Manual Vs. Auto Trans
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,149
Likes: 11
From: Greater Detroit Metro MI, when I'm not travelling.
One reason for not having an auto in Lambos and Ferrari's (etc) is that they typically have high-revving engines, and torque converters don't tend to work well above about 6,500 and certainly not above 7,000 rpm. I believe that's one of the reasons the new Merc SL63 AMG has a wet clutch in place of a TC.
Instead these cars typically use either robotised manuals or dual-clutch boxes, each of which has its own challenges. The robomanual can do fast changes, but they're pretty harsh and they're a pain in the butt to park because you can't control the clutch and there's no creep. The dual-clutch boxes can do fast changes between "odd" and "even" gears, but can be dreadful odd-to-odd or even-to-even, and again they're not great to park.
Instead these cars typically use either robotised manuals or dual-clutch boxes, each of which has its own challenges. The robomanual can do fast changes, but they're pretty harsh and they're a pain in the butt to park because you can't control the clutch and there's no creep. The dual-clutch boxes can do fast changes between "odd" and "even" gears, but can be dreadful odd-to-odd or even-to-even, and again they're not great to park.
The Mazda RX-8 costs more and makes less power in Automatic trim because they had to lower the redline too... I think the reso why the SL63 AMG uses a wet clutch in place of a TC is because no one likes torque converter lag and it has no place in a sportscar...
Robomanuals can be programmed to slip the clutch; the GTR does it in non sport mode and the lambos do it too. So much in fact that you can smoke the clutch if you creep up a hill...
