hell no to paddle shifting

 

The BMW SMG has like 6 modes. Like I said, you have to drive it in "race" mode.

I've driven the F360 Modena F1 and the E46 SMG and both are very, very fun. And the new BMW SMG and F1 in the F430 are supposed to be much, much better.

F430 shift speed = 150 milliseconds (same as an Enzo)

Imagine coming into a turn, braking, flicking a paddle and, in 150ms, you are match-revved and downshifted and entering the turn. You have both hands on the wheel, gripping tightly and helping your left leg on the dead pedal to push your entire body back into your seat so that you don't slide out of it from the incredible lateral g's that your body is experiencing as your engine whales at nearly 9000RPM.

OMG.

 

The only "Tiptronic" style transmission I've ever experienced was the one in a Volvo I test-drove a couple of years ago. Mushy and un-inspiring. And when I pushed the RPMs up, it went ahead and shifted for me, anyway.

But if Honda ever added something like you describe... yeah, sign me up.

 

I have an SMGII M3 as my daily driver...and I love it. Then again, a big reason I got it was b/c I was keeping the S and knew that BMW's manual tranny was simply not going to compare with the best in the biz. The SMG was a good compromise. Plus, it makes things a LOT easier in bumper-2-bumper traffic -- which I spend 2 hrs in each day.

Also, don't be fooled into thinking that SMG's auto mode is anything close to a real auto. It isn't. It's jerky, unpredictable and downright annoying. In fact, it sucks so bad that I never even use it unless I'm REALLY desperate (i.e. on the phone or with a cup of coffee in my hand).

 

Not a shred of argument here...on the track, this would be -inspiring. My lack of enthusiasm was purely tied to streetability.

 

people have to remember that many f1 drivers said the same thing about paddle shifters and sequential gearboxes over a deacde ago but now you can't imagine a f1 car without it. drivers in europe and japan have embraced it and if i'm not mistaken bmw made a manual M5 for america because for people like the members on this board who don't want it in the S2K. but what i don't get if members here make fun of the nascar series with their clutches, 4 speed trannys and left hand turns, then love f1 for its road and street courses and technology. why can't we love an S2K with a smg tranny. it would feel more at home in a S2K than say an M5. especially for the powerband and track use.

 

HELL YES!

 

The difference is that F1 cars are meant for racing only. The cars need every single millisecond that humans can possibly shave off. It's not about the driving experience there.

Afterall, the S2000 is only a normal (maybe limited) production car. It's a car that people drive for fun on public roads and occasional track events.

Honda's capabilities are no further behind than those of other car companies. If Honda wants to design a "F1-inspired" transmission and slap that into a production sports car? I'm sure they could do it in a reasonable amount of time. Honda's probably doing that to the new NSX anyway.

 

That's b/c that Volvo was an automatic w/ torque converter. SMG doesn't rob any power vs. a conv. manual, and should have identical acceleration w/in each gear (though shifts will be quicker).

 

Yeah, Tiptronic is lame. Paddles + tiptronic is even worse (Lexus IS350).

A sequential manual gearbox (SMG) is only available on select cars. BMW offers is as "SMG", Ferrari offers it as "F1 Transmission", and Lambo offers it as "E-Gear". Toyota also has it on their MR2 Spyder, but it sucks. The MR2 Spyder doesn't use paddles, it uses buttons on the front and back of the steering wheel (the front is up shift, the back is down shift - and it's like that on both sides by your thumb).

Maybe some people here are confused with what's being discussed. If you haven't driven one of the above cars, you haven't experienced an SMG.

:edit: there may be other cars/manufacturers that offer SMGs, but the ones above are the only ones I've heard of.