Manumatic™?

[targa]

okay, it seems more likely then not now, if you but a car, the odds are you will get a "manumatic" or something like that

its an automatic transmission with "+" and "-" positions, so i guess you can change gear ratios or something like that......its in my friends Tiburon

what is it, can someone explain it to me? is a CVT? or is it some sort of valve configuration thing?

[TheOne]

its just an automatic transmission with the avility to change to semi auto, got a couple of friends, 1 with a BMW that has this, another has a 2003 eclipse with the auto, has same thing.

[whiteballz]

over here its called "tiptronic".

most auto's over here come with something like it.

[johnnyperl]

ive driven a mercedes with the transmission controlled through a Magnetti Marelli CPU. quite crappy since the cpu limits when you can shift and will automatically upshift far in advance of redline. i havent read anything but there must be tunners/shops who can reprogram the shift routines.

[Quiggs]

Semi-autos are for pansies. Three pedals for life.

[TheOne]

Semi-autos are for pansies. Three pedals for life.

i agree, thats why i had to buy my 240sx, couldn't stand the eclipse bein automatic.(and that the eclipse is well......quality is real bad, engine smokes and drinks oil faster than fuel with just a tad over 90k miles)

[johnnyperl]

Semi-autos are for pansies. Three pedals for life.
being a VW fan, do you feel that way about the DSG? looks like it could be fun.
i would agree tho, i bought a 5spd not knowing how to drive it, learned in a day and dont regret it. drove the same model in auto and it was garbage.

[whiteballz]

im learning in a manual and i never want an auto.

[clutch-monkey]

i've heard autos can be better in turboed cars 'cause you never get caught off the boost, the torque converter allows the turbo to spool up a little bit (i think)

[fpv_gtho]

right now i actually prefer auto's, i tend to have more fun driving them rather than confusin myself going through corners (hey, im still learning.....)

most of them are just something to play around with, its surprising how many dont let you hold the gear right up to redline, or load the engine right up.

[Vindesh17]

all the cars in my family are auto, even the 3 series(the car I drive). I plan on learning how to drive manual but for right now auto trannies are good for me.

[pimento]

There's actually two different ways it's accomplished. The more usual version, and better for daily driving because it's generally smoother is to have an automatic gearbox (torque converter et all) that you can manually override. Aston Martin DB9, Mercs, the majority of sequentials are like this. They tend to shift sluggishly and not let you be in the gear you really want to be in. The other kind, of which I think VAG's DSG is, has a computer controlled clutch and gearbox that actuates when you flick the paddle. Basically a manual gearbox that is computer controlled, and usually has an auto mode. Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martin Vanquish and BMW Ms have these, and they are akin to the racing sequentials. They shift a lot rougher, but faster. If you know what you're doing you can smoothen them up, but if you know what you're doing you'd prefer a real manual unless you were on a race track. So in short, sequential gearboxes are pointless. If you have a sequential auto you'll keep it in auto mode, and if you have a sequential manual you'll wish you had a clutch pedal.

[BjD]

There's actually two different ways it's accomplished. The more usual version, and better for daily driving because it's generally smoother is to have an automatic gearbox (torque converter et all) that you can manually override. Aston Martin DB9, Mercs, the majority of sequentials are like this. They tend to shift sluggishly and not let you be in the gear you really want to be in. The other kind, of which I think VAG's DSG is, has a computer controlled clutch and gearbox that actuates when you flick the paddle. Basically a manual gearbox that is computer controlled, and usually has an auto mode. Ferraris, Maseratis, Aston Martin Vanquish and BMW Ms have these, and they are akin to the racing sequentials. They shift a lot rougher, but faster. If you know what you're doing you can smoothen them up, but if you know what you're doing you'd prefer a real manual unless you were on a race track. So in short, sequential gearboxes are pointless. If you have a sequential auto you'll keep it in auto mode, and if you have a sequential manual you'll wish you had a clutch pedal.


The DSG box differs from your usual Automated manual box as it is a twin clutch/layshaft setup. One layshaft has the even gears, the other the odd, then all you need to do to shift is switch one clutch on and the other off. That gives you super fast gear changes as the next gear has been pre-selected by the gearbox ECU. It also allows a better creep facility as the clutches are oil cooled, one of the main problems of automated manuals was the ECU burning out clutches and not coping with clutch wear, something a driver could control automatically :)

[Matra et Alpine]

Thre is a third way, as in the Citroen C2 et al. which is really a CVT but with computer controlled change points so the driver can feel "sporty" and change up down.

