- When the 991.1 GT3 RS came out,
the world lit on fire.
Angels cried, FI viewers stopped receiving
heart reactions in the comments.
Donut Media stopped yelling.
(yelling)
And Dakota stopped liking spicy food.
Why?
Well, that would be because the GT3 RS came
in an exclusive PDK (inhales)
automatic transmission only.
The world, it was terrified.
Prices on the 997 variant skyrocketed,
as it was deemed the last true GT3 and GT3 RS.
But in all honesty, was it that bad of a decision?
I mean, they did reintroduce a manual transmission
in the 991.2 for the sake of their community
being that upset.
But they didn't really want or need to.
So that begs the question really,
like, are automatic sports cars actually that bad?
Or, are we maybe, just maybe, maybe, getting old.
I'm Alex from Fitment Industries,
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Anyway, enter the PDK.
Porsche's answer to the automatic battle.
We're gonna use them as an example for this argument.
Now, sport-oriented automatics have been a thing for
the Porsche brand specifically.
They did it in the '70s with the Sportomatic system.
Then a Tiptronic system in the '90s.
Now, unfortunately, that never really quelled the manual
enthusiasts that wanted to control a car
with their second leg and their second arm.
They didn't have either of those,
it was a little bit of a rough time.
But enter in the PDK, which stands for,
it stands for the Porsche Doppel Kupp, Kupp, Kupplungs.
It stands for Porsche Doppel Kupplungs.
It stands for Porsche Kupp Doppel Kupplungs.
Doppel Kupplungs.
Porsche Doppel Kupplungs,
or dual clutch has been in development since the '80s,
and the race cars that they've actually been a part of
for over like 40 years.
It's been a development since then!
It was in the racing series for the 956
and the 962 programs.
It really didn't see light though until 2009
in 911 Boxster Cayman models.
Yes, Boxster Cayman models.
We don't have to tell our friends that.
The PDK's dual clutch system essentially allows the gear
above and the gear below to be preselected,
so when do decide to tap the levers, the levers,
all the transmission needs to do is switch clutches.
This allows insanely quick up shifts
and down shifts in milliseconds.
Now for this example,
the PDK uses the same gear set and synchro as Porsche's
manual gear box equivalent,
but with two different input shafts.
And those shafts have their own clutch pads.
This is what allows the preselection of the gears to
actually happen when you are just rolling around town,
just playing along with another car that's next to you.
For weight, the PDK is on average about 45 pounds more
than the manual equivalent.
Which isn't ideal, but not terrible, when the
initial revisions were near around 90 to 100 pounds more.
The argument with manual seems to be that most often
that people prefer the mechanical linkage
between man and machine.
Sure, that's true.
Manuals are fun.
They let you scoot.
They also are like the thing that connects you to doing the
fun stuff with the rear end of your car,
or if you have a front wheel drive car,
the old lovely turbo, you know, you know, front wheel drive,
a little cork steer thing that you got going on.
And you are the main reason that the car is performing
the way that it is.
But, it's not mechanically, usually better.
Many high-end performance automatics have set the bar
to allow the car to perform at the best of its ability,
while still having a driving experience.
I know, it's boring, but people like you and people like me,
grew up with Tiptronics dominating the world,
being the equivalent of a dog trying to shift your car.
But that's not necessarily the case anymore, at least,
not with the sport automatics that are coming out recently.
So are all automatic sports car really that bad.
I mean, in short, probably not.
It's an innovation to the driving experience.
But just like those that prefer to craft their own dinner
table with their own hands, and they got the wood tools,
and you know they post the pictures
on Facebook all the time, and then it looks good,
and they stain it, and then they got to take a couple more
pictures in the front, and then they put in there,
you know they put it in their dinner table, or their
dining room set, and then two to three people compliment it.
You know sometimes it's like that,
like doing it with your own hands,
so that you can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes
into it versus just buying it from IKEA.
You know, there's a certain attribute of having a manual
gear box that will likely never get replaced.
And that's why manuals are so fun,
they're just a raw visceral.
That was a very journalistic way of experiencing.
It's just a very fun way to enjoy the car.
Now, that's not to say that, for example,
Porsche's PDK isn't necessarily terrible either,
because it's definitely a ton of fun.
We just may not be ready for having the manual go away,
at least for us, because we still had to deal with
the ole it taking like three seconds to shift,
which is sometimes how it goes.
Next thing you know you're going to be just yelling
profanities outside of your porch window because you don't
like kids running out on your lawn.
It happens.
But anyway, let us know what you think if automatics
or manuals are going to be the future of cars in the
comment section below.
And if you're looking for wheels, tires or suspensions,
don't forget to check out FitmentIndustries.com.
It allows us to keep doing awesome stuff like this.
But anyway, I'm Alex from Fitment Industries.
We will see you later, peace.