I like driving PDK in manual mode . Even though 7 gears is one extra gear above a traditional manual I prefer shifting my gears most of the time.

BUT --

I came to the PDK after owning many manual transmission Porsches . In fact most of my former cars were manual . Even though PDK is NOT an automatic it does have the feature of choosing "auto" mode .

So-- That's the base of my new question(s) --

What are the driving impressions of those who have ONLY driven automatics ? How do they adapt to PDK ? Do they shift or only choose "auto ? Is there a driving preference based on past driving skills applied into a more modern transmission? Does the non manual driver learn to shift manually via PDK for the first time .. as opposed to the process of clutch press to shift?


I actually think an intersting discussion might be between a couple where maybe the husband uses the manual mode and wife opts for auto mode on the same car .

BTW -Since my girlfriend also can drive a manual .. she also chooses manual mode -- our style is similar.

 

Can't speak for the PDK since my porsche is a manual but we have a flappy paddle gearbox in the audi. I'm sure it pales in comparison but I usually keep it in auto unless I'm in the hills or back roads. My wife does the same thing although sometimes she just puts it in Auto / Sport mode which winds out each gear. She wanted a manual but they're getting harder to find these days.

 

when I drive the PDK, its always in Sport Plus + manual mode. or other dual clutch boxes, its set to manual. But when my dad or bro drives it, they always just leave it in D, no matter if its PDK, or the DSG in the GTI or even the GTR.... even when they drive the M3, they tend to use auto mode more then manual mode

i think they have been driving traditional manual for so long and aren't really used to sequential gear boxes, my dad has been complaining that he still cant figure out how to drive the M3 properly since it doesn't have a physical clutch.

for the PDK, they just treat it as automatic rather then a clutchless manual gearbox

me on the other hand have been driving SMG along with traditional stick shift since I know how to drive, so I'm too used to manual mode being default. even on tiptronic cars, i drive in M mode.

 

I use manual/sport about 75% of the time now. Auto was most interesting getting used to the car and what it thought was a good RPM. I have about decided a PDK car with SC would be a real missed pleasure.

My wife uses 90% auto/normal - but she tells me that she has used manual as well - hmm - she can be tricky like that. One of the things that makes her so endearing.

She can drive an MT also - and got used to SMG in the 550i we had - although in that car, she used auto a lot as well - even though it completely sucked in auto.

What was cool about the SMG is that SMG was the default mode, not auto (and if you used auto, you'd see why ) - I liked the Shifter setup and default SMG better in the BMW - the 911 shifter setup seems way too "auto'ish" for my taste.

 

While I don't have a PDK I do have a DCT in my GT-R and I never use auto. I like having the say on which gear I am in. I've tried driving my car in auto and it drives me crazy because it is programmed for gas mileage and not performance. By the time I hit 35 mph the tranny will be lugging along in 6th if left in auto.

 

I use mostly manual, also in sport plus mode. Its awesome on the track

 

My GTI has DSG, and since I don't track it, it's a glorified automatic to me. I rarely use it manual, and I find it uninvolving so I had to get my Porsche with a manual.

In, fact, the DSG is acting odd now and needs to be taken to VW. Even though the DSG (PSK) is much smoother and efficient than a manual, it's just doesn't feel right to me at this point in time. It makes the car more of an appliance and less involving. It's possible I'd consider a PDK in the future, but not now.

 

My wife has a Cayman S PDK, she always drives auto, no sport. Does use the wheel controls for off ramps and the like. When I drive it is auto with sport mode about 50% and manual with sport mode about 50%. Depends more on if the drive is casual and fun or purpose driven in traffic.

 

btw, i think PDK acts too much like an automatic, so there isnt really much of a learning curve to drive one in manual mode. its just a process of button pressing. porsche (most manufacturer in general) even design their DCT shifter like a normal automatic with PRND. unlike BMW where the DCT shifter is based off the SMG design which only have R-N-(-/+)-A...

SMG and other automated single clutch tranny on the other hand will have a much steeper learning curve, especially to a veteran manual driver.

 

Now that I have switched to the PDK paddles from the buttons on the wheel, I find that I drive in Manual now about 90% of the time as before it was about 50%. The new PDK paddles really changed the feel of the shifting for me.

 

i had paddles on my cls63 amg...i dont mind the buttons at all..push up the gears and pull down...i also like using the shifter..again - push up the gears and pull down the gears..i usually drive in auto sport but i often down shift manually...i rarely use sport plus auto - no need to redline every gear..ill shift manually in sport plus...i almost never drive in normal mode - feels very sluggish...80% in sport auto and 20% in sport manual...sport auto is amazing..im cruising, pound on the accelerator and look down - the gearbox shifts down from 6th to 3rd so quickly its incredible - way quicker than i could do manually...but if im waiting to pass a car before getting on it i might downshift while im waiting to fully pass so im at 5k rpms already before hitting the gas...
the car is loads of fun..pdk with sports crono just adds so many choices its like driving a different car all the time...ive used launch control probably 5 times. i like it but dont feel the need to use it too often
Favorite setting:
-top down
-sport auto with pasm on
-pse on

 

[QUOTE][Auto was most interesting getting used to the car and what it thought was a good RPM./QUOTE]

I felt the same way yet I found that having the control of the actual gear choice is something that I was so accustomed to coming from a manual. I was thinking that those who came from automatics liked having the gewar chosen for them moreso because that's what past driving has presented for them .

 

I had a D92 M3 DCT for about 6 months. After a while I felt stupid manually switching the gears and eventually the DCT became a fast shifting auto for me. The cars computer did a better job saving me gas than I ever could. I saw DCT as real tool for the track, its what DCT trannies were designed for initially anyway. Loved that car as a daily car with some gusto but I craved more involvement and more focus. Hence the move to Porsche. If I was going to get a current Porsche, I would go the PDK route. 997.2TT PDK...Mmmmmmm

Jason

 

in Sport plus mode. I manually shift from 1st to 2nd then into 3rd and leave it there for most of my driving. In sport plus it will automatically shift down when the revs get to low.

 

Your position is interesting to me.

I have a R32 with DSG and usually use auto as the sports auto mode is a bit too much for daily driving. The manual mode is fine too, but I leave it 99% in auto and use manual now and then just for fun.

The DSG played up on it, with the 'mechatronics unit' starting to fail, with the car feeling like it had clutch slippage. It basically revved a bit and then grabs the clutch very suddenly from stand-still so it was not very good for daily driving.

When I bought the 997.2 I choose PDK because my 911 is a daily car. PDK is fantastic, such a huge step ahead of the DSG. My only regret is that I didn't try a 997.2 in manual; the only Porsche manual I ever drove was a 1983 Targa (I think).