Porsche 911 posts quicker Nurburgring times with PDK

Posted Wed Jun 18 2008 10:29 AM by Ralph Hanson

Nissan’s new GT-R supercar has proven how beneficial a quick-shifting dual-clutch gearbox can be at shattering race track lap times, posting a blistering 7m 29s lap time for the Nurburgring Nordschleife and beating most other supercars on the planet including Porsche’s 911 Turbo and even the GT2. However, Porsche has now added its own dual-clutch gearbox to the iconic 911 and although it’s only fitted in the Carrera and Carrera S models the new ‘box is already showing some promising results.

The sports carmaker has now released performance numbers for its new 911 range fitted with the ‘PDK’ dual-clutch gearbox, reports Edmunds. The 380hp (283kW) Carrera S fitted with the PDK and PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) system posted a fastest lap time for the Nurburgring of 7m 50s – a full 8 seconds faster than the Carrera S with a manual gearbox. Porsche also posted times for the pre-facelift 911 Carrera S, which was 12 seconds behind the new PDK-equipped car but its output is a lower 355hp (265kW).

According to Porsche, the new PDK shifts gears 60% faster than the former Tiptronic S automatic and offers a small improvement in fuel economy over both the auto and manual gearboxes.

2009 Porsche 911 facelift

Gallery: 2009 Porsche 911 Facelift

See Full Gallery

Reader Comments

Wed Jun 18 2008 10:36 AM
elclair says

Such a pity that the GT3/RS/2 won't see PDK. I seriously doubt it anyway.
Wed Jun 18 2008 11:32 AM
NoNameDenton says

It probably will eventually, but either way, I can't afford one, but I can dream.
Wed Jun 18 2008 12:05 PM
jman says

Yeah, but it also has an extra 40+ horsepower, which is probably more of a factor than the PDK.
Wed Jun 18 2008 12:23 PM
archony says

Most likely Porsche couldn't bear to be beaten by a Nissan on its home turf and they had to come out with something quickly.
Wed Jun 18 2008 12:42 PM
STIG says

Porsche First ... porsche will beat any other supercar
Wed Jun 18 2008 12:46 PM
rickybobby says

@jman,

But the PDK has the same amount of hp as the reg. 6-speed and the pdk was still 8 seconds quicker

the manual is still faster than last years model because of the extra hp
Wed Jun 18 2008 3:42 PM
Green Flag says

FYI, Archony, Porsche used a PDK twin-clutch gearbox in its 962 sports-prototype racing cars in 1982, when Nissans were still called Datsuns.
Thu Jun 19 2008 5:01 AM
Alan says

The PDK is without a great gearbox, but two things i really can't stand. One, why did Porsche come up with such an odd way to change gears, i think two paddles, one for up, one for down makes so much more sense, instead of the Porsche system where both paddles can go up or down a gear.

Also, i think if you want to change gear by stick instead of paddles, you should push fwd for down a gear and pull back for up a gear, makes more sense as you lean fwd when slowing, and lean back when accelerating. But the gearstick on PDK is the reverse of that

MotorAuthority