Only idiots woudl pay for CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE transmission and then pay MORE to make it stepped :)

[shr0olvl]

Tiptronic is worthless in my opinion. You basically push up to go ahead 1 gear and down to go down 1 gear. Right ? And I think it even shifts for you if you don't shift when ur suppose to. But they already have cars coming out that are manual and you can switch them over to auto mode where it will do the shifting for you. Look for it in the 2006 Audi A3.

[taz_rocks_miami]

Semi-autos are for pansies. Three pedals for life.

Right on Quiggs!!! Couldn't have said it better myself :) Since these transmitions are getting more and more popular, I guess the roads are full of pansies :D

[Quiggs]

being a VW fan, do you feel that way about the DSG? looks like it could be fun.
i would agree tho, i bought a 5spd not knowing how to drive it, learned in a day and dont regret it. drove the same model in auto and it was garbage.
The DSG (and all semi-auto's) is for people who want a sporty feel. Not a sport feel. From what I've read, the DSG cars are about .25-.35 seconds slower to 60 than the manuals.

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

i've heard autos can be better in turboed cars 'cause you never get caught off the boost, the torque converter allows the turbo to spool up a little bit (i think)

true but the little efficiency u gain from not lifting off is hugely offset by the extra weight and the built in inefficiency of the torque converter and mechanical complexity of the automatic transmission

i think you're refering to drag racing since staying on the throttle is much more important then when compared to cirquit racing

[clutch-monkey]

i was told it makes for easier daily driving?

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

The DSG (and all semi-auto's) is for people who want a sporty feel. Not a sport feel. From what I've read, the DSG cars are about .25-.35 seconds slower to 60 than the manuals.

nope, dsgs are actually faster, since when you're just talkin about 0-60 the shift times are REALLY important, the best shift will take between .2 - .3 seconds, since a dsg is within the hundredths of a second thats more or less .2 -.3 of a second less PER SHIFT

the extra weight really hurts once ur going a bit faster tho, id still rather have a manual just for the feel, a sequential if racing just for the simple mechanical setup and sense of control you get, if you dont have confidence in your equipment you just wont go fast its as simple as that

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

i was told it makes for easier daily driving?

it does, if you have ever driven a manual in traffic you'd know

so annoying

having the option of going into automatic is like heaven in a gearbox

[clutch-monkey]

it does, if you have ever driven a manual in traffic
yeah :( thats why my daily driver is an auto, but i'm getting a manual for my uni-home driving, since its mostly highway/suburban driving

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

just drove manual again today, did like worse then the first time i tried it, i had to pee and the clutch was so dead i couldnt feel anything so i just stalled like 3 times

[Quiggs]

nope, dsgs are actually faster, since when you're just talkin about 0-60 the shift times are REALLY important, the best shift will take between .2 - .3 seconds, since a dsg is within the hundredths of a second thats more or less .2 -.3 of a second less PER SHIFT
Real world results tell otherwise.

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

Real world results tell otherwise.

u sure? cuz even cvts are faster to 60 then the semi auto and manual counterparts
im sure a dsg would be faster unless the engine was dif or car was dif

[Quiggs]

u sure? cuz even cvts are faster to 60 then the semi auto and manual counterparts
im sure a dsg would be faster unless the engine was dif or car was dif
The problem with VW's DSG is in its launch. It can't take much abuse, and it has an electronically controlled torque curve. No matter how much power the engine makes, it'll only put down 250lb-ft through the DSG.

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

The problem with VW's DSG is in its launch. It can't take much abuse, and it has an electronically controlled torque curve. No matter how much power the engine makes, it'll only put down 250lb-ft through the DSG.

really? wow didnt know that, thanks for the heads up

well i guess for a lower output engine the gains will be .. well gains haha and more apparent as well

[pimento]

The problem with VW's DSG is in its launch. It can't take much abuse, and it has an electronically controlled torque curve. No matter how much power the engine makes, it'll only put down 250lb-ft through the DSG.

No wonder they had problems in the Veyron with it.. :D

About the manual in traffic.. I do it all the time, as long as your clutch pedal isn't too heavy it's fine. And smoother I find, unless you keep popping the auto into neutral. All it takes is a day of practise and you'll find it's second nature. Another advantage of manual is not having to wait for them to select gears, such as in car parks.