Describe how your 6MT feels

[Crypty]

My e92 M3 is my first manual experience. I've heard some gripes about the transmission in this car, but i've got nothing to compare to. That said, some shifts do NOT feel good.

1st to 2nd has a very notchy(I think that's the choice word) where I feel like I have to exert more pressure than is comfortable to get pop it into gear. This is VERY much the case under high RPMs and it will pretty much refuse until the RPMS fall into the right spot a few hundred lower.

Going from 2nd-3rd, I sometimes feel a slight grind. It doesn't pop into gear as smoothly as the rest. I think this is a result of every so often not clutching ALL the way in but I'm not sure.

My warranty expires in Feb so I want to get a jump on making sure everything is normal.

[Ghetto2315]

My 08 Honda Civic Si and my buddy's Honda S2K shifted with better precision and shorter throws. I have a Jeep Wrangler 5MT at home and after driving that, my M3 feels like heaven lol. It's not the best shifting feel out there, but it's no where near the worst. I wish the shifter had a heavier feel and a shorter throw, but even so, I'll take 3-Pedals and 6 cogs over DCT any day.

[tibra1]

My M3 shifts great..and I have had all the great shifting Japanese cars..they do have a nice shifting feel..but if you are someone who is expert at driving MTs its very easy to adapt from one car to the next...and i dont feel the M3 is lacking in any significant way

[dom_cmh]

OP. You will get varied responses on how the MT "feels" as we all have our opinions based on other cars, etc. There are mods you can do to make the feel "better" (increased clutch stop, remove spring, etc). That being said you should never have difficulty getting it into gear or hearing grinding unless you are not engaging the clutch all the way. If you are truly having those issues get it checked out or even see if another local M3 6MT driver will meet you and give you his opinion when driving your car.

[MikeE92M3]

Before my ZCP shift knob conversion, the 6MT felt okay. After, I fell in love with it!

[Z K]

You should change the transmission fluild. It feels much better and smooth with fresh fluid.

[My3rdM3]

I've owned numerous manual cars, my e92 m3 ranks somewhere in the middle when comparing my experiences, at the top of my list are my previous nsx and s2000, at the bottom of my list was my 2002 porsche turbo... clutch travel is a little long and pedal is a little soft and when the transmission is cold it feels very rough when it finally warms up it feels great!

[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by My3rdM3

I've owned numerous manual cars, my e92 m3 ranks somewhere in the middle when comparing my experiences, at the top of my list are my previous nsx and s2000, at the bottom of my list was my 2002 porsche turbo... clutch travel is a little long and pedal is a little soft and when the transmission is cold it feels very rough when it finally warms up it feels great!

+1

I had a Honda Civic Si for awhile, and Honda knows how to make a MT! The best I have used yet.

[apecush]

Previous/other manual vehicles owned/driven:
89 Supra (several) with and without short throw shifter
02 Maxima
08 Subaru STi

My very first impression of the shifter was that it felt a bit toy-like. Did not have much heft and felt sort of artifical and detached compared to the car I was spending most of my time in at the time (89 supra with short throw shifter). Rowing through the gears wasn't as smooth as my 02 maxima, but not harsh by any means. The transmission is not smooth to ham fist and bang hard from gear to gear. Shifting is a bit notchy at low temperatures and low engine speeds as well, but nothing unusual. Shifting gets much smoother at track temperatures as well.

The clutch also felt a bit artifical at first, due to the spring assist.

I got used to the clutch and shifter pretty quick. It can feel a bit weird going back to the supra, but that's to be expected.

[kchu221]

ive also had couple MT cars before this, ive had the g37s 6mt and s2000. the s2000 was the best in transmission, it had shorter throws, and the engagement point was spot on, i feel like the m3 has too soft of a clutch pedal that sometimes i cant feel the engagement at all... but the g37s had the worst tranny ive ever driven... worst then my friends civic si!

[Z K]

Originally Posted by kchu221

ive also had couple MT cars before this, ive had the g37s 6mt and s2000. the s2000 was the best in transmission, it had shorter throws, and the engagement point was spot on, i feel like the m3 has too soft of a clutch pedal that sometimes i cant feel the engagement at all... but the g37s had the worst tranny ive ever driven... worst then my friends civic si!

Nissan manuals aren't very good. Very rubbery feeling and the gates are not well defined. I had a 240SX and drove a few 350Zs before. They all had the same vague feeling when you are shifting and you're never quite sure if you put it in gear.

