[teknochild]

how much extra travel is there with the 335 clutch? the area between engagment and the floor? i finally got out to test drive it today (big mistake) but it was auto

[edgarj]

I can only compare it to my S54 M-roadster, but the 335i has an earlier engagment that car, and the clutch was new in the month before I traded. It's lighter too.

[teknochild]

so like an inch, several inches?

[dmeyer]

Several...on mine you can engage pretty high.

[teknochild]

dam i got in the habit when i first learned clutch of bringing all the way down to the floor, i was hoping the e92 had little travel

[NYBMW335]

Originally Posted by teknochild

dam i got in the habit when i first learned clutch of bringing all the way down to the floor, i was hoping the e92 had little travel

That makes no sense!!!! Any manual transmition you will have to press the clutch pedal all the way down. Now what happens if the clutch is picking up high is that you will burn a little in the beguining but thanx to the CDV that would be minimal. Every car is going to have a different clutch travel, the car actually adapts to you. When i instruct at PDA( performance driving assosiation) the biggest problem with most people is their seating position. Adjust it so you can have a better feel of the car.

[vladinecko]

i get engagement a lot lower than some other cars i've driver so far. it was kind of weird from the beginning but now feels very good.

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by NYBMW335

That makes no sense!!!! Any manual transmition you will have to press the clutch pedal all the way down. Now what happens if the clutch is picking up high is that you will burn a little in the beguining but thanx to the CDV that would be minimal. Every car is going to have a different clutch travel, the car actually adapts to you. When i instruct at PDA( performance driving assosiation) the biggest problem with most people is their seating position. Adjust it so you can have a better feel of the car.

what are you talking about? most of the people, well alot of people dont throw the clutch all the way down to the floor, its a lot quicker/smoother not to , when i actually concentrate on it its a lot better

and how is something that slows down the engagment of the clutch (cvt) going to reduce clutch burn

also i dont believe the clutch adapts on the drivers driving habits either, AFAIK its just a normal hydrolic system

[NYBMW335]

I understand what you are saying but at the same time if you dont get it just right its never going to give you the perfect shift feel. I been racing for years, and the only time i just tap the clutch in on my race car and that is only downshifting because i dont need clutch on the up shift. Interesting enough there alot of people that miss gears and destroy their transmitions because they dont know how to shift. There is allways a right way of doing things and a short cut of doing things. To be honest with you, you dont even need the clutch, just rev match and the gears will go right in without destroying the synchros, now i ask you just because alot of people do that, is it the right way of doing things. just my .02 cent. I hope you dont take this the wrong way.

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by NYBMW335

There is allways a right way of doing things and a short cut of doing things.

to my understanding putting the clutch on the floor IS the wrong way but w/e

[2007/335i/coupe]

to me, the 335i clutch feels like a honda clutch

[jayjay]

Originally Posted by edgarj

I can only compare it to my S54 M-roadster, but the 335i has an earlier engagment that car, and the clutch was new in the month before I traded. It's lighter too.

OT: Any regrets on making the change to the 335? I have a s54 m coupe and I'm considering replacing it with a 335.

[JoeA]

The high engagement point was the reason I opted for the auto. Absolutely no regrets on this decision. What a sweet automatic

[RaptorKTM]

Originally Posted by JoeA

The high engagement point was the reason I opted for the auto. Absolutely no regrets on this decision. What a sweet automatic

cant say i agree with that but wutever floats ur boat, after all this is again something that is personal preference

[edgarj]

Originally Posted by jayjay

OT: Any regrets on making the change to the 335? I have a s54 m coupe and I'm considering replacing it with a 335.

None what so ever. I thought I was going to miss the S54 a lot, but the 335i coupe performs as well, maybe better with all of the extra useable power in the lower revs. Handling is superb, much beter than the rear trailing arm suspension in MZ3, even with the extra weight. It's a very different car, but there is so much more to enjoy about this car than the MZ. I loved the MZ3's engine and aesthetic, but in retrospect, it was a hard car to live with as a daily driver.

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by socalm3

cant say i agree with that but wutever floats ur boat, after all this is again something that is personal preference

i liked it it shifts fast up or down, but i will never buy an auto until it only shift when i tell it no mater what, and this one doesnt do that, aswell as shifts fatser than i possibly could (to make up for the bleed power)

plus putting the extra power of the xede through an auto would be more risky

[JoeA]

Originally Posted by socalm3

cant say i agree with that but wutever floats ur boat, after all this is again something that is personal preference

Not sure what you don't agree with...my decision to go with the steptronic I assume. I went in to the dealership 100% convinced I was buying a manual. I drove both back to back. The clutch engages very high off the floor...something I understand is common in BMWs. I'm sure I could get used to it, and once I did get used to it, probably give me faster shifts. That said, this isn't my "sports car" it's my daily driver (sedan) in Southern California. I have a manual transmission in my "pure sport" car and it's clutch is polar opposite of the BMW clutch....not going to be fun switching back and forth between them.

After driving both (very hard thanks to my salesman;-), I couldn't deny the steptronic was surprisingly fun to drive (especially with paddles which were not in my test car). I see many posts from folks in one camp or the other. I'm guessing a majority did not drive both. I'm not saying one is better than the other. Obviously you will get more power loss through an automatic transmission. My recommendation to the potential buyers out there is put the stereotypes about steptronics aside, drive both back to back, consider you driving needs, decide for yourself.

[ICALL]

Originally Posted by teknochild

i liked it it shifts fast up or down, but i will never buy an auto until it only shift when i tell it no mater what

I'm told the 5 series and higher SMG transmission does this.

plus putting the extra power of the xede through an auto would be more risky

I thought I read somewhere the auto transmission can actually handle higher torque levels than the manual. I may be thinking of the Euro model though.

Question.... Ever since reading your first post, I've been experimenting with shifting while not fully pressing the clutch. I started with going only half way down to the floor and the shift was smoother. On the way to the bank, I went down even less. I was able to shift out of first by pressing down maybe 6-8 inches. Went in smoothly to second. The car's shifting is ALOT smoother by not pushing the clutch to the floor. I did grind once or twice. When that happens, I obviously didn't force it. Was wondering how damaging this is(shifting by not going to the floor on the clutch). It feels smooth, I just really don't want to fuk up this tranny.

Anyone?

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by ICALL

I'm told the 5 series and higher SMG transmission does this.



I thought I read somewhere the auto transmission can actually handle higher torque levels than the manual. I may be thinking of the Euro model though.

Question.... Ever since reading your first post, I've been experimenting with shifting while not fully pressing the clutch. I started with going only half way down to the floor and the shift was smoother. On the way to the bank, I went down even less. I was able to shift out of first by pressing down maybe 6-8 inches. Went in smoothly to second. The car's shifting is ALOT smoother by not pushing the clutch to the floor. I did grind once or twice. When that happens, I obviously didn't force it. Was wondering how damaging this is(shifting by not going to the floor on the clutch). It feels smooth, I just really don't want to fuk up this tranny.

Anyone?

oh it would be horribly damaging if you do it wrong im sure, but as long as you pass the engagment point its the same as fully disengaging, just that on the way back up you get clutch right away vs building up speed and whacking the plates together, i sort of stop part way on the way back up so i dont do that though

they make things you can screw into your firewall to get rid of the rest of the travel but thats to lame

Originally Posted by ICALL

I thought I read somewhere the auto transmission can actually handle higher torque levels than the manual. I may be thinking of the Euro model though.

i dont know for sure, but i would just think that since the manual has a lot less moving parts

[musc]

It used to be the case where manuals could handle more input torque, but ZF has significantly advanced the design of the ZF 6 HP 19. They are good for 600+ input torque and are faster and lighter than ever. Much less moving parts than previous transmissions. The results in better performance, less power loss, and faster shifting.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006...roduces_s.html

It boils down to preference, but autos have come a long ways

[teknochild]

Originally Posted by catm3

It used to be the case where manuals could handle more input torque, but ZF has significantly advanced the design of the ZF 6 HP 19. They are good for 600+ input torque and are faster and lighter than ever.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2006...roduces_s.html

It boils down to preference, but autos have come a long ways

nice, now if it did exactly as its told, i cant tell you how annoying it was on my test drive when i put it into the gear i wanted and floored it only to have it downshift, i kept yelling at the car for it and the CAs assistant kept laughing at me

about how much power is lost w/ the transmission you think? if its small enough for the speed that it shifts to mkae up for it and it followed the drivers input 100% i would buy an auto, i dont see any reason to have a manual if an auto meets all those conditions

[musc]

I haven't had the opportunity to really 'drive' the 335i step, but I was under the assumption in manual mode, that it would hold the gear? If the car downshifted, then I'd think you were in too high of a gear. The biggest issue I have heard with the autos was upshifting and not holding a gear. I would think the the speed of shifts would be sufficient. Probably not as violent as the SMG, but quick enough. Plus its really hard to miss a shift with an auto. That link states that it takes 100 milliseconds to downshift from 6th to second. Thats pretty darn fast.

The power loss between auto and manual is probably minimal. Look at the stock Dynos of the 335i. I have seen autos and manuals within 10hp. Of course there are other variables, but you are going to put down just as much power to the ground with the auto as the manual.