DCT regrets

[slides]

I’m debating trading my 335i for an M3 since the prices are becoming more reasonable and its always been a dream car of mine. However, I love having a manual but with how much city driving I do the 6speed is getting a little tiring in traffic. There is a plethora of DCT’s on the used car market and I’m just wondering who has regrets over the 6speed.

I usually do 4-6 track days a year which makes the 6speed fun.

[thompsac25]

Originally Posted by slides

I’m debating trading my 335i for an M3 since the prices are becoming more reasonable and its always been a dream car of mine. However, I love having a manual but with how much city driving I do the 6speed is getting a little tiring in traffic. There is a plethora of DCT’s on the used car market and I’m just wondering who has regrets over the 6speed.

I usually do 4-6 track days a year which makes the 6speed fun.

I came from manual cars, but I purchased my 2011 e92 M3 in DCT. It was a fantastic car, but I found myself "manually" shifting it everyday. 1 year later, I sold it and bought a 2013 e92 M3 6MT. I missed rowing gears, and I suspect you might as well.

Dont get me wrong, the DCT is amazing. Its an extremely solid and precise car, especially when a DCT tune is added. My 6MT feel more raw and mechanical. Completely different driving experience.

[SYT_Shadow]

I currently own a DCT and a 6MT M3. Both are modded. DCT has the OEM CRT tune, the 6MT has the AutoSolutions kit as well as the Ultimate Clutch Pedal

Both are wonderful and I don't have regrets with either.
The 6MT required those mods to reach spiritual creaminess and the DCT with the CRT/GTS tune is extremely beastly.

I track quite heavily in both DCT and 6MT cars, I definitely prefer DCT at the track. It can execute perfect up and downshifts in the middle of a turn and sometimes you don't have the option of delaying the shift if you're chasing times.
Aand you remove the possibility of a money shift!

[KevinGS]

Originally Posted by SYT_Shadow

I currently own a DCT and a 6MT M3. Both are modded.

Both are wonderful and I don't have regrets with either.

Of course you have no regrets, you own BOTH....you lucky dog.

I have a DCT, and have zero regrets. Do I miss having a manual, yes, occasionally. But I drive my car A LOT. 25,000/miles per year....lots of trips and long drives.

If I drove less than 10,000 miles per year, like a weekend toy car, I would have gotten the manual for sure. But driving it regularly, and on all kinds of trips, the DCT suits me just fine.

[amrazM]

I missed Having a manual so i got an E46 M3 6mt.

[tdott]

Long time manual owner, first DCT car, I enjoy it at the track the most.
I feel that the DCT suits the engine/car better and it is a great package.

That said, I still do miss driving manual, recently I've just bought a car to fill that void for a few months whenever I felt like it, which I usually get bored of. I used it as away to own cars I always wanted to try. First was a E39 M5, then a Z3 Coupe, got bored, bought a E93 328i, now I have a E46 M3 vert which I am not a fan of, I actually prefer the E93 328i. E46 is probably going up for sale soon as I take another break from manual and enjoy my e92m.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by KevinGS

Of course you have no regrets, you own BOTH....you lucky dog.

I have a DCT, and have zero regrets. Do I miss having a manual, yes, occasionally. But I drive my car A LOT. 25,000/miles per year....lots of trips and long drives.

If I drove less than 10,000 miles per year, like a weekend toy car, I would have gotten the manual for sure. But driving it regularly, and on all kinds of trips, the DCT suits me just fine.

Each transmission is very good. If you miss a 6MT having a DCT it's only because you really really like the clutch/shifter interface. With the DCT you have full control and it shifts so so well that no one could fault it.

I actually bought a Mini Cooper S recently so I could commute in a manual again. The X5 was driving me nuts.

May be replacing the MCS for a F80 soon and I don't look forward to commuting in a manual.

One area where the 6MT definitely beats the DCT is in your ability to be a cretin. Teenagers looking at your car? 6MT: dump the clutch while WOT and make them all giggle. With a DCT... you just accelerate. That sucks.
Not that I'd do this on my E92 but I did it many times with the E46M

[Law]

The posts above pretty much sum it up.

DCT or 6MT is an entirely personal affair.

They're both excellent transmissions, the DCT being perfectly geared for the S65's powerband and redline, the 6MT being able to fully exploit the mechanical goodness and fun of a naturally aspirated V8.

At the end of the day, it would help to drive E9x M3s of both transmissions and make your own personal decision.
Both have their pros and cons, but both are excellent.
And the discussions/debates on the two have been covered extensively here on M3Post.

For me? I'm not a track rat or 0-60 junkie, nor are my commutes 2 hours long.
So for spirited canyon driving, and fun-spirited mechanical feel during short to medium drives, the 6MT is what ticks all the boxes.
There's really little that can match the feeling of a perfectly executed rev-match downshift into a corner or getting onto an on-ramp through 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.
Add to the fact that manual transmissions paired with naturally aspirated engines and/or V8s in a daily-able package are disappearing and fast, and it really exemplifies how special the E9x M3 is.

Yet, a similar argument can now be made with DCT, now that ZF 8ATs are taking over.
No clutch pedal or H-pattern action here, but the downshift blips, the lack of [torque-converter] "slip" makes it a very mechanical experience compared to automatics, even if they are very good in their modern form.
Add to the fact that the DCT gears are closer ratio'd with an additional gear (compared to the 6MT) and instantaneous shifts provide for a potent Jekyll & Hyde capability that is at home on the track or sitting in traffic for extended periods of time.