Tired of 6MT

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by shamoo

Aside from the whole argument of being "more connected with the vehicle blah blah", if you don't like manual transmissions in traffic, it means you just aren't comfortable with it. That's just what I think, I'm stickin with it!

I think it comes down to right tool for the right job:

Some people will always drive a stick because that's their comfortable place and they'll rag on others who don't.

Some people will always drive DCT because that their comfy place and they'll rag on others who don't.

Some people - like me - will feel comfortable switching between the two for a given road, given conditions, given goals, etc.

If I could afford it, I'd have both. Since I can't the choice comes down to the roads primarily driven, the car, and the range of conditions.

I don't believe in the one right answer.

[nitro]

Originally Posted by shamoo

Maybe it's just me, but I never understood people who "complain" about using a manual transmission in traffic or any other situation.

If you're good/comfortable using a manual transmission, it becomes second nature. I'm in traffic all the time and I don't even realize I have a 6MT. It's just there and my hand goes there and shifts.

Aside from the whole argument of being "more connected with the vehicle blah blah", if you don't like manual transmissions in traffic, it means you just aren't comfortable with it. That's just what I think, I'm stickin with it!

I do love the DCT and I am seriously considering getting one for my next car (whether it's BMW or something else). But it's simply because it's a bit faster and I like those automatic blipping downshifts. Plus, if my friends ever want to drive, it's an option (although it's never come up haha).

Amen.. +1... I totally agree with you.

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by KTM505SX

Sell it and get the auto,it's FASTER

It's not any faster if you're driving in traffic, like the OP stated.

[pittsy]

I have a 6MT and drive in Dallas traffic all the time, doesn't bother me one bit

[OC3]

Originally Posted by sameh

Boy. Why do 6 MT drivers get bent out of shape, become defensive and insult any other 6MT driver who decides to jump ships? 6MT is not a religion you know

But, it is. Don't you see? Lots of similarities to bible-thumpers...

[Totti]

It's not very scientific. If you are cool and want to appeal to attractive ladies, get a Manual. If on the other hand you are over 40, still wear corduroy or want to keep up with the whipper-snappers in traffic, DCT is for you.

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

Here's my story which most people won't like for multiple reasons you'll see:

In 2004, for a MN-raised kid, I got my dream car, a 2005 S4. But there was one problem: my wife would only agree if it was tiptronic. Crusher. But I did it.

A year and half later came some job changes that required a 2nd car for me to commute in, so I definitely wasn't getting tiptronic, but we couldn't afford another S4 so I got an A4 6mt.

I didn't think that through because it created weird incentives: my whip was a tip, my commuter was a stick.

So ... I started to drive the s4 one day a week and on weekends ... I started really liking the tip+power ... it started giving me a more sporty feel as a DD. Then I drove a friend's S4 stick for a commute and realized ... I like the tip better!

As a DD I wasn't able to tap all the power on the 6mt into line-hugging fun as I was in the tip. For me, the tip became the more sporty *DD*!

But here's the key to that statement: Given the roads.

I think that's the big key - cause the above wasn't true in Chicago; there I preferred the stick. In fact I didn't like the S4 there at all. I preferred the lighter less horsepower stick given the speeds/road combination.

But in MN with the wide roads, freeways on ramps, etc in my area, I liked the tip. Road conditions affected this too (e.g. snow and/or ice and level of plowing done).

Bottom line is that having this mix of vehicles taught me a lot about my preferences.

This year my preference will be a DCT M3

I think you have really identified a key factor in transmission choice.....be honest with yourself about how the car will be driven. I chose MT for my M3 because it is more of a fun toy for me.

My Porsche Cayenne is my daily driver and it is an automatic. If the M3 was going to be my only car, and I had to deal with bad commuter traffic, I would definitely go DCT.

That said, even if I had to deal with bad traffic and the choice was between manual and conventional automatic with it's noticably diminished performance, I would choose manual. But.....because DCT performance is so good, I would forego the superior and infinitely variable human nervous sytem control of the manual for the convenience of the DCT.

I agree that using a manual even in bad traffic becomes second nature, and there was a time when I used to commute in Boston traffic (as bad as anywhere) for 11 years with a manual. However, I now live in a more rural area where traffic is seldom an issue. I have gotten spoiled by it. Now when I have to go back to driving a manual in bad city traffic, I find it a pain.

I am fortunate to be able to have two nice vehicles to chose from depending on the task at hand, but again, I think the choice really boils down to properly looking at how the car will be used.

[phrogbubbaE92]

Originally Posted by piloto

This is like arguing which woman is hotter, the blonde or the brunette. The answer is it's just personal preference, and it's ok to not have a favorite and to switch from one to another. Or go completely off the hook and find a redhead.

