Just drove DCT and Manual back to back Feedback Below.

[Carcollector212]

Ill make this as simple as possible with the throttle pedal to the floor the DCT offered ZERO power reduction and went into gear so quick it broke tires loose up to 4th gear with the Manual i wasn't getting that exact same feel. Even the sales person said how much different both cars reacted and i was driving exactly the same on the same roads.

Granted i wasn't abusing the manual car because the clutch was brand new , only 6 miles on the car and this may have been a huge factor in my review because until the clutch is proper broken in there will be slippage hence the lack of breaking the back end loose.

[Carcollector212]

Originally Posted by sandwi54

My 2012 328i has the crappiest auto gearbox I've ever driven in a car. It hesitates incessantly and does not shift when I want it to, or shifts when I don't want it to. The shifting is also very harsh, especially in the lower gears. Everytime it goes from 2nd to 1st, I feel like someone has just rear-ended me. I have been told it's the result of the torque converter locking/unlocking abruptly.

My wife's 2014 328i is a lot better however and the shifting is much smoother. I guess BMW made an improvement in the torque converter. Nevertheless, manual is still the way to go for me.

my assistants car is a 2012, the trans is AWFUL

[solstice]

It can't be a surprise that the DCT has less power interruption and doesn't offer the exact same feel as an MT? It's kind of the point of the options. That the DCT is faster and that the MT offers a very different experience.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by CSanto

Yet you still think the manual doesn't feel good. The 1M's manual is great, everyone who I know whose had one or driven one feels the same. It still doesn't have Porsche clutch feel and engagement but it's a good box.

It would make sense beacuse the f8x manual is based off the 1M transmission.

I think OP is just an auto guy no offense.

Btw GT3 better have a better gearbox. Quite the comparrison.

[RingMeister01]

[JoeFromPA]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

Ill make this as simple as possible with the throttle pedal to the floor the DCT offered ZERO power reduction and went into gear so quick it broke tires loose up to 4th gear with the Manual i wasn't getting that exact same feel. Even the sales person said how much different both cars reacted and i was driving exactly the same on the same roads.

Granted i wasn't abusing the manual car because the clutch was brand new , only 6 miles on the car and this may have been a huge factor in my review because until the clutch is proper broken in there will be slippage hence the lack of breaking the back end loose.

My m3 broke loose the tires in 3rd gear at 3000 going wot on a straight road the other day. IN GEAR (so no gear transition/power shock involved).

Let me ask something from a different perspective: Did you drive the DCT gently at all? Or was it full throttle the entire time?

I found the DCT excellent - if removed feeling - in full throttle. What made me despise it was the low speed action.

...

I'm not trying to persuade you one way or another. It's your choice and preference. Your MT experience just sounds off to me. Notchy gear selection, etc. are just not the MT experience in this car.

Also, when I say light clutch pedal, I mean it. But it's very tactile too. My e39 m5 had a heavier clutch with far less tactility - and that gearbox was much more of a muscle car gearbox.

[Carcollector212]

Originally Posted by solstice

It can't be a surprise that the DCT has less power interruption and doesn't offer the exact same feel as an MT? It's kind of the point of the options. That the DCT is faster and that the MT offers a very different experience.

it is very cool to have these two gearbox options and they are two entirely different experiences. Overall the DCT excited me more with the ease of breaking traction and the fast revs on downshifts etc. Maybe il drive back and take the M6 out one more time with a different attitude but it was great to spend an hour in each car back to back.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

it is very cool to have these two gearbox options and they are two entirely different experiences. Overall the DCT excited me more with the ease of breaking traction and the fast revs on downshifts etc. Maybe il drive back and take the M6 out one more time with a different attitude but it was great to spend an hour in each car back to back.

Leave the 6mt in sport instead of plus and youll get the rev matches just like the dct and the vette.

Sport+ removes it for heel-toe track guys.

