![]() ![]() On the other hand, if there’s a clutch with engaging (disengaging) gears, you have a manual.īased on this line of thought, the SMG transmission is… manual. This question, however, is making mechanics and BMW fans mad in several corners of the Internet and in garages across America: Is the SMG Manual or Automatic?įor instance, one certified mechanic with a connection to BMW argues that the transmission components, the torque converter and the planetary gears, make a car an automatic by default. ![]() When pulling onto the express way or some wide-open country roads, maybe manual mode is in order! Doing so could save you some time, energy, and frustration. If you’re in a rush, or gearing up for a bunch of stop and go driving in the city or suburbs, you might consider throwing the car’s SMG Transmission into manual mode. This allows for disengagement from the gear set in general. The rear of the planetary gear assembly leads to the flywheel (the clutch is in the middle). You’ve got your gears, brakes, clutches, and valves all the same. In essence, the transmission doesn’t look too different than your everyday automatic. Supposedly, the ability to switch back and forth between the two extends the life of the transmission system. Instead, they just choose the right gear (done via standard stick/shifters on steering wheel).Īutomatic mode is believed to provide increased efficiency, and manual mode, on the other hand, offers an engine performance that turns heads. When set to automatic mode, the driver doesn’t have to press the clutch. Let’s first note that what drivers and gearheads have to say differs from the marketing copy that sells the product, in some ways at least.įor example, an SMG transmission is said to be able to provide two driving experiences: automatic or manual. For that job, a sequential gearbox is the better choice.The term “ SMG Transmission ” gets thrown around a lot when talking about BMWs. But none of that matters in a race car, where it's all about getting the power to the ground as quickly and efficiently as possible. The Sadev gearbox's lightweight flywheel and tiny clutch also make it pretty much useless for low-speed driving. Sequential gearboxes are loud, and require significant force to engage gears. VW's DSG transmission shifts quickly, but it's also designed to be smooth and quiet. Overall, the main difference between a sequential and dual-clutch transmission is that one is designed for racing, and one isn't. Straight-cut gears make a high-pitched whine, but they also transfer power from the engine to the wheels more efficiently. Helical-cut gears have angled teeth, allowing them to mesh more smoothly. ![]() the DSG transmission (and all transmissions designed for road cars) uses helical-cut gears, while the sequential 'box uses straight-cut gears. FCP Euro reckons it's about 100 pounds lighter than the DSG, too. This transmission also allows for equal-length axles, helping to control torque steer in the front-wheel drive GTI TCR race car. That allows for no-lift shifts, but also requires the use of a rotating barrel instead of shift gates. The sequential gearbox has all of its gears lined up on one input shaft, and they engage the output shaft using dogs. They're positioned on either side of an output shaft, which sends power to the axles (one of which is shorter than the other), and engage the shaft using synchronizers, just like other modern road-car transmissions.Ģ018 Volkswagen Golf GTI TCR (Photo by FCP Euro) The TCR-spec DSG has two input shafts, each with three gears. The internal layouts of the two transmissions are very different. That provided a good opportunity for a gearbox comparison, as the TCR race cars started out with a modified version of VW's Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) dual-clutch transmission used in the GTI road car, but were later upgraded with Sadev sequential transmissions. In addition to selling parts, FCP Euro has a race team that ran the Volkswagen GTI TCR for two seasons. ![]() This video from parts supplier FCP Euro explains the differences between these two types of transmission. Sequential and dual-clutch gearboxes both allow you to manually select gears without a clutch pedal, but that doesn't mean they're the same. ![]()
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