pdk questions

[DDDD]

I have been looking at 997.2 turbos 2010-2011. Many of these cars are advertised as '600ish' horsepower due to intake, tune, exhaust and sometimes turbo upgrades.

First of all how much horsepower can these early pdks take? I would not want to buy a modded car unless I can still put the pedal down hard from time to time without worrying about the tranny.

Second, opinions seem all over the place about whether the PDK will need a re-tune when horsepower is increased. What is it about the extra power that makes a PDK factory tune become troublesome and how often is this the case? Is it a case of the shift points not aligning with the power curve anymore?

[JFP in PA]

As the PDK is simply the manual transmission controlled by a computer, it is fully capable handling the power. The PDK clutch (any version) on the other hand is another story. Because PCNA will no longer sell just the PDK clutch pack (which used to be $5K as a part) to anyone outside the dealership, a couple of firms now offer a service to upgrade your clutch pack, which PCNA says is an immediate termination of any remaining warranty on the car.

[Cajundaddy]

PDK failure rate on these cars is pretty low but greater than zero and as JFP explains, the clutch is the weak point if any. I have no idea about PDK software tuning when the motor gets modded.

[DDDD]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

As the PDK is simply the manual transmission controlled by a computer, it is fully capable handling the power. The PDK clutch (any version) on the other hand is another story. Because PCNA will no longer sell just the PDK clutch pack (which used to be $5K as a part) to anyone outside the dealership, a couple of firms now offer a service to upgrade your clutch pack, which PCNA says is an immediate termination of any remaining warranty on the car.

If you have any info about the aftermarket clutch brands or cost, that is something I would like to look into.

Are people burning out their clutch with 600 hp? Seems like porsche would have more safety margin than that. Often it seems they overbuild by about 50% more than expected power for engine and powertrain.

[JFP in PA]

There are no "after market" PDK clutches, only modified factory units.