DCT life w/ ESS VT650

[klammer]

Originally Posted by m33

I only paid for the clutch , seals and oil which all was $2,020.00 .
I have a buddy who's a tech

Ahhhhhh..., the freak out over DCT subsiding. Once people figure out, like you, that you don't need to replace the whole tranny, the whole game changes, at least financially. Once again, thank you sir, for letting a myriad of DCT owners sleep at night

[m33]

Originally Posted by DLSJ5

J, tell us how much faster the car is with DCT vs. 6MT?

Night and day difference , put it this way .... Two equal horse powered M3's , one being MT and the other DCT , the DCT will catch up shifts 800-1100 rpm sooner than a MT which translates to more horsepower advantage in the next gear " shift point advantage "

[m33]

Originally Posted by MRSSIIM3

i think your analysis of "flooring it off line w/out launch control" is wrong. i always do this and all my buddies with m3s do this and none of our cars are jerky shifting in 1 3 5 or 7. the shifts 1 3 5 7 feel the same as 2 4 6 and feel the same as m3s that do not get floored off the line. what exactly are you feeling in 1 3 5 7?

I think you should pay close attention to what I said in my first post.
I did over 50 launches back to back each time I went to the drag strip ... "50" ! I went to the drag strip twice with this car , second visit at the track I couldn't utilize launch control so I would hammer it off the line ... 50 times back to back runs , that will cause a hot spot in the odd side of the clutch pack , meaning all odd geared engagements will shift with slight annoying delay , clunky!

Calibration failed and requested clutch replacement...

Go hammer your car at the track like I did and you too will experience what I did...

I installed new a clutch pack and the car shifts like it did the first day I drove it in Munich..

[TimZ]

Great info, and you are a perfect example of how reliable an m3 is with a vt2 kit, 3 m3's in a row all supercharged! not to mention miles galore lol

[the infamous...]

good stuff! thx 4 sharin

[MRSSIIM3]

Originally Posted by m33

I think you should pay close attention to what I said in my first post.
I did over 50 launches back to back each time I went to the drag strip ... "50" ! I went to the drag strip twice with this car , second visit at the track I couldn't utilize launch control so I would hammer it off the line ... 50 times back to back runs , that will cause a hot spot in the odd side of the clutch pack , meaning all odd geared engagements will shift with slight annoying delay , clunky!

Calibration failed and requested clutch replacement...

Go hammer your car at the track like I did and you too will experience what I did...

I installed new a clutch pack and the car shifts like it did the first day I drove it in Munich..

i see i see.

so doing it once or twice in quick succession and driving a few miles afterwards to let it cool down shouldnt cause this issue?

[biglare]

Originally Posted by m33

I'm personally amazed ! Goes to show how stout German engineering is

Nice pic!

What's a DCT? :

[lenzm3edan]

Originally Posted by biglare

Nice pic!

What's a DCT? :

some fancy name for automatic transmission
sorry couldn't help it...

NO I love the DCT and would own one.

[img]

Originally Posted by lenzm3edan

some fancy name for automatic transmission
sorry couldn't help it...

NO I love the DCT and would own one.

LMAO

[m33]

Originally Posted by klammer

Ahhhhhh..., the freak out over DCT subsiding. Once people figure out, like you, that you don't need to replace the whole tranny, the whole game changes, at least financially. Once again, thank you sir, for letting a myriad of DCT owners sleep at night

Originally Posted by TimZ

Great info, and you are a perfect example of how reliable an m3 is with a vt2 kit, 3 m3's in a row all supercharged! not to mention miles galore lol

It's been a journey

Originally Posted by the infamous...

good stuff! thx 4 sharin

Originally Posted by MRSSIIM3

i see i see.

so doing it once or twice in quick succession and driving a few miles afterwards to let it cool down shouldnt cause this issue?

I think you would be fine with that method but I would still avoid it.

Originally Posted by lenzm3edan

some fancy name for automatic transmission
sorry couldn't help it...

NO I love the DCT and would own one.

[Chriskm3]

Great info. Thanks

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by m33

- never punch your car from a dead stop !! This will cause a semi launch and not to mention it will cause a glaze spot in all your odd gears!
Who ever has done this will notice that every time you shift into 3rd 5th and 7th you will get a jerky shift . Well that's from punching it in 1st at a dead stop.
Always use launch control ! Or.... Take off from a roll while the clutch is engaged.