+1

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by ee8

Technology makes us lazy and fat (two things that do not go well with sporty... lol)... 20 ago there where no sport cars with automatic transmission... hell even F1 had stick... I can still remember in car videos of Senna driving that Lotus and Maclaren, moving that steering wheel and working that stick... glorious I tell you... Glorious

Here for all you stick fans out there... you know you want it it...

Greatest driver ever to have walked on this planet
FACT!

[kmarei]

Originally Posted by saeedg48

didn't have my daily for a month and had to daily commute with the stick M through traffic.

I really enjoy driving stick during the night when there's no one on the roads and I can open it up but!.. I'm truly over 6mt. too much work for no reason. seriously whats the point when the automatic is faster!?

please dont make this a 6mt vs dct thread we all know they're enough of those! just wanted to vent.

Did you try removing the clutch spring?
There is a DIY here
Supposedly makes clutch a lot lighter

[stefan]

Originally Posted by sameh

6MT is not a religion you know

I dunno about that. We all know its slower, and that DCT gives us better performance as well as full control over the gearbox.. and yet.. 6mt persists on the basis of purely intangible factors...

[captainaudio]

I drove an MT in NYC traffic for years and it never bothered me. When I bought my 335i convertible I got a Steptronic just to try something different. I don't miss having a manual at all in that car although I might miss it more if I did not have other cars with manual transmissions to drive.

CA

[Quattro98]

I've driven a manual for 14 years, all of them in Chicago. Driving in traffic was never a problem, it just becomes a reflex & the clutch on my 335i (and my old A4) are very light. I do enjoy the feel of a good rev-matched downshift on my everyday drives, but I ordered my new M3 with the DCT. I like knowing that it will shift both faster and more precisely than I can. I'm also looking forward to being able to concentrate on braking and turn in when at the track. I know that I'll miss the manual, but I only had to drive the DCT once to know that I prefer it. Down the road, I'd like to get a car with a manual to just drive for the fun of it (maybe an E24 M6 or a 993). The DCT is a lot of fun and the speed of the shifts was amazing while the experience of driving a manual is its own pleasure. They both have their own merits, the problem here is that you can only choose one.

[RayC]

I was going to jump in, but realized I'll have better luck teaching my Yorkie to not lick his balls then trying to explain that transmission choice differs from person to person and it's not necessarily that 6MT drivers are "better" than DCT drivers.

M3Post needs an automatic filter for these 6MT vs DCT threads.

[LarThaL]

Originally Posted by stefan

I dunno about that. We all know its slower, and that DCT gives us better performance as well as full control over the gearbox.. and yet.. 6mt persists on the basis of purely intangible factors...

"full control over the gearbox". Sorry, as much as I will acknowlege the superior aspects of DCT, this is not one of them.

I'm sure that over time dual clutch transmissions will be able to emulate the nuances of the human nervous system, but it isn't quite there yet. I have driven the M3, S4, 911, GTR, Cayman and Panamera all with their dual clutch variant and NONE of them afford the level of fine control that a full manual can. Mind you, I have been driving manual transmission vehicles for 28 years.

[dimabimmer]

Originally Posted by piloto

This is like arguing which woman is hotter, the blonde or the brunette. The answer is it's just personal preference, and it's ok to not have a favorite and to switch from one to another. Or go completely off the hook and find a redhead.

The blond is sexy, brunette is intimately sexy

[sameh]

Originally Posted by dimabimmer

The blond is sexy, brunette is intimately sexy

When combined you get

[Eau Rouge]

Originally Posted by OC3

But, it is. Don't you see? Lots of similarities to bible-thumpers...

I like that.

If we're honest, shifting with DCT is actually more akin to religion since shifting is always done on a faith-basis (gear engagement is beyond your control). One's "faith" is placed in the machinery to get the requested (think "prayers") shifts executed in a timely manner with utter efficiency whereas an MT driver "prays" to no mechanical "god" for an up or down shift since his arms and legs will not say "No".

[OC3]

+1 on Ayrton Senna.

BTW, it appears that they do drift in F1 (even if occassionally)
.

[OC3]

Originally Posted by Eau Rouge

I like that.

If we're honest, shifting with DCT is actually more akin to religion since shifting is always done on a faith-basis (gear engagement is beyond your control). One's "faith" is placed in the machinery to get the requested (think "prayers") shifts executed in a timely manner with utter efficiency whereas an MT driver "prays" to no mechanical "god" for an up or down shift since his arms and legs will not say "No".

Misplaced faith...

[GewoW]

Originally Posted by PKL

...ON A TRACK. Otherwise it's more or less just comfort/ease.

DCT shines ON THE TRACK. How many M3 drivers drive on the track? Tell me?

What percentage of ALL E90/E92/E93 owners track their cars???

I do and I would NOT trade my 6MT for DCT anytime.

I'm not racing, I don't care if I'm quicker in DCT. I'm having more fun.

[Nine]

This thread is full of idiots.