Had a drive of the brother-in-laws M3.....

[Deleted member 37751]

I've just had an hours drive in my brother-in-laws 2006 M3 with SMG gearbox. Am I missing something or was it really that the gearbox in auto mode changes about as quick as my old Mitsubishi L200 'box? Was it me or in sport mode when you down-change gears, you get whiplash?

 

[gkerr4]

i can't tell if you liked it or not?

I always preferred the E46 M3 with a plain ole manual box

 

[flango]

I've just had an hours drive in my brother-in-laws 2006 M3 with SMG gearbox. Am I missing something or was it really that the gearbox in auto mode changes about as quick as my old Mitsubishi L200 'box? Was it me or in sport mode when you down-change gears, you get whiplash?

No it's not you down changes in SMG cars are true neck snappers and Auto mode is as lazy as it gets. Compare it to a VW/Audi with the DSG box in and that shows how bad the SMG one is

 

[Deleted member 37751]

i can't tell if you liked it or not?

I always preferred the E46 M3 with a plain ole manual box

Even though I only had an hours drive I didn't like it at all to be fair.

 

[asad7860]

E46 M3 manual is a great drivers car. Never drove the SMG, had mixed reviews when it was launched.

 

[BenzedUP]

I have a 2005 E46 M3 SMG and the auto is rubbish specially if it's in A1 or A2 mode, these cars are designed to be driven with the paddles on the steering.

if you coming from a nice soft merc auto then SMG will suck, you really need to understand it to like it, I personally like it as I know how to use it properly!

 

[BenzedUP]

No it's not you down changes in SMG cars are true neck snappers and Auto mode is as lazy as it gets. Compare it to a VW/Audi with the DSG box in and that shows how bad the SMG one is

Mine down changes fast/smoothly

BMW = BIG MONEY WASTER, and the ///M's stand for MONEY! Mine is at BMW getting £350+ bushes, I preffer the drive of the mercs, you can not beat the quality and the speed of an AMG, even the old AMG's like the clk55's etc...

My old c32 will piss on my current M3 on the straight's, that's why i'm getting it re-maped soon.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

I have a 2005 E46 M3 SMG and the auto is rubbish specially if it's in A1 or A2 mode, these cars are designed to be driven with the paddles on the steering.

if you coming from a nice soft merc auto then SMG will suck, you really need to understand it to like it, I personally like it as I know how to use it properly!

I have been driving from a very young age (on private land) and I have driven lots of different cars from a mini metro to a E63, with literally everything inbetween and I have never driven a gearbox that jerky I take your point about getting out of my Mercedes that has a seemless gearchange, but I would still expect a £50k+ car to be half smooth in normal auto mode.

 

[flango]

Mine down changes fast/smoothly

BMW = BIG MONEY WASTER, and the ///M's stand for MONEY! Mine is at BMW getting £350+ bushes, I preffer the drive of the mercs, you can not beat the quality and the speed of an AMG, even the old AMG's like the clk55's etc...

My old c32 will piss on my current M3 on the straight's, that's why i'm getting it re-maped soon.

There was never an SMG box made that changed down smoothly! I used to be a demo driver for BMW @ Rockingham demonstrating M5's and M3's Manual box in an M3 and its a great car. Get used to the SMG on the paddles and the shifts are lighteningly fast but you could never call the downchange smooth. It's known for it as you have probably read on the beemer forums. Given the choice I'd opt for the C32 as well much better car.

But even though being a BMW fan (as some on here will tell you) the M3 is a great track car and for the Ring, you are hard pushed to beat an M3 CSL that SMG box does take some getting used to. But the equivalent AMG cars are better IMHO.

Now M5? Thats a different story alltogether

 

[Peter DLM]

Y'all know that the SMG gearbox is a robotised manual, right?, and not an auto? It has an auto mode for the lazy

Also, the SMG is over 10 years old, the SMG II is much better, but still old tech when Merc and VW hadn't even considered such a gearbox for themselves.

So, the SMG box worked well when you were "driving" the car as designed. No so good at other times, though I didn't think it was that bad, just needed to bleed in and out of the throttle during changes like in the old days of proper automatic gearboxes.

Yes, everyone has a double clutch gearbox now, but at least try to compare gearboxes of similar eras

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Y'all know that the SMG gearbox is a robotised manual, right?, and not an auto? It has an auto mode for the lazy

Also, the SMG is over 10 years old, the SMG II is much better, but still old tech when Merc and VW hadn't even considered such a gearbox for themselves.

So, the SMG box worked well when you were "driving" the car as designed. No so good at other times, though I didn't think it was that bad, just needed to bleed in and out of the throttle during changes like in the old days of proper automatic gearboxes.

Yes, everyone has a double clutch gearbox now, but at least try to compare gearboxes of similar eras

Please excuse my ignorance, but doesn't the M5 have a SMG gearbox? I say this because I borrowed a friends for the weekend and that was phenomenal. This is what I can't work out- how can it be so good in the M5 and notthe M3? By the way, that very M5 ended up needing a new clutch and gearbox after 40k. Cost? Why a snip at £9k

 

[Peter DLM]

Well, the E46 M3 would have been designed in the late 90s. The original SMG gearbox from around the same time. What model year M3 does your brother have?

