I'm looking at a used 2009 with PDK but No sport-chrono. Thoughts? Will driving in the auto mode (which I have to do in the city) without the Sport mode suck? I hear the tranny can get laggy if not in Sport mode, but not sure if true.

 

Not sure if it would get laggy as I've only have the opportunity to drive one with it. But with that being said in addition to lack of sport mode, you also would be looking at lack of launch control, and from a resale perspective if that was a concern I'm sure it would be much harder to sell.

 

very fair point, I think that's why this dealer is having trouble selling it now frankly.

 

The Transmission does have slight lag in "Normal" setting when compare to "Sport" setting in manual mode. And in auto mode it shifts to 7th. gear too soon. I only use normal setting in the morning to warm up the car and long distance cruising on highway. It is not the best way to experience Porsche. I drive in sport mode majority of the time and I couldn't imagine owning a PDK without the sport-chrono.

John

 

f me, that's what I feared. This car is perfectly optioned for me except for the damn S-Chrono.

 

I agree with John.

 

SC basically turns your two options with PDK into six - although Auto/S+ is something that would probably only be used on the track - very aggressive and not for normal driving.

I'd say drive it and see what you think. After having SC, it is hard to imagine not having it. When I test drove my car in Auto/Standard it seemed OK, but now I stay mostly in Sport.

The transmission program is supposed to adapt to you fairly quickly and may be fine.

SC is a pricey option and sounded gimmicky to me at first - especially with the clock "wart" and all, but now I think it is worth the $$$. I probably would not get PDK without it now that I've had a taste. For an MT, don't know that it would be as useful - but maybe, if it still affects the throttle response like it does for PDK.

 

It is not so bad as the transmission control module is adaptive and eventually it will learn how you want to shift - mostly dependent on your throttle application. In manual mode the difference is slight.

 

I've driven with and without SC in both the 997.1 and .2 . Yes, of course the SC adds some real kick. However, for less money, you can get an ECU Flash that will do everything but the launch control (and have you read the current launch control topic on 6speed ?).

If this car has everything you want as you've said, call GIAC and ask their opinion. While I love the SC - it ought to be standard! - it really does not do much unless you are really horsing the car around.

 

All depends on your driving habits and intentions but in general, I wouldn't consider one without SC and Sport (lowered) suspension.

 

Ok followup Q - if I shift manually will I get the same experience without SC as with (except for launch control)? (this car does have the sport susp and everything else, just some idiot ordered without S-Chrono)

And I'm sure someone's wondering why I don't go drive it - the car isn't local to me and there's only one dealer remotely close to me and he doesn't allow test drives of 911s .

 

The answer is no. Normal mode(auto or manual) is what I call the family friendly mode and manual shifting still has lag. You be better off with 6-speed 997.2 than a half-*** PDK(no insult intended)

John

 

With PDK the sport chrono is a MUST. It engages a quicker shift when used.

 

Too bad, thanks guys, appreciate the color. Won't buy it then. Something else will come along sometime.

 

For you, I took my car out for some errands today and didn't touch SC. I found it still very enjoyable - in both manual and auto. It definitely did not suck by a long shot.

I really think you should go drive the car and think for yourself on this - something I'm not sure everyone who offers opinions, especially on the apparently polarizing PDK, has done. Think about how you want to use the car and how it feels to you.

If you like everything else about the car, and the price is right, you could be passing up a good deal over something you might not miss - especially not having had it anyway.