DSG: Stick Shift RIP

[NFS4]

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11409729731880944331/index.php

If you were going to invent a way to control an automobile, you wouldn?t ask the average driver to develop the skill and coordination of a church organist. Note I said ?average.? As far as pistonheads and organ players are concerned, there?s nothing more natural or satisfying than making beautiful music with a sublime dance of hands and feet. Yes, well, the average person would rather drive an automatic and download an iTune. Pistonheads and pipe worshippers may sneer, but if the majority of humans didn?t take the path of least resistance our species would still be stuck in the trees. Meanwhile, just as digital sound has invaded God?s house and rocked the organist?s world, Audi?s DSG transmission is here and tripedalists are toast.

 

[jlee]

Nifty.

Of course, there will still be those who stick with the stick, for reasons of personal pride and sensual satisfaction.

Also because this doesn't look to be the most inexpensive transmission around.

 

[yhelothar]

It's nice, but half the fun of driving a manual is operating the clutch.

 

[mugs]

Is that a carbon fiber side mirror?

 

[dopcombo]

Yes, the next time someone makes fun of my innepness at driving stick shift, I shall ask him if he listens to music on a vinyl player. Because it is so much better than mp3s.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: NFS4
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11409729731880944331/index.php

If you were going to invent a way to control an automobile, you wouldn?t ask the average driver to develop the skill and coordination of a church organist. Note I said ?average.? As far as pistonheads and organ players are concerned, there?s nothing more natural or satisfying than making beautiful music with a sublime dance of hands and feet. Yes, well, the average person would rather drive an automatic and download an iTune. Pistonheads and pipe worshippers may sneer, but if the majority of humans didn?t take the path of least resistance our species would still be stuck in the trees. Meanwhile, just as digital sound has invaded God?s house and rocked the organist?s world, Audi?s DSG transmission is here and tripedalists are toast.

Until it has a standard H-gate shifter, I'm not interested. I've played with sequential gearboxes on motorcycles and I have to admit they're great... When you're wringing the vehicle out and never skip a ratio. When you've just done an emergency on-ramp acceleration to 65 mph in 2nd gear and just want to jump to 5th, a sequential gearbox sucks. I'm all for a system that operates just like the DSG but allows direct selection of the chosen gear without the need to sequence through all the others inbetween, but until that day I'll stick with a traditional manual gearbox, thanks.

(OK, I'll probably never actually make the switch, there's simply something indescribeably divine about braking into a corner, coming down to 40 mph and making that perfect heel-and-toe downshift into second, engaging with just the right amount of abruptness that the un-settling caused by the shift kicks the tail out to correct the line, and hammering it as one comes through the apex...)

ZV

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Until it has a standard H-gate shifter, I'm not interested. I've played with sequential gearboxes on motorcycles and I have to admit they're great... When you're wringing the vehicle out and never skip a ratio. When you've just done an emergency on-ramp acceleration to 65 mph in 2nd gear and just want to jump to 5th, a sequential gearbox sucks. I'm all for a system that operates just like the DSG but allows direct selection of the chosen gear without the need to sequence through all the others inbetween, but until that day I'll stick with a traditional manual gearbox, thanks.

(OK, I'll probably never actually make the switch, there's simply something indescribeably divine about braking into a corner, coming down to 40 mph and making that perfect heel-and-toe downshift into second, engaging with just the right amount of abruptness that the un-settling caused by the shift kicks the tail out to correct the line, and hammering it as one comes through the apex...)

ZV

You can hold the clutch in and shift through as many gears as you like on a bike.

I love my MANUAL transmission car, though, for the reasons you said.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: dopcombo
Yes, the next time someone makes fun of my innepness at driving stick shift, I shall ask him if he listens to music on a vinyl player. Because it is so much better than mp3s.

I do actually.

And driving a stick-shift is incredibly easy. My grandmother learned to drive in cars that had mechanical brakes, non-synchro transmissions, and cable clutches that were terribly stiff. If a person cannot manage with the brain-dead simple modern manual transmissions, that person shouldn't be allowed to drive.

ZV

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: jagec
You can hold the clutch in and shift through as many gears as you like on a bike.

I love my MANUAL transmission car, though, for the reasons you said.

Yes, but you still need to go through them all, even if you don't engage the clutch as you do so, which was my point.

ZV

 

[fs5]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: NFS4
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/content/11409729731880944331/index.php

If you were going to invent a way to control an automobile, you wouldn?t ask the average driver to develop the skill and coordination of a church organist. Note I said ?average.? As far as pistonheads and organ players are concerned, there?s nothing more natural or satisfying than making beautiful music with a sublime dance of hands and feet. Yes, well, the average person would rather drive an automatic and download an iTune. Pistonheads and pipe worshippers may sneer, but if the majority of humans didn?t take the path of least resistance our species would still be stuck in the trees. Meanwhile, just as digital sound has invaded God?s house and rocked the organist?s world, Audi?s DSG transmission is here and tripedalists are toast.

Until it has a standard H-gate shifter, I'm not interested. I've played with sequential gearboxes on motorcycles and I have to admit they're great... When you're wringing the vehicle out and never skip a ratio. When you've just done an emergency on-ramp acceleration to 65 mph in 2nd gear and just want to jump to 5th, a sequential gearbox sucks. I'm all for a system that operates just like the DSG but allows direct selection of the chosen gear without the need to sequence through all the others inbetween, but until that day I'll stick with a traditional manual gearbox, thanks.

(OK, I'll probably never actually make the switch, there's simply something indescribeably divine about braking into a corner, coming down to 40 mph and making that perfect heel-and-toe downshift into second, engaging with just the right amount of abruptness that the un-settling caused by the shift kicks the tail out to correct the line, and hammering it as one comes through the apex...)

ZV

if I"m not mistaken BMW M3 has this.

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: jagec
You can hold the clutch in and shift through as many gears as you like on a bike.

I love my MANUAL transmission car, though, for the reasons you said.

Yes, but you still need to go through them all, even if you don't engage the clutch as you do so, which was my point.

ZV

fair enough.

Ah well, I rides 'em anyway

 

[Apex]

DSG is pretty amazing technology. I wouldn't mind seeing wider applications.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt

Originally posted by: dopcombo
Yes, the next time someone makes fun of my innepness at driving stick shift, I shall ask him if he listens to music on a vinyl player. Because it is so much better than mp3s.

I do actually.

And driving a stick-shift is incredibly easy. My grandmother learned to drive in cars that had mechanical brakes, non-synchro transmissions, and cable clutches that were terribly stiff. If a person cannot manage with the brain-dead simple modern manual transmissions, that person shouldn't be allowed to drive.

ZV

Damnit! You answered before I could

 

[MasterAndCommander]

There will always be 2 markets for stick shift cars: Value-oriented consumers and car enthusiasts.