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SMG owners

2K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  Pinecone 
#1 ·
have you had any problems with your SMG, would you buy it again. I really enjoy the manual but thinking about trying SMG next.
 
#3 ·
gr8330 said:
have you had any problems with your SMG, would you buy it again. I really enjoy the manual but thinking about trying SMG next.
No problems with my 2K4 with about 11K miles and I continue to enjoy it.

Yes, I'll buy another but that's because I haven't had the chance to miss a true manual yet (my 2K2 is a tri-pedal car). :)
 
#4 ·
2005 and 12k miles. I like SMG a lot; that's one reason why I bought the car. It makes shifting, especially downshifting, much faster and easier when you're cornering and changing lane at speed. The blips on downshifting are also melodious. The shift light that lit up prior to you hitting the rev limiter is also ubber cool! :D And it has a certain novelty factor associated with having some new gadgetry. :bigpimp:

Having said that, I probably would go for a proper manual the next time around. Why? Probably for the driver's involvement, etc., and all the other reasons that people like a stick.

I guess the novelty wears off after a while. :dunno:
 
#5 ·
TeeKay said:
2005 and 12k miles. I like SMG a lot; that's one reason why I bought the car. It makes shifting, especially downshifting, much faster and easier when you're cornering and changing lane at speed. The blips on downshifting are also melodious. The shift light that lit up prior to you hitting the rev limiter is also ubber cool! :D And it has a certain novelty factor associated with having some new gadgetry. :bigpimp:

Having said that, I probably would go for a proper manual the next time around. Why? Probably for the driver's involvement, etc., and all the other reasons that people like a stick.

I guess the novelty wears off after a while. :dunno:
You brought me up, up, up than kicked me to the floor :rofl:
 
#9 ·
SMG is great for track use. My son has an M3 with SMG, and the quick shifts make all the difference.

Funny though. He bought a 330i/automatic for daily driver which surprised me. When I asked him why, he said

"the SMG is an automatic although no purist would ever admit it. On the track, it is all about speed, and having the computer shift for you is the best way to obtain the fastest shift. However, on the street it is overkill. Who cares if I shift in .8 seconds with SMG, 1 second with a manual, or 1.5 seconds with an auto. I would never be able to enjoy SMG anywhere execept on the track". For street use SMG is a pain in the ass with car washes, valet parking etc. If i was not racing, I would never have an SMG because it takes away the fun."
 
#12 ·
Original owner, 60K miles never had an issue with the tranny. No burnouts, clean crisp accelerations, no abuse.

Only when I did not close the hood, the SMG disengages, normal.

I would buy another SMG
 
#13 ·
sdbrandon said:
SMG is great for track use. My son has an M3 with SMG, and the quick shifts make all the difference.

Funny though. He bought a 330i/automatic for daily driver which surprised me. When I asked him why, he said

"the SMG is an automatic although no purist would ever admit it. On the track, it is all about speed, and having the computer shift for you is the best way to obtain the fastest shift. However, on the street it is overkill. Who cares if I shift in .8 seconds with SMG, 1 second with a manual, or 1.5 seconds with an auto. I would never be able to enjoy SMG anywhere execept on the track". For street use SMG is a pain in the ass with car washes, valet parking etc. If i was not racing, I would never have an SMG because it takes away the fun."
Hey I'm from La Jolla here also, 20 years old...did your son happen to go to LJHS?
 
#14 ·
SMG is NOT an automatic. And it is fine on teh street.

But I agree with him, that for a pure street car, an auto makes a lot of sense for commuting. But I find that SMG works as well, but then again I am not too lazy to occasionally flick a finger to up or down shift. :)
 
#15 · (Edited)
Pinecone said:
SMG is NOT an automatic. And it is fine on teh street.

But I agree with him, that for a pure street car, an auto makes a lot of sense for commuting. But I find that SMG works as well, but then again I am not too lazy to occasionally flick a finger to up or down shift. :)
SMG is not a slushbox however it is a mushbox. Instead of tranny fluid it has hydraulic fluid. Everything about it is automatic except the fact you send a signal to hydraulics telling it when you want to shift if so desired. You are no longer shifting. You are just merely telling the computer you are ready to shift.

If you were in fact shifting, SMG would not be as fast as it is.
 
#16 ·
chuck92103 said:
SMG is not a slushbox however it is a mushbox. Instead of tranny fluid it has hydraulic fluid. Everything about it is automatic except the fact you send a signal to hydraulics telling it when you want to shift if so desired. You are no longer shifting. You are just merely telling the computer you are ready to shift.

If you were in fact shifting, SMG would not be as fast as it is.
It has tranny fluid since it's a manual transmission but with the SMG components attached to it.
 
#17 ·
chuck92103 said:
SMG is not a slushbox however it is a mushbox. Instead of tranny fluid it has hydraulic fluid. Everything about it is automatic except the fact you send a signal to hydraulics telling it when you want to shift if so desired. You are no longer shifting. You are just merely telling the computer you are ready to shift.

If you were in fact shifting, SMG would not be as fast as it is.
WRONG, it uses tranny fluid. It is EXACTLY the same tranny case and internals for both manual and SMG.

It does have hydraulics, but totally external to move the same parts as the manual. No mush. But so does the manual since it has hydraulic clutch actuation, just manually powered.

Oh, it also uses the SAME flywheel, clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing in both.
 
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