SMG Information

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Secrt4mula

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Hi all, I am picking up my new 330ci on Feb 20. I have SMG and to be honest, have never driven a car with SMG. It was a last minute decision. I am wondering if there is anyone out there that has any documentation on the basics of SMG. I am sure the people at the dealership will assist me, but I would like to get up to speed. Any info will be helpful

Thanks in advance
 
codex57

codex57

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There's an automatic mode. You can just leave it in that and play with the manual mode when you have time.

Otherwise, have you ever driven a stick? It's basically an automated stick so lift off the gas when you shift for a smoother shift. On a regular auto, you can just mash the gas pedal and it'll still be smooth. On a stick, you have to let off the gas for a smoother upshift. I believe it blips the throttle on downshifts for you so you might not have to do anything on a downshift.
 
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Secrt4mula

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Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes I have actually driven stick, thats what pretty much made me go with the SMG. I didnt want to have the headaches of shifting. So basically what you are saying is that when you go into manual mode, your using the same concept as the regular stick shift. In the SMGs case there is no clutch and you are shifting with the paddles, but you are still lifting up from the gas. So why are there 2 paddles? Does one downshift????
 
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slats

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SMG has an automatic mode? I had no idea.

Why even bother with smg then when they can just put either steptronic or manual in every car? I know you have to park an SMG car in reverse or in 'S,' but why have a third type of engine?
 
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ThinkingBMW

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slats said:
SMG has an automatic mode? I had no idea.

Why even bother with smg then when they can just put either steptronic or manual in every car? I know you have to park an SMG car in reverse or in 'S,' but why have a third type of engine?
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It's a "manual" transmission with an automatic clutch and shifters. It doesn't have a torque converter like automatic transmissions, so it requires the driver to focus a bit more for smooth shifts. In return, the driver is rewarded with most all of the benefits of a manual transmission (e.g., more control).

It's really quite a cool concept and I'm looking forward to learning more about it first hand when we take delivery of our M3 next month. [:)]
 
codex57

codex57

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Bimmerlife said:
The SMG is actually designed to hold up a hard acceleration. You can just press the gas and just shift without letting the gas pedal.
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yeah you can just floor it and let it shift, but i was trying to explain how to get it to shift smoothly
 
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ThinkingBMW

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codex57 said:
yeah you can just floor it and let it shift, but i was trying to explain how to get it to shift smoothly
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My understanding (from reading, not a lot of experience) is that SMG will transition through the gears pretty smoothly under hard acceleration. However, under normal driving conditions, you need to lift off the accelerator for smooth shifts in the same manner as you would when driving a manual.

Note: All of this refers to SMG in "manual" mode when shifting with the paddles. SMG in "auto" mode is said to be pretty jerky under both hard and normal acceleration and generally not suitable for someone expecting the smoothness of a torque convertor.
 
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Bimmerlife

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ThinkingBMW said:
My understanding (from reading, not a lot of experience) is that SMG will transition through the gears pretty smoothly under hard acceleration. However, under normal driving conditions, you need to lift off the accelerator for smooth shifts in the same manner as you would when driving a manual.

Note: All of this refers to SMG in "manual" mode when shifting with the paddles. SMG in "auto" mode is said to be pretty jerky under both hard and normal acceleration and generally not suitable for someone expecting the smoothness of a torque convertor.
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Good understanding.[thumb]
 
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