Not wanting to start rumors, but I heard from a source at the dealer that there will be a F1 developed, sequential manual gearbox option for 2007. It will only be available on the coupe. Anyone heard this?

 

Well, will it be like true F1 style like on BMW or DSG on Audi's or just some sort of paddle shifter like on the IS350?...there is big difference between them.

 

+1... i doubt it. if anything it'll be an automatic with the slush paddles on the steering wheel. the gt-r would get it far before our entry level infiniti's.

 

OMG... don't start that **** with me.....
I'll be drooling untill it's announced.

I really miss driving an MT & would love to see a DSG (prefered)

 

IMO, it would make no sense not to go the whole way and do a true BMW-style SMG. It very well might be a simultanous release on the GTR and as an "R" package on the G35 coupe. And if the gearbox is already developed, why not offer it on the coupe? It wouldnt be cheap though, ($4000+) I would bet. But it would sell like mad. Imagine the possibilities on the track and would draw some would-be 330Ci buyers as well.

Does Honda (Acura) have a streetable SMG solution from their F1 developments? If not, would Nissan be the first Japanese co. to offer it?

 

In a way it makes sense to get some units on the road b4 the GT-R.
For real world R&D and to bring down the per unit development cost.

...still think it should be DSG rather than SMG
also more posibility of being DSG since it's developed by Borg Warner

LINKY1
LINKY2
"Customers include Ford, DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, VW/Audi, Toyota, Hyundai/Kia, Renault/Nissan, Honda, ........."

 

Agreed. But I have never driven a DSG, only SMG. Which one would be stronger? since I would definitely add FI to any car with that shift capability.

 

FWIW, following is from an engineering blog....

"DSG isn't that tricky. How about electronically co-ordinating multiple clutches and bands in a fully automatic transmission?

To understand why DSG is better (and more reliable) than SMG in so many areas you only need to look at the difference in a shift between the two.

To perform a 2-3 shift in SMG, the computer dis-engages the clutch, hydraulic actuators quickly change from 2nd to 3rd and then the clutch is re-engaged. To improve shift speed you can increase clutch operation speed and/or increase shift speed. The problem is that you can only shift gears and operate clutches so fast. The synchros also take a beating the faster you shift which greatly reduces reliability. I believe current SMG allows for shifts in about 80 mS and I doubt they'll ever get much faster than that.

In DSG, while in 2nd gear the transmission can leisurely shift into 3rd while you're accelerating in 2nd. Then when it's time to shift the computer only needs to dis-engage one clutch while simultaneously engaging the other. A DSG can do this in about 30-40 mS since there is no actual shifting of gears happening. Since gear changes happen "in the background", they don't need to be lightning quick and this greatly increases the reliability of the shift components (synchros, forks, gears and so on).

There is one area where SMG is better than DGS, though. SMG always takes the same amount of time to shift from gear to gear. If you perform an odd speed change in DSG, the transmission may be pre-selected to the wrong gear (4th when you want 2nd). In this case, it can take much longer (several hundred mS) to perform the shift.

With either DSG or SMG, clutch reliability should be better since the computer would never ride or slip the clutch. "

 

But if you read on, the Caterpillar also inculde on that list...I can just see the smile on the backhoe operator's face now

 

LOL... I noticed
JMHO, I think the DSG has a huge upside, & will be seen on many upcoming vehicles.

 

Does Honda (Acura) have a streetable SMG solution from their F1 developments? If not, would Nissan be the first Japanese co. to offer it?[/QUOTE]

No production car currently uses a transmission similar to F1. Almost all the "SMG type" systems use an off the shelf conventional gearbox that is modified to except the SMG hardware. All the production car "SMG type" gearboxes use rods similar to those used by an H-pattern shifter. Even the new M5, which does not have a conventional counterpart, uses rods. F1 uses a ratcheting drum to shift gears, which is the same method used by motorcycles. The ratcheting drum is a true sequential gearbox. You can only go down or up one gear at a time. Before the introduction of the new M5, I always assumed that manufacturers didn't put real sequential transmission in cars because they wanted to use the less expensive method of modifying a conventional transmission to fit their needs. Now that the new M5 is out and still using shift rods, I think the engineers must beleive that being able to skip a gear is really important. It is a shame that manufactures don't offer a true ratcheting drum sequential manual, because these transmission don't require a declutch between upshifts, and the ratcheting drum is a faster action than the shifting via rods.