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Other Porsche ModelsDiscussion of other Porsche models besides the Cayman
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The dual clutch gearbox was pretty big news when Audi started shipping their DSG transmission. It was met w/mixed reviews, a lot of people liked it, other people weren't as hot on it. The biggest complaints I heard were a feeling of disconnect with the car, it didn't feel like you were in control as much as you are with manual. And the fact that downshifting took longer...eg if you are in 4th, the transmission is set to engage 5th gear, not 3rd, so a downshift took longer.
I personally haven't driven a dual clutch transmission but I would definitely consider it on my next Porsche purchase.
I don't see stick shift becoming the equivalent of a type writer, but I think those that have considered tiptronic in the past, but ultimately purchased a manual, will now have an paddle shifter option without the drawbacks of the current flappy paddle transmission.
My brother drives a DSG equipped VW R32 which I've driven on multiple occasions. Its a peppy fun car and the transmission is great, but I would rather have a clutch and stick. I know that a DSG or PDK transmission is capable of shifting quicker than I am, but for me at least, once the paddles go in, an integral part of the "sports car" experience has been removed. At the end of the day I think it really comes down to personal perference.
I guess I am not seeing it. The automatic transmission has been around a long time. I'm not seeing anyone saying, "Well, I almost bought the automatic but it didn't shift smooth enough and so I went with a manual instead." Same with the Tiptronic. Most who buy automatics in the USA at least just want it to shift for them, period. They aren't going to pay a huge premium for a little smoother shift. But will Porsche drivers?
I think the more general question is will sports car drivers? It can of course shave off a little time if you race but there are hundreds of ways to do that from losing weight to practice to buying a faster car. Buying another 100hp is one thing. Buying a little faster shift is another, which matters to some for sure, but on a scale I guess I'm not seeing it as being such a huge factor that it will sway those who choose manuals.
I love to see the (now) old racing technology working it's way down to the consumer level, and maybe manuals will die anyway, but I think if that happens it will be more due to the general mindset of people more then PDK vs the Automatics they have now. But having said that, manuals are doing well in some parts of the world if for no other reason then they are inexpensive to build and for people on budgets those savings often outweigh the benefits of automatics, smooth or not.
For those of us who haven't yet had the test drive, why is it so incredible? What will the old codgers who are addicted to 3-pedal driving say?
Share some thoughts and impressions, please!
This old codger learned how to drive in a VW 30+ years ago. I do think my preference of the stick is more of a control thing. I would also have a hard time paying an extra 4 Gs for the option. Everyone has their own preferences, if it makes you happy, do it!
i did a test drive at Reeves in Tampa on friday while i had the softronicplenum installed. they just got a carerra and a cab s on wednesday, both with pdk. i drove both back to back. the carerra was awesome and had the new 18 in wheels, which look great. the pdk shifts are super smooth, even on hard down shifts. it was like driving a cayman s for the first time, except with more power. i got up to 120mph with ease on the interstate. the suspension changes have made the 911 handle like a mid-engine cayman s (at least on the street). the car did not have pasm or sports chrono. i was very impressed. my only problem was getting used to the location of the pdk shifters. they should be at 10 and 2 not 3 and 9.
the 911 cab s was a let down. it only weights 210 lbs more and i guess that and the soft top are enough to rob all the extra power. i could not tell it had 40 more hp. also, i officially hate 19 in wheels for street driving. my carrera sport wheels will be for sale as soon as i can buy the new 18 in carrera IV wheel.
see Fred at Reeves if anyone wishes a test drive.
as an aside, Chuck (service) and Sam (mechanic) charged me only 1.5 hrs labor for the plenum install and gave me a 10% pca discount. this was after i was told it would not void the warranty (unless it fell apart and was sucked into the engine).
PASM - Porsche Active Suspension Management
This active damping system offers continuous adjustment of individual damping forces based on current road conditions and driving style.
The driver can choose from two setup modes, ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’, using a separate ‘damper’ button on the center console. ‘Normal’ mode is designed for general road driving and circuits with uneven tarmac. ‘Sport’ mode is intended for smoother track surfaces, where the harder settings help eliminate pitch and roll.
In either mode, PASM continuously evaluates the current conditions while automatically selecting the corresponding damper rates from the respective set of mapped values.
A range of sensors are used to monitor the movement of the body under acceleration, braking and cornering maneuvers, as well as on poor road surfaces. The PASM control unit then evaluates this data and modifies the damping force on each individual wheel in accordance with the selected mode. The result is a significant reduction in body movement as well as a better grip on the road.
For example: if ‘Sport’ mode is selected, the suspension is automatically set to a harder damper rating. If the quality of the track surface falls below a certain threshold, the system immediately changes to a softer rating within the ‘Sport’ setup range. When the quality of the tarmac improves once more, PASM automatically returns to the original, harder rating.
Need more information about PASM? Click this link: FAQ for PASM
Sport Chrono and Chrono Plus
This optional package is a valuable addition for trackday use. Available in conjunction with the CDR-24 CD radio, it includes a swivel-mounted analog and digital timer unit which is centrally located on the dashboard. All functions are easily accessible via the control stalk for the on-board computer. Analog dials measure hours, minutes and seconds, while a separate digital field displays whole seconds, tenths and one hundredths of a second. A second digital display runs in parallel in the instrument cluster. Click this Link to visit the FAQ entry for Sport Chrono.
Plenum
The plenum is the piece that goes between the Cayman throttle body and the intake runners. The factory piece is a long black plastic tube with a divider down the middle. There are aftermarket replacements which are designed to allow the air to flow easier/faster into the engine and increase horsepower and torque.
PCA - Porsche Club Of America
The Porsche Club of America - http://www.pca.org
CaymanClub.Net members who are also PCA members should request access to the PCA Member only forum by filling in their PCA Member ID# into their profile and then requesting a group membership addition, both of which can be done in the User Control Panel (User CP)
Softronic
SOFTRONIC produces DME programming and hardware to suit your companies specifications. Our current software suite is a complex matched set of programs housed in a Flash Manager and Flash Client. This software is matched with two cables, an End User and Master Cable. The SOFTRONIC proprietary flashing solution outperforms all other combinations in speed and accuracy including the factory Porsche equipment.
I will always have a manual shifter in my (hobby) sports car, just because I prefer to shift gears. There is sometime quiet satisfying about getting a downshift or up shift just right on the track. As a daily drive I would most likely concede and order the PDK, you get the best of both worlds so why.
Either way there is no bad choice, just personnel preference.
For me it would be between torque converter auto and manual. The manual for my fun car, and the TC auto for a car I hop into to post a letter down the long street.
We need to discount heavily the responses from those who have not yet experienced the PDK. No experience equals opinion not fact. I've not yet had the pleasure but after a weekend of suffering with an arthritic toe that made shifting the CS painful I'd sure consider it as an option. I'm pass the point that my assessment is based on what I learned as a sub-teen reading magazines about what we are supposed to like (manual shift).
