[pcbrew]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Will prob drive a e90 328 manual thursday before i place my order, just to confirm.

You should also drive an F10 with ZF8 and Sport-Auto to compare.

[Bimmerlover76]

Manual, all day! Also, I'm only about 95% sure, but didn't they opt not to use the DCT for the new 3er? Please correct me if I'm wrong. Nothing, except traffic jams, makes the manual a poor choice. I'm assuming that it'll retain the smooth shifting and with the HP and torque upgrades? Awesome!

[mundo74]

I have a 335 manual and it's fun most of the time. I don't hit traffic. Anyways I am looking at getting the f30 with the auto. I wish it was a dct but I thing the auto is closing the gap on the dct. I have never owned a auto. But my next car will be auto or dct.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by mundo74

I have a 335 manual and it's fun most of the time. I don't hit traffic. Anyways I am looking at getting the f30 with the auto. I wish it was a dct but I thing the auto is closing the gap on the dct. I have never owned a auto. But my next car will be auto or dct.

Yea, this new ZF will be sweet for sure. How is the manual on your 335? did you do that cdv delete?

[richb811]

The 8 speed will be awesome, I'd still take the manual though.

I've never had a problem with shifting in traffic. Keeps me awake

[mundo74]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Yea, this new ZF will be sweet for sure. How is the manual on your 335? did you do that cdv delete?

No cdv delete. Been driving driving manuals all my life. The manual on the 335 is great but it for me it's no different than my e30 and e36manuals. Autos will show much more improvement as more development $ are spent there due to volume vs manuals. btw I think the 3 pedal manual has matured in its product cycle.

[pruettfan]

Love MT but because of my physical condition I have to stick with AT. Would love to have a DCT option which I suspect may happen down the road

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

What are you guys planning on going with? At first i was 100% going manual(never owned one before and think it would be a blast). But the ZF 8speed sounds nice, especially with the sport auto option and paddles.

Has anyone driven this ZF 8speed? If so, how was it? I had a zf6 speed in my 335 and it was quick, but i think it could get quicker(mainly me shifting..)

Still will probably go with the manual, but just wanted to see what others were thinking. I threw a poll up too. My guess would be 70-30 auto manual.

I'm sure the new 8spd will be as quick to up and down shift as the current 6spd. But, 8 gears is simply too many to comfortably use in manual mode.
Some of the reviews said that in auto mode it's not the smoothest shifting auto trans. Hopefully that's just a matter of the adaptive system getting used to the driver.

My vote is for the DCT, which is a major over sight on BMW's part.
The current DCT in the 1 series is a 7 speed. I can't see how the 8spd could be any more efficient.
The DCT7 just needs some gear ratios changes to make it a better fit for a a 3 series sedan. It needs a proper over drive gear or two and it would probably me even more efficient than the slush box 8.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Nice. Anyone think that CDV mod will need to be done to the F30?

Also, good to see some others choosing manual(even ho manual will only make up about 10% of all f30).

Users who currently own a manual bmw, what are your thoughts? How does it comapre to other manuals? This will be my first(tho i know how to drive 6spd), excited lol.

I didn't 'need' to remove the CDV in my 135i or my A4 MT or the E46 MT.
Adding a clutch stop to my 135i and the E46 make a nice difference as BMW clutch travel is nice, but there is a good bit of "dead" travel that doesn't need to be there.
Maybe BMW removed that on the new MT's.

Of course, I haven't driven the new one yet, and I haven't read anything about it.
Have you read any reviews on the new 6spd?
Is it 'new'? Or will it be the same as the current one?

I'll bet that the take rate for the MT will be even less for the new F30.
That's just my feeling.
I think a lot of people will be enamored with the "more is more" mentality given the new auto has 8 gears, which is 2 MORE than the last one.

I'm not a fan of constantly changing gears in automatics and with 8 gears to choose from this trans will be busier than a 1 legged man in an a$$ kicking contest.

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by mundo74

I have a 335 manual and it's fun most of the time. I don't hit traffic. Anyways I am looking at getting the f30 with the auto. I wish it was a dct but I thing the auto is closing the gap on the dct. I have never owned a auto. But my next car will be auto or dct.

Well, the current ZF 6spd auto does not close the gap compared to the 7spd DCT. The DCT is a superior "automatic" for sport driving.
A slushbox ZF is quick and smooth, but the DCT is much more responsive and engages like a MT.

Smooth take offs and crawling in traffic as the domain of the slushbox auto as the torque converter smooths out engine power to wheel transfer.
DCT can be rougher and not so smooth. MT can be very smooth in traffic it's up to the driver.
Shift speed up AND down goes to the DCT.
Being in the right gear for the turn goes to the MT and DCT.

DCT is the best compromise between MT and TorqueC auto for a performance driving experience.

[mundo74]

Originally Posted by RPM90

Well, the current ZF 6spd auto does not close the gap compared to the 7spd DCT. The DCT is a superior "automatic" for sport driving.
A slushbox ZF is quick and smooth, but the DCT is much more responsive and engages like a MT.

Smooth take offs and crawling in traffic as the domain of the slushbox auto as the torque converter smooths out engine power to wheel transfer.
DCT can be rougher and not so smooth. MT can be very smooth in traffic it's up to the driver.
Shift speed up AND down goes to the DCT.
Being in the right gear for the turn goes to the MT and DCT.

DCT is the best compromise between MT and TorqueC auto for a performance driving experience.

