PDK back to Manual?

[Prospective]

Hi whilst I contemplate my next 718 has anyone gone from PDK back to a manual gearbox?
Any thoughts advice?
Thanks

[130R]

I would be very tempted to do the same next time as well. The PDK box is obviously extremely good and impossible to match performance wise with a manual. But IMO a manual will always win when it comes to fun.

[av185]

130R said:

I would be very tempted to do the same next time as well. The PDK box is obviously extremely good and impossible to match performance wise with a manual.

Depends on the exact Porsche and type of driving.

[gwsinc]

I’ve had PDK for over a year now, having previously driven exclusively (non-Porsche) manuals.

I’ve loved the immediacy and ease of using PDK, but my next Porsche will certainly be a manual. As it’s now my second car (having used it as a daily for just less than a year) I’d like a little more involvement when I drive it. As quick and well programmed as it is, it just doesn’t react as quickly as my left foot (true of all autos!).

Great gearbox and a great flappy paddle experience but I’ll definitely be going back to a manual next time.

[jimbo761]

PDK is great for traffic and it is certainly the best auto I’ve ever driven. The continuous acceleration with instantaneous changes is fantastic but a level of involvement is missing. Whether I’d go back depends on when I next change cars- which is unlikely to be anytime soon as the dealer mark ups are so excessive.

[130R]

av185 said:

Depends on the exact Porsche and type of driving.

Is there any Porsche or type of driving where you could keep pace against PDK with a manual? Not saying there is a huge amount in it, but I would have thought PDK would always be slightly quicker

[BubblesNW]

130R said:

av185 said:

Depends on the exact Porsche and type of driving.

Is there any Porsche or type of driving where you could keep pace against PDK with a manual? Not saying there is a huge amount in it, but I would have thought PDK would always be slightly quicker

It's not all about straight line speed, if it was then you might as well get an Audi S3 or similar. Some people, me included, prefer the greater involvement of a manual gearbox, hence the question regarding the type of driving. If the car is to be used for a dull daily commute in stop start traffic a pdk might be better suited. If it is a Sunday morning country lane blast, then a manual might be more popular and would certainly be more involving.

[130R]

BubblesNW said:

It's not all about straight line speed, if it was then you might as well get an Audi S3 or similar. Some people, me included, prefer the greater involvement of a manual gearbox, hence the question regarding the type of driving. If the car is to be used for a dull daily commute in stop start traffic a pdk might be better suited. If it is a Sunday morning country lane blast, then a manual might be more popular and would certainly be more involving.

That's exactly what I said in the second post .. This was specifically about performance.

[Koln-RS]

130R said:

s there any Porsche or type of driving where you could keep pace against PDK with a manual? Not saying there is a huge amount in it, but I would have thought PDK would always be slightly quicker

Surely that is irrelevant on the road. Only in a drag race, or perhaps on track, would it make any difference.

I agree that, what someone prefers, depends on the car, the driver, the road, the traffic conditions...... but, yes, to jump back into a nice engaging 'manual' can be great fun.

[Prospective]

Thanks for the comments - yes daily driver with stop start traffic tending to think PDK again but will try manual. Hopefully get a demo for a few days.

[av185]

130R said:

av185 said:

Depends on the exact Porsche and type of driving.

Is there any Porsche or type of driving where you could keep pace against PDK with a manual? Not saying there is a huge amount in it, but I would have thought PDK would always be slightly quicker

The reason Porsche only do PDK S on the 991 GT3 RS is because it is primarily a track car that can be used on the road so in this car PDK S is ultimately quicker in establishing quicker track times.

The GT3 is a road car that can be used on the track so that is broadly why they produce both a manual and PDK S.

Both great gearboxes (I have both) but as others have said the manual is more involving, requires much more skill to extract the best performance and crucially is much more fun. The manual car has a mech diff whereas the PDK S is an e diff.

In terms of GT3 performance there is strong evidence to suggest the PDK S and manual cars are evenly matched performance wise. The manual gearbox is substantially lighter than the PDK furthermore there is some parasitic loss of power with the PDK transmission and these factors when viewed against a flat shifted manual GT3 means there is nothing between the two cars performance wise especially for fast road use.

[Bone Rat]

Take care before deciding, my wife had a PDK 981 and we were given a manual Boxster as a courtesy car, I presume as I had mentioned I was going to change mine in the near future. I have never experienced such a heavy clutch in any car - period. It may be acceptable for a weekend special but as a daily driver involving stop-start driving it was a deal breaker. Wife has OA in hip - couldn't use it at all, she can drive my MX5 no sweat.

We tested another 781 manual as she recently changed to a 718S - still the same. Back to PDK. I ended up with an auto m240i.

Was heavier than series III LR, Lada Niva and any other I've driven since the 70's.

[Nickz]

Prospective said:

Daily driver with stop start traffic tending to think PDK.

I found driving PDK was great but in heavy traffic it would sometimes irritate as the gears constantly switched between 1st and 2nd when barely moving.

PDK is an amazing gearbox but after 3 years I'm back enjoying a manual. For me it's the difference between a GT car and a sports car.