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      10-02-2011, 07:51 PM   #1
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Okay, so I found something annoying about DCT

Alright.. we are at 711 miles on the new e93 M and our first experience ever with DCT. Had an 09 e90 M3 6MT, so this is an adjustment. So far, there is a lot to like about the tranny. I've been experimenting with the different shift speed settings, but here are a couple of annoying things.

1. In manual, I have no way to skip gears. Say for instance I am slowing down from a 55mph secondary road to turn into our neighborhood, I can't skip from 7 to 2 for the turn.. I must down shift through every single gear to get to second. In the 6 speed of course, one would just go from 6 straight into 2. Is there a way around this?

2. I haven't found an optimal D mode as far as shift aggressiveness and economy. I like the quick shifting in the highest mode, but then the transmission will not upshift to 7 once i'm cruising. It seems to be stuck in 6, even after I'm off the throttle. Any suggestions on this?
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      10-02-2011, 07:53 PM   #2
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Actually, you found something ELSE annoying about the DCT
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      10-02-2011, 07:55 PM   #3
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Actually, you found something ELSE annoying about the DCT
x2 ^ LOL 6MT FTW
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      10-02-2011, 08:01 PM   #4
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ugh! LOL! I realize now I just set myself up! DCT boys! Help!!

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      10-02-2011, 08:03 PM   #5
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You need to spend more time with the settings. You probably went into the DCT with a manual mindset. While it has it's "limitations" if you will, once you really get used to the way it behaves you'll never look back at "rowing" gears. I find that D3 is useful for commuting around. It's also not too bad on the gas. If I feel like driving with some spirit I switch to S4 or S5. And when the non-driving people get on my damn nerve, I escape by using the (M)oney button............Phil
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      10-02-2011, 08:21 PM   #6
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About #1 neither Michael Schumacher nor Alonzo or any formula one drivers find that annoying and I share their sequential shifting admiration.
About #2 D5 I'm not sure why your car isn't going to 7 whenever it's supposed to, I haven't driven on D in the last 20,000 miles and the reason was that the car was always 2 gears above what I wanted and goes to 7 far so quicker than my liking.
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      10-02-2011, 08:22 PM   #7
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you'll get used to it. I'm always in S4... I almost never in 'D'. I let the car usually downshift for me when I know i'll be stopping completely. If I know I have to take off again, I'll go down manually. You'll learn to keep it in the right gear for optimal torque all the time. That way you don't have to row down the gears...

Also I stay in S4, even on the track... I feel like S5 is too harsh on the transmission (just my feeling, no data to back me up) and S4 vs S5 won't turn me into a F1 driver on the track.. so I stay in S4 ... on streets and on the track..
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      10-02-2011, 08:32 PM   #8
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If you notice racecar drivers with a manual tranny, they don't skip gears on the up or down. It's all too easy if you are trying for 6 to 4 change to drop it into 2nd for the money shift. In the real world, yea, it's easy to go from 6 to 4. With DCT in S4, I enjoy every downshift and the rev-match.

You will find after your car is broken-in, that if you are in say 7th and cruising, and then floor the gas and hit the left paddle ONCE, it'll downshift into the lowest gear possible. At 30 mph in 7th, it would shift from 7 to 2 in an instant...really cool feeling. It's great for passing.
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      10-02-2011, 08:39 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by w00tw00t View Post
you'll get used to it. I'm always in S4...
So by S4, do you mean sequential (manual) and the 4th drivelogic program?
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      10-02-2011, 08:46 PM   #10
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you can skip gears with DCT, you need to click the paddles faster, and it'll skip the gear, if it is in the RPM rage.
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      10-02-2011, 08:48 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spmd11 View Post
1. In manual, I have no way to skip gears. Say for instance I am slowing down from a 55mph secondary road to turn into our neighborhood, I can't skip from 7 to 2 for the turn.. I must down shift through every single gear to get to second. In the 6 speed of course, one would just go from 6 straight into 2. Is there a way around this?

No way around it. As someone pointed out, there is a way to skip multiple gears while accelerating, but not while decelerating. In theory you could gun (full throttle) it a little before the turn, downshift once, and then you'd drop multiple gears. But that's neither elegant nor sane.

The other thing you could do is click it over to D5 (so have D mode pre-set to D5 beforehand) just before you begin braking, and let the electronics do the downshifting. It might still do more than one shift but it would nevertheless be just one action on your part. After the turn, when you upshift again, it will automatically go back to S.

