I hate manuals though. I prefer to not have to do the clutch shift dance a thousand times and hour in traffic for example. Yeah they are cheaper and easier to repair...but I will take an automatic any day. I know some people like them in "performance" cars etc but even if I had a Ferrari I would still want it to come sans clutch pedal.
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What are some cars with "semi-auto" transmissions?
- Thread starter GlassBullet
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I hate manuals though. I prefer to not have to do the clutch shift dance a thousand times and hour in traffic for example. Yeah they are cheaper and easier to repair...but I will take an automatic any day. I know some people like them in "performance" cars etc but even if I had a Ferrari I would still want it to come sans clutch pedal.
Either get a pure manual or automatic. In any case be appreciative that your parents are buying you a car at all.
Just learn to drive a manual.
Even the nicest double clutch systems out there (say on the newest 911 Turbo) still won't do what I want, when I want. Often they'll flat out refuse to shift when you tell it to shift. While having a near instant shift is nice, it doesn't do you a lot of good on the track when it won't shift down until you're already out of the turn despite having mashed the paddle a dozen times before going into it.
Even the nicest double clutch systems out there (say on the newest 911 Turbo) still won't do what I want, when I want. Often they'll flat out refuse to shift when you tell it to shift. While having a near instant shift is nice, it doesn't do you a lot of good on the track when it won't shift down until you're already out of the turn despite having mashed the paddle a dozen times before going into it.
Why are people saying that most cars have this feature? Maybe NEW cars, but certainly not old. The technology is fairly new, I believe it was installed in some cars in 2000.
It's called tiptronic, and not ALL cars have it.
Personally, I don't think it's a substitute to a manual transmission at all. Driving standard myself, I've driven tiptronic and find it stupid.
It's called tiptronic, and not ALL cars have it.
Personally, I don't think it's a substitute to a manual transmission at all. Driving standard myself, I've driven tiptronic and find it stupid.
Like it or not double-clutch gearboxes are here to stay, and will eventually replace both manuals and autos, for good reason. They are superior in every respect.
I understand some people want a physical clutch pedal, but there is no technical or performance reason that requires it, be it for normal street driving or high performance driving. Anyone who thinks a double-clutch gearbox has lag like a fluid-coupled, torque-converting gear box either hasn't driven one, or doesn't know what they are talking about, or they are confusing it with the CVT transmissions that have appeared on a few cars.
If you understand what a double-clutch gearbox is and how it works in principle, you'll understand why it has no lag (by design) and why it is superior from a performance standpoint. There's a reason they come equipped in cars like the BMW M3, Porsche 911, Lancer Evo, Ferrari, Lambo, and so on.
I understand some people want a physical clutch pedal, but there is no technical or performance reason that requires it, be it for normal street driving or high performance driving. Anyone who thinks a double-clutch gearbox has lag like a fluid-coupled, torque-converting gear box either hasn't driven one, or doesn't know what they are talking about, or they are confusing it with the CVT transmissions that have appeared on a few cars.
If you understand what a double-clutch gearbox is and how it works in principle, you'll understand why it has no lag (by design) and why it is superior from a performance standpoint. There's a reason they come equipped in cars like the BMW M3, Porsche 911, Lancer Evo, Ferrari, Lambo, and so on.
A Tiptronic is Porsche's normal fluid-coupled, torque converter transmission. It's just a normal auto with manual gear selection, and is not what we are talking about in terms of semi-auto manuals. Porsche's double clutch gearbox is called the PDK, short for Porsche Doppel Kupplungen.
Tiptronic is just a fancy name for a regular old slushbox.
If you have problems downshifting a sequential or double-clutch gearbox on a track, then you are trying to downshift it with the revs too high to successfully complete the shift without over-revving. The car is just protecting you from driving it wrong and damaging the engine (what we like to call a money shift on a manual). I've driven an M3 (my own), an M5, and an M6 all with SMG on a track. I never once had a missed downshift unless I was in too high a rev range.
There is a reason that they're on F1 cars. But the transmission programming on a F1 car is nothing like what is on your factory M3, 911, Evo, Ferrari, or Lamborghini. All of those factory cars have in-built protection designed to keep idiots from destroying the engine or the transmission, and as such will always fight the drivers command to some extent.
k my bad then? lol...
I don't know much, but what I posted is what I learned over the years...
Comparing to a F1 tranny is apples/oranges. They are their own animal and have more in common with motorcycle transmissions than anything we're talking about. Steve Machett did a "RPM" (Racing Per Machett) session explaining how they work on one of the Speed F1 broadcasts.
You are the only person I've ever heard make this claim about double-clutch gearboxes fighting the driver. I call B.S. and think it's more likely you're just trying to downshift before you've reduced speed enough. The gearbox computer is just saving you from over-revving and destroying the engine. So yeah, they'll fight you from destroying your engine. That's a good thing that it's impossible to do a money shift on these gearboxes.
Where do you track, and for how long have you been doing it?