I just crossed my first 1K miles . I'd like to say had I bought a manual I would want the finer features of PDK . Having bought the PDK I am glad i still have a manual Turbo.

So here's the write up -


Part 1 -The love --
1) PDK sure is quick and if one chooses he can actively shift or passivily have it done for him in auto mode .

2) If one nails the pedal --it's real smooth which eliminates the 1st gear engagement launch or the 1st to 2nd transition or over rev . This can offer an average joe driver a computerized robot like advantage .

3) If there's traffic . No more pushing and shifting.

4) Even in auto mode once the gear is found or selected the car remains in that gear for awhile --even if the driver lets off .

5) Fuel economy can be acheived in normal auto on mundane drives.

Part 2 --The hate

1) Normal auto really is BORING . Eeesh . Even those who will tout the "kickdown" still face having to manipulate the pedal and the car lugs like Buick at times. In fact if granny in an Oldsmobile hits it and a PDK normal auto mode driver is snoozing .. she'll pull him.

2) Sport Auto has a jerk to 1st that MUST be corrected . In fact sport auto gets my vote of the love/hate mode of the year . It's amazing when one wants it to be and yet awful when he wishes it to remain amazing.
It will jerk to first. At 55 MPH it will blip to 6th instead of 7th. It needs help and yet is my favorite mode most of the time.

3) Manual mode -- is great for middle speed traffic and I imagine it thrives at the track where gear selection is better anticipated than moderate city speeds . On the highway manual mode is awful . With 7 speeds one is constantly shifting if the highway has speed changes bringing a car up and down and even to a stop. That 7th gear adds another shift into the process .

It's for these reasons when I enter a highway I go to sport auto mode . If the highway speed limit is 65 I will remain in sport auto and use paddle override if needed . If the speed limit is 55 I will use normal auto to get the benefits of 7th gear and use paddle override if needed.

Manual mode I use mostly for modest street and I can see it on the track but not at a steady 55 or 65 (depending on highway) with shifting ranges depending on traffic.

Conclusion -- There are things I love about it and things I do not. I coild easily write up a love hate manual transmission post as well but since PDK is new and I just ticked past my first 1Kmi in it .. this is my present sentiment which may or may not evolve with time.

 

I suggest you do the following with your manual Turbo: From a steady 60MPH, say in 5th gear, drive to a stop by quickly reducing say to 3rd then 2nd and finally 1st right before you stop. Please let us know how smooth or jerky the experience is.

One has to understand that PDK always engages 1st when it stops. The so-called 'jerk' some feel varies with their braking profile. Some do not feel it at all. The 'jerk', as it is no jerk at all it is the result of the strong compression all 1st gears encounter. One has to understand the process to appreciate what's going on.

Of course, PAG can appease the complainers by feathering the clutch more in that process. But that has a price too... I often wonder if who buys these cars should have bought cushy GTs with fat slush-boxes.

 

Under true "sport" driving the jerk is minimized . In fact tweaking the gas pedal can even hedge the jolt a bit .

However I do feel that the reason why people even choose the sport auto mode at all in regular driving circumstances is because normal auto is that boring . Most people don't buy Porsches seeking boredom .

Oddly enough sport in manual mode will NOT jerk .

I do agree that the rev matching downshifts are fantastic with PDK and like I said there is some love with this too .

I can look at the good aspects but I won't ignore the atrributes that I find awful .

What is so terrble about PAG meeting consumer demand ? After all .. who pays their rent if not the customers seeking excitement from thse cars ?

 

There's nothing wrong in PAG improving its products. However, if the 'jerk' is a natural consequence of shifting to 1st near a stop, it would be better to understand that and live with it instead of mitigating it by feathering the clutch and incurring added clutch wear... You can essentially eliminate that compression (I do not call it a jerk) by deliberately braking the car as it stops.

 

I would be happy if they left sport auto alone and opted to uptick the normal auto mode . I mean .. who drives 30 MPH in 6th gear ?

 

Thanks for the write up Larry.

I need to be careful in choosing my words, since the PDKers might burn me at the stake if I give an opinion.

You definitely have the best of both worlds and can give a non bias opinion on each transmission.

I personally still like the ability to make choices for myself in all instances. I would hate to constantly decide which PDK mode to chose for each driving style/dynamic. With the manual, I either feather the clutch or release it quickly at the friction point. The car can be driven as smooth as butter, or close to as quick and abrupt as a PDK (although I agree the manual will never be as quick as a PDK).

