Quote:
Originally Posted by EricSMG
Finally, about overdrive - while it is true that 7th is 1:1 in the DCT, its diff ratio is WAY taller than the 6MT's (3:15 vs 3:85, respectively)... without doing the math I would bet that the true top gear (6th in manual, 7th in DCT) final drive ratios are virtually identical, meaning that both setups should run at the same rpm/speed on the highway.
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This makes sense. Yet if you look at it from a track POV, the gearbox is supposed to be devoted to keeping the motor in its usable powerband, and the rear gear is what adapts it to the track of the day. Obviously we're not all driving on a particular track when we take our cars out - unless you want to look at a daily commute or weekend fun drive as some kind of metaphor (and what M driver doesn't, really
) - but to me that means the rear gear should be taken out of the equation and you should start looking at the cogs in the box as either a multiplier or a reduction gear. At 1:1, output is perfectly sync'd to input. Anything less than that "1" means the motor can lope along, comparatively.
So my question stands: why didn't they give us a nice lopey gear for cruising?
I get the whole part about driving being active and participatory instead of the cruise control and cupholder mentality, but I wouldn't mind enjoying the machine with a thumb on the wheel and a sub-2K engine note while I listen to the $1900 stereo option I made sure to get. Instead, after driving the whole route at 9/10 I'm so amped up by the time I get to my destination due to the rpm and the music coming out of that engine that I don't want to do anything but drive some more. But I guess that was the point, wasn't it?
Quote:
Originally Posted by EricSMG
Side note: that 8.4k rpm induction wail of the S65 is addicting 
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There's nothing else like it on this planet. The E46 on a Euro exhaust is a fair second though.