All that said, in time you get used to the sequential shifting and come to appreciate it. Shift early, shift often. In the situation you note above, I might even drop to 5th or 4th a bit before I started braking, and then do the last few shifts while on the brakes.
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      10-02-2011, 08:48 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spmd11 View Post
So by S4, do you mean sequential (manual) and the 4th drivelogic program?
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      10-02-2011, 08:50 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JIO View Post
You will find after your car is broken-in, that if you are in say 7th and cruising, and then floor the gas and hit the left paddle ONCE, it'll downshift into the lowest gear possible. At 30 mph in 7th, it would shift from 7 to 2 in an instant...really cool feeling. It's great for passing.
When you say, "floor" the gas, does that mean pedal all the way to the floor? Or just more aggressively than an average depress?

And you are in "Drive" (D) mode when doing this, correct?
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      10-02-2011, 08:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JIO View Post
If you notice racecar drivers with a manual tranny, they don't skip gears on the up or down. It's all too easy if you are trying for 6 to 4 change to drop it into 2nd for the money shift. In the real world, yea, it's easy to go from 6 to 4. With DCT in S4, I enjoy every downshift and the rev-match.

You will find after your car is broken-in, that if you are in say 7th and cruising, and then floor the gas and hit the left paddle ONCE, it'll downshift into the lowest gear possible. At 30 mph in 7th, it would shift from 7 to 2 in an instant...really cool feeling. It's great for passing.
Although a large percentage of modern race cars have paddle shifted transmissions a number of race cars with manual clutches, including the racing version of the M3, have sequential racing transmissions that can not skip gears.

Of course these are dedicated race cars. I can't think of a scenario where a race car would be in 7th gear at 30MPH.
CA
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      10-02-2011, 08:51 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PINHEAD View Post
you can skip gears with DCT, you need to click the paddles faster, and it'll skip the gear, if it is in the RPM rage.
True, but what he means is only having to perform a single shift action to do the multigear downshift.
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      10-02-2011, 08:54 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel View Post
All that said, in time you get used to the sequential shifting and come to appreciate it. Shift early, shift often. In the situation you note above, I might even drop to 5th or 4th a bit before I started braking, and then do the last few shifts while on the brakes.
Great advice.......remember you've got 8400 RPM to play with. I wouldn't think you are hitting the apex as you keep your line into the neighborhood.....Phil
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      10-02-2011, 08:55 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spmd11 View Post
When you say, "floor" the gas, does that mean pedal all the way to the floor? Or just more aggressively than an average depress?
Pedal all the way to floor -you will feel a little click or detent, similar to what a car with a traditional automatic has.

Quote:
And you are in "Drive" (D) mode when doing this, correct?
No, he's talking about S mode. In D mode, flooring it will drop multiple gears automatically. In S mode, flooring it and pulling the downshift paddle one time will drop multiple gears in the same manner.
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      10-02-2011, 08:58 PM   #18
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I'll say this... it (DCT) is one amazing piece of technology and a lot of fun sorting (understanding full potential) out.

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      10-02-2011, 08:59 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mkoesel View Post
No, he's talking about S mode. In D mode, flooring it will drop multiple gears automatically. In S mode, flooring it and pulling the downshift paddle one time will drop multiple gears in the same manner.
That's crazy!! Very cool.
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      10-02-2011, 09:01 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by captainaudio View Post
Of course these are dedicated race cars. I can't think of a scenario where a race car would be in 7th gear at 30MPH.
CA
That would be a race-losing scenario.
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      10-02-2011, 09:51 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spmd11 View Post
When you say, "floor" the gas, does that mean pedal all the way to the floor? Or just more aggressively than an average depress?

And you are in "Drive" (D) mode when doing this, correct?
You actually have to hold the left paddle in for a second or two, and FLOOR it (think you have to press through the detente) and it'll shift all the way down. Haven't tried it in D, only in M so can't say.
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      10-02-2011, 10:11 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PINHEAD View Post
you can skip gears with DCT, you need to click the paddles faster, and it'll skip the gear, if it is in the RPM rage.
eXACTLY this. He is right, u can definitely skip gears. When I'm in 7th and I want to go to 2 for a right hand turn, I just click it down 5 time really fast.

It goes right into 2nd no lag no issues, just a sweet sounding rev match note
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