[williamf]

I chose the auto for the following reason
Wife insisted
6 speed auto responds better than I can manually shift (I think I am at least average with a stick... have owned several)
Houston traffic is no fun with a stick
My experience with selling sticks is difficult and costly

None-the-less, if reason #1 did not exist I would have probably choosen the stick.

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by max boost

TURBOS and AUTOS are match made in heaven!

Tell that to someone who has an automatic Subaru WRX.

You should rephrase that: Low lag TURBOS and non-retarded AUTOS are a match made in heaven.

While not a coupe, when I get my 335i it will be an automatic. Somewhat because the wife doesn't like manuals much, and this is the "family car" and second because manuals are tons of fun when driving for fun, but the second you have to do some "non-fun" driving the novelty of the manual wears off really fast.

Plus, you can't get paddle shifters with a manual

Vostok 7

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by Lost Cosmonaut

You should rephrase that: Low lag TURBOS and non-retarded AUTOS are a match made in heaven.

and you should replace that with

"high lag TURBOS and non-retarded AUTOS are a match made in heaven."

[NFS13]

Originally Posted by teknochild

hes clearly asking why people chose their prospective transmissions, he even makes it clear in the first line its not a "which is better" question so i have no need to cure the delusions of an auto driver who wants to pretend he chose the performance option

i chose manual because i can actually drive one

going through traffic is no problem; extremly light clutch pedal, plus with the 4ish 1st gear engagment in first is easy, and with the low idle it can creep very slowly

it keeps you concentrated on your driving where as an auto can make your mind wander very easy

i plan to mod heavily and dont want to deal with the problems that come with modding an auto transmission, including heat issues and load issues

manuals make the girls hot

its glamourous to throw that stick around, not to mention enjoyable, and it gives me an excuse to deny a large percentage of the population for driving my car (the rest get denied too, but its a little harder to tell someone they cant drive because i dont trust them)

i would have no bragging rights with an auto, no one would be impressed with my ability to push a pedal to the floor once and hold it there (note this is an honest reason why i chose manual, therfore crybabies are disallowed to quote and comment )

oh yea its cheaper too, but that really didnt factor in

You sure do live up to your forum title!

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by NFS13

You sure do live up to your forum title!

sorry for telling the truth, but that post was hardly even inflamatory so CMN

[NFS13]

Originally Posted by teknochild

sorry for telling the truth, but that post was hardly even inflamatory so CMN

Dude, no sweat, you are entitled to your opinions. Just know that your comments ARE opinions. Just thought it was funny because 99%...ok 95% of your posts are pretty much negative or confrontational, so I was just pointing out the fact that you do live up to your self given title.

[e90335i]

Originally Posted by infamous335i

I test drove the 335 in auto before I purchased mine in stick.. and all I can say is that I was blown away when I drove it in auto but when I finally got my car it was so much better experiencing the thrill in manual.. theres no substituting the clutch.. it is wat it is and I am extremely happy with my choice.

+1

[The Cleaner]

Originally Posted by teknochild

hes clearly asking why people chose their prospective transmissions, he even makes it clear in the first line its not a "which is better" question so i have no need to cure the delusions of an auto driver who wants to pretend he chose the performance option

This opinion is not as accurate as it once may have been. The newer generation autos are killing manuals, F1 will teach that lesson very quickly. Dont assume a person that chooses an Auto is not choosing a performance option or can't drive a manual. The auto in the 335 out shifts you in your manual every single time. Don't let the 0-60 times fool you into thinking it's slower because that .2 of a second is the difference in HP loss in the drive train, the tranny won on every shift over the manual.

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by The Cleaner

This opinion is not as accurate as it once may have been. The newer generation autos are killing manuals, F1 will teach that lesson very quickly. Dont assume a person that chooses an Auto is not choosing a performance option or can't drive a manual. The auto in the 335 out shifts you in your manual every single time. Don't let the 0-60 times fool you into thinking it's slower because that .2 of a second is the difference in HP loss in the drive train, the tranny won on every shift over the manual.

+1. Anyone who thinks the auto is just for retards who don't really know how to drive needs to test drive a VAG product with a DSG. The fact that the 0-60 on a DSG equipped car is significantly and CONSISTENTLY faster than a manual should tell you something right off the bat.

- LC

[Kbueno]

Torque converters always suck!

[nightops]

Originally Posted by The Cleaner

This opinion is not as accurate as it once may have been. The newer generation autos are killing manuals, F1 will teach that lesson very quickly. Dont assume a person that chooses an Auto is not choosing a performance option or can't drive a manual. The auto in the 335 out shifts you in your manual every single time. Don't let the 0-60 times fool you into thinking it's slower because that .2 of a second is the difference in HP loss in the drive train, the tranny won on every shift over the manual.

Hi all- I'm a noob here considering buying this 335 and doing the Vishnu upgrade rather than spendin 6k trying to put a supercharger in my 6mt G35 Coupe. It seems like the auto may have the upper hand in straight line acceleration which most people seem to be comparing, but how do paddle shifters work in the twisties? I've tried auto-manuals in the canyons and I cant stand how the car lurches forward when you downshift, having the clutch allows me to coast into the turn and hammer out under throttle. What are peoples experience with this? Any advice is appreciated...

