here state they view clutches like brake pads - just another consumable item that simply doesn't last that long. OUCH.

 

A properly operated clutch (and that does not mean being a slouch) can last 100k+ miles. But yes, a clutch is a thing of the past.

 

That has to be one of the most perfect assessments of PDK for track use yet. I absolutely love the PDK, but I think for the track you gotta go with a manual to get the full experience.

Well done sir

 

While I totally agree with your post, it reminds me of people who say powersteering robs the driver of steering feel, that ABS isn't necessary, air conditioning steals horsepower, and sound deadening distances the driver from "experiencing" the car.

 

I think one has to really experience the PDK on the track to truly appreciate it. I drove both the 6 speed and the PDK on the Barber track last week and found the PDK an amazing ride. I didn’t find the experience any less exciting or less interactive . In fact I found the blistering fast shifts and the rev matching downshifts exhilarating. ..Its funny a lot of guys initially said that they weren’t interested in driving one . However when we moved to the 997S they were all PDK’s. when they finished lapping they all were very impressed
.
The instructors also said if they had to drive the fasted lap they would run to the PDK's.

It might not be for everyone......but if you get a chance to drive one with sport chrono plus on the track you might be surprised

 

Yes, I agree that there are similarities to the 6 speed manual and the arguement of ABS versus no ABS, but the ABS only kicks in when it is needed, proper threshold braking and ABS will not get involved, modern power steering is only at low speeds and not at higher speeds, and the drain on HP of modern AC units is so low that most drivers would not be able to take advantage of the extra power. Nissan even has a auto throttle blip/ Rev matching optio. On there MT to eleviate the heel toeing requirement.

PDK is always there, even in "manual" mode it is still a less involved system that can't be by passed like some of the other comparisons. For some the PDK is a great tool to driving better, however I will order a MT instead.

 

thats about what the magazines have said about the PDK cayman S.

that no matter how cool it might seem, its still a fancy automatic so if you are a stick type of person, you will get bored with it sooner than you'd think.