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EVO SMG V/S Stick



 
 
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  #1  
Old October 2nd 04, 11:31 PM
Vijay Kumar
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Default EVO SMG V/S Stick

My 1996 M3 EVO has been totalled* and I am currently looking at
replacing it with another EVO. I have in sight a 1998 SMG shifter. I
think I undersand the theory behind SMG (that it is not an automatic
but an electronic hydraulic clutch shifter) but have never driven one.
Can I ask those who have experienced SMG first hand (preferably both
the stick and the SMG) to post some advice the learning curve
required to get used to SMG and the comparison of driving pleasure
between stick and the SMG. I will appreciate any help. I have already
done a google and read some posts on SMG but haven't come across a
direct comparison by someone who has owned or tried both types of
transmissions.

TIA,

Vijay

* I was waiting before a narrow bridge (with only one lane traffic)
when a female driver banged into the car, bending the chasis of my car
irrtrievably! I am hoping for a fast settlement in the next day or two
by her insurance company.
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  #2  
Old October 3rd 04, 02:01 AM
Chip BROWN
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Default

You need to drive it to figure that out. I have found out that you will
either love the SMG or hate them. It is an aquired taste.

Chip.


"Vijay Kumar" > wrote in message
m...
> My 1996 M3 EVO has been totalled* and I am currently looking at
> replacing it with another EVO. I have in sight a 1998 SMG shifter. I
> think I undersand the theory behind SMG (that it is not an automatic
> but an electronic hydraulic clutch shifter) but have never driven one.
> Can I ask those who have experienced SMG first hand (preferably both
> the stick and the SMG) to post some advice the learning curve
> required to get used to SMG and the comparison of driving pleasure
> between stick and the SMG. I will appreciate any help. I have already
> done a google and read some posts on SMG but haven't come across a
> direct comparison by someone who has owned or tried both types of
> transmissions.
>
> TIA,
>
> Vijay
>
> * I was waiting before a narrow bridge (with only one lane traffic)
> when a female driver banged into the car, bending the chasis of my car
> irrtrievably! I am hoping for a fast settlement in the next day or two
> by her insurance company.



  #3  
Old October 3rd 04, 10:06 AM
Frank Kemper
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Default

"Chip BROWN" > haute in die Tasten:

> You need to drive it to figure that out. I have found out that you will
> either love the SMG or hate them. It is an aquired taste.
>


Besides this, BMW has improved SMG over the years. From what I have read
the early SMG (and a 1998 model is early) is inferior to a stick - and it
will require a competent mechanic in case you have trouble with it. I would
not buy a six year old performance car with the first generation of such a
gearbox. Of course your choice may be different, if - for example - your
girlfriend or wife is not able to handle a manual gearbox at all.

Frank

--
please replace spam-muelleimer with fk-newsgroups for e-mail contact

Citroën Xantia - Made in Trance
  #4  
Old October 3rd 04, 10:28 AM
Rick
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Default

Definately SMG
Have tried both, and have always owned manual cars and was very sceptical
about SMG. Tried the SMG several times during test drives and wasn't very
impressed at 1st, but the car was the best available and well priced (SMG I
cars are not really in demand in Aust). In the 1st week or so, I thought I
had made a mistake, but the more I use it the more I like it. I will now
never go back to a stick if an SMG is available.
There are a lot of negative reviews on the SMG ... which accounts for their
lower values, but most haven't driven the car or certainly not for a
prolonged period.
The shifts seem slow and it is quite difficult to drive it smoothly (I never
use the auto mode), but once you get used to it, which takes a few weeks, I
find it preferable to the manual. There have been many reports of poor
reliability but I haven't actually come across anyone personally with an SMG
problem and the local dealer (who did NOT sell me the car) denies any more
or less problems than the stick. The biggest difference between SMG I and II
is the lack of the electronic throttle in the E36. This means the computer
can only adjust the revs via ignition and fuelling to duplicate what you
would normally do with your feet, so the changes are less smooth and slower.
The engine also sounds as though it is misfiring. This is normal.
It may be an imperfect system (so is the SMG II compared to Audi's DSG), but
for me it is a better option than the stick. Faster, never gets a shift
wrong, and much less effort, with the trade off being less smooth. Some may
argue that it is less involving and takes away from a purer driving
experience .... this is a personal choice and there is no right answer. I
obviously prefer the SMG
One warning ... when your mates find that you have an SMG ... they go why ?
and you are constantly trying to defend your purchase. I got sick of this
after a while and merely point out that the best CSL and new M5 are SMG only
and 90% of the E46 M3 uptake in Aust are SMG II.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Rick

"Vijay Kumar" > wrote in message
m...
> My 1996 M3 EVO has been totalled* and I am currently looking at
> replacing it with another EVO. I have in sight a 1998 SMG shifter. I
> think I undersand the theory behind SMG (that it is not an automatic
> but an electronic hydraulic clutch shifter) but have never driven one.
> Can I ask those who have experienced SMG first hand (preferably both
> the stick and the SMG) to post some advice the learning curve
> required to get used to SMG and the comparison of driving pleasure
> between stick and the SMG. I will appreciate any help. I have already
> done a google and read some posts on SMG but haven't come across a
> direct comparison by someone who has owned or tried both types of
> transmissions.
>
> TIA,
>
> Vijay
>
> * I was waiting before a narrow bridge (with only one lane traffic)
> when a female driver banged into the car, bending the chasis of my car
> irrtrievably! I am hoping for a fast settlement in the next day or two
> by her insurance company.



