[Mpunk]

Once I got my first stick car, I swore I'd never drive another automatic, certainly not an automated manual. Fast forward a few years and I ended up getting a DCT. Fell in love with the lightning quick shifts and never looked back. And I've only used the manual mode once. So fast forward a little bit and I start shopping for my next vehicle. F80s at my dealer are pretty much all spoken for so getting one for a test drive is difficult. (Would you want the dealer offering your special build F80 to be used as a demo?) Never mind the stick version (ditto for the 340i in stick as well).

So when another dealer had a used F80 with a stick, I jumped at the chance. Embarrassed to say, I stalled pulling out of the lot! And it didn't help that Auto Start-Stop was activated. I let the salesman take over because I was strapped for time and, while he didn't stall, he shifted very roughly (he wasn't power shifting, just shifting fast) and his prior car was a stick Honda Civic. And the sales guy, who is about my height, had to adjust the seat to where his knees were almost touching the steering column, which I would find pretty awkward.

I like to sit almost all the way back and I didn't realize how far the clutch travel is in BMWs. My first stick car was a TL, and with the exception of the first few days of ownership I never stalled in that car as it was very easy to drive. I know they have aftermarket parts that you can install as well as clutch stops and short shift kits but my preference is to keep the driving experience as close to as the manufacturer had intended.

I realize that if I want a 340i or F80 (MY18 at this point) in a stick I'd have to order it. So my question is, are all BMW manuals like this and is the stick 'experience' the same in the 340i as in the F80? I suspect that anyone over 5'8" would have to sit close to the steering wheel, which I hate doing.

My biggest issue when driving my TL was if I had a wrist injury after going to the gym. I remember once I had to wait to drive back to my condo late at night and drive slow and shift with my left hand because my right wrist was so sore. I suspect that I wouldn't be able to do that in either the 340i or F80 if only because of the driving position.

[DCastaneda]

A clutch stop may be what you're looking for to take up some of the travel:

http://www.burgertuning.com/clutch_stop_BMW.html

[anotheran]

BMW manuals are notchy compared to Honda ones. Honda manuals are very forgiving

[Axman85]

Had many manuals and I hate the manual in my 335. It's klunky in 1 and 2nd gear, clutch travel is way to long and it is in consistent when using sport or sport+ versus comfort mode. Have had dealer check it twice in the last year and they say it's normal. For a company that makes performance cars they sure need help on the tranny side. At this point that manual may be the only thing I regret at this point.

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Had many manuals and I hate the manual in my 335. It's klunky in 1 and 2nd gear, clutch travel is way to long and it is in consistent when using sport or sport+ versus comfort mode. Have had dealer check it twice in the last year and they say it's normal. For a company that makes performance cars they sure need help on the tranny side. At this point that manual may be the only thing I regret at this point.

Get a clutch stop. It's the first thing I installed on my E90 and f30

[cmplaya]

6mt and no regrets. its longer throw than my honda short shift but much rather have this than the auto

[Axman85]

Originally Posted by mbanks21

Get a clutch stop. It's the first thing I installed on my E90 and f30

Thought about a clutch stop but have been concerned that it might mess up the clutch and cause premature wear of some sort. Assuming you have one; any issues?

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Thought about a clutch stop but have been concerned that it might mess up the clutch and cause premature wear of some sort. Assuming you have one; any issues?

Never heard /read of a single issue ever

[the dope steez]

I don't mind the 6-speed on my 335. I find it waaaay smoother than my E90 was. the E90 had a clutch delay valve, meaning it was nearly impossible to nail a fast 1-2 shift smoothly.

The clutch travel is bogus, so a clutch stop should be your first mod. After installing I actually found the experience to be quite good. Yes there is a big difference in sport vs. Comfort, but I attribute that to the change in throttle sensitivity, I just leave it in sport and use comfort/Eco only on the highway when I'm not shifting.

I can nail 1-2's power shifting pretty smoothly, and all the way through the gears. Some days are better than others and some days I just don't have it, but overall I am happy with the transmission. I have no experience on Honda boxes though, just bimmer, Audi and toyota

[Axman85]

Going to oder the stop tomorrow and will report back if it's a better experience. Love driving manuals but my first BMW manual, not the car, has been disappointing.

[Mpunk]

A lot of you know Matt Moreman over @Obsessed Garage and so after he announced he was dumping his F80 for a GT350, I emailed him about his thoughts of having owned the E92 M3 6MT vs. his outgoing F80. He wrote that if/when he jumps back into an E92 M3, he said that he'd probably go with a DCT, which I found shocking considering his preference for manuals. I've only experienced the E92 M3 with the DCT so I don't have any reference point, but he did say that the F80 was a lot better (as far as the manual transmission goes).

If you install the clutch stop and short shift kit, would that be an issue for warranty/servicing? Honda manuals are super easy to drive and when I got into a V35 G35 I was surprised to find how heavy and springy the clutch was compared to my TL. The TL definitely dumbed things down for me. The G37 was remarkably easier to shift with a much lighter clutch, no issues of long travel at all.

When the E60 M5 came out with a manual for North America only, a lot of magazines bitched about how the manual wasn't as smooth (as compared with the E39 M5?), ditto for the F10 generation, like BMW's half-assing their manuals if only to get us to choose the automatics? Up until my test drive and subsequent purchase, if I were ordering (I bought mine off the lot) my is I would've ordered it with a stick. But if I could order my car today, knowing what I know now, I would most likely get the DCT since it's that good. Conspiracy perhaps?

[R12ax7]

The clutch stop from BMS (I'd love to hear if anyone knows of a better made alternative) is literally a piece of rubber/plastic - there is no way there would be an issue for warranty service. I have had it installed on my current and previous F30 from day one and never took it out.

Definitely recommend trying it out (especially for just $10). But like i said, you could probably cobble one together from Home Depot for about the same price. Here is the BMS link: http://www.burgertuning.com/clutch_stop_BMW.html

[Axman85]

Just ordered it and will give it a try. Did you leave all the washers in there or remove one? Saw another thread where people were inclined to take at least one washer out.

[mbanks21]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Just ordered it and will give it a try. Did you leave all the washers in there or remove one? Saw another thread where people were inclined to take at least one washer out.

I took one out but it's all personal preference

[the dope steez]

Originally Posted by Axman85

Just ordered it and will give it a try. Did you leave all the washers in there or remove one? Saw another thread where people were inclined to take at least one washer out.

I liked the travel with all of them in there, but it was clear the clutch was very slightly engaged with all of the washers in use. I would get a very small lurch forward on startup, so I had to remove one of the washers.

[donkey]

I'm surprised there's no recommendations for the ultimate clutch pedal, it doesn't seem to be a popular mod on these forums.

I don't like the idea of putting a $10 part behind the clutch pedal to bandaid a problem that has a fix, although I'm sure the clutch stop does help.

I'll probably end up doing both the UCP and short throw kit but I'm not actually unhappy with the way my manual works. Definitely room for some improvement, but not as bad as some other cars I've driven, and still way better than an auto

[Axman85]

Installed the clutch stop yesterday with two washers and my first impression is that I'm driving a completely different car. After 50k miles without it, it's definitely different. I feel like a part of my leg just got chopped off. Definitely an improvement.