bamaboy473

I know, I know, the 991 forum is where this question should be, but those guys have one or the other and will be selling their choices rather than explaining them. Those of us that don't have a 991 might be doing research, and this is where I am right now.

From all descriptions, PDK is the wave of the future, no question about it. That said, I'm not seeing how it works. Is it like the Tip, with paddle shifters on the wheel? I've had a Tip, and prefer the manual just from the driving experience part of it. I don't race, and don't do heavy traffic.

Does shifting a 7-speed become scary about going from 2nd to 4th, or 3rd to 5th? Worse would be downshifting into the wrong gate, of course, but has anybody driven one that bothered them, or is it like our 6-speeds, pretty tight?

Right now I'm leaning towards a 7-speed, but has anybody thought the same thing until you drove a PDK?

911-997

Ohh boy... Not again !

E39Nutz

Do you value the driving pleasure of rowing through the gears in a manual transmission or do you care for the speedy shifting and beating everybody at the stop light?

I upshift from 2 to 4 or 3 to 5 all the times and vice versa, no harm to the transmission. Personally, I bought a Carerra with a manual transmission for the driving pleasure, not trying to outrun everybody on the track or at the stop light. And it holds its value better.

bamaboy473

My thoughts exactly, but didn't know about holding value better, which is a Plus. And you're right, shifting across gate is common for me, but I'm not racing the car, either. That said, why are there so many PDK units compared to manuals in 991s since the feeling of shifting is part of why we like our cars? Are they priced lower?

soundbehindyou

OK, this has been voiced before.....
1. In the 997.2 series 2009 - 2012 there was recession....not that many Porsches sold...AND the New PDK - latest and greatest, fasted transmission came out....about 80% of the cars were ordered and sent to dealers with PDK
2. The (people believe) Larger, more touring than sports car 991 comes out - getting more expensive every year....as many who can afford a Porsche opt for PDK as they may actually intend on driving the car and have to deal with traffic (throw in the action of the PDK on the track) and you have a lot of PDK....So, I would venture to say that the 991.1 (last of naturally aspirated engines with manuals 2012 - 2015 ) series cars were also about 20% ordered with manual trans.....
So, the resale market speaks.....look at high end resale dealers that price manuals about 10K higher for the same car in a 997.2 or a 991 series...(have you tried to find one lately in manual?)

myltz400

I prefer the Airbus.

jfischet

spot on. for the 991.1 cars i think the ratio is closer to 10% manuals.


op, i think this is the most recent relevant discussion from 991 board:
https://rennlist.com/forums/991/1285...al-to-pdk.html

Ironman88

Couple of thoughts on the topic...

I had a really nice '09 C2S cab with a PDK transmission. I purchased it used in 2019. The thought at the time (regarding the PDK) was that my wife would probably drive the car on occasion (which she did once and once only - and it scared her), and also that given the technological advance that the PDK represented, was the state-of-the art so to speak from the manufacturer. Also, blah blah blah from the local Porsche dealership saying that no one was buying 911's with manual shift transmissions anymore.

I had the '09 PDK cab for two years. Initially I loved the transmission, with virtually instantaneous shifts and the ability to almost read ones mind as to the way it selected gears for whatever circumstance the car was in at any given moment. Plus, the car could be driven in either fully automatic mode, or as a manual without the bother of having to use your left leg / foot with a clutch. Through that I was able to extract more appreciation from the car...

However, with time, I became bored with the car. (Prior to purchasing it, I had always owned manual transmission sports cars and sport sedans.) The PDK was just not involving enough for me. Knowing what that flat 6 was capable of just made having the PDK that much more of a frustration for me.

Everyone is different so the answer for you is best revealed through some introspective thought and internal debate.

In getting / owning a 911, what is it that you're really after? Involvement? Connection with the machine? Control? If so, don't get the PDK.

wardrive

If the question is what is more enjoyable driving a 911 - a PDK or manual. Its Manual hands down.

But if this is the main daily driver then get the PDK, its tough driving daily traffic with a manual, done it for 2 years before COVID and now bought a car with a dual-clutch for my daily driver. My pcars are all manual and made for weekend/track duty.

Wayne Smith

I've put well over 100K miles on my 2010 C4S PDK since I acquired stewardship 7 years ago.

I was never one to drive an automatic. But multiple back injuries and 4 times being told I'd never walk again means my left leg doesn't have much feeling.

That doesn't mean I've lost my urge to carve curves. But it does mean I've lost my confidence in controlling a clutch.

Most days people would never know I've injured my back. But yesterday I spent some hours in precarious body positions as I added puppy proof balusters to our deck to maintain new dog security. By last night I was pulling my pants leg to get my left leg up the stairs as my foot dragged behind. There's no way I could drive an MT in that state.

So the PDK fills my spirited driving needs. Perhaps that's why I say it's as good as a manual, less the satisfaction of matching rpms to gear and speed. One thing I do know, I'm still fully involved and fully entertained. IMHO there is no disadvantage to either transmission.

There is no right and wrong here. There is some ego. Ultimately it's an individual choice based on a whole lot of things. We're a lucky lot to be diminished to discussions like this!!!

ilovemaui

I think you should drive both in city driving and then decide. There is a lot of bias toward the manual but don’t listen to the bias. Drive yourself and decide what is best for your situation. They are both fun to drive.

groovzilla

I can understand traffic or body injuries can prohibit the enjoyment of manual transmission. I have severe knee injuries & hip injury(sports/skiing) from sports/etc but love MT and no way I will ever change.
Have to remember many many PDK owners have bought their cars because Manual Transmission models weren't readily available/hard to find and also many first time P-car buyers bought PDK and not fully aware.
And now many of those owners get pissy angry in defending their decision.

If you enjoy engaged driving with ability to shift yourself which is IMO what a sports car was intended to be, manual transmission is your friend.

gutenfreibier

I had a 997.1 with a MT a few years back. After I got rid of it (blown engine), I was hard on the hunt for a 991 as an upgrade, and was agnostic on whether I picked up a pdk or MT, as I could justify the merits of either. The pdk cars never really blew my skirt up in terms of driver engagement etc. Sure, they are ripping fast shifters (especially in sport + mode) but I do not go to the track, or need to be the fastest from stoplight to stoplight. The manual 991 is a fantastic standard transmission. It has hill hold assist, is smooth, and a very easy MT to live with on day to day basis. No issues (that I noticed) with being unsure which gear you are selecting, or worries about missed shifts. That said, if I was commuting in any sort of heavy traffic, or my wife just had to drive it, a pdk would win for me. Ultimately I wound up back in another MT 997.1, and I do believe that the 997 is the sweet spot of the Porsche 911 lineup (for the time being). Additionally, a 991 in MT, will hold value a little better. The reason being; there just aren't many out there, and a pdk failure is around 20k... Which is a fair chunk of change to worry about on a pre-owned, non cpo / private party purchase.

groovzilla

^^Well said. I test drove a couple of MT 991's & liked them a lot but they had the glass sunroof (not the body colored metal) so I passed then prices shot up drastically.
There was just no way I wanted to spend close to $90K for a 2014-15 MT 991.
I'll buy a higher mileage example in a year or 2. They are nice cars and much prefer the 991.1 design over the newer 991.2 which looks like Ford Taurus in rear.

**If you want to compare how great the 997 or 991 MT transmission are drive an early 911 ---> Nothing like advancements in design.

Ironman88

A 3.2 Carrera G50 shifts just great...