Hackable cars

[caperix]

As a hardcore manual transmission fan, I will admit the newest dual clutch transmissions are starting to win me over.  If you have not had a chance to drive one, I would give it a try. They shift very fast and smooth.  I work at a BMW dealer as a tech, so I have had a chance to see how they are holding up.  Other then a few leaks they have been very trouble free.  Something that can not be said about the SMG gearboxes.  They are still electronic & still have alot more that can go wrong then a 3 pedal setup, but I see them as a good alternative to a slush box auto.

[ducpainter]

As a hardcore manual transmission fan, I will admit the newest dual clutch transmissions are starting to win me over.  If you have not had a chance to drive one, I would give it a try. They shift very fast and smooth.  I work at a BMW dealer as a tech, so I have had a chance to see how they are holding up.  Other then a few leaks they have been very trouble free.  Something that can not be said about the SMG gearboxes.  They are still electronic & still have alot more that can go wrong then a 3 pedal setup, but I see them as a good alternative to a slush box auto.

Maybe the one in the BMW is good.

The one in the Ford products of the '13-'14 era really sucked. I owned one.

[caperix]

Maybe the one in the BMW is good.

The one in the Ford products of the '13-'14 era really sucked. I owned one.

Interesting, they are both manufactured by Getrag, so I would have expected similar performance. Was it shift quality or reliability or both?

[MendoDave]

I have one in a Mercedes and I had one in a chrysler 300. Both of them work just fine. Slush box they are not.

I would say they offer the best of both worlds. If you have ever driven the streets of San Fran or Seattle, a manual is less desireable, and of course Stop & go traffic on the freeway.

[ducpainter]

Interesting, they are both manufactured by Getrag, so I would have expected similar performance. Was it shift quality or reliability or both?

Shift quality...I guess I'd call it. Sometimes it wouldn't, and it would shudder and rattle like it was stuck between gears. If you left a stop sign you were taking your life in your hands. It was like driving a 70's vintage car with the very first emission controls...it would fall flat on it's face. The car was in the shop several times for software updates and a new clutch. It only lasted a few thousand miles before it started happening all over again.

I doubt it was the transmission itself. Most likely the controls/software were reverse engineered to meet a price. Rarely works out.

[Raux]

And as we know software is everything ask the motogp guys

[the_Journeyman]

I've read two or three news stories of people breaking into cars and then, after 5 minutes of trying to figure out what the hell the stick shift is and why there are 3 pedals, they give up and leave.

Mine has a manual AND a choke.  Super security. 

I learned what to do with shifters on a '67 John Deere. 

JM