This is actually technically feasible but I HIGHLY doubt it would ever be seen. To set the stage - we all know that there are different ways of building a manual tranny linkage. You can have a linkage connecting the stick to the tranny or you can have it be cable operated. They're both "real" and have their own feel.

Now - what's happening with steering systems? They used to be purely a direct connection but the trend is toward electric steering. It's appearing more and more and the quality is ever increasing (from its initial vague feel to the current "pretty good" level). How about throttle? Used to always be a cable between your pedal and the engine. No longer the case. Now there's no direct connection - just a potentiometer that tells a servo how much to gas to let into the engine.

What's the conclusion? The solid connections of the past are being replaced by "drive by wire" and eventually "drive by light" technology. Could this happen as well with the shifter in a car? Sure.

Soooo - when we consider that the current SMG of BMW is simply a regular manual transmission with a computer controlling the shifts via servoactuators, we could easily envision a modified system. A car with a clutch pedal and a shifter that can be 100% controlled by the driver. But, in heavy traffic or if one isn't into hill work, the driver presses the AM button (Auto-manual) and the car takes over. All shifting done by computer, just as currently occurs in an SMG car.

In this way the driver could have the option of a REAL manual (not a paddle shift but the whole thing) when desired and a "not so great but better than nothing" automatic when desired. (DSG isn't known for being particularly good in fully auto mode).

This would be my ultimate transmission.

OMG....here we go again...

Hey Ken, maybe we should start abyssing these kind of threads.

__________________

'07 Porsche Cayman S: de-snorked... more mods to come. '05 Dodge Magnum RT: catback, high-flow cats, custom intake, projector headlights, SC FlashPaq... and on and on.
Blog: leanstartups.com

you have the choice not to read the thread

Huh? Perhaps you mean SMG? Having driven DSG in A3 and TT it is very smooth in automatic mode. BMW's SMG, however, is known to be jerky.

It was early in the morning.

I guess I'm not really clear on what class of "these kind of threads" this merits inclusion within. Seemed like reasonable tech talk to me. Since Porsche doesn't yet have a DSG type of transmission it would seem like an acceptable object of conversation. Certainly more interesting than a troll post like "Is a Cayman just a rich man's Z?"

I agree. DSG in full auto is very smooth. SMG = jerky for sure.

The reason you are getting some resistance on this thread is that we've been having an ongoing heated discussion on transmissions for the last several days. I am guessing you did not do a search for previous related discussions or chose not to contribute to the thread already in progress. Suffice it to say...these "religious" debates (technical or otherwise) about transmissions tend to inflame people.

There are just too may "what if" threads. Wait till Santa Fe gets here, he will find lots of threads for you that have regurgitated the topic over and over and over.

__________________

'07 Porsche Cayman S: de-snorked... more mods to come. '05 Dodge Magnum RT: catback, high-flow cats, custom intake, projector headlights, SC FlashPaq... and on and on.
Blog: leanstartups.com

Why didn't you just title your thread "Interpol vs. Chris R. - Round 11" ?

In an attempt to cut the OP a little slack, him obviously not aware of the heated discussions about transmissions lately, I see your point.

I am personally not a big fan of the 'fly by wire' replacements to the mechanical connections. But if it were not for throttle by wire, we wouldn't have the traction control and Sport Chrono type features we have today.

Shifting by wire will eventually become standard as we see manufacturers switch to DSG, which will allow a driver to have most of the benefits of manual shift, all of the benefits or automatic shift, and then some. Since a computer is doing all the shifting anyway, shift by wire is almost necessary.

On the good old manual transmission, I can't think of any reason to add the expense and reliability risks of electrical controls. But only time will tell.

and I participated in the thread to which you refer. The thread, though, discussed the relative merits of existing transmission options. I thought about the topic and realized that my ideal transmission would be one that could be built, but hasn't yet and likely never would be. Seemed more appropriate for a distinct thread.

This sort of "what if" questioning is what leads to engineering advances and it's part of my job description. So I decided to share the thoughts. If such musings caused distress I apologize. I will say, however, that aspinkus classifying either me or the post as "crazy" seems to me to be a bit impolite. But, such is the way with internet chatting, alas.