Quote:
Originally Posted by Norm Peterson
And those two boldfaced items are exactly what turns the whole concept of a DSG box off for me. Try to understand this in terms of having some of the enjoyment taken away all of the time rather than as having a tiny bit of performance added under circumstances that rarely exist.
As soon as you automate the clutch and transmission in any manner that makes you look/sound better at shifting than you really are, you might as well just get a real automatic with the paddles.
Even if your DSG is in a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi, or other exotic, you don't get a free pass to transmission acceptability from me for buying your way to sounding like you know what you're doing.
Yes, I understand that they'll make the car a little faster in a race. But in all other driving it's not enough different from a real automatic with paddles to be worth bragging about.
Sorry, but it's kind of hard to accept the concept that you can just shove the lever to "D" and forget all about keeping the engine in its happy rpm band as being consistent with the total driving experience.
Technology does not and cannot understand human interaction, so just because it exists does not automatically grant it "better" status than what it purports to replace. Better for hollow bragging rights, probably.
Chances are a 3.45:1 geared SS won't ever need more than 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at a road course track day once you've got it moving on the 'out lap', and probably not even 2nd if you swap to 3.91's. A 3.91:1 geared 1LE car would probably use 5th.
Norm
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Just wanted to make sure everyone understands these are all just his opinions. Nothing more. Just because you've grown tired of a clutch doesn't mean youre not good at it. Not everyone believes what you believe. When I was young everyone had stick. All of us. Auto was a luxury most of us couldn't afford. My opinion is that it's borderline retarded to willingly want to deal with the hassle of a clutch. People who can afford available auto trannies and go with stick are considered posers who just feel having stick proves something for them. Again, just my opinion. The ls3 vs l99 arguement is a valid one but don't assume having stick makes you a better driver. You want to feel "manly" with clutch and gears get a motorcycle. Even professional racecar drivers don't want to deal with a clutch. I LOVE my motorcycles don't get me wrong. But I'd never in a million years pay premium price for a vehicle that couldnt shift itself just for my own amusement. Been there. Done that. Never again. Too old to torture myself just to fool myself into thinking I'm cool and believing others think it as well.