I Pooped My Pants When The PDK Shifted!
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My only PDK complaint was with the sometimes neck-snapping jerk in Sport Auto when shifting from 2-1 coming to a stop. This seemed strange to me as Sport Manual did not exhibit the same behaviour.
Funny thing is that now the "jerking" has virtually disappeared. The same 2-1 shift occurs before the stop but without the violent force previously exhibited. Really can't figure out why, but I am now a happy camper.
Funny thing is that now the "jerking" has virtually disappeared. The same 2-1 shift occurs before the stop but without the violent force previously exhibited. Really can't figure out why, but I am now a happy camper.
If the desire is to express the sportiness of the car I say lets address the lack of sport in normal mode. I do not feel that it is "normal" to drive 30 MPH in 6th gear in a Porsche .
If a car is released for street production it has to incorporate a variety of driving styles .
Last edited by yrralis1; Oct 10, 2009 at 04:00 PM.
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I don't think the system is perfect .
Sport auto may not be the issue . I say address normal auto.
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The car has a variety pf purposes... you will still sit in traffic posing for animal *******s just like the rest --and if suddenly a gap opens up granny in a Buick might just beat you to it (if you are in normal auto upper gears) or sent you fishing for that kickdown gear
I don't think the system is perfect .
Sport auto may not be the issue . I say address normal auto.
I don't think the system is perfect .
Sport auto may not be the issue . I say address normal auto.
'Normal' PDK is adaptive and it's sluggish if its driver is sluggish. It's not sluggish for me...
The mastery of the right pedal is a lost art these days. That pedal is often used as an on-off switch and lead the adaptive shifting pattern to a sluggish pattern.
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I am reading these posts about the PDK shift characteristics and looking into my crystal ball and can only say...boy am I glad I got the car before it was neutered in following years for being "too sports car like".
You bought a sports car. A REAL sports car. It can go directly to a race track and will competently provide hours of joy. Trouble-free. THAT is unique in the automotive world. Its "sport" mode it will provide more aggressive shifts and throttle mapping.
If you have a tender constitution, and are offended by the workings of a mechanical device, then Porsche accommodated you- your PDK has a "Normal" mode.
Sometimes I wonder, are these complaining posts about PDK real? Or planted by competing marques fanboi's? Seriously? Who the f@@@ complains about a **crisp** shift in a sports car?
(scary thought- your car may even be equipped with a Launch Control feature...ooooooh ahhhhhh)
I revel in the occasional whines, clunks, whirrs of the PDK. I love how it jerks my neck in Sport at near full throttle upshifts. I like the rev-matched downshifts with the quiet mechanical symphony that accompanies them. I am a gear head and a car nut and appreciate the PDK as a masterpiece of engineering and I love hearing and feeling it work its mechanical magic.
It is a near perfect execution of the concept of a fully automatically controlled manual transmission.
It suits a Porsche perfectly.
Sorry- but after reading two different posts in the same day I am deeply perplexed and have lost more faith in mankind as a whole because of them.
If you don't enjoy a visceral connection to your car and the road, then maybe a Carrera is not the car for you?
*vent over*
You bought a sports car. A REAL sports car. It can go directly to a race track and will competently provide hours of joy. Trouble-free. THAT is unique in the automotive world. Its "sport" mode it will provide more aggressive shifts and throttle mapping.
If you have a tender constitution, and are offended by the workings of a mechanical device, then Porsche accommodated you- your PDK has a "Normal" mode.
Sometimes I wonder, are these complaining posts about PDK real? Or planted by competing marques fanboi's? Seriously? Who the f@@@ complains about a **crisp** shift in a sports car?
(scary thought- your car may even be equipped with a Launch Control feature...ooooooh ahhhhhh)
I revel in the occasional whines, clunks, whirrs of the PDK. I love how it jerks my neck in Sport at near full throttle upshifts. I like the rev-matched downshifts with the quiet mechanical symphony that accompanies them. I am a gear head and a car nut and appreciate the PDK as a masterpiece of engineering and I love hearing and feeling it work its mechanical magic.
It is a near perfect execution of the concept of a fully automatically controlled manual transmission.
It suits a Porsche perfectly.
Sorry- but after reading two different posts in the same day I am deeply perplexed and have lost more faith in mankind as a whole because of them.
If you don't enjoy a visceral connection to your car and the road, then maybe a Carrera is not the car for you?
*vent over*
I used to get irritated with people in my old E46 M3 days when they would complain about the driveline shunt or other noises that came from owning a rather highly strung sports sedan. It seemed to me, that the car tended to have stiff gear changes till fully warmed up and then, for example when on the track, gear shifts were butter smooth. It rode hard in town but was perfect on the track.
