7g gearbox frustration

[StringfellowHawke]

Still loving my w211 e63 and the m156 n/a v8 but I wish I could say the same about the 7g box.

It honestly is the worst aspect of the car. Yes it’s fine in full auto mode and for cruising no problem but when you want to get more involved and take manual control with the paddles give me a full manual any day of the week.

Call me slow but I only discovered last week if you pull and hold the down change paddle it will automatically go to the gear that puts it in the power band. Great in theory but in practice its no so slick.

Cruising at 45 the gearbox decides it wants to be in 5th, you see a gap in the traffic so pull on the downshift paddle, gear 2 is requested in the window by the odometer the car then decides it needs to have a committee meeting before anything happens. Watching on the amg menu instead of going 5th to 2nd it proceedes to go though each gear in turn before reaching second. I timed it and from the pull of the paddle to second being selected was close enough to 3 seconds.

Having not driven a Mct box w212 or even the latest e class how are they in comparison? Does anyone else with this generation of e class or another amg with this box share my frustration. I was also thinking maybe this problem might not be so bad on the m113k 5 speed as the torque from the supercharger masks the need to be in the power band quite so much as the m156?

 

[Petrol Pete]

How old is the car ? how many miles ? has the gearbox been serviced ? I must admit I find the 5G gearbox a bit slow on mt 2006 C55 and was under the impression that the 7G was better.

 

[leef44]

This is something which you just have to get used to with 7G.

In my SLK, I find accelerating briskly in auto is quicker than "manual" because of the delay in shift time. Ideally you would want to change up 500 rpm before you need to, when accelerating briskly, because that's how long it takes for the gearbox to respond. Whereas, in auto mode, it just feels relatively instant and seamless.

Edit: of course, this is more frustrating because you have such a great engine in the 63!

 

[AndyRC]

MCT 7 speed - put it in Sport + , a bit of thinking ahead and the odd manual down shift and warp drive is usually available with the M156. If you want instant response from a gearbox get a VAG product with DSG.

PS I’ve had several of both, adapt to what you’ve bought

 

[StringfellowHawke]

Thanks for the replies. Unfortunately being the w211 it does not have sport+ just s c & m modes unlike the w212. That was part of the question I was seeking an answer to is the later mct box in the w212 any better? Gearbox was serviced 12 months ago so don’t believe it is a problem with the hardware more the limitations of it.

 

[AMGeed]

^ The 7g+ in my W212 E63 is pretty fast, even in Comfort. Put it into Sport+ and the gear changes are almost instantanious.
It's the first thing I noticed coming from a 5 speed box in the W211 E55

 

[StringfellowHawke]

Sounds like the new box moved the game on. It is the one part of the car that really lets the whole package down. The engine is great in the right gear at the right time but if your trying to string together a section of bends using 2 3 and 4 the box really sucks the enjoyment out of it as it’s always a second or 2 behind where you want it to be and its made worse by the lack of auto blipping the throttle on the down shifts.

I guess I’m asking It to do something it wasn’t ultimately designed for. It is much happier as a B road wafter and comes into its own on faster A roads where it can be held in gear longer and deploy its mountain of power.

 

[Cyclone1]

Search for gearbox adaption reset and give that a go and see if it improves it a little.

 

[350cls]

I have read you can have an update on the transmission shifting on the w211. I have also read it improves shifting with the manual option. But the downside is glitchy shifting in C mode. Compared to super smooth shifts prior.

Like Roger has stated the MCT box is almost instantaneous with shifts especially in sport+ and manual mode. Manual mode is really quick and does definitely allow the option to bring the car to life.

I still haven't done a Race Start yet and I've had the car a fair while now. I will do one day.

 

[Deleted member 149005]

I rarely need to change gear on a twisty road unless i want to hit warp drive. 3rd gear, observation and planning gives me quick enough progress.

 

[pillow]

I believe there are internal modifications you can make to change the shift characteristics. I know the 722.6 box has a valve body modification which makes the shifts so quick it borders on violent.

