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Originally Posted by swamp2
Good points also. Always a pleasure to discuss and debate with you as well!
On your point of mutual exclusivity: Clearly they are not mutually exclusive but they do in many ways interfere with each other. Humans have a limited capacity for multi-tasking. Just as a thought experiment no one could control two cars at the same time on a track, could they (of course assuming one could be in two places at the same time first...)? It just takes too much mental and physical "bandwidth". Given this limitation we all have why not clear as much bandwidth as possible to make more room for those things a mechanism and computer can not do? Sure there are amazing drivers who seem to easily drive perfectly and control a MT. I guess I would argue they could realize an even higer potential with an automated manual. That is why they are used in F1!
Performance wise I think most of us agree that DCT will be the clear winner. It is just so puzzling then why in such a performance oriented car folks are so stuck on the MT idea. Many of those obsessed with every 1/10th second of 0-60 or 1/4mi still seem insistent on rowing thier own gears. This is such a clear contradiction. It is a very interesting debate with informed and uninformed, emotional and scientific thinkers on both sides. In the end 99% of folks will really enjoy their choice and that is what is most important.  |
F1 is a good example: M. Schumacher (like him or hate him - not my point) has been able to have the "car" in perfect control aswell as doing manual shifts (if I remember right there hasn't been automated transmissions in F1 at the time schumacher started). Todays DCTs are used in F1 and the result is not that the drivers are reaching a higher potential, the result is that moderate drivers are able to drive such a car. But we're talking 'bout average drivers and for them (yes, You're right) the DCT opens the possibility to reach a higher level. Anyway to me it's real fun to row my gears and one possible explanation may be that I'm not always willing to reach highest levels of driving in the M3. It's a DD and so most of time I'm happy with a 1-second shift; when it's weekend and I'm rushing through an alpine ass I'm also happy with a 0,5 s shift. Finally I'm afraid that the MT's are endangered so I want to get an MT as long as it's still available...Anytime in the future there will only be DCT's and then I will be happy with that...
Best regards, south