[Racetech]

Porsche and the 911 turbo , two names which are synonymous and have trickled down generations.

We recently received a request from a customer who owns a Porsche 911 Turbo PDK transmission.

He loved the car in every way possible except the buttons on the steering wheel to change the gears.

We were asked to convert this to paddle shifts.

The pictures below show how we went about accomplishing this,

Original wheel : Original buttons are push type to change gears


Original wheel removed from car and dismantled



New Paddle shifters installed , we have also installed rubber "o" rings to give a softer interaction when you pull/release the paddles, also the paddles have been colour matched to the steering wheel.
Pull right lever for upshifts and left lever for downshifts


Steering Wheel with paddles installed back in the car, all required sensors recalibrated, actuation tests done , all perfect just like it came from the Porsche factory



Random shot




Turbo attack at Racetech India

[ajmat]

Moving it on line - Thanks for sharing

[SirAlec]

Sirji! very clean job. I guess this is OE fitment.

PS: please share some more and more of your ventures.

[suhaas307]

That's a great mod there.

I'm aware that Porsche introduced the PDK with these toggle-switches first. Although great, they aren't very intuitive. And I think Porsche realized that later and in the face-lifted 997 (Mk: II) they introduced a new steering wheel with flappy-paddles instead of these toggles. Here is a picture for reference:



Even though the paddles have been installed in your project white 911 Turbo, why have the toggles been retained? Perhaps the new steering-wheel on the newer 997 (II) and the 991 type 911 would have looked better and more OEM. Is there a way to source this new steering wheel and install it on PDK equipped Porsches (via Porsche or a parts retailer)?

[Racetech]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's a great mod there.


Even though the paddles have been installed in your project white 911 Turbo, why have the toggles been retained? Perhaps the new steering-wheel on the newer 997 (II) and the 991 type 911 would have looked better and more OEM. Is there a way to source this new steering wheel and install it on PDK equipped Porsches (via Porsche or a parts retailer)?

Hi Suhaas :

There are 2 options 1) Replace the full steering 2) Install the paddles and keep the steering.

We can install the full steering , Infact we can custom make the steering in any color, any material (suede,leather,carbon) , we can even customize the paddles in carbon , suede in any colour.

This was a personal choice of this customer to retain the original steering wheel and just install the paddles.

A custom steering wheel below

[speedy]

A 911 Turbo in Bombay has had this for quite a while now. What i noticed is the shifts are much faster and the whole driving experience is like a dream. I am sure this 911 owner is going to enjoy his car as much as the Bombay owner does.

[doctorque]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's a great mod there.

I'm aware that Porsche introduced the PDK with these toggle-switches first. Although great, they aren't very intuitive. And I think Porsche realized that later and in the face-lifted 997 (Mk: II) they introduced a new steering wheel with flappy-paddles instead of these toggles. Here is a picture for reference:

Attachment 924083

Even though the paddles have been installed in your project white 911 Turbo, why have the toggles been retained? Perhaps the new steering-wheel on the newer 997 (II) and the 991 type 911 would have looked better and more OEM. Is there a way to source this new steering wheel and install it on PDK equipped Porsches (via Porsche or a parts retailer)?

This just needs a correction.

Although Porsche did introduce a steering wheel with flappy paddle gear shifts with the 2nd gen 997, however it was never a standard option. Standard steering comes with buttons on the steering wheel in Turbos with PDK transmission.

One can pay extra and order the car with the paddle shifts.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Racetech

We can install the full steering , Infact we can custom make the steering in any color, any material (suede,leather,carbon) , we can even customize the paddles in carbon , suede in any colour.

That's great!

What are the costs involved? Is it cheaper to get it done via sourcing the part and doing it at Racetech or via Porsche itself?

I'm assuming that the paddle-conversion can be done only for the PDK 'box, right? Can it be done for the pre-face-lift Tiptronic equipped 997 911? If I'm not wrong, even the Tiptronic equipped 911s had toggles, similar to the PDK setup.

Originally Posted by doctorque

This just needs a correction.

Yup, you're right. But what about on the new 991 type 911. Are the paddles standard or have they retained the toggles and have made the paddles optional again?

[doctorque]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's great!

What are the costs involved? Is it cheaper to get it done via sourcing the part and doing it at Racetech or via Porsche itself?

I'm assuming that the paddle-conversion can be done only for the PDK 'box, right? Can it be done for the pre-face-lift Tiptronic equipped 997 911? If I'm not wrong, even the Tiptronic equipped 911s had toggles, similar to the PDK setup.



Yup, you're right. But what about on the new 991 type 911. Are the paddles standard or have they retained the toggles and have made the paddles optional again?

From what i know, it is not possible to have the flappy paddles on the 997 1st gen tiptronic gears.

Even buttons on the 997 1st gen and buttons on the 997 2nd gen are way different from each other. Attaching 2 pictures for reference.

Even the new 911 (Model code 991) comes with a similar arrangement as 997 2nd gen.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by doctorque

Even buttons on the 997 1st gen and buttons on the 997 2nd gen are way different from each other. Attaching 2 pictures for reference.

From what I understand, the toggles work similarly. On both sides, you have one button that allows you to go up or down a gear. It looks different cosmetically, but they seem to work in the same way. Of course, the gearbox itself is completely different. The PDK is miles ahead in terms of engineering and tech when compared to the stone-age Tiptronic 'box. But the toggles work in the same fashion.

[doctorque]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

From what I understand, the toggles work similarly. On both sides, you have one button that allows you to go up or down a gear. It looks different cosmetically, but they seem to work in the same way. Of course, the gearbox itself is completely different. The PDK is miles ahead in terms of engineering and tech when compared to the stone-age Tiptronic 'box. But the toggles work in the same fashion.

Not exactly.

The Tiptronic gen plus - minus buttons are for both thumbs to operate, whichever side one would like to use, right or left, same function.

PDK gen plus is to press inside from the thumb and minus the gears with fingers from behind the steering wheel, again either of the left or right buttons can be used.

Its an ergonomic change that Porsche did from the old to the new gen.

Ofcourse, there is no comparison in the shifting technology.

[GTO]

Looks like a very high quality conversion, congrats Racetech! Paddles are definitely the superior option to buttons in terms of feel & experience.

Question though : Any Porsche customers inquiring about a swap job from AT to Manual ?

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by doctorque

Not exactly.

The Tiptronic gen plus - minus buttons are for both thumbs to operate, whichever side one would like to use, right or left, same function.

PDK gen plus is to press inside from the thumb and minus the gears with fingers from behind the steering wheel, again either of the left or right buttons can be used.

Its an ergonomic change that Porsche did from the old to the new gen.

Ofcourse, there is no comparison in the shifting technology.

It's just an ergonomic change my friend.

What I'm saying is it works in the same fashion. Both Tiptronic and PDK toggles have + and - on one toggle and there are two toggles, one on each side of the steering wheel. The principle is the same. Both toggles on both sides have the same function in the Tiptronic, just as in the PDK.

It's just that you use your inner thumb to go down a gear in the newer toggles. In the Tiptronic toggles, you will need to change the position of the thumb to go down a gear, but the PDK's toggles were designed with improved ergonomics in mind. It's the same principle and that's what I was referring to, right from the start.

[Racetech]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

That's great!

What are the costs involved? Is it cheaper to get it done via sourcing the part and doing it at Racetech or via Porsche itself?

I understand that this upgrade option is not available via Porsche , you have to change the complete steering wheel if you go the Porsche way.

Only adding paddles is 3 times less expensive compared to changing the full steering wheel, either way Racetech prices are always better but more importantly the attention to detail is on par and we strive to be the best at what we do .

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I'm assuming that the paddle-conversion can be done only for the PDK 'box, right? Can it be done for the pre-face-lift Tiptronic equipped 997 911? If I'm not wrong, even the Tiptronic equipped 911s had toggles, similar to the PDK setup.

Racetech can add Paddles to the tiptronic equipped 997's , the tiptronic toggle actuations and mechanism is different to the pdk toggles.

PDK i.e dual clutch transmission --- can be converted to paddle shifts
Tiptronic i.e torque converter transmission -- can be converted to paddle shifts

We can also convert Manual transmission to Paddle shifts with custom shift mapping with flat shift capabilities.

Originally Posted by GTO

Looks like a very high quality conversion, congrats Racetech! Paddles are definitely the superior option to buttons in terms of feel & experience.

Question though : Any Porsche customers inquiring about a swap job from AT to Manual ?

Thanks GTO,

Yes although there is no mechanical or electronic improvement in shift times , the owner of this car has given a feedback saying his car "feels" much quicker as it is a natural reflex to use the paddles and the driver can challenge the road more aggressively.

As for Swapping from AT to Manual ---- Not a single soul !!!

regards
racetech