Crown

Today I had the paddle PDK steering wheel retrofitted to my 997.2 S. 

I haven’t had any significant problems with the buttons myself, but the shape and thickness of the original wheel didn’t fit me very well.

The new steering wheel was ordered through Tequipment and what you get is the part without the airbag and the centre cover. These two parts are taken from the old steering wheel. The cost to me was 970 Euro incl. 15% VAT fitted on the car.

My old steering wheel was multifunction and obviously I have sacrificed this convenience.

Although, I haven’t had the chance to drive the car a lot because it was raining heavily and the roads were congested, my initial impressions are very positive.

• The size, shape and thickness of the new item are perfect IMO. It falls naturally to hand and this enhances driving pleasure and subjective sense of car control significantly. Gone is the odd thickness of the original at unsuitable places like the 9 and 3 o’clock position.
• If you use the PDK in manual the paddles are handier than buttons. However, I’ve been using D much of the time with the car and overriding with the buttons, so if this is your preference the paddle don’t make much difference. Who knows now with the paddles I could have an incentive to use manual mode more!
• The paddles fall easily to the fingers and you don't accidentally touch the wiper of indicator stalks that are located behind them.
• The appearance of the new wheel is many times better than the plasticky, creaky, volcano grey original and enhances the look of the interior. 

  Interestingly in the Carrera when you switch Sport or Sport Plus the information is displayed both on the rev counter and the left spoke of the wheel. On the Turbo the info appears only on the wheel. The Launch Control info appears only on the rev counter and not on the right spoke of the wheel for 09 models. 

  IMO it is a worthwhile modification if only for the shape and feel of the new wheel.

  Some pictures

  

--
It's not where you're going, it's how you get there that counts

Very Nice reginos!

Congrats Reginos, aside the functionality aaspect, this wheel definately looks better than the original one

Great..... you actually got me interested

It will be interesting to get your opinion in about 2000 km. Please post your views afgain in a few weeks.

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Thanks for the post, Reginos - congratulations, the car's interior looks upgraded with the wheel!    From the pics, more than anything, it looks like the thumbs have been given some space to move around.

But more importantly, waiting for your views on how the paddles work in manual mode, especially after some time when you've been able to try it out in various circumstances (normal, sports, etc).  Also, do let us know if you find any delays in shifting vis-a-vis the buttons, as is rumoured by some!  Finally, how's the tactile feel of the paddle action?  Still plasticky, or now more metallic?

Incidentally, did you try out the wheel before ordering it?

Thanks Reginos .... nice mods, and by the way I didn't remember that you were too driving on the wrong side of the road

Great mod Regions!

I think this is the best you could spend your PDK

Arshad:

Thanks for the post, Reginos - congratulations, the car's interior looks upgraded with the wheel!    From the pics, more than anything, it looks like the thumbs have been given some space to move around.

But more importantly, waiting for your views on how the paddles work in manual mode, especially after some time when you've been able to try it out in various circumstances (normal, sports, etc).  Also, do let us know if you find any delays in shifting vis-a-vis the buttons, as is rumoured by some!  Finally, how's the tactile feel of the paddle action?  Still plasticky, or now more metallic?

Incidentally, did you try out the wheel before ordering it?

I'll keep you posted.

The paddles are made of alloy so different feel but the spokes are painted plastic.

i didn't try the wheel on the road prior to ordering. But when I sat in a  Turbo and grabbed the new wheel it felt so much more natural in my hands, slimmer and more space for the thumps and the fingers at the back of the wheel.

EricAlain:

Thanks Reginos .... nice mods, and by the way I didn't remember that you were too driving on the wrong side of the road

Yes, driving left is a British legacy. The downside is when we want to import a nice used car we can only look in the UK market whereas there are so much better bargains elsewhere.

Nice - is it real brushed aluminum ?

The painted plastic on the std steering wheel w/  or w/o buttons is so " low  rent" for such an expensive car .

MKW:

Nice - is it real brushed aluminum ?

The painted plastic on the std steering wheel w/  or w/o buttons is so " low  rent" for such an expensive car .

 

 

The paddles are aluminum. The spokes are painted plastic but they look good and definitely much better than the grey plastic of the standard wheel.

 Totally off-topic, but do you have fabric seats? If yes, could you post a picture if you have one handy?

