Wife's SMG M3 arrived today and SMG is a BLAST! What a fantastic set up that is.

 

I drove a 360 Modena with a F1 transmission a while back, and it is a blast, especially when you downshift, and it blips the engine!

 

I tried an SMG's M3 before getting my car and found it clunkier than I expected. The shift patterns weren't bad but sometimes you had to lift and others not. It was hard to drive it smoothly. I also found that at certain positions you could not reach the required paddle and had to use the toggle switch/gear lever instead. After I had pulled a face trying it in automatic mode the sales guy told me that most owners get bored with the paddles and shift patterns and drive them in auto!

DSG sounds like a much better option for Porsche in the long term

 

what's dsg?

you're right that in auto, smg is not so hot primarily cause it's a manual shifter without the warning which makes it seem more jerky cause you're not ready for it. however, in S5 (or S6 even), the shifts are VERY fast. the neat thing about the car is that it is nice and docile for the wife in her setting, a1, and plenty fun for me in S5/6. it's really two cars in one - without the typical weight and performance handicap of an automatic.

 

I want it because of my wife as well. I hope they incorporate something similar to the double clutch SMG type tranny Audi is going to use.

 

I understand that the 997 will come with an SMG variant. Anyone else hear this?

 

Apparently Porsche have asked both Sachs and ZF to develop DSG proposals that can be used in future Porsche's. I'm assuming that the reasons for two proposals is cost and the amount of hp/torque different models produce.

I'm looking forward to trying the new Audi TT with DSG when it becomes available in US next month. The beauty of this gearbox seems to be less complexity than SMG, and less weight and power loss than Tip.

 

when i was in finnland with the head of the gt3 project in January I saw digigal pictures of the sequential shifter they were playing with. I did not see padels but who knows?