hypothetical auto on track question

[buzyg]

have you driven one Buzyg the involvement statement is not true using paddles... you still push or pull to change gear the involvement is the same, you just dont have to use your leg dont get me worng i have no gripes with manuals i have a lotus evora., manual, and a trcak race prepared clio.
it would make zero difference to my enjoyment/involvement on the track in the clio if this was paddle shift or manual, in fact a paddle would be better , as sometimes mid corner it woudl be easier to change gear whilst hanging onto to a serious slide like wise the paddle shift on the evora is fantastic... i think it beats the manual i have... hell my mapped smart roadster had paddle shifts that changed 1/4 second after you pulled the paddle and that was epic, it woudl run rings round a z4 coupe manual on a tight (very extremely tight) twisty with no straights circuit,

"easier".This is the crux of the matter. MR is just a bit too easy on the senses as it is. Alas all the more hard core sports cars I have tried, I either can't fit in, can't afford or can't fix.

Back to the OPs point though an auto may be faster on track and therefore many would get more out of the lap time than the use of a clutch pedal. I'm just not one of those yet.

[D4dawg]

And why in God's name would you want a lazy assed boring as f auto ?

Next time I see you boy

Hahahah ,)

Auto faster than a manual?
Obviously can't heel and toe, as I can go into and out of a corner whilst braking steering and still change gear

Auto I'd rather cut my nuts off than listen to a lazy box change plus never fully in control of car
Auto boxes are simply for those that can't drive manual end of

[firebobby]

And why in God's name would you want a lazy assed boring as f auto ?

Next time I see you boy

Hahahah ,)

Auto faster than a manual?
Obviously can't heel and toe, as I can go into and out of a corner whilst braking steering and still change gear

Auto I'd rather cut my nuts off than listen to a lazy box change plus never fully in control of car
Auto boxes are simply for those that can't drive manual end of

You look like a shire horse with those blinkers on Marc
Horses for courses mate

[Zeld4]

ha ha exactly my point,
have you driven one d4dawg? i dont get why its boring tho..
generally tho when you have a pub discussion with someone, it ends up theve never driven a decent auto, and just go with the flow... mainly because everyone seems to say the same..
this is not a discussion on what personaly opinion is, it was more a fact finding mission.. as in
take your car, stick me in an auto you in the manual same track for a dogfight, why would i lose or not have as much fun?

You say it’s not a discussion on personal opinion when clearly it is. To you the third pedal is an inconvenience so you clearly aren’t into heel toeing, rev matching, pressing all three pedals at the same time whilst changing gear and steering and all the other joys a manual box when mastered brings.
You may well have as much fun in an auto and that’s fine, but clearly there is more involvement with a manual. I don’t think that’s up for debate, the fact you don’t enjoy it doesn’t mean you won’t have less fun and enjoyment it just means people enjoy different things. Some people like cooking on an Aga, others can’t live without a microwave.

[Machine monkey]

ooo er blips on downshifts... now that is one damn good reason to get an smg

Or just use your feet and do it with a manual?

[Machine monkey]

A few years a go I would have been one of the people to say if it isn’t a manual it’s boring!

But I only had my dads old merc auto as reference. Our last 2 family cars have been DSG autos and I wouldn’t dream of getting a manual daily or family car now.

[brillomaster]

manual for track work or weekend driving, but when I'm schlepping to work every day on the motorway, or crawling through town, auto is way more relaxing.

I can see the appeal of an SMG box for track work, proper responsive paddles can be fun. but a normal slushbox on track, definitely not.

[andyj007]

ha ha right o, sorry i never ment it to get to if we like one or the other better, but clearly it did and i certainly added to the fire

i guess what i really ment to ask in my odd way, is what limitations would the auto with paddles have against a manual on the track.
the comment about heel and toe is very valid. impossible with auto. so thats one for the manual,
im not that good to be able to utilise that method, so its actually not going to help me go faster against a auto...
but thats a defo point for the manual for sure...
quite happy to balance sideways sliding on the power, in fact all my track cars have been with normal road tyres rather than track specials its more fun
would the auto let you do this, ie sport mode, manual mode holding the gears? i suppose, if you get to the rev limit it would auto change up anyway or, soes the manual mode hold it..

[brillomaster]

certainly my 335i with the paddles in manual mode, it would still change up when it approached redline. Also all autos I've come across are way too lazy on the downshift - a manual allows you to heel and toe as soon possible on the downshift to keep the revs as high as possible, an autobox downshifting wouldn't put the revs back any where near the red line.

[D4dawg]

Next time I see you boy

Hahahah ,)

Auto faster than a manual?
Obviously can't heel and toe, as I can go into and out of a corner whilst braking steering and still change gear

Auto I'd rather cut my nuts off than listen to a lazy box change plus never fully in control of car
Auto boxes are simply for those that can't drive manual end of

You look like a shire horse with those blinkers on Marc
Horses for courses mate

Hahahah
I taught on track for years buddy
And have never heard or seen anyone rush over to an auto box

[brightonbimmer]

I no longer have my Z4 but would like to comment on paddle shifting and SMG as well. I never got to drive my Z4 on a track or even put it to its limits on the road. My previous car was a Boxster S with Tiptronic transmission, and although the rocker switches were not as easy to operate as paddles, they worked well and I enjoyed using them. I found that I could blast into a tight corner and downshift while at a speed far in excess of what was allowable, resulting in preselecting a gear for accelerating out of the corner without having to change gears while negotiating such corner with both hands and both feet busy. I am sure that the Zed would perform similarly.
re the SMG transmission, that is what I have now in my 2006 M6 coupe. The ratios (7) seem OK, but I find that I have to back off the throttle a bit at each transition in order to get a smoother change. This defeats the purpose of having a potentially fast-changing transmission. I just don't think that having things go "CLUNK" under me is not going to be expensive some day in the future. I have only had the car about six weeks so far, so the novelty has not yet worn off and the fuel bills are still horrendous. Maybe if I can leave that "M" button alone for a while, the consumption may improve a bit. But, it is fun to play with 507 HP, and at age 77 now, in three years or so, I may not be allowed to do so ?
David, in Brighton, ON, Canada

[andyj007]

with 507 HP, and at age 77...
you sir, are my new hero

[D4dawg]

As above hahah

[Paulr]

I no longer have my Z4 but would like to comment on paddle shifting and SMG as well. I never got to drive my Z4 on a track or even put it to its limits on the road. My previous car was a Boxster S with Tiptronic transmission, and although the rocker switches were not as easy to operate as paddles, they worked well and I enjoyed using them. I found that I could blast into a tight corner and downshift while at a speed far in excess of what was allowable, resulting in preselecting a gear for accelerating out of the corner without having to change gears while negotiating such corner with both hands and both feet busy. I am sure that the Zed would perform similarly.
re the SMG transmission, that is what I have now in my 2006 M6 coupe. The ratios (7) seem OK, but I find that I have to back off the throttle a bit at each transition in order to get a smoother change. This defeats the purpose of having a potentially fast-changing transmission. I just don't think that having things go "CLUNK" under me is not going to be expensive some day in the future. I have only had the car about six weeks so far, so the novelty has not yet worn off and the fuel bills are still horrendous. Maybe if I can leave that "M" button alone for a while, the consumption may improve a bit. But, it is fun to play with 507 HP, and at age 77 now, in three years or so, I may not be allowed to do so ?
David, in Brighton, ON, Canada

Sounds like you had an old Wilson Pre-Select gearbox in that Boxter! I jest, they last used those on Routemasters and old Daimlers. Actually I think the Tiptronic is much quicker because it is a dual clutch system, pre-selecting the gears automatically before you do, so it is in the gear already. BMW is a standard single clutch with a mechanical, err, mechanism to change gear instead of you doing it. Or I could be talking cobblers, it has been known.

[NickDE]

The Z4C auto with paddles is a blast on the track. Try it before commenting.