Thx

Tim:

 Totally off-topic, but do you have fabric seats? If yes, could you post a picture if you have one handy?

Thx

The seats are leather. They are ventilated with lots of small holes.

Nice mod Reginos... but as I recall you spent considerable time on RT defending the "puddles" (buttons) against a majority here (?) who seemed to hate them.   You argued that their ergonomics was not really bad, just different,  and that you just had to spend some time with the buttons to like them... so I'm really curious as to what changed your mind to switch. 

Not that I have any view myself; just I've always been interested in how people arrive at decisions as to which interface they like. 

2010 Audi S5,  2002 M Coupe

4trac:

Nice mod Reginos... but as I recall you spent considerable time on RT defending the "puddles" (buttons) against a majority here (?) who seemed to hate them.   You argued that their ergonomics was not really bad, just different,  and that you just had to spend some time with the buttons to like them... so I'm really curious as to what changed your mind to switch. 

Not that I have any view myself; just I've always been interested in how people arrive at decisions as to which interface they like. 

As I mentioned above the interface was never an issue with me. Buttons are fine as far as their function of changing gears is concerned.

BUT the shape of the new wheel and how it falls to hand is greatly superior to the button wheel. I think this is because in order to incorporate the buttons to the wheel they have to make it thicker at some crucial points and this inhibits the ergonomics. Moreover, the paddles are attached outside the circle of the steering wheel at the rear of the spokes and so the fingers have more space.

reginos:

Today I had the paddle PDK steering wheel retrofitted to my 997.2 S. 

...

• The appearance of the new wheel is many times better than the plasticky, creaky, volcano grey original and enhances the look of the interior. 

...
 

IMO it is a worthwhile modification if only for the shape and feel of the new wheel.

Very true.

IMO the look is one of the strongest arguments for the paddle-wheel. It improves the quality of the whole interior a lot.

Congrats BTW reginos, wise decision!

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

Rossi:

reginos:

Today I had the paddle PDK steering wheel retrofitted to my 997.2 S. 

...

• The appearance of the new wheel is many times better than the plasticky, creaky, volcano grey original and enhances the look of the interior. 

...
 

IMO it is a worthwhile modification if only for the shape and feel of the new wheel.

 

Very true.

IMO the look is one of the strongest arguments for the paddle-wheel. It improves the quality of the whole interior a lot.

Congrats BTW reginos, wise decision!

+1. It looks much better then the original and appears to be thicker as well.

JoeRockhead:

Rossi:

reginos:

Today I had the paddle PDK steering wheel retrofitted to my 997.2 S. 

...

• The appearance of the new wheel is many times better than the plasticky, creaky, volcano grey original and enhances the look of the interior. 

...
 

IMO it is a worthwhile modification if only for the shape and feel of the new wheel.

 

Very true.

IMO the look is one of the strongest arguments for the paddle-wheel. It improves the quality of the whole interior a lot.

Congrats BTW reginos, wise decision!

+1. It looks much better then the original and appears to be thicker as well.

It's a bit thicker than the steering wheel on your avatar (997.1 sport steering wheel) but not as thick as the original at the wrong places.

BTW the finish of the spokes is mentioned in the brochure as "silver-coloured galvanised spoke cover" I don't know in this another expression for painted plastic or something else

reginos:

BTW the finish of the spokes is mentioned in the brochure as "silver-coloured galvanised spoke cover" I don't know in this another expression for painted plastic or something else

That description is typically Porsche, isn't it?

From the feel the spoks could be real metal BTW.
 

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

Rossi:

reginos:

BTW the finish of the spokes is mentioned in the brochure as "silver-coloured galvanised spoke cover" I don't know in this another expression for painted plastic or something else

That description is typically Porsche, isn't it?

From the feel the spoks could be real metal BTW.
 

I think they are not solid metal. Possibly plastic with a layer of metal plating. If so it's better than painted silver.

reginos:

Rossi:

reginos:

BTW the finish of the spokes is mentioned in the brochure as "silver-coloured galvanised spoke cover" I don't know in this another expression for painted plastic or something else

That description is typically Porsche, isn't it?

From the feel the spokes could be real metal BTW.
 

I think they are not solid metal. Possibly plastic with a layer of metal plating. If so it's better than painted silver.

