Proper way of driving sequential gearbox

[JTM3]

Hi all, I myself have a E90 M3 6 spd and my father has a E46 M3 (04) with the SMG tranny. I didn't see too much traffic in the E46 forum so hopefully someone here can help me out.
Question is on the E46 M3, what is the proper technique for driving with the SMG tranny? When you are using the paddle shifters are you supposed to lift off the throttle or not?

Sorry I've never owned a transmission like that and my dad wanted some advice (just bought it not too long ago)

Thanks

[SoreHead]

You don't have to lift off but on older systems it sometimes made it smoother to slightly lift off. Most have been sorted with software upgrades but I'm not sure specifically about the BMW SMG. It does no harm to the tranny to do either.

[3XTR3M3]

you dont have to lift off to shift. as for "proper" way of driving, its just a matter of getting used to SMG. Its a very unique gearbox and takes some getting used to.

[signes]

Somewhat depends on the mode you are in and how you are driving (flat out or just cruising around.) S4 or higher results in pretty fast shifts and if you are on it you don't need to lift since the gear change will be pretty harsh. If you are driving normally around town, a small lift smooths it out almost as if you were lifting to put the clutch in for yourself (though not that long). Like others have said, it takes time to get used to. I am one of the few (apparently) that misses SMG. When you are used to it, it is very smooth and incredibly fast.

[JTM3]

Yes, I noticed when in Sequential mode and with the lowest mode (that button below the gear shifter which changes to different modes) it shifts very slow and there is a lurch or bucking. I was just wondering if this lurching is normal. My father has been driving on auto mode until he can get better at it.
The owners manual doesn't really go in depth into the SMG and i've googled it with limited results.

So in both Auto or Sequential mode there are different modes that are pre determined/set by factory right? The higher you go up in the modes the more lighting fast the shifting is from what I gather.

Just wanted to make sure that if he is using the paddles that he is not damaging anything if he doesn't lift off the throttle between shifting with paddles. its his first car equiped with this sort of tranny.

Thanks

[T89]

Originally Posted by JTM3

Yes, I noticed when in Sequential mode and with the lowest mode (that button below the gear shifter which changes to different modes) it shifts very slow and there is a lurch or bucking. I was just wondering if this lurching is normal. My father has been driving on auto mode until he can get better at it.
The owners manual doesn't really go in depth into the SMG and i've googled it with limited results.

So in both Auto or Sequential mode there are different modes that are pre determined/set by factory right? The higher you go up in the modes the more lighting fast the shifting is from what I gather.

Just wanted to make sure that if he is using the paddles that he is not damaging anything if he doesn't lift off the throttle between shifting with paddles. its his first car equiped with this sort of tranny.

Thanks

No need to lift. Flat out shifting is what the smg was designed for. Although, as others have said, lifting off slightly during gear changes will make the changes smoother which helps for city driving. Takes practice to time it right but when you do it is great whether you lift or shift flat out. Of course nothing beats a manual car when you're truly going all out.
The lurching and bucking happens when not enough force is applied to the accelerator so the transmission is not sure what you want to do so it puts the clutch in when it thinks you are off the accelerator at low speeds and then suddenly slams the clutch in when it realizes you want to drive off instead. Not sure if it makes sense but try it out at low speeds with varying degree of force applied to the accelerator and you'll know what I mean. Timing the acceleration properly with the speed makes driving smg much more enjoyable and smoother.

I had an 04 m3 with smg and I really miss it. The dct I have in my z4 is so smooth that it feels like a normal automatic in auto mode so I drive mainly in sport/sport+ mode which has more aggressive gear changes. I miss the feedback you get when changing gears with smg. Makes you feel like you are driving a proper manual.


T

[ersin]

No damage will be done whether you lift the throttle or not. When using the paddles it is easy to modulate the throttle to smooth the shifting (after some practice). In auto mode it is next to impossible to modulate the throttle to smooth out the shifting since it hard to predict exactly when the computer wants to shift. I ended up using sequential mode 99% of the time and only used auto when I really needed it.

During hard acceleration there is no need to lift or otherwise modulate the throttle. Just keep the pedal to the metal.