The PDK is a 7 speed . That somewhat changes the gear ratio a bit from a 6speed manual. I find myself analying the gear . Sometimes I see if in manual sport that i selected the same as auto sport . I much prefer manual vs auto because usually if there is a discrepancy I felt that i selected a more appropriate gear in anticipation of my next driving manuver whereras the computer can not read my mind.

One thing I have noticed about gear number 7 . It's this fuel consumption overkill gear . The car is basically dead in 7th wheras in the 6 speed manual the 6th gear has minimal pulse.

With so many choices of gears the PDK pits the most learning uncertainty in the 3,4,5 gears range . One has the choice of a high rev 3rd over a low rev 5th and somewgere wedged in the middle is 4th. Fourth gear is the most complicated one to decide on .

I'm still learning .. that's my update.

 

I didn't see the option to hit 7th with the PDK while sport plus mode was on.

It kind of seems like a giant car driving video game to me. I don't really follow some of the posts people have had about 9/3, since my hand wrapped around at 10 & 2 and I had no problems pushing or pulling with the paddles, keeping my hands in that position. It was a bit of a struggle for me to work the paddles while I was doing really aggressive turns, so manual mode took some more thinking on my part.

I agree on the manual shift down to stop, although I noticed that if I did a california stop it never made it to 1rst. I'd be stuck in second, and that kind of sucked. More thinking to down shift and take care of accelerating from there. I found that if I was in auto-mode and I overrode the computer selection, it would jump more gears then I expected on downshifts especially. I got a few surprises when I mashed the accelerator while doing shifts and it dropped from 5th to 3rd in a blink.

Without sport chrono PDK isn't very exciting. The manual mode still lets you do nice shifts, but the sports mode and sport plus modes are a heck of a lot more fun. I personally don't think I'd trade my spd for a PDK w/o at least this option!

 

If it is anything like the other twin clutch transmissions then there are some "secrets" (not really secrets but fun tricks) built into the system. For example, in my DCT M3 you could be putting down the road in 7th and a nice 997 rolls up on you. If you wanted to give him a little show you could grab the down shift paddle and floor the gas at the same time. I cant remember which gear the car went to but it would basically jump from 7th to like 3rd and go to full sport manual mode for you.... You just had to remember that now you had to shift with your hand. Have you found anything like this in the PDK?

Jason

 

I have never driven a non chrono PDK . My car will downshift on its own even in manual mode if I don't do it . I have not driven my car in sport plus yet with onlu 140 miles on city streets . I imagine it won't allow 7th as the redline feature would surpass the speed capability of the car's engine.

As for the paddles into agressive turns one can use the gear shift too anmd i am using all three . I believe that adjusting is a matter of getting past some of the emotions in resisting all the changes .

It's much like a sport where one gets better at it with practice . I am learning how to be even quicker with my hands and tonight I got in my M3 and forgot to press down the clutch pedal to start the car. In short I am adapting -- and i like it.

 

Larry..

How are you breaking in your new S PDK?

Has it used any oil yet?

 

250 miles without a cough . Oil consumption I expect to see as I believe its a charateristic of the engine but I have added nothing yet .

As for break in . I learn the car , I allow the car to learn me too. An occasional sprint has yet to cause an engine issue with any Porsche I have owned . Of course all driving on a cold engine is EXTRA pampered throughout the entire life of the engine . The engine MUST always warm up.