[Carcollector212]

Originally Posted by JoeFromPA

My m3 broke loose the tires in 3rd gear at 3000 going wot on a straight road the other day. IN GEAR (so no gear transition/power shock involved).

Let me ask something from a different perspective: Did you drive the DCT gently at all? Or was it full throttle the entire time?

I found the DCT excellent - if removed feeling - in full throttle. What made me despise it was the low speed action.

...

I'm not trying to persuade you one way or another. It's your choice and preference. Your MT experience just sounds off to me. Notchy gear selection, etc. are just not the MT experience in this car.

Also, when I say light clutch pedal, I mean it. But it's very tactile too. My e39 m5 had a heavier clutch with far less tactility - and that gearbox was much more of a muscle car gearbox.

DCT i cruised at very low speeds to see how smooth it was and it was very smooth. then i literally drove it flat out for the rest of my drive

the manual i cruised around a bit then drove it flat out as well.

i liked both of them for different reasons almost wish i could have one of each but that would be ridiculous.

I honestly prefer a heavier clutch feel in a car thats just the way i like it.

[Carcollector212]

Originally Posted by dmk08

Leave the 6mt in sport instead of plus and youll get the rev matches just like the dct and the vette.

Sport+ removes it for heel-toe track guys.

Now this is good to know i had no idea nor did the sales person. I kept both cars in Sport + not knowing this. I think this means i must take the 6m for another drive.

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

Now this is good to know i had no idea nor did the sales person. I kept both cars in Sport + not knowing this. I think this means i must take the 6m for another drive.

The auto rev match will probably help with the notchy feeling.

[RingMeister01]

The weight on the F8X clutch isn't the problem. It's the engagement.

What makes positive engagement?

Being able to sense the clutch point consistently with the ball of you foot.

Having an inch or two of foot travel from just brushing the discs to full engagement not on and off.

Engagement point should be somewhere in the middle of the clutch travel. Not at the very bottom or top (like every BMW clutch since the E46)

Besides this the ratio and box are spot on!

Just my .02

[shortseller]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

Now this is good to know i had no idea nor did the sales person. I kept both cars in Sport + not knowing this. I think this means i must take the 6m for another drive.

Originally Posted by dmk08

The auto rev match will probably help with the notchy feeling.

Ding, ding, ding! +1

[kitesurfer]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

Now this is good to know i had no idea nor did the sales person. I kept both cars in Sport + not knowing this. I think this means i must take the 6m for another drive.

Do report back curious if this will change you opinion. However, if your a track guy, like most you'll probably prefer to go old school and heel/toe at the track

[rsr racer]

Originally Posted by Carcollector212

Ill make this as simple as possible with the throttle pedal to the floor the DCT offered ZERO power reduction and went into gear so quick it broke tires loose up to 4th gear with the Manual i wasn't getting that exact same feel. Even the sales person said how much different both cars reacted and i was driving exactly the same on the same roads.

Granted i wasn't abusing the manual car because the clutch was brand new , only 6 miles on the car and this may have been a huge factor in my review because until the clutch is proper broken in there will be slippage hence the lack of breaking the back end loose.

what? "until it is broken in there will be slippage"? what?

clearly you do not have a clue as to what you are speaking about.

i smoked the tires right out of the dealer lot. the only slipping was the tires ...all the way up to fourth gear...

let me make it more simple for you.... you do not know how to drive a 6 MT

now that is simple.

[walsh]

To give a little bit of history, this is my 12th car (that's a separate problem) and only the second that isn't a MT. The other was a C63 and I didn't have an option. That being said, I love MTs and have always hated automatics. I love my car with the the DCT although I haven't been able to to put my finger on why this is but here's my thoughts.

With the F80/2 M3/4, when I get into one that doesn't have the DCT my thought is damn it's missing something. Where with the outgoing e90/2 my feelings were the exact opposite, as they are with most other cars. I ordered my e92 M3 with a MT and loved every minute of it. When designing a car a large part of its character is determined by pairing it with the proper transmission (proper gear ratios, etc). I feel a lot of time was spent with this car and the DCT to get the power delivery correct, and the MT was more of an after thought. Granted this is all speculation as I have no idea how much time BMW engineers spent on either transmission, but I know the MT left me desiring more.