I agree that is why i still ultimately want the m5 DCT. But you must admit that the autos now are not the same as 10 yrs ago

[RPM90]

Originally Posted by mundo74

I agree that is why i still ultimately want the m5 DCT. But you must admit that the autos now are not the same as 10 yrs ago

I absolutely agree that modern slushboxes are way more advanced that 10yrs ago.
As well, dual clutch automatics are a very modern high tech piece of performance hardware.

As I said slushboxes are the smoothest, but dual clutches are the best performance automatics.
It's too bad that BMW doesn't offer the DCT for the sport line

I hope the new manuals have shorter throws and a better feeling clutch at least for the sport line models.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by RPM90

I absolutely agree that modern slushboxes are way more advanced that 10yrs ago.
As well, dual clutch automatics are a very modern high tech piece of performance hardware.

As I said slushboxes are the smoothest, but dual clutches are the best performance automatics.
It's too bad that BMW doesn't offer the DCT for the sport line

I hope the new manuals have shorter throws and a better feeling clutch at least for the sport line models.

The shifter looks a lot smaller than the e90(from the photos i have seen) hope it stays that way

[justinnum1]

Well, just ordered it, and what do you know...I went with the Auto sport lol...I had every intention of ordering manual but after driving the z4 28i with 8speedZF i was hooked. No lie, fastest shifts i have seen in a car. I have driven dct, and its just as fast. Still a slim chance i change back to manual, have a few weeks before the car goes into production. But for right now, had to choose the auto.

[jzcrna]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Well, just ordered it, and what do you know...I went with the Auto sport lol...I had every intention of ordering manual but after driving the z4 28i with 8speedZF i was hooked. No lie, fastest shifts i have seen in a car. I have driven dct, and its just as fast. Still a slim chance i change back to manual, have a few weeks before the car goes into production. But for right now, had to choose the auto.

way to go!! the sport auto in the BMW blows my TL away. congrats!!

[iwannabimmer]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Well, just ordered it, and what do you know...I went with the Auto sport lol...I had every intention of ordering manual but after driving the z4 28i with 8speedZF i was hooked. No lie, fastest shifts i have seen in a car. I have driven dct, and its just as fast. Still a slim chance i change back to manual, have a few weeks before the car goes into production. But for right now, had to choose the auto.

Ha ha ha, too funny. So you did have fun with the 8speed auto, eh? Did it have the paddle shifters?

People forget that this auto is not just a regular slushbox. The fun of the manual is you can shift and that gives you a sense of control. But the same can be done with modern autos, especially this one from BMW. One can shift and have fun with the 8speed auto either via the stick or the paddles - it is still fun.

What other options did you end up ordering btw? And how does the N20 I-4 feel in the Z4?

[praxis219]

Originally Posted by RPM90

I absolutely agree that modern slushboxes are way more advanced that 10yrs ago.
As well, dual clutch automatics are a very modern high tech piece of performance hardware.

As I said slushboxes are the smoothest, but dual clutches are the best performance automatics.
It's too bad that BMW doesn't offer the DCT for the sport line

I hope the new manuals have shorter throws and a better feeling clutch at least for the sport line models.

After being spoiled by DCT, I can never go back...

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by iwannabimmer

Ha ha ha, too funny. So you did have fun with the 8speed auto, eh? Did it have the paddle shifters?

People forget that this auto is not just a regular slushbox. The fun of the manual is you can shift and that gives you a sense of control. But the same can be done with modern autos, especially this one from BMW. One can shift and have fun with the 8speed auto either via the stick or the paddles - it is still fun.

What other options did you end up ordering btw? And how does the N20 I-4 feel in the Z4?

Yea, it had the paddles with sport shit...super quick shifts...much quiker than the ZF in my 335.

The n20 felt awesome, tons of torque.

only option i am getting are sportline, leather, and premium sound.

[sbw]

Manual = more fun, more control.

[justinnum1]

I guess my vote should be change from manual to auto...but still...nice showing for manual. I'd be surious to see if anyone else goes there intending to get manual, then try the auto, then switch. Either way, the manual in the e90 i tried was buuuuuuuter smooth

[iwannabimmer]

Originally Posted by justinnum1

Yea, it had the paddles with sport shit...super quick shifts...much quiker than the ZF in my 335.

The n20 felt awesome, tons of torque.

only option i am getting are sportline, leather, and premium sound.

Is the engine loud? How was the auto if you didn't use the paddles?

I see you ended up with the leather.

Originally Posted by sbw

Manual = more fun, more control.

Paddles give you the same fun and control.

[justinnum1]

Originally Posted by iwannabimmer

Is the engine loud? How was the auto if you didn't use the paddles?

I see you ended up with the leather.



Paddles give you the same fun and control.

The z4 has a sport exhaust so i could hear it...not sure how its going to sound in the F30. Didn't really test the auto. I did realize when i was in sport mode(which is the same as sport+ except WITH traction on) is that when you nudge it over to manual mode, it goes right into manual mode, it doesnt go into DS, which im guess is now replace with just "D" except when you are in sport mode, it will always shift sporty.(sorry if thats confusing.) The thing pulls hard in 2nd, much much harder than the N52 in my 328i.

Other neat thing i noticed, was when i came to a stop in manual mode, the car goes into 1st. The zf in my 335 always went into second when i stopped(which wasnt really an issue with the N54 motor) but i like that it goes to 1st. It did downshift gears pretty quickly, going from like 8to3 i was impressed. Upshifts are super quick, noticeably quicker than the ZF in my 335.

Yea, was going to get red leather, ended up getting black. WHile ordering the dealer said the only way he was able to build with black leather, was i had to also get the fold down rear seats$475. I will be taking care of that bullshit monday.