DCT problem

[ChineseGuy]

I couldn't find any solution with a brief search...

I was wondering if It'll be harmful in any way if I keep shifting +/- by myself instead of putting it on D.

Also, if I had a habit of downshifting to eliminate the frequent use of braking from light to light...is that harmful also in any way?

Help is appreciated

[pumper206]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

I couldn't find any solution with a brief search...

I was wondering if It'll be harmful in any way if I keep shifting +/- by myself instead of putting it on D.

Also, if I had a habit of downshifting to eliminate the frequent use of braking from light to light...is that harmful also in any way?

Helmanual shiftingp is appreciated

There is absolutely nothing wrong with if u keep shifting manually. thats what its made for. Also there is nothing wrong with downshiting to compensate for braking. It is actually recommended as an alternative. Hope this helps.

[Small Yellow]

Oh wow... ^^ is correct.. but wow..

[Trier Germany]

You cant hurt this transmission driving in manual mode during city driving

[F360C]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

I couldn't find any solution with a brief search...

I was wondering if It'll be harmful in any way if I keep shifting +/- by myself instead of putting it on D.

Also, if I had a habit of downshifting to eliminate the frequent use of braking from light to light...is that harmful also in any way?

Help is appreciated

Are you serious or is this supposed to be a joke?

[Lemans_Blue_M]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

I couldn't find any solution with a brief search...

I was wondering if It'll be harmful in any way if I keep shifting +/- by myself instead of putting it on D.

Also, if I had a habit of downshifting to eliminate the frequent use of braking from light to light...is that harmful also in any way?

Help is appreciated

Well the first part is pretty hilarious...

It's very strange that you bought a DCT equipped car...without even knowing how it's supposed to work.

What exactly did you think DCT was anyway? (before you bought the car)

It can operate in either mode MANUAL or AUTOMATIC (where you don't have to shift). Are you saying the dealer or salesman never told you this? That is very odd indeed since this transmission is one of the key selling points of the M3. The fact that no one explained how your transmission works is a little troubling. I wonder what else they forget to tell you...

Anyway, the DCT can work in either the S or D modes, and it won't hurt the motor if you switch back and forth between the two modes.

As for the second item (highlighted in bold text), my opinion is that you should use a $20,000 state of the art motorsport derived engine to actually save your brakes. If you are making a normal downshift, then fine, but I'm not going to put additional stress on the my engine,my DCT transmission, my driveshaft, and my differential to save a little wear and tear on my brake pads and rotors. That's not a very smart trade-off in my opinion. Now will it damage your engine? Not likely, but it will increase the wear and stress on the drive-train components so personally, I wouldn't use that method of slowing my car down. The M3 comes with pretty decent brakes from the factory so I'll just uses those to slow down or stop the car when needed.

I just don't see a good reason to use "engine braking" on a regular basis (that may cause a problem down the line) to slow the car down.

In the interest of full disclosure...I actually experimented with the engine braking technique in my E36 & E46 M3's (briefly), but in both cases, I decided this method was simply not worth the potential risk the drive-train components over time.

So I have more or less abandoned any desire to employ this with any of my cars going forward. I would advise you to do the same, especially if you intend to keep this car for several years. (including after the warranty expires)

[ChineseGuy]

Originally Posted by Lemans_Blue_M

Well the first part is pretty hilarious...

It's very strange that you bought a DCT equipped car...without even knowing how it's supposed to work.

What exactly did you think DCT was anyway? (before you bought the car)

It can operate in either mode MANUAL or AUTOMATIC (where you don't have to shift). Are you saying the dealer or salesman never told you this? That is very odd indeed since this transmission is one of the key selling points of the M3. The fact that no one explained how your transmission works is a little troubling. I wonder what else they forget to tell you...

Anyway, the DCT can work in either the S or D modes, and it won't hurt the motor if you switch back and forth between the two modes.