The M5 is a LOT later, obviously, and its version of the SMG a lot newer and therefore better, but still a robotised manual box. The two are very different! One more gear and 20% faster shifts for a start!

The Borg-Warner DSG gearbox that VW is licensed to use was a giant leap in gearbox technology, robotised manuals are no longer the best solution for a racey gearbox

 

[flango]

Y'all know that the SMG gearbox is a robotised manual, right?, and not an auto? It has an auto mode for the lazy

Also, the SMG is over 10 years old, the SMG II is much better, but still old tech when Merc and VW hadn't even considered such a gearbox for themselves.

So, the SMG box worked well when you were "driving" the car as designed. No so good at other times, though I didn't think it was that bad, just needed to bleed in and out of the throttle during changes like in the old days of proper automatic gearboxes.

Yes, everyone has a double clutch gearbox now, but at least try to compare gearboxes of similar eras

Ermm yes clue is in the title Sequential Manual Gearbox, SMG 1 was crap shifts were awful and downchange shocking, so bad that BMW started develoment of the SMG II box straightaway which featured drivelogic and as you point out was better.

Difficult to compare anything to SMG1 as there wasn't much around apart from the cop spec Volvo's which was the original develpment of the Ford Poweshift box. Nearest would have been Toyota's SMT which was far superior and smoother when fitted in the MR2

New M3 with Getrag double clutch system is awesome a real drivers car.

 

[Peter DLM]

Yes, thank you for telling me what SMG stands for All that time spent working on and racing our M3 hillclimb/sprint car and I never knew that

And anyway, my post wasn't directed at you

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Well, the E46 M3 would have been designed in the late 90s. The original SMG gearbox from around the same time. What model year M3 does your brother have?

The M5 is a LOT later, obviously, and its version of the SMG a lot newer and therefore better, but still a robotised manual box. The two are very different! One more gear and 20% faster shifts for a start!

The Borg-Warner DSG gearbox that VW is licensed to use was a giant leap in gearbox technology, robotised manuals are no longer the best solution for a racey gearbox

It's a 2006 'old' shape? One of the last ones I would think? Not sure on BMWs to be fair. I'm not a flappy paddle fan, I prefer manuals for driving hard but I don't think you can beat an auto Mercedes

 

[flango]

Yes, thank you for telling me what SMG stands for All that time spent working on and racing our M3 hillclimb/sprint car and I never knew that

And anyway, my post wasn't directed at you

You are welcome no problem I have raced my fair share of M3 as well but with proper sequential boxes in them, never raced one with an SMG box though. But you would be amazed (or maybe not) how many people don't know what SMG is Ahead of it's time in that era I agree

 

[Peter DLM]

lol, well if you think an SMG II gearbox is bad, then don't try the first version! SMG II appeared in '02.

SMG III in the M5 is what it should always have been of course, but these things need to be developed.

Instead of slagging off everything that wears a BMW badge, couldn't you at least acknowledge that they tried something new with this gearbox when others didn't? I'm sure someone with an M3 they like 'driving' would prefer to saw off their own testicles than be saddled with a lazy sluggish Merc auto of that period.

I can count how long my car takes to downshift in seconds, would be of no use in an M3, at all. It's horses for courses as always, your brother's M3 is totally the wrong car for you, I'm surprised you even tried it tbh, though I suspect you wanted it to provide you with more ammunition to hate with.

 

[Peter DLM]

You are welcome no problem I have raced my fair share of M3 as well but with proper sequential boxes in them, never raced one with an SMG box though. But you would be amazed (or maybe not) how many people don't know what SMG is Ahead of it's time in that era I agree

Well, seeing as we only needed to shift upwards, then it was perfectly good!!

I'm not amazed how many people are ignorant and choose to spout rubbish in order to bolster their myopic opinion on others at all. :bannana:

Comparing an SMG gearbox to a Merc slushbox is utterly ridiculous.

 

[Deleted member 37751]

Yes, thank you for telling me what SMG stands for All that time spent working on and racing our M3 hillclimb/sprint car and I never knew that

And anyway, my post wasn't directed at you

I have never professed to be an expert on SMG or BMWs, hence my 'excuse my ignorance' statements. I was just making an observation on driving an M3 If this offends your 'intelligence' then why comment....

 

[flango]

Well, seeing as we only needed to shift upwards, then it was perfectly good!!

That is a very good point well made sir

I'm not amazed how many people are ignorant and choose to spout rubbish in order to bolster their myopic opinion on others at all. :bannana:
I must admit I do like MB and BMW both have had some great technology leaps but equally both have produced some rubbish

Comparing an SMG gearbox to a Merc slushbox is utterly ridiculous.

Yep you need to compare apples with apples as they say

Very well put