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by nightops

Hi all- I'm a noob here considering buying this 335 and doing the Vishnu upgrade rather than spendin 6k trying to put a supercharger in my 6mt G35 Coupe. It seems like the auto may have the upper hand in straight line acceleration which most people seem to be comparing, but how do paddle shifters work in the twisties? I've tried auto-manuals in the canyons and I cant stand how the car lurches forward when you downshift, having the clutch allows me to coast into the turn and hammer out under throttle. What are peoples experience with this? Any advice is appreciated...

Hmmmmm well, my first piece of advice would be to stop coasting into turns. And you shouldn't necessarily need to downshift in a corner. You should be doing all of your slowing down and downshifting before the corner, have your foot on the throttle providing a little bit of power when necessary through the corner, and then hammer the throttle after the apex shifting up when necessary.

Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for losing control if you aren't paying attention.

- LC

[nightops]

Originally Posted by Lost Cosmonaut

Hmmmmm well, my first piece of advice would be to stop coasting into turns. And you shouldn't necessarily need to downshift in a corner. You should be doing all of your slowing down and downshifting before the corner, have your foot on the throttle providing a little bit of power when necessary through the corner, and then hammer the throttle after the apex shifting up when necessary.

Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for losing control if you aren't paying attention.

- LC

let me guess, you drive mostly autos then? ever been in a situation that you can see where you might want to be in a lower gear while powering out of the turn? I'm not coasting, i'm trying to be in the right gear to have the most torque coming out of the turn. Most often I don't want to be shifting up as I'm coming out of the apex, as that will slow me down...thanks for the advice anyway...

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by nightops

let me guess, you drive mostly autos then? ever been in a situation that you can see where you might want to be in a lower gear while powering out of the turn? I'm not coasting, i'm trying to be in the right gear to have the most torque coming out of the turn. Most often I don't want to be shifting up as I'm coming out of the apex, as that will slow me down...thanks for the advice anyway...

yea i was thinking the same thing, shifting during a cornering manuever sounds like a horrid idea

[Lost Cosmonaut]

OK, where did I say shift IN the corner?

And I've driven plenty of manuals, thanks. Don't you see where I owned a 350hp STi? Yeah, I raced that ALOT. I also raced my WRX, and I've raced a Corvette and a 350Z and also done alot of rally racing.

Anyway, since you'd rather take offense with what you think I said instead of determining what I meant, I'm bowing out now.

- LC

[nightops]

Originally Posted by teknochild

yea i was thinking the same thing, shifting during a cornering manuever sounds like a horrid idea

ok- maybe I should re phrase this- I'm trying to downshift before the corner but I dont want the car to lurch. so I downshift before the corner but use the clutch to keep the car from lurching as I'm entering the corner. this is not something you can do with paddle shifters correct?

[nightops]

Originally Posted by Lost Cosmonaut

OK, where did I say shift IN the corner?

And I've driven plenty of manuals, thanks. Don't you see where I owned a 350hp STi? Yeah, I raced that ALOT. I also raced my WRX, and I've raced a Corvette and a 350Z and also done alot of rally racing.

Anyway, since you'd rather take offense with what you think I said instead of determining what I meant, I'm bowing out now.

- LC

no offense taken. and I apologize if i implied that you didn't know how to drive a manual- just trying to get an answer to my question...

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by nightops

ok- maybe I should re phrase this- I'm trying to downshift before the corner but I dont want the car to lurch. so I downshift before the corner but use the clutch to keep the car from lurching as I'm entering the corner. this is not something you can do with paddle shifters correct?

No, not really. But you said you drove auto-manuals which I assume means DSG or SMG-type transmissions? I've never really had a regular torque-converted lurch when downshifting like that.

DSG and SMG-type transmissions are true auto-manuals with clutches which might be why you feel a "lurch" when downshifting since a manual would do the same thing unless you're perfect with the rev matching and light on the clutch.

- LC

[Lost Cosmonaut]

Originally Posted by nightops

no offense taken. and I apologize if i implied that you didn't know how to drive a manual- just trying to get an answer to my question...

It's cool man, no harm no foul

- LC

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by nightops

ok- maybe I should re phrase this- I'm trying to downshift before the corner but I dont want the car to lurch. so I downshift before the corner but use the clutch to keep the car from lurching as I'm entering the corner. this is not something you can do with paddle shifters correct?

i knew what you meant i was commenting about the other guy

[David 12]

After reading these posts, I think it boils down to personal preference. We should consider ourselves fortunate that there are two great transmissions available!

The car I drove prior to my 335i coupe was an Acura CLS 6 speed mt - Great car, but you want to stay from the automatic transmissions due to a design defect. So I may be a little biased in favor of manual transmissions.

I have owned my 335i for about two months now, and I am still trying to master the 1 to 2 gear shift!

Dave

[DrM]

Originally Posted by David 12

I have owned my 335i for about two months now, and I am still trying to master the 1 to 2 gear shift!

Dave

You are not the only one, so don't feel bad. I came from an S2000, which has a fantastic manual. I butchered the 1-2 shift many times in the beginning. Now, after after a few months I like the transmission.

Have fun!