[jayg80]

Originally Posted by bri1042

It's the ZF-S6-53BZ. Same model since the E90. Getrag manuals went away with the E46s.

There are likely a ton of supply and contract factors that go into which transmission a company uses. BMW already works with ZF for everything else. Tremec may not be able to supply enough units for BMW to switch to them. Tremec may charge too much per unit. Any additional costs, including the cost of contracting with a different company, may not be worth the take rate. Heck, maybe the contact between BMW and ZF has exclusivity caveats written into it, though we know that they have used Aisin transmissions for transverse applications.

I actually think it would be really neat if BMW corporate could outline why they've stuck with the ZF manual vs. some of the other options. Their answer would probably make a ton of sense. Or it could be a totally lazy answer.

Was it a different transmission that bmw used for the 6 spd in thr m5 a decade ago? Pretty sure that was 500 lb ft of torque.

[bri1042]

Originally Posted by jayg80

Was it a different transmission that bmw used for the 6 spd in thr m5 a decade ago? Pretty sure that was 500 lb ft of torque.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_S6-53_transmission

I don't see the E60 M5 (the list may not be complete...it is a Wiki...) on the application list for the S6-53, but the F10 M5 used the same MT as the G8x. I wonder if using it in the F10 caused too many clutch issues for BMW to put that much torque through it again...

But I seriously wish we had 10 guinea pigs and a time machine so that we could find out just how much tuning the base S58 JUST to Comp power would effect clutch life. Most folk tuning their cars aren't stopping at 479 ft-lbs.

[vbb]

It sucks we have to decide between the more powerful G8X and the one with the manual transmission, but here we are. Sometimes the choices aren't easy. But worrying about nomenclature or image is not productive.

I chose the manual because that's something I will use every single time I drive the car whereas the upgraded power and torque isn't. Plus, if I really want more power, I can easily tune the car and increase the boost, yolo-ing the warranty away in the process.

I also have an M4, which is less desirable than the M3... but for me, I like my performance cars with 2 doors, rwd, and manual transmissions so thankfully BMW still makes what I like.

[FrankieNuo]

Originally Posted by Allenssmart

it's a bunch of marketing bs. the stock clutch doesn't slip till about 650 whp

they didn't want the manual to be good so they gutted the power

Exactly, it was the same manual in the f10 m5 with 553hp and 502 lb ft of torque.

[skyline408]

Personally, I would have bought a 6MT with Xdrive even if it had the same lower power output.

The 5-60 time between the 6MT and Comp cars are negligible, and I don't care for stoplight drags. I enjoy both AWD and RWD, and i'd like to have the option for both with 6MT.

[weingarm]

Originally Posted by FrankieNuo

Exactly, it was the same manual in the f10 m5 with 553hp and 502 lb ft of torque.

Plus the e60 M5 and e63/64 M6 had 500hp V10 with a manual option (but only 384lb-ft torque)

[jayg80]

How about they split the diff and give us 457 lb ft of torque from the s58 in the base x3M? That makes me think it’s a limitation of the transmission rather than bmw wanting to create more separation between base and comp.

Agree with others, it’s an insignificant diff on the street and had no interest in the auto even if it has 100 more hp.

[IcebergM4]

Originally Posted by FC4

Weird that one shows up different for me...

[Adcampo]

For what it’s worth, I had a manual ‘18 manual F80 Comp. When I added bootmod stage 1, it was fun, but really hard to get the power down without spinning the wheels. I ended up going back to stock.

[DFW_M]

Originally Posted by vbb

It sucks we have to decide between the more powerful G8X and the one with the manual transmission, but here we are. Sometimes the choices aren't easy. But worrying about nomenclature or image is not productive.

I chose the manual because that's something I will use every single time I drive the car whereas the upgraded power and torque isn't. Plus, if I really want more power, I can easily tune the car and increase the boost, yolo-ing the warranty away in the process.

I also have an M4, which is less desirable than the M3... but for me, I like my performance cars with 2 doors, rwd, and manual transmissions so thankfully BMW still makes what I like.

And 470HP is more than enough
Most people that own an M car will never use it to 70% of its potential
But....510 or 525 sounds better than 470

I got mine first for the 6MT (no other options), then the numbers that mean nothing in the real world driving