As for the second item (highlighted in bold text), my opinion is that you should use a $20,000 state of the art motorsport derived engine to actually save your brakes. If you are making a normal downshift, then fine, but I'm not going to put additional stress on the my engine,my DCT transmission, my driveshaft, and my differential to save a little wear and tear on my brake pads and rotors. That's not a very smart trade-off in my opinion. Now will it damage your engine? Not likely, but it will increase the wear and stress on the drive-train components so personally, I wouldn't use that method of slowing my car down. The M3 comes with pretty decent brakes from the factory so I'll just uses those to slow down or stop the car when needed.

I just don't see a good reason to use "engine braking" on a regular basis (that may cause a problem down the line) to slow the car down.

In the interest of full disclosure...I actually experimented with the engine braking technique in my E36 & E46 M3's (briefly), but in both cases, I decided this method was simply not worth the potential risk the drive-train components over time.

So I have more or less abandoned any desire to employ this with any of my cars going forward. I would advise you to do the same, especially if you intend to keep this car for several years. (including after the warranty expires)

I guess a better term here would be "unhealthy" instead of harmful.

My main concern was the engine braking part, in which you weren't too sure if it's "healthy or not" also, so I wouldn't conclude my post being ridiculous or anything.

I actually know how to operate the DCT, I was just asking if it would be harmful or, in this case, "unhealthy" to frequently engine braking instead of stepping on the brakes.

The reason why I'm not sure is the manual actually encourages engine braking, but in my traditional way of think, it's somehow unhealthy to the tranny or the engine in the long term, and I thought I would get someone who knows the answer to answer this thread.

My thought was it's similar to the launch control function, where it's totally safe to perform such actions, but when you do it frequently it becomes a problem.

Either I was unclear about my question or anything, further help is appreciated...

[hamad]

if u hit hard break it down shift by it self

[anucci]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

I guess a better term here would be "unhealthy" instead of harmful.

My main concern was the engine braking part, in which you weren't too sure if it's "healthy or not" also, so I wouldn't conclude my post being ridiculous or anything.

I actually know how to operate the DCT, I was just asking if it would be harmful or, in this case, "unhealthy" to frequently engine braking instead of stepping on the brakes.

The reason why I'm not sure is the manual actually encourages engine braking, but in my traditional way of think, it's somehow unhealthy to the tranny or the engine in the long term, and I thought I would get someone who knows the answer to answer this thread.

My thought was it's similar to the launch control function, where it's totally safe to perform such actions, but when you do it frequently it becomes a problem.

Either I was unclear about my question or anything, further help is appreciated...

LBM is spot-on correct. You should never use engine braking to slow the car. That's what brake pads are for.

[DC5ITR88]

Originally Posted by ChineseGuy

I couldn't find any solution with a brief search...

I was wondering if It'll be harmful in any way if I keep shifting +/- by myself instead of putting it on D.

Also, if I had a habit of downshifting to eliminate the frequent use of braking from light to light...is that harmful also in any way?

Help is appreciated

downshifting to eliminate frequent use of braking would prob cause u to use more gas if ur not downshifting appropriately which would cause higher rpms...if anything i would worry more about ur tranny and downshifting appropriately but again i dont kno much about the dct software and if there is a fools proof way of downshifting at wrong periods...i think audi's have that and if u wanted to downshift at wrong times the software keeps u from going down a gear to prevent damage...

[Bluechipper]

Originally Posted by anucci

LBM is spot-on correct. You should never use engine braking to slow the car. That's what brake pads are for.

+1

LeMans is dead on correct. Unnecessary to put that stress on the drivetrain.

Use your brakes.

[///M Rakete]

I will often downshift to 3rd as I approach a stop or signal but not lower unless I perceive traffic is going to start moving again and I'm slow enough to warrant. Otherwise I'll let the DCT downshift itself to 2 or 1 near or at zero velocity. This is in S mode. In mild driving or traffic or during the first few minutes to warm up I'll drive it in D mode and let it do its thing.