I think you guys are reading to much into the post. To me it appears he is simply comparing technologies in a product (transmission). DCT's (PDK) is the next evolution in transmissions, it's as simple as that.

Regardless if some people like it or not, it is a reality. People tend to not like change but change is inevitable. If you really hate the direction we are going with PDK, there's always the Amish community for you.

 

Shhhh!

 

It's the next evolution of automatic transmissions. It happens to be faster, and better at many things than a manual, but that doesn't mean it's better at everything and that everyone should prefer it. That's my point. I'm not speaking for others, though

 

I never said everyone should prefer it, quite the contrary, if you read my previous posts, I think everyone should have a choice.

 

If the driver changes gears manually, wouldn't it be the evolution of manual transmissions?

There are no torque converters, it has clutches. The only difference being the clutch changes are automated. The car does not have the choice to change gears when it wants to.

I think he was encompassing enough, though:
In automatic 'mode' - it is the evolution in automatics.
In manual 'mode' - it is the evolution in manuals.

 

Potato, pah-tah-to

It seems to me that it's more like the evolution of the tiptronic than the manual. To me, from a user experience perspective, it's just like the tip, but WAY better. The MT will evolve and be better too, IMHO.

 

How do you forsee the manual transmission getting any better?

It what ways would you improve it?

 

I could see the PDK as replacement for the tiptronic but not the MT.

 

I guess I mis-read your post, then. I didn't go back and comb through the thread for your other posts.

From the one I quoted, it sounds like you're advocating a choice. You seem to be saying:
"We ( huh, Porsche, the 911 consumers??) are moving ahead with reality. You have a choice: live in the now and drive a PDK car, or go back to driving an Amish buggy. If you don't like change, you're a loser. Go read 'Who Moved my Cheese' "

But maybe I'm reading too much into your post, as well as that other one.

 

IMHO, the 7-speed is an improvement. Better clutch via general progress will occur. Launch control might be an improvement, I suppose.

------

Btw - I just read Pano on the plane where the article on the Cayman R mentions a PDK screw-up on the track.

 

I do hope they figure out some way to greatly improve the manual transmission, but I don't see it happening. The Nissan 370z has the optional automatic rev-matching in their 6-spd manual, maybe the 991 will offer that?

For me the best transmission out there is the Ferrari F1 transmission from the F430's and later model 360's. I will agree that PDK does feel a little bit "lifeless" because it's sooooooo quick and smooth, there is almost no feeling of the shift at all. Some say the harshness of the F430 F1 is a negative thing, which I guess it would be for a daily driver. But I like that neck jerking kick in the *** you get when you shift at 8k in those cars, it makes the whole car just feel that much more aggressive.

 

Put PDK in Sport Chrono Plus mode and you get a nice kick in the butt on up shifts. PDK is the real deal.

 

Yeah, when I test drove a 997.2 PDK with sport chrono I messed around with the settings. There was a noticeable difference in the "kick" but the 360/430 F1 transmissions offer a much more aggressive feel. Technically that's not a good thing, I just enjoyed the feel of it much more.

 

Regarding using a PDK in racing, didn't the PDK come from the Porsche racing program in the 80's & 90's?

A quick search of Wikipedia shows:

Porsche AG offers a series production[39] of two new longitudinally installed, ZF Friedrichshafen AG designed and built with Porsche[40][43] '7DT' wet-clutch versions[39] of its previously race-only[5][43] Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe[43] (PDK) transmission.

and

The first actual DCTs arrived from a joint Porsche-Audi in-house development, for Audi and Porsche racing cars in the 1980s,[1] when computers to control the transmission became compact enough: the Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetriebe (English: dual clutch gearbox) (PDK)[1] used in the Porsche 956[1] and 962[1] Le Mans race cars from 1983,[1] and the Audi Sport Quattro S1 rally car.[4][5]

Seems silly to me to be saying the tranny isn't good for racing when that is exactly where it came from. But then again, we all know how those factory 956 and 962 drivers are pansies that can't drive a real manual

 

There's a big difference between "racing heritage/development/experience" and "racing success". The PDK wasn't very successful in the Porsche cars of the 80s. Do a little more research and you'll see that your point isn't well founded. I'm not arguing the point of PDKs ability/resiliency on a racetrack, just pointing out the flaw in your logic. Also, the components are likely much different, and any failures of the current box would probably be due to component or design differences between the box that was developed ~30 years ago.