Quote:
Originally Posted by captainaudio
Quote:
Originally Posted by Powerslide
Of course God will have mercy on his soul - because clearly God chose the 6MT in his car as well - and would never lower himself to the level of us mortal scoundrels who have DCT...
That being said - I now have a combined 160,000 miles driving a DCT since 2008 including on track multiple times (E93 and two F80's). Even tonight I can't wait to drive my lowly DCT equipped F80 to work tomorrow. So yes - it is possible to be completely fulfilled as an enthusiast driving something that doesn't have a clutch pedal.
For those of you who swear by manuals - enjoy!  But also add me to the list of those who are sick of the holier-than-thou types who think you have to have a manual to be in love with driving your car... |
I tend to take the MT purists with a grain of salt but I cut also tend to cut them some slack since I used to espouse the same attitude. I convinced myself that driving a car well below its limits on public roads somehow made me an expert driver because I was driving a manual transmission. I now realize that while I thought I was driving at the cars limits in reality I was driving at my own limits.
Then I started driving race cars on race tracks and was coached by professional race drivers. It was somewhat of an epiphany to learn that tf these race car drivers, several of them national champions and competitors and winners of races like LeMans, Daytona 24 Hour. 12 Hours of Sebring, Indy 500. etc. had no aversion to automatic transmissions and one thing several of the said was "I am interested in anything that makes the car go faster." If you think driving a paddle shifted car is "boring" try driving one around a race track at 100% of the cars capabilities when the car is sliding around the corners at the limits of grip. To quote Mario Andretti "If you feel that everything is under control you aren't going fast enough".
The conclusion I came to was that the level or insistence on the superiority of manual transmissions tends to be inversely proportional to the skill and experience of the driver. Note that I did not say "the preference for a manual transmission".
Preference is a personal matter and your preferences are your business and I am not in a position to dictate anyone's preference for a transmission type, car brand, favorite food, favorite music, or anything else. But don't tell me I don't enjoy driving because I drive a DCT instead of an MT or that I don't enjoy music because I prefer jazz to country or that I don't enjoy wine because I prefer Malbec to Pinot Noir. To each his own and I respect the fact that there are people who have different tastes than I do. Our different tastes express or individuality. My idea of an ideal world is not one where I pull into a parking lot and park with dozens of cars identical to mine and go into a restaurant where everyone orders the same thing I do. |
Agree 100%. When people say "real racers don't drive automatic" my response has been "well I guess every professional race car driver for the better part of the past two decades isn't a real driver then". Usually, in response of argument based on the disbelief that nearly every single category of racing is now autos with paddles.
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Wife's Car: 2020 X4M Competition, Alpine White on Black Alcantara and Biege
Current Car: 2018 F80 M3CS, SMB, DCT, ZEC, MPE
Recently Departed: 2020 F87 M2C, LBB, ZEC, 6MT (Euro Delivery Aug. 29, 2019, totaled by an idiot in a Camry who then ran from the scene)
Wife's Prior Car: 2018 F80 M3, Yas Marina Blue, DCT, Black 19s, Carbon Structure Anthracite Cloth/Leather Combination, Driving Assistance Package (Euro Delivery Oct. 9, 2017)