Quote:
Originally Posted by suaveflooder
lol, at OP. Some of the fastest sports cars/exotics are auto. A computer will shift a hell of a lot faster than a person can...there is a reason why the F1 cars are auto. It's far superior to a manual gear box.
My buddy put a "no lift" shift box in his cobra. My SMG M3 could still shift in 1/2 the time...he's one of the best driver's I've seen, and I'm one of the worst, lol
|
See, those are not automatics. You're confusing the terminology.
* Manual - You have full control of what gear you are in, and can go to any gear at any time you want. You also have control over the clutch. This is a traditional setup with a clutch pedal and H-pattern.
* Sequential Manual - You have some control of what gear you are in, such that it is in sequence. You also have control over the clutch, although it is usually not needed due to the ratios used in the transmission. This is a traditional setup on a motorcycle, and is used in many race cars, specifically GT cars.
* Semiautomatic - You have some control of what gear you are in, such that it is in sequence. A computer controls your clutch. Various forms exist, such as Dual Clutch Gearbox (Volkswagen DSG, Porsche PDK, etc.) or Electrohydraulic Gearbox (BMW SMG, Audi R-Tronic, Lamborghini E-gear, etc.). Some semiautomatic gearboxes will also allow you to relinquish all control to a computer, although it is still physically changing gears for you.
* Manumatic - You have some control of what gear you are in, such that it is in sequence and you are in a computer mode that allows driver input. When in normal Drive mode, you have no control over the gear and the computer controls everything. There is no clutch as the transmission is handled by a hydraulic fluid, which is in turn controlled by a computer. This system is usually seen with the name Tiptronic or some other sort of -tronic name. A manumatic is basically an automatic with the ability for the driver to override the computer's presets.
* Automatic - You can have some control of what gear you are in only by limiting the transmission to certain low gears (1st, 2nd, Overdrive, etc.). When in normal Drive, you have no control over the gear you are in and the computer controls everything. Again, there is no clutch as the transmission is handled by hydraulic fluid, which is in turn controlled by the computer.
* Continiously Variable Transmission (CVT) - This transmission has no gears as it is essentially a large belt or chain that is stretched based on RPMs. Some CVT transmissions will offer the feel of "gears", but these are simply presets on the location of the shafts, allowing them to build revs before switching to the next preset. Everything is controlled by computers.
A Formula One car has a mix of a sequential manual and semiautomatic. A clutch "paddle" exists on the steering wheel for getting the car moving from a standstill, mostly because of the ban on launch control. After getting into 1st gear, the computer takes over clutch control and there is no need for the driver to use the paddle any more.
The 86 twins come with two transmissions - Manual or Manumatic. That said, the Manumatic in the 86 is set up to act like, and acclaimed to be as similar in feel to a Semiautomatic as you can get.