 

[Deleted member 126251]

I had the 7G+ in my SLK350 and it was awful. The 9 spd in my current car is a world of difference.

 

[Neiltodd]

^ The 7g+ in my W212 E63 is pretty fast, even in Comfort. Put it into Sport+ and the gear changes are almost instantanious.
It's the first thing I noticed coming from a 5 speed box in the W211 E55

I would agree with that especially in the sport mode

 

[StringfellowHawke]

I rarely need to change gear on a twisty road unless i want to hit warp drive. 3rd gear, observation and planning gives me quick enough progress.

I would agree with this on a faster sweeping road, but if your on a road with 90 degree left right bends you really need to between 2nd and 3rd to keep the motor interested and 4th on any in between straighter sections.

 

[AMGeed]

I would agree with this on a faster sweeping road, but if your on a road with 90 degree left right bends you really need to between 2nd and 3rd to keep the motor interested and 4th on any in between straighter sections.

Thats where the supercharged E55 is in its element. Huge torque from low revs means a sluggish gearbox isn't so much of a problem.
I think you'd enjoy the E63 Biturbo with its fast gearbox and torque

 

[350cls]

I had the 7G+ in my SLK350 and it was awful. The 9 spd in my current car is a world of difference.

I had the 7g in the cls 350. I thought it was really nice. I wouldn't say it was awful!!

Regarding the 7g in the w211 E63 surely the gearing ratios are much quicker and sporty to that of a lesser power plant engine. The 5g in the w211 e55k wasn't amazingly quick but it was fun to have a play with. They are big heavy cars at the end of the day. It's not the E Classes priority A and B roads I suppose.

 

[Jobsworth]

The wet clutch 7G in my w205 C63 is so fast you'd think it was a DCT. The MCT in the last of the line W204 is pretty quick, but the W205 moves it to another level. I would guess the w213 E63 uses the same technology.

I used to have an r171 SLK55 that I used for a couple of trackdays while I owned it. The up shifts in manual mode were great. It'd run to the limiter and flash the dashboard red at you if you were too slow on the right hand paddle. The downshifts though were really annoying. After getting the hang of it over a morning you would start to look for markers about a hundred yards before the change down point so you could flick the left paddle and the gearbox ecu would hopefully be somewhere in the ballpark by the time you really needed it.

Gratuitous Goodwood pic...

 

[StringfellowHawke]

Amgeed

Yes I’ve already come to that conclusion. The 5.5 tt is more then likely going to be my next car. I wanted to sample the 6.2 n/a though I don’t regret it and love the engine but sadly not the gearbox it’s attached to.

 

[StringfellowHawke]

I used to have an r171 SLK55 that I used for a couple of trackdays while I owned it. The up shifts in manual mode were great. It'd run to the limiter and flash the dashboard red at you if you were too slow on the right hand paddle. The downshifts though were really annoying. After getting the hang of it over a morning you would start to look for markers about a hundred yards before the change down point so you could flick the left paddle and the gearbox ecu would hopefully be somewhere in the ballpark by the time you really needed it.

This exactly sums it up.
You have to always be a couple of seconds ahead it. It’s not insurmountable but it robs you of a feeling of connection to the car is more tiring having to second guess it and gives you less of a margin for error. Pull a down shift to late you can already be halfway round the apex before the gear you need is selected. Ultimately the overriding feeling is just one of frustration.

 

[350cls]

Having owned the E55K and the M156 6.3. W212 chassis. The M156 is so much more driver involved. To get the best from the 6.3 you have to be in the correct rpm to get the best from the performance the engine gives. But that is the frill for me. Where the 55k just blasts along it does have cornering flaws. The technology has come on from the w211 E63 to the W212 E63. The car on a handling front is in a different league. The gearbox with the MCT is quick but the 6.3 still needs to be driven with fair amount of precision to get the best performance from it. And when you achieve this, it's rewarding. That's why I realise why it's more driver involved than the the forced induction cars.

Fair enough the technology with the gearbox in the 211 E63 is slightly dated but persist with it and get that 6.3 singing.