Liquidcell
Member
ben g said:
So automatic = sissy?
So wait, even the F1 racers with automatic paddle shifters are ALL sissies? Man, I'd love to hear what Michael Schumacher would say about it.
Automatic Trans.
- Thread starter Liquidcell
- Start date
So automatic = sissy?
So wait, even the F1 racers with automatic paddle shifters are ALL sissies? Man, I'd love to hear what Michael Schumacher would say about it.
Around town its fantastic - no feeling of killing the clutch or the gearbox. It changes smoothly, quickly and efficiently. On the whole I'm very pleased.
After my E24 auto I tested both the manual and auto E86 and found the manual to be notchy, tough to engage and hesitant.
After my E24 auto I tested both the manual and auto E86 and found the manual to be notchy, tough to engage and hesitant.
F1 Drivers may or may not be sissies. But most of them have to be half pints or maybe fly weights to fit into those things.
No room left for a shifter!
Ever see a regular sized F1 Driver?
I'll give you Nigel Mansel. Jody Schekter was full sized.
I'll never forget seeing Francois Cevert try to duke it out with Schekter when Jody ran him into the barrier at the end of Turn 1 at Mosport in 1973
Schekter just extended his hand onto Cevert's head and Francois was effectively out of range.
Great memories of great drivers.
No room left for a shifter!
Ever see a regular sized F1 Driver?
I'll give you Nigel Mansel. Jody Schekter was full sized.
I'll never forget seeing Francois Cevert try to duke it out with Schekter when Jody ran him into the barrier at the end of Turn 1 at Mosport in 1973
Schekter just extended his hand onto Cevert's head and Francois was effectively out of range.
Great memories of great drivers.
Liquidcell said:
it was a joke :lol: people really do get their backs up on here sometimes
i've driven a ferrari f430 scuderia with the flappy paddles and it was the most amazing experience of my life.
the aston v8 vantage though, that was a bit of a letdown. so much slower to change.
How quickly does it change when using the paddles? Is it still smooth or is it remotely 'snatchy' like when using a manual? Does it still sound lazy like when you have it in full Auto mode, for example when you change down does it automatically match the revs for the gear, therefore making it quite hesitant to get back on the power?
I've always dismissed flappy paddle gearboxes in anything other than high end supercars as they have the reputation of changing too slowly and not being very involving. In my search for a 3.0si Z4Coupe i've been dismissing the auto's. I've always been impressed with the auto 'boxes in the bigger BMW's - 5's, 7's and X5, but I've not considered if it will 'work' in the Zed.
I've always dismissed flappy paddle gearboxes in anything other than high end supercars as they have the reputation of changing too slowly and not being very involving. In my search for a 3.0si Z4Coupe i've been dismissing the auto's. I've always been impressed with the auto 'boxes in the bigger BMW's - 5's, 7's and X5, but I've not considered if it will 'work' in the Zed.
Doesn't feel as snatchy as a manual - though depends how far you shift down as to how 'violent' the response is. I went out this morning for a wee drive and actually found myself using the stick to shift more - just knocking it back and forth felt more natural than the paddles, especially on twisties. You can also still use the engine to brake, and it does change pretty fast. As Taz says, it probably changes faster than most people do, at least those who don't track their cars regularly. There is a very slight delay between pulling or pushing the paddle and the gear changing, but with practice you learn to anticipate that. And use it to get your hand back othe wheel, where it should be :evil:
No one can argue an auto doesn't shift faster. If you're after hundredths of a second on the track, you want a DCT. If you have physical limitations, maybe there is no choice. That is truly unfortunate. My knees aren't the best anymore either, but I'm fortunate to be able to clutch without too much pain.
My choice, as long as there is a choice, will always be manual. it's not about clock time. It's about blasting down a tortured, twisting canyon road, sun searing my face, wind gently swirling around me, trees and cliffs a blur over my head. I'm enjoying the minute mechanical subtleties of every shift. Feeling the clutch plate relinquish it's firm grip, causing the expected weight transfer exactly when I want it to occur. Feeling the shift collar splines slide from the precision confines of one gear. Feeling it push against the synchro of the next gear, oil squishing out of the cones as some minor speed mismatch gets corrected. Feeling it nudge the balk ring teeth out of the way as it slides precisely home into the next gear. Re-engaging the clutch, feeling the initial gentle friction bite build quickly to full torque transfer. Another perfectly anticipated and placed weight transfer. Engine growls in delight, torque coursing through the spinning gears, flowing around the crazy planetary gears of the differential. Aggressively twisting my tyres, deforming, conforming, gripping the roadway, launching me and my Zed, machine and man as one, out of the corner. Then repeat it all again for an upshift. And just like that, another impossibly sharp corner swings into view, and we fly eagerly towards it.
No robot shifter can ever replicate such a kinesthetic experience. No doubt some of you can never understand this. Maybe some of you have some glimmer of understanding. Many others are nodding sagely, grinning stupidly as they reach for their keys. If your auto box gives you the most enjoyment, then that is the way to go. A manual gives me the most enjoyment by far. It is the way I have to go for as long as I am able.
My choice, as long as there is a choice, will always be manual. it's not about clock time. It's about blasting down a tortured, twisting canyon road, sun searing my face, wind gently swirling around me, trees and cliffs a blur over my head. I'm enjoying the minute mechanical subtleties of every shift. Feeling the clutch plate relinquish it's firm grip, causing the expected weight transfer exactly when I want it to occur. Feeling the shift collar splines slide from the precision confines of one gear. Feeling it push against the synchro of the next gear, oil squishing out of the cones as some minor speed mismatch gets corrected. Feeling it nudge the balk ring teeth out of the way as it slides precisely home into the next gear. Re-engaging the clutch, feeling the initial gentle friction bite build quickly to full torque transfer. Another perfectly anticipated and placed weight transfer. Engine growls in delight, torque coursing through the spinning gears, flowing around the crazy planetary gears of the differential. Aggressively twisting my tyres, deforming, conforming, gripping the roadway, launching me and my Zed, machine and man as one, out of the corner. Then repeat it all again for an upshift. And just like that, another impossibly sharp corner swings into view, and we fly eagerly towards it.
No robot shifter can ever replicate such a kinesthetic experience. No doubt some of you can never understand this. Maybe some of you have some glimmer of understanding. Many others are nodding sagely, grinning stupidly as they reach for their keys. If your auto box gives you the most enjoyment, then that is the way to go. A manual gives me the most enjoyment by far. It is the way I have to go for as long as I am able.
Gremlin500
Member
SMG.
No traditional auto lag, lightning fast gear changes in sport mode, and a choice of 3 ways of shifting gear,
Has to be the way to go!
(Takes a bit of learning at first to get it smooth, though)
If its a weekend car, then I would say manual, if you get stuck in traffic a lot, then auto or SMG, best advice is drive all 3, but like I said, the SMG can be jerky in the hands of a "novice".
All z4s are fun at different levels for different people.
No traditional auto lag, lightning fast gear changes in sport mode, and a choice of 3 ways of shifting gear,
Has to be the way to go!
(Takes a bit of learning at first to get it smooth, though)
If its a weekend car, then I would say manual, if you get stuck in traffic a lot, then auto or SMG, best advice is drive all 3, but like I said, the SMG can be jerky in the hands of a "novice".
All z4s are fun at different levels for different people.