Follow these steps and you will experience long clutch life

I personally put 22k miles on my clutch and over 100 launch controls at the drag strip and all was fine until my last drag strip event .....
I couldn't use launch control cause I couldn't hook for shit due to the cold weather so I would punch it off the line ( failed to take my own advice ) which caused this glazed spot in all my odd gears. The clutch never slipped even after all this but it did make my shifting jerky which drove me crazy so I ended up putting a new clutch in and now the problem is solved and my shifts are smooth as butter .
Overall I'm impressed with these cars on the amount of abuse they can take and it would have lasted a lot longer if I had only declined to punch it off the line or....... Had purchased a set of MT's which I then would have been able to utilize launch control and would have avoided this problem but hey .... Lesson learned !

I hope this will be helpful for you guys and gals!

Realistically, you were on borrowed time with 100 launches etc. I doubt that the one time of punching it at the strip unilaterally caused your issue. It was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, especially if you had been already heating up the clutches with earlier launches (it's unclear if you were using launch control earlier or how many launches by punching it you did).

I don't think that's what you intended to convey, but that's how it reads (to me anyway). Thanks for sharing your experience however; some people are too proud/embarrassed to disseminate this kind of info.

[KEYON]

Great info! I love reviews like this. Thank you

Now I am worried that I might have the jerky shift I have hit the pedal once or twice at a dead stop before...

[m33]

Originally Posted by SYZ

Realistically, you were on borrowed time with 100 launches etc. I doubt that the one time of punching it at the strip unilaterally caused your issue. It was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, especially if you had been already heating up the clutches with earlier launches (it's unclear if you were using launch control earlier or how many launches by punching it you did).

I don't think that's what you intended to convey, but that's how it reads (to me anyway). Thanks for sharing your experience however; some people are too proud/embarrassed to disseminate this kind of info.

There are members here that went to the same track events I did and basically went down the strip just as many times as I did with the only difference being they were able to utilize launch control , either they had a line lock and were able to heat up their tires or had stickier tires .

If 2 visits at the drag strip & 100 launches broke the straw then Scott's ( 1SickM ) 4+ visits and over 300 launches must have raped the camel, took its skin and used it for headliner and floor Mat's

[m33]

Originally Posted by KEYON

Great info! I love reviews like this. Thank you

Now I am worried that I might have the jerky shift I have hit the pedal once or twice at a dead stop before...

The DCT can feel jerky based on driving habits I doubt you have the same problem from hitting it once or twice ( avoid it ).
Put it in S mode with shift settings set all the way up to full bars and up shift at 3k-3.5k rpm if they blip smoothly then your fine .

[Nordstat]

I'm not sure but doesn't the GTS DCT tune take care of this? It grabs MUCH more aggressively than stock so the slip on the clutch is all but eliminated. At least I have had no issues (granted not SC...yet) but LC with my full bolt on and tuned M3 = wheel spin withiut end... Dead stop and go is the only route to traction, and its much quicker to 60...used sparingly of course

[m33]

Originally Posted by Nordstat

I'm not sure but doesn't the GTS DCT tune take care of this? It grabs MUCH more aggressively than stock so the slip on the clutch is all but eliminated. At least I have had no issues (granted not SC...yet) but LC with my full bolt on and tuned M3 = wheel spin withiut end... Dead stop and go is the only route to traction, and its much quicker to 60...used sparingly of course

Where to you get your gts DCT software ? I want

[1SICKM]

Originally Posted by m33

Where to you get your gts DCT software ? I want

Me too!

[exmowner]

Can anyone attest to the reliability of the 6sp with SC installed? There is a lot of dct reliability threads but couldn't find anything on the manual transmission.

Just wondering how they hold up!

[MRSSIIM3]

Originally Posted by m33

Where to you get your gts DCT software ? I want

i pmed him. he said gintani. but i doubt its GTS software its probably really old 08 DCT software thats jerkier and gives the feel that its shifting faster, etc. last i checked, thats what gintani was using

[CDT]

Hate to beat a dead horse, but...I'm going to. There seems to be some knowledgeable individuals on this thread...

So my hard-head understands clearly- if I pull up next to a 'Vette at a light and try to hammer my car off the line, it's going to wear on the clutch worse than launch control (even though it "feels" more violent) due to the way the M3 delivers power through the gears (mostly 1st)?

Any help on optimum shift points for best acceleration (I know this has probably been asked on other threads), or does it vary between gears?

Thanks in advance.

[img]

Originally Posted by exmowner

Can anyone attest to the reliability of the 6sp with SC installed? There is a lot of dct reliability threads but couldn't find anything on the manual transmission.

Just wondering how they hold up!

Mine is holding up just fine