Tracking a 3.0 Auto....Worth it?

N

n1k_85

Member
 Wolverhampton, UK
Hi all,

I've just come from a 2.2 VX220 which is a really made for the track.

When i moved to a Z4 I opted for the Auto box after driving my boss's 5 series Auto and his wife's 323 Auto. General driving i love the Auto box, it feels great, is really quick off the line (esp with sport mode on) and the gear changes in Steptronic are much quicker than I had expected :thumbsup:

I was wondering however; if any Auto owners here had tracked their car? Is it even worth doing or should it be left to the Manual crew?

I probably won't ever do it in the Z4 but it's nice to know that you have options :P

Thanks

Nick
 
I have had my 04 3.0 with sport on the track and it was a blast. A day on the track is always better than a day on the local streets. :thumbsup: Kick the shifter over and turn DCS off and you will out shift any manual. The only thing you will not like is the rev limiter. hahaha
 
You could do a simple-ish mod like CJ10Jeeper did to his... Get an ///M or similar wheel with a paddle shift and wire it into the steptronic switches on the auto box.

Then you have a Paddle Shift Auto without needing the SMG :)
 
Nik85, can I ask what your reasoning is to consider that if might "not be worth it"? Why might it not be worth it?
 
I have limited experience of tracking my Zed, but it's an auto and I have taken it onto the local sprint track. It's an absolute blast and you'd love it. For my first few circuits I had an instructor in to get the full flavour and he was well impressed with the way it worked.

Sure I made a mod as Ed referred to and that's a lot of fun as you can decide when to change and in sport mode it's very tolerant of pushing the envelope a little.

I'm sure there are always quicker, faster and better set up cars for a track day, but IMHO people shoudl take whatever they want on track and enjoy it.

Proper racing - very different game when 1/10ths count
 
DannyBoy said:
Nik85, can I ask what your reasoning is to consider that if might "not be worth it"? Why might it not be worth it?
Click to expand...

Mainly from the feeback i received from other forums (especially the VX220 one) about my Auto Z4. But that's why I am asking, i dont know myself :? :)

I also searched through a few other posts on here (before i bought mine) where people have asked whether to go for Auto or not and the replys have been along the lines of:

'as long as you don't plan on going on track, the Auto will be fine'
 
n1k_85 said:
DannyBoy said:
Nik85, can I ask what your reasoning is to consider that if might "not be worth it"? Why might it not be worth it?
Click to expand...

Mainly from the feeback i received from other forums (especially the VX220 one) about my Auto Z4. But that's why I am asking, i dont know myself :? :)

I also searched through a few other posts on here (before i bought mine) where people have asked whether to go for Auto or not and the replys have been along the lines of:

'as long as you don't plan on going on track, the Auto will be fine'
Click to expand...

Dont listen to other people and make youre own mind up. Generations have passed those words of advice forward over thousands of years! :wink: :P

As you can see from the vids I've posted in the other thread, the auto performs beyond expectations, albeit it is a "BMW" auto and not a Vauxhall unit. :thumbsup:

Go try the track only you will know if you enjoy it or not in your car, one things for sure though, the brakes probably wont be "worth it"! :)
 
n1k_85 said:
'as long as you don't plan on going on track, the Auto will be fine'
Click to expand...

I completely agree with DannyBoy on this. I've heard and read all the same type of comments...It's not a real sports car unless it has a clutch pedal and all the cheap shots at us auto owners. Whatever! :roll: I love my step. I get to tool around in the endless bumper to bumper traffic around here without worrying about shifting, yet when the opportunity arrives, I have the pleasure of manually shifting with paddles. There's no reason you won't have fun on the track with your auto, and to be honest, if you're new to it, it might even help you out as you can focus on braking markers, cornering lines, apexes, etc...without worry about shifting. Just one more thing to free up from the brain while learning.

Oh, and almost every article I read on these newer dual clutch autos has the author debating this exact question, then agrees that the new auto is superb. Just finished reading MT's article on the '09 Cayman S with PDK. Simply the worlds greatest sports car was his opinion.
 
Any Z4 is worth tracking but it is more difficult to balance the auto on the throttle.

Off the track a Z4 with paddle shift is quicker on twisty roads with anyone but the most skilled driver behind the wheel of a manual shift car.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom