i am seiously looking at trading back to a boxster and this time considering the base boxster in a PDK because i suspect that the PDK tranny with the extra gearing may be a really good fit with the car.

so, i have been going through my various online links as well as searching here, & there really are few articles and good reviews on the PDK version of the gen 2 base model. i am amazed at how many of the reveiws say they were only given S's. Point of fact, the latest issue of Excellance JUST finally did a review of the base in manual mode & it is a great review but i wish that had backed it against a PDK.

anyway i am really hoping there might be some help here from people who own or have had some good tests of the PDK version.

 

biggest question goes to the gearing ratios on the PDK. when driving in town do the ratios fit well or is it often the case that you are really just outside of the range of the current gear but the next up gear drops torque too much?

it has been almost 4 years since i had a 2008 base boxster for a few days drive & i can't remember this issue. i know my S never had an issue with the wrong gear. 2nd was amazing around town and on smaller 2 lane highway twisties, 3rd never failed.

so, is the 7 speed PDK producing the right ratios?

 

My wife and I just bought a base 2012 Boxster with a PDK in September (her car). My first impressions of the transmission is that it does run at higher gears than I would with a manual. Around town, normal cruising at say, 40 mph or so, the transmission will go into 7th and will drop the engine speed to less than 2000 rpm's. No torque to speak of. However, when you step on the gas and demand more get up and go, the transmission instantly shifts down a gear or two, and you're on your way. The shift is so quick and smooth that it really does not matter that you were not in the right gear previously. So, yes, the transmission seems to be programmed for economy rather than performance during normal driving, but its characteristics are so different from a transmission with a manual clutch that you can not think of the two in the same way, or judge them with the same yardstick. Over time, it grows on you, but be prepared to be thrown off at first by the way it drives.

 

If you don't have the sport chrono package the PDK is going to put you to sleep....you'd probably be in 4th by the time you cross an intersection. That option is an absolute must, especially if you are going to push it at all.

 

can't disagree there - i forgot to mention i have driven PDK panamera's & 911's quite a few times. no sport chrono means no PDK imo.

one catch about PDK is when you order it, you really have to have sport chrono & when you add the premium they charge for the proper steering wheel, in canada at least, the whole package with PDK is something just shy of $8k.

no matter what country - when you add up all of the stuff for PDK, you are looking at 10% of the value of the whole car.

 

Your dealer can retrofit the sport chrono package after you receive the car (no dash wart)....could be an avenue worth exploring.

 

At first, non sport mode seems lame, but once you get used to it, it's much better in daily traffic than sport mode. You have to learn how to shift the car using the throttle, the transmission is very responsive. Sport mode and paddle shifters are a must for spirited canyon cruising or on the track. Sport plus mode is amazing on the track, holds every gear until redline.
In my opinion, sport mode for daily driving (in auto, not using the paddles) can get jerky when it downshifts into 1st gear at crawling speeds, it's much smoother if you keep it in 2nd.

 

I have wondered if the PDK clutch has less wear than that in the standard manual transmission. I know the lifespan of a clutch has a lot to do with how it's driven but I would think the PDK would be smooth without as much slippage. Any ideas on clutch lifespan and do they actually have dual clutchplates?

 

these tranny's were introduced in the spring of 2009 if i remember correctly. with almost 3 years we should start hearing if there are durability issues.

they seem to be able to take an unbelieveable number of launch control runs without issue - that has to say something

 

I would agree... need sports chrono to have fun with a PDK...

 

I bought a base 2011 Boxster with PDK and didn't originally have SC so I added it on later. No wart and it only cost $1,500 to add it. Love the way it holds the gears longer. Have yet to try launch control.

 

the smaller engined boxster needs to be rev'd a lot more to work the engine, that is why i was thinking the PDk would be a good match for the engine.

i have seen the sport chrono on suncoast web site - no wart is a good wart. My Boxster had one and still stuck with one on the turbo.

 

I agree, no wart is a good wart.

 

By holding the gears longer, do you get a better appreciation of the stock exhaust note? In other words, does the sports mode retrofit make the stock exhaust sound better?

With the 15% off discount Porsche is running now, my dealer is quoting $1300 for the PDK Sports Mode retrofit, parts and installation, plus tax.

 

i have pdk on my BS....... and it shifts really quick.
if i switched to sport+ mode... you will really feel the car pulling.
the noise at high rpms just amazing.