Well, plastic with a layer of metal is better than plastic only.
 

The secret of life is to admire without desiring.

Arshad:

But more importantly, waiting for your views on how the paddles work in manual mode, especially after some time when you've been able to try it out in various circumstances (normal, sports, etc).  Also, do let us know if you find any delays in shifting vis-a-vis the buttons, as is rumoured by some!  Finally, how's the tactile feel of the paddle action?  Still plasticky, or now more metallic?

Incidentally, did you try out the wheel before ordering it?

I drove the car in morning for about 1 hour on a varied route. No palpable difference in shifting time compared to previous interface. Actually, I had my mind set on it, trying to find some longer delay but  nothing tangible.

One area that the paddles work  better as an interface is when you do multiple downchanges.

The paddles are made of solid alloy not plastic and their size and feel are very good. Also they have a right amount of spring loading, although I wouldn't mind a bit more resistance myself.

Another point that may be subjective is that I tend to use the manual mode more often with the paddles than before and I enjoy it. Perhaps it's the novelty of the thing.

But I have to mention again that the size, shape and look  of the new wheel are the greatest  improvements.

--
It's not where you're going, it's how you get there that counts

Reginos, thanks so much for your views- they are really appreciated! 

I will go to my OPC and see if I can get the same done on my car (also '09 CS PDK).  In fact I'm free tomorrow morning, so I'll probably do that tomorrow!  I'll also keep in mind the change in thickness/ergonomics if I get to see the wheel on the new Turbo. 

Arshad:

Reginos, thanks so much for your views- they are really appreciated! 

I will go to my OPC and see if I can get the same done on my car (also '09 CS PDK).  In fact I'm free tomorrow morning, so I'll probably do that tomorrow!  I'll also keep in mind the change in thickness/ergonomics if I get to see the wheel on the new Turbo. 

My car is also '09 CS PDK so it can be done, if you wish.

Part # is 997 044 402 17 +colour code (A10 for black).

Cheers, Reginos! 

My dealer can' t give any price for this retrofit

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Gnil:

My dealer can' t give any price for this retrofit

On www.porsche.de the German price given for the part above is 940,10 € including 19% tax. It will be something similar in CH. Labour was about 1.5 hours.

Anyone know if this retrofit can also be done on a Cayman/Boxster PDK?  (I believe it uses the same PDK buttons wheel as the 997).

2010 Audi S5,  2002 M Coupe

reginos:

Gnil:

My dealer can' t give any price for this retrofit

On www.porsche.de the German price given for the part above is 940,10 € including 19% tax. It will be something similar in CH. Labour was about 1.5 hours.

 

 

Thanks. I was not tempted to do this change at first , as I got used to the puddles ( even if I think  paddle are way better ) , but , like you I do not like the shape of the button steering wheel. The thickness at 09: 15 is weird  and not comfortable at all. Never got used to that. I also did not want to fall into the retrofit trap and add more $ on my Carrera S . Enough has already been spent on that car. It get ridiculous. And if I do find a customer for my car that gives me a good price I will sell it.

But...... I will probably go for it anyway....

 997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

Gnil:

reginos:

Gnil:

My dealer can' t give any price for this retrofit

On www.porsche.de the German price given for the part above is 940,10 € including 19% tax. It will be something similar in CH. Labour was about 1.5 hours.

 

 

Thanks. I was not tempted to do this change at first , as I got used to the puddles ( even if I think  paddle are way better ) , but , like you I do not like the shape of the button steering wheel. The thickness at 09: 15 is weird  and not comfortable at all. Never got used to that. I also did not want to fall into the retrofit trap and add more $ on my Carrera S . Enough has already been spent on that car. It get ridiculous. And if I do find a customer for my car that gives me a good price I will sell it.

But...... I will probably go for it anyway....

95% of the inducement to do this retrofit was due to the weird shape of the original wheel not so much the paddles vs. buttons. Bearing in mind that I had done more expensive retrofits over the past year (Sport exhaust and Black wheels) this 900 Euro expenditure was definitely worth it.

Unlike you I intend to keep the car for a long time. If I become able to allocate money for cars I'd rather change our older Mercedes ML 320 for a smaller and better SUV. My favourite is the Q5 2.0 TFSI but with the necessary extras it works out expensive for a daily/family car.