As I said earlier, I hate automatics, but I wouldn't classify DCTs as autos. To me thery'e a completely different beast and can be a blast to drive. They don't leave you with that disconnected feeling that leaves me on the brink of vommiting every time I drive a performance car that was outfitted with an automatic transmission. There has never been a debate regarding the performance benefits of a DCT transmission, they have always been regarding how fun they are to drive and the connection with the car. For the first time I find myself saying that a car with a DCT is fun to drive, and has that connected feeling. Props to BMW for advancing this technology and doing an awesome job with the M4.

Or maybe I'm just getting old....

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by walsh

Or maybe I'm just getting old....

Well, I am old and I love my 6MT. In 15 BMWs, it is by far the best manual trans that I have driven. It took me a little while to get used to it, but I now think the auto-rev matching is great. I haven't driven the DCT, so I don't know if it would be more fun and more connected, but I do know the 6MT is just fine

[dmk08]

Originally Posted by walsh

To give a little bit of history, this is my 12th car (that's a separate problem) and only the second that isn't a MT. The other was a C63 and I didn't have an option. That being said, I love MTs and have always hated automatics. I love my car with the the DCT although I haven't been able to to put my finger on why this is but here's my thoughts.

With the F80/2 M3/4, when I get into one that doesn't have the DCT my thought is damn it's missing something. Where with the outgoing e90/2 my feelings were the exact opposite, as they are with most other cars. I ordered my e92 M3 with a MT and loved every minute of it. When designing a car a large part of its character is determined by pairing it with the proper transmission (proper gear ratios, etc). I feel a lot of time was spent with this car and the DCT to get the power delivery correct, and the MT was more of an after thought. Granted this is all speculation as I have no idea how much time BMW engineers spent on either transmission, but I know the MT left me desiring more.

As I said earlier, I hate automatics, but I wouldn't classify DCTs as autos. To me thery'e a completely different beast and can be a blast to drive. They don't leave you with that disconnected feeling that leaves me on the brink of vommiting every time I drive a performance car that was outfitted with an automatic transmission. There has never been a debate regarding the performance benefits of a DCT transmission, they have always been regarding how fun they are to drive and the connection with the car. For the first time I find myself saying that a car with a DCT is fun to drive, and has that connected feeling. Props to BMW for advancing this technology and doing an awesome job with the M4.

Or maybe I'm just getting old....

I think youre getting old too. Dct is definitely an auto. Doubtful the 6mt was an afterthought.

[MaynardZed]

I had to get a manual. I tried the auto, but it would only work in the daytime "D" mode. In nighttime mode "N" it wouldn't go anywhere, the engine just revs and revs?

[Carcollector212]

Originally Posted by rsr racer

what? "until it is broken in there will be slippage"? what?

clearly you do not have a clue as to what you are speaking about.

i smoked the tires right out of the dealer lot. the only slipping was the tires ...all the way up to fourth gear...

let me make it more simple for you.... you do not know how to drive a 6 MT

now that is simple.

I have to laugh and its obvious you must been in your teens or early 20's to make such a post. If you had experience owning and building race cars for 30+ years you would know a brand new clutch single or multi disc is not supposed to be abused until the matting surfaces are broken in properly otherwise you will never get the full bite. common sense overall and i would never drive the car as your describing off the dealers lot because i respect cars and would never abuse a car that wasn't mine. My comments are just my feedback and take them as you will, i know how to drive manuals just fine.

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

I had to get a manual. I tried the auto, but it would only work in the daytime "D" mode. In nighttime mode "N" it wouldn't go anywhere, the engine just revs and revs?

Yeah, but in the race mode "R" it really flies

[Carcollector212]

FYI i am testing the 6m again tomorrow il report back with the car in Sport mode not Sport + on the street.