Can You Upgrade the Porsche 991 PDK Transmission???

NOTE:  

• If you are only interested in how the PDK works, you can jump to Part 2
• If you want to skip all the boring stuff and get right to the possible upgrade solutions, you'll have to wait until I publish Part 3!

PART 1

Recently I've been participating in a discussion thread on Rennlist 991 forum that I found interesting, and wanted to capture more details -- and additional resources -- for the blog.  The thread started with question from one member about whether it would be possible to change the + / - or up-shift / down-shift direction of the PDK selector.  For some reason, Porsche had decided that despite what nearly all other brands out there are doing, and even the 991 TT and GT3/GT3RS models have, that the PDK selector would work in opposite.  Meaning, the direction you push the PDK lever is "opposite" for upshifts and downshifts in the 991.1 model line (except for the more exclusive versions listed above).  Why is a great question, and I would love to hear from Porsche gear-heads as to what the reason was to do this... but perhaps we will never know!

Also note that (and I can't prove this at the moment) in the case of the GT3 models, the PDK software settings are more "aggressive" than the other lesser 991 models.  This may also be the case with the RS, and TT models.  What is important to consider here is that as far as I understand (from the Porsche sales, technical guides, etc.) ALL of the PDK transmissions (including the exclusive models) are identically configured!  Meaning, they all have the same mechanical specifications and gearing ratios, whether you have the base 991.1 3.4L or the 991 TT.  Again, I may need to prove this somehow, but at this moment I would argue that being identical mechanically, the only real difference between say a GT3 and an S model PDK transmission is software or mapping (I am not including the selector-lever in center console in this point -- yes, I know the + / - labeling is different, and might say "GT3" or "Turbo"!).

So on that note the discussion thread on Rennlist explored the possibility of reprogramming, and what that might involve.  An upgrade of sorts....  Also considered was a physical parts swap between a 991.1 with the "backwards" selector and something like a GT3 or 991.2 model PDK.

All of the discussion and speculation got me thinking -- what are the possible upgrade options for owners of PDK equipped cars?  In subsequent posts, we'll address this question at a high-level.  But, before we get into solution options, let's take a closer look at the PDK transmission, what components are involved, and how it all works....

Part 2:  How the PDK Works