718 Manual vs PDK

[1WEL]

I have a 718 Cayman PDK on order and have a few days to change the spec.
When I placed the order you could only have the PDK box however I notice you can now have a manual box.
Has anyone had any experience of Manual vs PDK on a Porsche 718

My last 2 cars have been a Focus RS manual (heavy clutch) and a Golf R DSG (which was fantastic).
I am however leaning towards the manual on the 718.

 

[PaulJ]

I've specced 6 out of 6 manual Porsches so far and would again as long as I retain use of a left leg. Agreed PDK saves the odd fraction here and there, but to me it's still an autobox and as such is one more step down the path towards velcro fastening shoes in hearing aid beige! (Waits for flack...[])

 

[Brian_Innes]

If you go for the PDK on the 718 be sure to spec the Sport Chrono option. It optimises the PDK experience.

I'm a life-long manual gearbox motorsport driver. The skills will always be with me. However, the new evolution PDK with Sport Chrono on the 718, is absolutely superb.

I drive mine on Sport mode and manual shift with the paddles when away from urban traffic. My forthcoming new 718 Cayman GTS is also PDK. It optimises this model in my opinion.

Whatever gearbox you choose, enjoy your 718 Cayman.

Brian

 

[Peter_Bull]

I was a lifelong manual man until I bought my Cayman.

Initially I thought I had made a mistake and it took me a couple of months to get used to it. After that I never looked back and I love it. I have the best of both worlds and I am sure you will love the car whichever gearbox you choose.

 

[1WEL]

Thanks for everyone's input, I've decided to keep the PDK box.

I nearly changed the colour today, but decided to keep Racing Yellow

Only 2 months to go.

 

[PHB1969]

Whilst on the theme of manual vs PDK, is the PDK driveable in snow?

 

[Ray]

Whilst on the theme of manual vs PDK, is the PDK driveable in snow?

I have a jacked 4X4 for those times. But getting back to the Cayman I would think firstly tyre selection is a key issue. I am sure other members will have some info on winter driving. I have always left mine in the garage at those times of year.

Ray

 

[DuncGT4]

I have a gt4 and pdk boxster, having never drivern a pdk much before I never really got it and believed that it took away the driving experience but the more miles I do in the boxster the more I am liking the pdk.

The reason, well you can leave it auto and just relax or pop it in manual and do it, plus, yes even in manual it's not quite the same as moving the stick in the gate, but at least you get to be in control and the pdk box is such a quick and nice box to use.

The only down side to it is the extra weight and cost over the manual, would have a pdk in my gt4 if I could ? Well that is a tricky one and one day it could be yes and the next day no, as I like the gt4 just how it is. But as others say you can't really go wrong with any

 

[Motorhead]

In about 55-years of driving I've never owned an auto 'box car - although I've driven many - but I have to say that for occasional/enthusiastic use I still prefer the involvement of a manual 'box, good though the latest dual-clutch 'boxes are. Porsche's PDK transmission is one of the best available and is a great choice if that's what you're after.

I believe that more than 80% of Porsches sold now have auto transmissions, although the high-selling SUVs and the Panamera are only available with that spec so that will bias the results. However, I would guess that PDK is the transmission choice for the majority of the sports car range. Quite how long Porsche will continue to offer manual transmissions remains to be seen, especially when hybrid powertrains are introduced, and it would save development time and costs significantly.

Jeff

 

[jasonbowman]

I have now owned a new racing yellow manual 718 Cayman since early October. My wife has a PDK Boxster 718 so I can compare them both. The PDK is easier to drive and probably changes quicker but I do like the fact you can downshift two gears by hand and experience probably the best manual box I have encountered, pure driving pleasure but it is nice to sit back in auto and let the car do the work, so it is a personal choice. One advantage is that the manual is £2k cheaper! But you will never have launch control which is great fun but only do that at PEC Silverstone as it would frighten me doing that in my beloved Porsche.

 

[Brian_Innes]

Jason,

You are absolutely correct about the 718 manual gearbox being one of the best. On the 991.2 GT3, the manual box is also a superb triumph of tactile precision engineering.

Block-shifting, as in swapping cogs from 5th to 3rd with a heel-and-toe throttle blip, is one of the pleasures I miss most in the PDK. A double-click downshift on the paddles during braking is not nearly so satisfying.

However there are advantages to the PDK apart from the obvious urban and high density traffic driving benefits. The 718 PDK has shorter gearing than the manual. As a track driving enthusiast I welcome this, as it gives the car that little extra punch out of corners such as chicanes on track days. The super-fast gear shifts in Sport Plus also contribute to faster lap times on the track compared to a similar manual car. There is also one other advantage on the 718 GTS PDK, an extra 10nm torque compared to the manual version.

You pay your money and make your choice.

Brian

 

[Buddy]

I've driven two 718's one a Cayman S on road and the other a base Boxster at the PEC without the sport chrono pack, both were PDK, I would say make sure that you have the chrono pack it's much more in use than a stopwatch and a sport setting.

PDK or manual is a personal choice and I have a 987.2S PDK which I love to drive, the quick change on snow can make things a bit twitchy even with winter tyres as you can't slow the engagement down as in a manual and coming onto the street from my uphill drive can mean that I have to drop off the throttle as it comes onto the level ground which was covered in compressed snow whereas my drive had ben cleared but otherwise not problem last winter when we had quite a lot of snow at times.

All of my cars bar two have been manuals including my current runabout a BMW Z4 half the power but same road tax as the Cayman S, I go from my manual to my PDK without much thought concerning which I'm driving as I am used to the change, I get into one coupe PDK into the drop head and shift the stick simples! I do love my PDK even if it's not the latest iteration and doesn't blip on downshifts but it speed matches perfectly. It also has sport and sport+ so is quite lively.