In any case, the PDK is still a much better choice than a tiptronic. (In my humble opinion, of course)...please don't hate

 

thanks guys for the honest and thorough write-ups on PDK. There appears to be a uptick in posts on several forums describing slight annoying behaviors of the tranny.

It will be interesting to see if changes are made to this such as those made for paddles in year 2.

 

[quote=adias;2567003]I suggest you do the following with your manual Turbo: From a steady 60MPH, say in 5th gear, drive to a stop by quickly reducing say to 3rd then 2nd and finally 1st right before you stop. Please let us know how smooth or jerky the experience is.

The fact that you have the choice of dbl clutching into 1st allows a smooth shift. Even in my race car, with a dog trans. I can shift 4th to 1st directly by matching revs and speed.

 

I think for the most part the PDK is terrific!

The only thing I would like to change would be to have 6th gear not engage until 48 mph and 7th gear not engage until you hit 55 mph. This would be when the trans is in regular full auto mode.

My reasoning for my suggested shift points would keep the revs a little higher therefore not giving you the "feel" when you are driving in auto mode that you are lugging the engine. I think most of you know what I mean if you have a PDK.

 

Since PDK is essentially computer controlled shifting. I'd bet in the near future one will be able to select the "style" of shifting one prefers thru aftermarket products.

 

I wonder is some of the issues expressed is software related?
If so maybe 2010's have been tweaked.

Quick question on Sport Mode for the 6 speed manual. I have a real tough time launching in first gear with sport mode engaged. Pedal is just too sensitive. Am I missing something or does it just take getting used to?
I just do not see the advantages of sport mode in manual cars. I could see launch control maybe. Please correct me if I am wrong.

 

I test drove extensively the PDk in Sport and Sport plus. PDk is best of breed compared to DCT and DSG. The jerk/jolts are not a big deal IMO since they are not violent or rough. The sporty character is evident in PDK and it is way way smoother than SMG in Auto and actually is a very good auto car with the sportiness of a dual clutch

The best automated rev matching i have seen is in the PDk and also in the new 370 Z where the computer matches rev perfectly as an option.

If someone wants to do by themselves in a Porsche then 6 speed wld be the choice but for me the downshifting with paddles to slow down the car coming to a light /turn and then accelerating hard with super quick upshifts is fun .

Also, curising in 6 at 40 MPH and then downshifting with three clicks to third and no lag and accelerating is fun fun fun , like a video game simulation of f1 and satisfying

I guess folks who like automated manuals like SMG, dsg will love love PDK and not have an issue with the trans shifting quirks and do it yourself guys will prefer 6 speed.

 

I haven't driven or ridden in a PDK car yet, so I can't relate any experiences with that transmission. However, I do own a 2006 M5 with the SMG transmission, so I'm pretty current on how these things "behave." One observation I'd make is that this is Porsche's first generation of this technology and as other manufacturers have shown, it takes a while to get things right. That typically means either future software updates, or just future generations (I believe BMW has done both). I recently bought an 08 C2S, and I was set on buying an MT because my other car was SMG so now I'd have both, and I would give the Porsche technology a bit more time to refine...

 

Just curious as I've seen this comment several times, but I wonder if the 2-1 downshift in your car was simply not as severe. The reason I ask is that my car most certainly was "jerking". I've written before that it was so bad at times that it was almost painful -- a real neck-snapping jolt that would make passengers ask "what was that?".

Anyway, I am puzzled to say that mine has recently eased up as I've seen others mention as well. This past weekend I drove it for the first time in three weeks (two weeks of flooding rains and one week travel), and the jerking was nearly gone. I have just over 4,000 miles now and have been driving in manual mode for the last 2,000 miles. I've driven pretty hard in Sport Plus a couple of times since breaking in. Also, I had the DME controller replaced after the PDK fault error. So I am not sure which if any of these items might be causing a change, but it is now definitely not as rough a jerk.

Maybe mine is now catching up to what yours has been all along?

 

I do not consider the issue a 'jerk' because it's not an impulse. It is actually a steady compression increase due to the shift to 1st, a very tall cog. It happens with a manual too if operated in the same circumstances. It's more noticeable if one coasts to a stop. If one brakes progressively to a stop it should be less noticeable or not at all.

IMO this is due to a PAG design decision to optimize performance shifting to 1st, for example to shift to 1st on a fast tight hairpin and power quickly from there. They decided to design for performance instead of luxo-box smoothness. The latter would be actually easier to do, just coast in second, clutch and only engage 1st when dead stop. I prefer the performance design as I consider my 911 a sports car... For what I know they may have smoothed out the tranny in the '10 version - will that be good? I should know soon as my '10 is arriving in a few weeks.