Porsche PDK can turn off front-wheel-drive in Carrera 4
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Porsche 911 Carrera S with PDK
The Porsche PDK system is a revolutionary new dual-clutch transmission that gives does lightning fast shifts without the need to move your left foot. That's not the only cool trick up the new Carerra's sleeve when equipped with PDK. The guys at Garage 419 found out from Porsche engineers that front-wheel drive can be disabled entirely by lifting up the parking brake a single notch. Once you lift up that brake, the four-wheel-drive Carerra 4 becomes a Carrera 2 and power slides and donuts are yours to discover. Follow the jump to view Garage 419's video review of the new 997. News about the front-drive shutoff is available at the two-minute mark, but the entire video is worth watching. You can check out our own first drive of the Porsche Carrera with PDK by clicking here.
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Carlos 10:34AM (11/07/2008)
That is kick ass!
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3seriesisking 11:18AM (11/07/2008)
Wickedly Kick-Ass. And a really ingenious way to engage it-one notch on the parking brake and no silly switch......doesn't get any better than that.
David 11:33AM (11/07/2008)
'Ingenious' might be taking it a little far. This 'feature' is really just a safety feature being exploited. My Subaru STI will also disable the electromagnetic clutches in the center differential if you raise the parking brake one notch. I'd bet the Porsche is doing the same thing, and as a result I'd also guess it's not actually taking all power from the front, it's just reverting to the geared power split front/rear -- which is undoubted biased to the back, hence powerslides.
why not the LS2LS7? 11:48AM (11/07/2008)
Geared power split? In the Porsche, when the electromagnetic clutch disengages, it becomes all RWD. This is because it is an RWD system with a PTO (much like the TT is FWD with a PTO).
However, you're right, it's just a feature there for proper operation of the car. Antilock brakes can't work if the wheels are harnessed together, so the clutch disengages when the brakes go on.
BoxerFanatic 10:36AM (11/07/2008)
Now THAT is cool.
All the benefits of AWD, with the option to hang the tail out and misbehave when you choose to.
I like the Carrera 4 anyway, because I know the benefits of AWD when the weather gets a bit unruly. But this is good news. I wonder if the Turbo will get the same feature... I can't see why not. All the other 997/987 cars are RWD anyway, so this probably won't apply to them.
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Chris 10:42AM (11/07/2008)
Still a girly automatic transmission for the novice drivers of the world.
Disengaging the front wheels is a good idea, but it doesn't seem to fit the type of driver who would buy a car with this transmission. You would think he would want additional safety measures that intervene on the total driving experience.....like that transmission does.
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Josiah 10:48AM (11/07/2008)
Yeah because only 'real men' drive slower shifting manual transmissions. Winning races if for girls!
Chris 10:51AM (11/07/2008)
There is the novice I was talking about.
rsfourever 10:52AM (11/07/2008)
"Winning races [is] for girls!"
oh please as if people buying Carrera 4's are racing their cars... and yes, actually having a clutch to push down adds a huge amount to the driving experience...
JohnnyRico 11:16AM (11/07/2008)
Then don't buy it? As far as I know, PDK is still an option for all Porsches, and an expensive one at that. Manual is standard on all Porsches still. When PDK becomes standard on Porsches, and Manual is an expensive option, then we will have a problem.
Stop complaining about how some of us what to drive. If I like PDK, I will buy it, but you don't have to.
BigMcLargeHuge 11:27AM (11/07/2008)
I've been driving manual transmission vehicles with 2- and 4-wheels since I was literally 7 years old.
If you think it adds something to the experience, be my guest. I'm over it though.
It is really juvenile to say it takes a special talent, and that you're somehow less of a 'novice' by doing it. A chimp could do it.
Its a useless part of the process. Like a kickstarter on a 1200cc motorcycle.
"Power steering is for girls. You should have to muscle those 255s around parking lots."
"Fuel injection is for girls. I'm so much more talented because I can feather a carbuerated engine with the choke stuck on."
Blah blah blah.
Tim 10:58AM (11/07/2008)
And let me guess Chris.... you are not one of those novice drivers. Because you can really put the 911 to its limits.... I'm sure...
These car manufactures have to stop making progress!! Damn Them!!!
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Wally 11:01AM (11/07/2008)
donuts are still possible with AWD. I would be more than happy to demonstrate if you loan me a Carerra 4...
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collegekid13 11:03AM (11/07/2008)
thats one cool trick. to bad its in that car
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Will 11:04AM (11/07/2008)
The Volvo S60R has this same "feature." Except it disengaged the rear drive portion of the AWD...
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why not the LS2LS7? 11:51AM (11/07/2008)
That's because the engine in the S60R is in the front. the Porsche part-time auto-engaging AWD system in the Carrera 4 is just a flipped front-to-back version of the kind of system you see in the TT, S60R/Mazdaspeed6 or such.
As I mentioned above, all of them disengage the enter clutch when the brakes are activated so that antilock braking (or even the apportioning valve) can work.
bag 11:10AM (11/07/2008)
that means----we can turn a 911turbo to GT2, at least you don't need pay the highest price for two wheel drive with a turbo engine. then,who will buy GT2 ? only for a little more horsepower
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Fordzilla 11:11AM (11/07/2008)
Let me get this straight. It has the ability to power either the rear wheels or all four. So it's just like a truck that has a transfer case. Not exactly groundbreaking technology.
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Leo M. 11:18AM (11/07/2008)
you do realize there's a difference between 4wd (your truck) and AWD right?
why not the LS2LS7? 1:14PM (11/07/2008)
I think it can do partial lockup, unlike a truck.
But yes, it is very similar. It is a part-time auto-engaging AWD system.
Leo M.:
This doesn't have much similarity to a center diff AWD system.