Also in Porsche Manual Cars

The car I currently drive most often is my very first beloved car, a BMW 320i (F30) manual transmission, but thanks to that, I’ve also become able to drive manual-spec Porsche Boxster GTS (981) and 911 GT3 (991 late model) without any trouble.

Until about a year ago, I couldn’t drive manual cars at all, and I was half resigned, thinking, “With my poor motor skills, driving a manual car is impossible for life.” But as it turns out, it’s really just a matter of getting used to it.

After buying the 320i and driving it almost every day, my discomfort with manual operation disappeared, and now I can drive Porsche manual cars normally.

Clutch Operation and Seat Position

Just the other day, I drove the Boxster GTS (981) again after a while, and I thought once more, “After all, I find it easier to drive when the clutch is this heavy.”

Back when I couldn’t drive manuals, I used to complain a lot, saying things like, “What’s with this clutch? It’s so heavy! Is this some kind of muscle training?!” But now my feelings have completely reversed… (laughs)

Regarding ease of clutch operation, I think the presence or absence of low-speed torque also affects it, but when it comes to clutch heaviness alone, I now believe that a somewhat heavier clutch is easier to operate.

The GT3 (991 late model) we have at home has a fairly light clutch, so at first I thought it would be easy to drive, but there’s little resistance when releasing the clutch, making fine adjustments difficult, and at low speeds it sometimes feels like it might stall (of course, low-speed torque also plays a role).

In that respect, the 981 Boxster, among the few manual cars I’ve driven so far (718 Boxster, GT3, Honda S660, Abarth 595, my brother’s Legacy), has the firmest and heaviest clutch feel, making it the easiest to modulate.

Additionally, the reason clutch operation on the 981 has become easier for me is largely because I’ve finally been able to properly adjust the seat position to fit my body shape. Previously, no matter how I adjusted it, it never felt right, so I ended up sinking the seat down quite a bit to reach the clutch pedal fully.

But with that setup, I had to put a lot of force into my foot every time I pressed the clutch, and I couldn’t make any subtle adjustments when releasing the pedal.

Later, after receiving comments from readers and advice from my husband, I found that setting the seat almost all the way forward and raising it just enough so my knees don’t hit the steering wheel when pressing or releasing the clutch pedal made it much easier to reach the clutch naturally, and driving became significantly easier. (Hard to explain…)

I used to say, “Women don’t have the leg strength men do, so there’s no way they can operate such a heavy clutch!” but it’s not about strength. If you set the correct seat position so you can operate naturally without strain, you don’t need extra force, and women can drive manual cars just fine. (Though I guess a reinforced clutch might require more strength, lol)

Racing drivers say that seat position is incredibly important down to the millimeter, and especially for manual cars, I really understand that now. It’s like the basic form of a sport.

Porsche Clutches

Speaking of Porsche, the clutch pedal seems to have gotten lighter over the years. A reader once commented on the blog that the order of clutch heaviness is “993 → Cayman (981) → GT3 (991)”.

My husband has driven more manual cars than I have, including the rare ’73 Carrera Porsche, so I asked him what he thinks about Porsche clutch operation:

When the 981 Boxster GTS was first delivered to me, I struggled with the clutch’s heaviness and the hard-to-find engagement point. It had been about 15 years since I last drove a manual, so it took a while to get the feel back. I think it took about 10,000 km before I fully tamed that Boxster and could handle any road or situation without trouble. It really took a lot of effort to get comfortable with the clutch.

After getting used to that Boxster’s clutch, I drove various Porsches and other manufacturers’ manuals, and I can say Porsche clutches are generally on the heavier side. But not so heavy that you think it’s impossible. That moderate heaviness makes them easier to control, and once you get used to it, you can make very subtle adjustments.

I see—lately I’ve been thinking I’d love to try driving an air-cooled Porsche manual someday.