Anyway onto the PDK which I might add I have test driven twice. Most likely I will have PDK in my car in future (hopefully with paddle shifters). The jerk on gear changes in sports mode was "engineered in." They could have left it out and the lightening fast gear change would have been smooth and imperceptible. Engineered in seems like a stupid thing to me, it does not aid the gear shift, or help the transmission or engine in anyway and isn't a side effect of anything ( like the clunk from a solid bushing might be). It serves no function except that to "pretend" it is doing something which is not. To me that seems silly and pointless .
In the SMG BMW cars I dont think they could get rid of the violent gear change in sports mode and so it was what it was. I think the PDK shift to first gear causing a jolt in sports mode is a problem of aggressive mapping in sports mode and an acceptable byproduct of the nature of the car.
When I think Porsche I think "purpose" and hope to see less poseur add ons.
Last edited by afridi; Oct 10, 2009 at 07:56 PM.
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I'm assuming not many here have driven the RSR before? I'm no engineer (thank god) but as it was described to me by a Porsche engineer far smarter then I (or most people for that matter) the abruptness is a normal and unavoidable effect of reduced shift times.
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RSR has PDK?
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A few thoughts. ... The jerk on gear changes in sports mode was "engineered in." They could have left it out and the lightening fast gear change would have been smooth and imperceptible. Engineered in seems like a stupid thing to me, it does not aid the gear shift, or help the transmission or engine in anyway and isn't a side effect of anything ( like the clunk from a solid bushing might be). It serves no function except that to "pretend" it is doing something which is not. To me that seems silly and pointless .
Why do you say that the 2nd-to-1st compression was engineered in? How do you know that? That was a wives' tale circulating about a year ago, which was promptly dismissed by PAG.
I have been saying for a while that what some complain about is not a jerking shift. It's a simple 2nd-to-1st compression difference. As the OP says, PAG can eliminate it, by neutering the car and making it less sporty, or more Lexus-like. That so much 'ink' is dedicated to this in this forum is telling of the current Porsche customer class.
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Current plan to to keep the PDK C4S for the around town and even grocery shopping dose of sports car enjoyment.The RS is going "stripper" with PCM delete/LW headlights/LiON Battery/PCCB's only.
So (lucky me) I can have my cake and eat it too.
Very much looking forward to the stick shift in the RS. Well executed heel and toe by the ole' human wetware is very rewarding as well!looks like we got similar taste...
I've ordered my RS in exact same color combo as you.
I'm still undecided whether to keep the club coupe as my grocery car.
wife said trade it in and get her a panamera 4s...
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I still think a proper sports car's gotta have a manual, but thats just me :-) Even though both my cars are tiptronic, and given Cayenne doesnt have a manual option, my left leg will still thank me though
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I am able to look at both sides .
My view is NOT -
PDK is great and its the only .
or
Manual is great and it's the only.
My view is
Both PDK and Manual have strenghs and weaknesses . In order to maintain consistency and credibility ALL claims need to be evaluated . That means that neither the manual nor the PDK is vouched as privaledged and exempt from criticism too.
Last edited by yrralis1; Oct 11, 2009 at 02:21 AM.
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Why do you say that the 2nd-to-1st compression was engineered in? How do you know that? That was a wives' tale circulating about a year ago, which was promptly dismissed by PAG.
I have been saying for a while that what some complain about is not a jerking shift. It's a simple 2nd-to-1st compression difference. As the OP says, PAG can eliminate it, by neutering the car and making it less sporty, or more Lexus-like. That so much 'ink' is dedicated to this in this forum is telling of the current Porsche customer class.
I have been saying for a while that what some complain about is not a jerking shift. It's a simple 2nd-to-1st compression difference. As the OP says, PAG can eliminate it, by neutering the car and making it less sporty, or more Lexus-like. That so much 'ink' is dedicated to this in this forum is telling of the current Porsche customer class.
Complaining about the 2 to 1 shift seems silly imo.
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I think people are addressing an underlying fear of PDK damage caused by abrupt shifts. Not so much complaining about a rough ride. At least that is my worry. As long as reliability isn’t affected I’m good with neck snapping shifts.
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Sidebar: Stick drivers always think they are very smooth and always make seamless shifts. We do indeed feel that as drivers, but passengers tell us otherwise. When stick drivers drive PDK, they become passengers and notice shifts that they would not notice, were they shifting manually.
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I don't see how the 2-1 downshift "jerking" can be considered unavoidable, when mine has recently stopped doing it.