Along with minor exterior revisions, Porsche will introduce two much-anticipated performance enhancements to its 911 lineup for the 2008 model year.
The most notable improvement will be the addition of an optional dual-clutch transmission, according to Automotive News. Similar to the DSG system used by Volkswagen, the transmission will provide far smoother shifts than a sequential manual, while offering higher performance than a Tipronic automatic. The system — which has no clutch pedal and can operate in an automated mode — will replace Porsche’s automatic transmissions.
The second technology to arrive for 2008 will be Porsche’s direct-injection engine, dubbed DFI. It is expected to cut fuel consumption by about 10 percent and improve performance. The Carrera S coupe is expected to go from 355 horsepower to 370.
12/26, 11:18 AM
posted by:
bb_454
First post!
Sweet I guess
12/26, 11:26 AM
posted by:
MyGodBeatsYourGod
History is fine. Wonderful. Necessary.
But the Caymen/Boxster are better cars with the engine AHEAD of the rear transaxle. Stop the “Top of the Hill” 911 silliness and give drivers more POWER in the better two cars and demote the 911 to “retro-ride” in the sales catalogue.
.
12/26, 11:38 AM
posted by:
alfa_Romeo
hey 911 is top of the hill b’coz its a flawed genius….
admit it perfection is boring…..
12/26, 11:43 AM
posted by:
Brendino
Improving an already fine vehicle.
I like that this dual-clutch option is propagating. Can’t wait until I see it as an option in every car (years away, I’m sure, but I see it happening someday).
12/26, 12:10 PM
posted by:
Renton
Cool. Direct injection is the shizzle. So is DSG.
12/26, 6:36 PM
posted by:
Fatstrat
To propose that the rear engined 911 is somewhat handicaped by its layout is confusing to me. It continues to be historically one of if not the winningest sports car of all time and is still the car to beat at the track around the world where ever it competes.
12/26, 7:56 PM
posted by:
norby413
mygod doesn’t understand the 911 physics that make it so unique.
Under acceleration, the rear weight bias is increased, thus traction is increased.
Under braking, the bias decreases to balance, thus the rears can contribute more to braking than in most layouts.
This is why Porsche’s acceleration numbers are so good compared to cars with more HP, and they’ve been known for amazing braking performance for decades.
The rear weight bias also helps in situations with tight curves, enabling the rear end to “get around” and be pointed in the right direction faster.
The inherent instability in the rear engine design has been mostly neutralized from 40 years of engineering and tweaking. Their 911 requires a bit more skill than the average supercar.
Sorry, but Porsche knows what they’re doing. They have a unique market niche and would be stupid to simply copy other designs.
12/26, 9:24 PM
posted by:
Ricardo Head
Who really gives a **** about porsche?
12/27, 10:16 AM
posted by:
Fatstrat
Anyone who knows anything about cars.
12/27, 12:26 PM
posted by:
wetstuff
…how’d you like to be the guy who took delivery of the last ’slushbox’ without paddles?
j i m
12/27, 12:44 PM
posted by:
Andre Neves
Ricardo Head,
What do you drive?
12/27, 3:12 PM
posted by:
rennSport
Ricardo Head doesn’t drive. He’s typing on his big sister’s computer while she’s not around.
12/27, 4:13 PM
posted by:
A4
i think the proper question is, who really gives a **** if you have the first post?
FSI/DFI type technology is a welcome addition to any car
12/27, 7:24 PM
posted by:
norby413
Go away, children.
12/28, 12:13 PM
posted by:
Eion
Boxster and Cayman may be easier to drive (apparently), but from what I’ve heard the 911 is a lot more fun. I’ve never driven a Boxster or a Cayman, but I can testify to 911s being a blast to drive.
DSG is certainly welcome, but… I thought the latest tiptronic-equipped 911 Turbos were actually quicker than their manual-transmission counterparts?
Oh, and speaking from experience, one Porsche clutch is expensive enough to replace, so I dread to think what two would cost.
12/29, 3:25 AM
posted by:
kosai03
An MR layout can give you a lot of the same advantages as an RR layout without many of the problems of RR.
12/29, 2:29 PM
posted by:
ml350pc
Why is Porsche noticeably abscent from F1, and when it comes to the American Lemans Racing series, they (Porsche – GT2) are not even in the same class as the Corvette C6R and the Aston Martin DBR9’s (both GT1)?
12/29, 3:40 PM
posted by:
norby413
ml350,
Because the cost of designing a F1 car from scratch, forming a team with the chance of winning and campaining a season is aproximately one BILLION dollars.
They dropped out of GT1 class after 98 in order to focus their resources on the Cayenne and Carrera GT. The resulting avalanche of profits makes their decision pretty hard to argue against.
I’m sure they’ll be back in the future