718 diminutive paddle shifters?

[StevenRugg]

Yesterday I had the pleasure of a whole day in a 718 Boxster S courtesy car while my 981 Cayman S had things done to it. There's been enough 981 vs 718 done by now I think, so I shan't go in to the engine debate...

But one thing that surprised (and disappointed) me was how much smaller the PDK paddle shifters are. Are there optional bigger ones for either 718 or 981? Does it vary by steering wheel design maybe? Mine is button-less whereas yesterday's borrowed one had several buttons and some balls to twiddle. They just felt a lot more like VW and Audi's where it feels like you're just pressing a button, whereas mine feel more like pulling a little lever, which is a lot more satisfying.

[Si-3PO]

Interesting ... It's nearly a year since I sold my last 981 but I can't say I noticed a difference in the PDK paddles when I did my PEC in the 718. I'd assumed they were exactly the same ...

[bcr5784]

Didn't notice any difference between the 981 or 718 myself either. They are both a bit small (you can get vastly expensive aftermarket extensions) but the main problem for me ( on the road) is that they rotate with wheel rather than are fixed to the column. Different for a track car, I accept, but wrong for a road car imo.

[StevenRugg]

Yeah they are both quite small, but if you've ever used Audi ones you'll know what I mean. There's no noticeable travel in the thing at all, you're basically just pressing the microswitch. The 981 ones while not huge like supercars have, there's definitely a sense that you need to pull on it to engage the gear.

[Si-3PO]

I agree on the feel of PDK paddles. Sim Racing is my main hobby and embarrassingly for Porsche the magnetic shifters I have fitted to my sim wheels feel better than the ones I've had on my PDK equipped cars

[WG]

One of the first things I noticed on a test drive of 718 was the difference in feel of the paddles with my current 987 Spyder. I saw it as an improvemnt - reduced travel, quicker shift.

[StevenRugg]

WG said:

One of the first things I noticed on a test drive of 718 was the difference in feel of the paddles with my current 987 Spyder. I saw it as an improvemnt - reduced travel, quicker shift.

Interesting perspective. To me it feels cheaper. It's all entirely artificial of course, but I really prefer being able to actually pull on it. Maybe you're right though, and they're just a new design.