  #5  
Old October 3rd 04, 10:37 AM
Dave Plowman (News)
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Default

In article >,
Holger Hirschfeld > wrote:
> In my normal driving routine, i would say that 97% of the time, the
> car is in Cruise-Mode, and i let the car decide when to shift gears.
> So I must ask myself if a normal automatic drive wouldn´t do the same
> job. (By the way: The 97% Cruise mode was what the dealer i bought the
> car from told me. Just then I couldn´t believe him. Now I know he was
> right.)


Yes. In which case a normal auto *is* better - smoother changing.

Audi do an 'SMG' type transmission which is very nearly as smooth changing
as a conventional auto, but BMW don't appear to want to use it, given the
latest SMG in the M5.

--
*Remember not to forget that which you do not need to know.*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
  #6  
Old October 3rd 04, 06:10 PM
Dave Plowman (News)
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Posts: n/a
Default

In article >,
Holger Hirschfeld > wrote:
> >Audi do an 'SMG' type transmission which is very nearly as smooth
> >changing as a conventional auto, but BMW don't appear to want to use
> >it, given the latest SMG in the M5.


> Perhaps, smoothness is not the most important thing for people driving a
> sports car?


If all you wanted was a sports car, why buy a 4 seater? And it *is*
possible to make a sequential box shift smoothly without detracting from
the ultimate shift speed etc when pressing on.

> And in "Normal Mode" the gear shift is ok...


Not as good as the Audi. Or a conventional auto.

--
*Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
  #7  
Old October 4th 04, 12:07 AM
Vijay Kumar
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Posts: n/a
Default

Thanks to all for responding. The seller was generous enough to let me
drive the SMG equipped car to-day for decent time and distances. Much
as I admire and appreciate the technology behind the SMG, and even
accept the fact that shifting is smoother, faster and more clutch
friendly than I could accompalish manually, I have decided to stick
with the manual. The reason boils down to 'driver involvment'. When I
shift manually, I press the clutch, change gear, sometimes
heel-and-toe, let off the clutch and press on the gas paddle. In other
words, I am doing something or the other during shifting and when I
let off the clutch, I know precisely the moment power is going to come
on. With SMG, I had the feeling that for inordinately long time
(although it was only a fraction of a second in sports mode) I was
doing nothing, just waiting for the shift to happen and power to come
on. And the moment of arrival of power surge remained a tad more
unpredictable than with the manual shift. I found it quite
disconcerting. Perhaps if I drove the car for a few weeks, I will get
used to it but I can't have a couple of weeks with the car for test
drive and as I have the option of buying the stick, I have decided to
do just that. Thanks to all of you who responded and no offense to
anyone who prefers SMG.

Vijay Kumar
  #8  
Old October 4th 04, 01:09 AM
GRL
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Default

May we assume, then, that you just find a true manual to be more...fun?

- GRL

"Vijay Kumar" > wrote in message
om...
> Thanks to all for responding. The seller was generous enough to let me
> drive the SMG equipped car to-day for decent time and distances. Much
> as I admire and appreciate the technology behind the SMG, and even
> accept the fact that shifting is smoother, faster and more clutch
> friendly than I could accompalish manually, I have decided to stick
> with the manual. The reason boils down to 'driver involvment'. When I
> shift manually, I press the clutch, change gear, sometimes
> heel-and-toe, let off the clutch and press on the gas paddle. In other
> words, I am doing something or the other during shifting and when I
> let off the clutch, I know precisely the moment power is going to come
> on. With SMG, I had the feeling that for inordinately long time
> (although it was only a fraction of a second in sports mode) I was
> doing nothing, just waiting for the shift to happen and power to come
> on. And the moment of arrival of power surge remained a tad more
> unpredictable than with the manual shift. I found it quite
> disconcerting. Perhaps if I drove the car for a few weeks, I will get
> used to it but I can't have a couple of weeks with the car for test
> drive and as I have the option of buying the stick, I have decided to
> do just that. Thanks to all of you who responded and no offense to
> anyone who prefers SMG.
>
> Vijay Kumar



  #9  
Old October 4th 04, 09:53 AM
Vijay Kumar
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"GRL" > wrote in message >...
> May we assume, then, that you just find a true manual to be more...fun?
>


Although it seems like a rhetorical question but just in case, the answer is yes:-)

Vijay Kumar
 




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