Whoa, that PDK!
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i personally prefer the ZF transmission over the PDK. It doesnt always shift smoothly and doesnt pair well with a Cobb tune either. Couple that with the $900 PDK fluid change at 40k miles and I'm not a fan
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PDK is a big component of why the Macan is such a great vehicle. If my Macan had the same Tiptronic transmission as my wife's Cayenne it would lose a big part of its appeal and sportiveness.
The Macan's PDK is actually built by ZF (type 7DT-65)
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The PDK in the Macan seems to work just fine with the Porsche factory software.
I'd suspect the issues with PDK/Cobb interaction lie in the Cobb s/w and its interaction.
Hardly the fault of the PDK - it's hardware, controlled by software. If your PDK is
not shifting smoothly with Cobb (controlling) software, that is an issue for the Cobb developers
to address.
This illustrates trade-offs one makes when using aftermarket software to try and exceed the
performance parameters of an engine designed & developed by the manufacturer to seamlessly
and reliably deliver specific HP and TQ values. In other words, "I want Turbo performance and
I'm not willing to pay for the Turbo motor.".
As the man said, "TANSTAAFL". (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch)
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That thread is a nice discussion. But it turns out that Audi transmissions (because the claim in that thread is that the PDK in the Macan is made by Audi) are not built by Audi, but by third party suppliers such as ZF or AISIN (which supplies the Tiptronic found in the Cayenne and in other AUDI and VW models). I know a company that makes transmission housings for ZF and others, and that's what I've been told –if that's not true, well, I've been taken in.
But I don't want to steal this thread; I think we can all agree that the Macan's PDK is a great transmission for this car.
I like the PDK 95% of the time! I’m running Stage 1 Cobb as well and my shifts are ridiculously fast when I want them to be... put your foot into and start snapping the paddles and you will be rewarded (in more ways than one). I drive pretty moderately most of the time tho... so my engine/shifts/PDK are usually angry at me for going slow and shifting low. There are penalties for that from time to time.
The other times it stinks are... parking in general and backing into my garage. I’ve learned to treat it like a standard and then everything’s fine.
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The other times it stinks are... parking in general and backing into my garage. I’ve learned to treat it like a standard and then everything’s fine.
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+1 including the backing into the garage. Overall, in my opinion, it's a perfect fit for this vehicle. Hopefully the PDK is retained in the next model.I like the PDK 95% of the time! I’m running Stage 1 Cobb as well and my shifts are ridiculously fast when I want them to be... put your foot into and start snapping the paddles and you will be rewarded (in more ways than one). I drive pretty moderately most of the time tho... so my engine/shifts/PDK are usually angry at me for going slow and shifting low. There are penalties for that from time to time.
The other times it stinks are... parking in general and backing into my garage. I’ve learned to treat it like a standard and then everything’s fine.
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My Macan Turbo shifts well with the Cobb software.
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Well said.
And not to diminish those who have had difficulty with their Cobb tune versus the PDK, there are plenty of us having had no issues whatsoever.
If anyone is on the fence regarding purchasing a Cobb Accessport, I would highly recommend trying it given that it’s returnable if you don’t like it. I sat on the fence for almost a year hesitant to try it, and ended up kicking myself when I immediately felt the substantial increase in power and torque.
In fact, I never even bothered to install the software update that Cobb came out with a while back given that I have never had any issues.
We have the Cobb OTS tune on both the Turbo and the GTS. Easy installation, no issues at all interfacing with the PDK, and terrific results.
The only disappointment is that I assumed the Cobb tune would reduce the GTS turbo lag problem, but it did not help at all.
The only disappointment is that I assumed the Cobb tune would reduce the GTS turbo lag problem, but it did not help at all.
Interesting thread and I start to believe that @vandit and I are in the minority never really experienced the stated, reported, and promised smoothness. I have exhausted all the options with no positive outcome. On delivery (July 2015 of 2016 Turbo), we had a lot of hesitation and lag going off the line but consistent with a 2018 brand new one that I drove. Then I suspect our Transfer Case started going bad with hard shift from 2nd to 3rd and 4th, it was replaced and then we got Cobb Stage 1. This solved off the line acceleration hesitation but not the smoothness on acceleration through lower gears. Then we got the BGB and while it improved the power and the smoothness on acceleration it is still not what we would expect after 3 feedback/revision loops with John introducing hard shifting when slowing down and recently I slowed down for a turn then turned and pushed the pedal to go into a slight uphill and it hard shifted again on acceleration with a snap. The experience feels like PDK is out of sync with the engine and holds on to certain gear too long and then has to catch up in a hurry resulting in a hard shift. No experience like this (cannot even feel the shifts) as reported before in the Base Macan loaners we drove or a PDK paired to the same engine Panamera loaner that we drove while TC was in replacement. I understand it is not the same pairing but PDK in the Base and Panamera was silky smooth, quick, and seamless that we are not getting even close to in our 2016 Macan Turbo and John from BGB said that I unless COBB release a PDK tune to go along with the ECU tune that we are all using this is not going to be solved but I know that hopes for that are all but gone with the 2019 refresh that will be using a totally new engine in the Turbo.
One of the other reasons I am getting a performance pack Turbo. Want the extra power without the rough and misaligned shifts. Probably won’t Cobb tune my 2017 PP, but we’ll see (will sell it on here if i don’t use it). Thx Sergey for feedback on your end also.
Hi: Some advice please. I bought my first Porsche,2017 Macan S. I'm used to manual Vettes and matching the revs by increasing the RPMs on downshifts. Is that a good idea with the PDK? Should I just: maintain the revs as I downshift, lift my foot off the throttle or increase them as it downshift? Terrific car. Thanks for any advice.
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