Auto & Flappy paddle
- Thread starter lavy1966
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Anonymous
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Amongst many questions are:
Have you driven a modern ( 7/8/9 speed auto)?
What sort of driving do you envisage?
What type of Z4 do you envisage, age, power?
Then more structured responses may be proferred I suspect..
General consensus and this forum are mutually exclusive concepts..
Have you driven a modern ( 7/8/9 speed auto)?
What sort of driving do you envisage?
What type of Z4 do you envisage, age, power?
Then more structured responses may be proferred I suspect..
General consensus and this forum are mutually exclusive concepts..
IMO its a pretty easy decision (for me it was)
If its a daily driver that will be anywhere near town centres or London for any period of time Auto wins all of the time, nothing beats sitting in traffic and not having to clutch or change gear. SMG might be a second best but I can't comment as ive not drove one of those.
For a pure sports car fun car that is to be used more on A/B Roads then manual all the way nothing beats running through the gears on a twisty section. (Auto can do this as well but this is where 15 years of manual driving takes over my mind.)
Now to blur the lines.
Modern autos (none torque converter) seem to have come on a long way like the DSG* /PTK. I had a session with a Mercedes driver in an AMG C63 and that was an auto. When he put it in manual mode on the track at brook lands it went like a scalded cat the level of engine braking coming up to the corners was insane double blip on the paddle and your in the gear for the corner there is no way a manual could compare.
Ok this is like comparing a Duran fruit to a Mango (200is HP E85 slush box vs 400 ish HP C63 AMG supertonic with a racing instructor behind the wheel)
*I hate DSG farts they just sound obnoxious when driving around town. Saw an RS4 yesterday was driving about 30mph in what sounded like 1st gear at full throttle then you just hear buurrrrrr pffhhtttt and you think what a c*****
I don't know what is worse DSG farts or the old turbo boys of the late 90s early 2000s with their to air dump valves that sneeze every gear change.
If its a daily driver that will be anywhere near town centres or London for any period of time Auto wins all of the time, nothing beats sitting in traffic and not having to clutch or change gear. SMG might be a second best but I can't comment as ive not drove one of those.
For a pure sports car fun car that is to be used more on A/B Roads then manual all the way nothing beats running through the gears on a twisty section. (Auto can do this as well but this is where 15 years of manual driving takes over my mind.)
Now to blur the lines.
Modern autos (none torque converter) seem to have come on a long way like the DSG* /PTK. I had a session with a Mercedes driver in an AMG C63 and that was an auto. When he put it in manual mode on the track at brook lands it went like a scalded cat the level of engine braking coming up to the corners was insane double blip on the paddle and your in the gear for the corner there is no way a manual could compare.
Ok this is like comparing a Duran fruit to a Mango (200is HP E85 slush box vs 400 ish HP C63 AMG supertonic with a racing instructor behind the wheel)
*I hate DSG farts they just sound obnoxious when driving around town. Saw an RS4 yesterday was driving about 30mph in what sounded like 1st gear at full throttle then you just hear buurrrrrr pffhhtttt and you think what a c*****
I don't know what is worse DSG farts or the old turbo boys of the late 90s early 2000s with their to air dump valves that sneeze every gear change.
There’s nothing to choose between the two quite honestly.
My only negative comment re the DCT is by it seems to take an age to change from reverse to forward - but I can live with that. The changes are razor sharp every time- and they are always in the correct gear
As for choosing a manual version - not a hope in hell, even if they were available.
My first z4 was a manual and the rest auto. I changed it to auto version out of choice. Then number three Z4 is a DCT and I think it suits the car very well. If pushing on, the cars redline then change up without a noticeable break in power. Being an auto als allows the use of launch control which is standard on both cars,
People talk of “an engaging drive” in a manual drive - but there’s enough to do at the speeds these things can attain between the corners.
My only negative comment re the DCT is by it seems to take an age to change from reverse to forward - but I can live with that. The changes are razor sharp every time- and they are always in the correct gear
As for choosing a manual version - not a hope in hell, even if they were available.
My first z4 was a manual and the rest auto. I changed it to auto version out of choice. Then number three Z4 is a DCT and I think it suits the car very well. If pushing on, the cars redline then change up without a noticeable break in power. Being an auto als allows the use of launch control which is standard on both cars,
People talk of “an engaging drive” in a manual drive - but there’s enough to do at the speeds these things can attain between the corners.
A
Anonymous
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Matty_Z4 said:
The AMG box although made by MB is functionally very similar to the ZF 8 HP ie it does have a torque converter but like the ZF it’s very clever...
Like so many of these issues there is a mixture of personal preferences blended with old wives tales plus limited exposure to alternatives..
I though autos were for the flat cap pensioners brigade (hang on I’m one of those now)...but starting at the ZF and Aisin 5 speeders the reasons to prefer a manual have been negated as a function of time as increasingly clever auto boxes have come out..
Of course older cars have earlier versions that are not as clever..
For sure the current ZF 8 HP auto box re writes the rules for the vast majority of on road use...
If i were to buy a modern car with a modern gearbox, i'd be choosing the auto/dct option - they're just SO good now. The engaging part of manual is a bit moot in my opinion as they're kind of different types of experiences.
My friend recently acquired a mk7 Golf GTI Clupsort with the DSG and i found it very satisfying to run through the gears - its just so immediate and quick and the power never stops.
Buying an old roadster like the E85 though.... surely it has to be a manual if its a second car
My friend recently acquired a mk7 Golf GTI Clupsort with the DSG and i found it very satisfying to run through the gears - its just so immediate and quick and the power never stops.
Buying an old roadster like the E85 though.... surely it has to be a manual if its a second car
Thanks for the replys ,im looking to buy an older 3lsi probaly 06/07 .Im not sure its a practical choice for my needs & have considered a tt .Ill basically drive it 2 miles to work & back most days until the weather improves .Will let the wife drive it to her place of work once a week 40mile round trip on motorway .I like the e89s but bit out of my price range & ive had a few sporty car but theyve all had turbos & i fancy a normily aspirated sports car & the z4 is my choice ,i will try a few ,i was thinking manuel but just wondered if the auto with flappy paddle was worth considering .cheers
Definitely worth considering. Drive one and see how you feel. My 3.0si pulled like a train when floored, was great to drive around town, and when on a/b roads with some judicious braking you can still engine brake and drive very close to manually with the paddles or the stick pushed left into SD mode. It’s a great gearbox for an auto and your wife will thank you for it o her commute. I love my M, but stop start traffic on the M25 sucks balls unless it’s 20 degrees plus with the roof down.