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Has anyone driven a sequential (clutchless) manual?

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    Has anyone driven a sequential (clutchless) manual?

    I was just thinking about those "sequential" manual gearboxes that are coming out now. Has anyone driven one yet? What are they like? Not the "autostick" automatic that can be shifted manually, but the manual transmission with an automatic clutch. Ferrari's had them for years now, but they're starting to show up in slightly cheaper cars. I think BMW has one now, and maybe Audi or VW? I think the little Smart over in Europe also has one. Anyone know anything about them?
    ~Mark.
    2002 Protege DX 5 speed, "Kenmore White," well-loved and a little over half paid-for

    #2
    i driven somthing like it but mine was a stall converter tranny on the truck its a 4200 stall so i shift anywhere higher then that
    i is dumb

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      #3
      Yep..

      I used to work at the autoport(where all the cars come in off the boat from germany) and i've driven a bunch of the BMW M3 SMG's (Sequential Manual Gearbox), as well as the new 330i/ci which has the option for one too. They're.....different. Kinda unnerving in the way that it still acts like a standard but you cant control the clutch so that takes some adjusting to. Like for example backing out of a tight spot you had to be careful on the gas cause there seemed to be a fine line between doing it in a controlled way or jerking back unexpectedly. Basically, getting used to the fact you cant control the clutch as precisely. Also when going through a parking lot at low speed (1st) gear they would sometimes start jerking around on you and start ""bucking" for lack of a better word. Kinda like it was on the edge of stalling. Personally i'd attribute it to the extra power etc because I only experienced this on the M3's, the 330's were nice really smooth. But other than that they are handy in the fact that you can just hold you foot to the floor and tap the shifter down to shift and thats it. The system also blips the throttle between shifts to keep the revs in the perfect place.
      But yeah I dont know if thats what you were lookin for or not lol. Anything else specific I might be able to help with.

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        #4
        Apparently the Toyota MRS now has this option as well, a few months ago I look for a review and couldn't find any.
        Dan
        dreesemonkey

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          #5
          vw had this 30 years ago on the beetle.
          do did porsche, on its 914's.
          its nothing new, and definitly not expensive to do. hell if the beetle had it anyways.
          find it, **** it, forget it

          Comment


            #6
            it's expensive if you want it to work right, feel decent, and hold real power.


            CVTs and stuff like this work fine when you have 40 hp. Not so much with big power.
            "Never run out of real estate, traction & ideas at the same time"
            -93 MR2, 129 ES
            ClubProtege.com Tech Articles

            Originally posted by WTF
            Remember low compression makes more space for AIR, HEEELLOOOO!

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              #7
              I had the chance to drive the m3 SMG on one of the road courses. They have the sequential shifting tranny, and paddle shifters. Its pretty cool. Never have to take your hands off the wheel, and the shifts are fast and clean.
              Eat ****.

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                #8
                I remember those old VW "sportmatics," and hated them; that's why I was wondering whether the new breed were any better. IIRC they didn't have a normal clutch, it was more like a torque converter. The newer ones have a normal clutch that's electronically controlled, right?
                ~Mark.
                2002 Protege DX 5 speed, "Kenmore White," well-loved and a little over half paid-for

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                  #9
                  Yeah, the new ones are like a manual with some gadgets in them to be motor operated, I believe. There are new "dual-clutch" systems coming out that are even more efficient... I think Ford said they plan to put them in mass production by 2010. I gotta read up more on it though.
                  2006 Mazda 3 hatchback manual

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by 91ProtegeLX
                    I had the chance to drive the m3 SMG on one of the road courses. They have the sequential shifting tranny, and paddle shifters. Its pretty cool. Never have to take your hands off the wheel, and the shifts are fast and clean.
                    the SMG has a clutch. it's just actuated by the computers, instead of your foot.
                    "Never run out of real estate, traction & ideas at the same time"
                    -93 MR2, 129 ES
                    ClubProtege.com Tech Articles

                    Originally posted by WTF
                    Remember low compression makes more space for AIR, HEEELLOOOO!

                    Comment

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