i have owned 12 BMW,s many were M”s & just sold my E90 V8 DCT M3 with 19k miles. BMW & Ferrari make the most aggressive DCT,s I driven when compared to my Porsche and Audi R8. They definitely give you a lot more adjustments compared to the other manufacturers I have driven. I hope GM gives us the ability to adjust the perimeters of the shifts, I feel this creates a less smooth trans but definitely makes it more fun. Porsche system is so precise smooth & fast it can be boring when comparing it to these other adjustable versions.

 

Just kidding, fasttoys, but I'd take boring, smooth at slow speed, and inexpensive (to maintain in the long run).

 

Drove a dct from Porsche and to best describe it, felt like a manual except it changed gears for you, and if you were in the manual mode, felt like a manual, except no clutch delays and I stand up and down shift. Loved it

 

Driven my buddies GTR. . only thing noticeably different than an auto are initial takeoffs. After that, car can drive like an auto with lightening fast *****. Manual mode is still fun. I am going to miss the third pedal as well, but DCT's just make a faster and better car.

 

Driven my mothers new PDK 911 a lot and its an auto that fakes the TC at redlights... I mean its responsive, and quick but a FAR cry from the ability to have a 3rd pedeal and skip gears, or dump/ ******.

 

thanks

 

Yep. People need to stop soapboxing for the DCT and simply acknowledge that it's not a manual. Even with it making the car quicker many of us simply don't care, because manuals represent a decent portion of the fun of a sports car.

 

Might be just me, but I enjoy driving a manual just as much as an automatic.I haven't driven many autos, so it's kinda a novelty to me, an unnecessary luxury.

 

Your mom owns a 911? Good for her. What model?

 

Can't speak for all DCTs, but PDK is far superior to any manual. Unfortunately it has only one drawback: it's boring, at least to me. Otherwise, I've seen mediocre drivers transformed into superior drivers because of PDK. Some guys could never master heel/toe, but PDK took care of that problem. Moreover, if you are in to drag racing, PDK's launch control enables anyone to execute a perfect launch every time. Porsches with PDK are at least .3 sec faster in a quarter than MT cars, and that's with a good MT driver.

 

Rev-matching makes heel-toe unnecessary.

 

I've owned DCTs. I think DCTs are great, and PDK is the best. They do shift faster.

However, if one is a lover of manual transmissions, it cannot be denied that DCTs are more BORING. I tried very hard to love DCTs as much, but I just can't. You may try to convince yourself it's just as much fun like I did, but after a year, maybe two, maybe 3, you'll find yourself yearning for a manual again if you love them like I do. That makes it a deal-breaker for me in my sports car.

The great M7 is the primary reason I came back to the Corvette world after nearly a decade absence. I was bored with paddle shifters.

I will not purchase an auto C8 as long as there are fun to drive manual sports cars still available. They don't have to equal C8 performance. I value handling and fun-to-drive factor far more than blinding straight-line speed.

 

I guess I've been driving manual transmissions too long - after 62 years - I don't find them interesting at all even though my two daily drivers are both MN transmissions....

 

For me nothing can replace the feel of stepping on the clutch and moving the shifter to another gear. Each shift almost has its own personality based on feel. I could care less how fast it shifts as I don’t race my car. PDK, DCT, makes no difference to me as both lack clutch pedals and shifters. As much as I would love to get a mid engine C8, no manual is a dealbreaker.

 

Fully agree

My car is a daily driver and never sees the track. The manual trans provides the majority of the enjoyment for me as you can only use a limited amount of the handing, braking and acceleration on the street without being a danger to others.

If it was a dedicated track car and IF I was only interested in running the fastest lap possible, I would go DCT. But even then, I likely would choose manual for the enjoyment and be content running a bit slower.

 

The source you gave me is NOT from MB. It is from a third party and according to some reviews not very good in a lot of areas notwithstanding the poor recopies. The actual MB workshop manual I have for the 380SL is complete, good and easy to use. When a dealer says the actual MB workshop manual ordered from their parts department is not available until the model is 10 years old then I have to go with that. Yeah, MB sux. Has for me since the seventies and still continues. You like your MB that's great.

When my mother passes there will no longer be a MB in my garage.

 

It is a manual and it is the transmission of choice for people who need to be able to use their cars in a variety of different ways, including in traffic. Are manuals really fun when you're stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic? Is it fun when you'd like to let your wife or a friend or anyone drive your car who doesn't know how to drive stick? Have you ever been able to rapid-fire downshift as you approach a regular 90-degree turn at a stoplight and hear the exhaust pop with the flawless rev sync and not have to worry about spinning the motor too high?

And if your car is ever going to see the track, it's DCT all the way.

Just how much faster is it than a manual?

Porsche's new 718 Cayman GT4 is EIGHT SECONDS FASTER around Nordschliefe when fitted with PDK vs. manual. This is an astonishing and significant difference.

Yes, driving a GOOD manual is a lot of fun. But some of us want maximum performance and maximum flexibility from our investments.

So, no, I won't stop "soapboxing" about a transmission that is delightful when executed well and 99% of the people in here who drone on and on about manuals have never actually driven a good modern transmission.

 

Yes, yes it does.

 

You couldn't find the answer to this general, non-Corvette specific question through a Google or Youtube search?? And instead clutter the board with more useless threads.

 

There is *a lot* more difference between a good and not-so-good DCT and a good and not-so-good TC Auto, then between a good DCT and a good TC Auto.

A well sorted/programmed and properly dimensioned and cooled ZF A8 feels very much the same as a Porsche PDK (DCT). In fact Porsche itself has gone back and forth between the two types across many of its vehicles (Panamera, Cayenne, Macan). I bet that most people here could not tell if they were driving a Panamera TC or a Panamera PDK.

On the other hand the differences between a well sorted ZF TC implementation and the A6s that have been in Camaros, Mustangs and Corvettes are night and day.

As are the differences between a Porsche PDK and the Nissan GTR DCT.

The current trend is that DCTs and TC automatics are becoming very similar and are using many similar strategies. For example early lock-up on TCs make them more like DCTs and wet clutches/slip programming in DCTs make them more like TCs.

So, net/net, it is all about how well sorted this Tremec DCT will be. For marketing purposes, if your sports car will have only an auto transmission, the market dictates that it must be a DCT, or you are perceived to be inferior, when in fact a proper TC may actually be better.

How can you tell if the Tremec is properly sorted? Road and Track, Car and Driver, MT, etc can take them to their test locations and perform repeated full power launches, like they do on PDK Porsches. If the transmission is properly sorted, it will not build heat and will be able to be launched again and again. If it is like the junk transmission on the GTR, it will go into limp mode and/or self destruct.