The M3's shifter isn't all that great either but at least you can find the gates easily.

[kchu221]

Originally Posted by Z K

Nissan manuals aren't very good. Very rubbery feeling and the gates are not well defined. I had a 240SX and drove a few 350Zs before. They all had the same vague feeling when you are shifting and you're never quite sure if you put it in gear.

yup... i hated the car transmission soo much, i bought myself an s2k LOL...

[gatorfast]

Mine feels great. Slips into every gear smoothly and the clutch is light and easy to modulate. Not sure why some people complain about the 6mt.

[ChrisK]

The MT is my 2008 Z3 and 2001 M Roadster we're pretty dam good though.

[bimdo]

i have a new manual trans,replaced under warranty,and did a break-in fluid change when it had about 1000 miles on it.i still find the 1-2 shift to be difficult,especially when cold,but do not have grinding.the other shifts are all fine.

my nsx has a more precise-shifting trans,as did my integra.i've been driving manual forever.

[mdosu]

to me:

1-2 is bit rubbery, sometimes I get a "clunk".
Never experienced grinding.
I've missed 4-5 shifts before, hitting the shift gate.
Overall, I feel the 1-2 and 4-5 throws a bit longer than I'd like.

Clutch is very street-friendly, it's not heavy and pedal travel is just the right length. Overall for a high-performance transmission, it's very easy to use, my biggest issue swith it is the rubbery feel of shifter.

I use to drive an Evo 8. OP notice that most people are comparing MT cars with 200-300 hp. The transmission design will vary signficantly for a 400+ hp MT car as in our M3. Though I recongize, the high revving engine concept allows BMW to use lighterweight components in the MT. (vs the MT in a SRT Viper or Z06)

[W///]

Originally Posted by My3rdM3

I've owned numerous manual cars, my e92 m3 ranks somewhere in the middle when comparing my experiences, at the top of my list are my previous nsx and s2000, at the bottom of my list was my 2002 porsche turbo... clutch travel is a little long and pedal is a little soft and when the transmission is cold it feels very rough when it finally warms up it feels great!

Interesting. What did you like about the 996TT trans?

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Mine feels great. Slips into every gear smoothly and the clutch is light and easy to modulate. Not sure why some people complain about the 6mt.

I feel the same way about my M3, although I have no experience with Japanese cars. Compared to my E30 and old E46, clutch is about the same. I despised the stock OEM knob, couldn't drive smoothly at all. Chopped it off after less than 24 hours of owning the car. Replaced it with ZHP knob.

While I hear really good reviews about the clutch spring mod, I have not seen a reason to remove it yet. I'm able to row through the gears smoothly. I learned to drive smoothly with the help of my E46 (it had everything from a torn subframe to worn flex disc )

[808@702]

Originally Posted by gatorfast

Mine feels great. Slips into every gear smoothly and the clutch is light and easy to modulate. Not sure why some people complain about the 6mt.

+ 1

[passing]

1-2 requires a good bit of effort. no grinding, etc.

no issues (other than 1-2 difficulty) to note.

[InterJon]

Originally Posted by Crypty

My e92 M3 is my first manual experience. I've heard some gripes about the transmission in this car, but i've got nothing to compare to. That said, some shifts do NOT feel good.

1st to 2nd has a very notchy(I think that's the choice word) where I feel like I have to exert more pressure than is comfortable to get pop it into gear. This is VERY much the case under high RPMs and it will pretty much refuse until the RPMS fall into the right spot a few hundred lower.

Going from 2nd-3rd, I sometimes feel a slight grind. It doesn't pop into gear as smoothly as the rest. I think this is a result of every so often not clutching ALL the way in but I'm not sure.

My warranty expires in Feb so I want to get a jump on making sure everything is normal.

Op. I have a 2011 with 20k (and had a 2008 6mt) and both shifted identical to how you described. Thus, I say it is completely normal.

[RBB]

I don't have any complaints with the M3. The 1-2 shift can take a little more effort but its not a big deal. I've owned several Hondas in the past and while different, the M compares favorably. Coming from someone who has driven MT his whole life I really don't get all the complaints on our gearbox.

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by RBB

I don't have any complaints with the M3. The 1-2 shift can take a little more effort but its not a big deal. I've owned several Hondas in the past and while different, the M compares favorably. Coming from someone who has driven MT his whole life I really don't get all the complaints on our gearbox.

^This..when you have driven MTs exclusively..you can adapt to any other MT..the trick is not in the shifter..its in the driver