[razman]

Originally Posted by seis-speed

I have owned many manual cars / trucks / SUV's

Give it time - you will blend with the machine - & appreciate the differences from previous cars you have owned....Part of my love of manuals is they are all so different depending on the car. I learned to appreciate the differences.

Point taken. I love this car already in so many other respects that even if my perception of the amount of physical effort needed for gear shifts didn't change, I'd still embrace the difference over other manuals.

[Soylent]

Originally Posted by sleepy floyd

Guessing you wouldn't enjoy driving the 5 speed in my other ride lol...

https://imgbb.com/gRCZ3wX

Twin stick like my 69. Are you running an AX15?

[ZeroFx]

Manuals suck. Every BMW manual gear box ive had sucked.

BMW does not put money in to developing performance manual boxes. They put all the money in to ZF and DCT because they are superior and sell far more.

Its just a reality.

[The Ching]

Us 6MT owners make the best wine!

[z335is]

I've owned every M manual since the e46 and they are all janky, that's just how BMW tunes these things. Oddly enough, the best BMW manual I've ever driven was in a 335is.

[RonBurgundy]

I would second what others have said in that the seating position can make a dramatic difference to the experience both using the clutch as well as operating the gearstick. I guess depending on how close or far you are to the controls affects proprioception of your joints and which muscles you are are using

I’ve driven a G82 in manual. The gearchange is typically BMW in the it’s slightly heavy and notchy particularly when compared to some other cars I’ve owned eg Mazda MX5, Renault RS275. For me the gearchange still has a nice positive action. The worst feeling is a gearstick which feels ‘loose’ with lots of ‘play’ in the movement.

The G82 manual shift was by no means a deal breaker for me. I still went for the auto because here the Competition is auto only and comes packaged with all the interior packs eg full leather, executive pack etc

[UN-Blank]

i feel that since i read the post i have to respond.

have you ever driven a "real" sports car with a manual transmission? ferrari, lamborghini etc? If not, I'd recommend not every trying to because you may dislocate a hip.

[Gfit]

Originally Posted by UN-Blank

i feel that since i read the post i have to respond.

have you ever driven a "real" sports car with a manual transmission? ferrari, lamborghini etc? If not, I'd recommend not every trying to because you may dislocate a hip.

Doubt many have. Pretty sure they haven't been made in 10 years and sold just a handful a year during final years of production. I'd imagine if they were any good they would have continued. Maybe.

[LuckyBrand]

I don't know guys but after putting my new exhaust on my car it's made the 6MT a whole lot funner to drive. Ripping through the gears, downshifting, listening to the burbles. I love the manual even though it's not the greatest. To me it makes the car more fun to drive regardless. Were not going to get many more of these and they won't be putting money into making them better but I'm glad to be driving one.

[sleepy floyd]

Originally Posted by Soylent

Twin stick like my 69. Are you running an AX15?

awesome! I put in an NV3550 Wrangler tranny.

[iviegatron]

Watch this video, the guy was shifting gears on his M3 like a boss. Maybe you just need to adapt to it a bit more.

https://youtu.be/E4zQ31blCgQ

[vetteflier]

Having a Honda SI, any other manual feels like a 1983 Chevy S-10. And that includes Porsches. Z cars not as good, but still smooth. Have never really heard good things about BMW manuals--of any year. Combined with the long gearing, glad I have a Comp. You will get used to it, and it should 'work itself in' to some degree. My 6-speed 2006 Z51 Vette took a long time for me to feel comfortable with, but I did ultimately.

[yousefnjr]

CDV delete could help the clutch bite more predictably but won't make a difference for how the shifter feels. I really enjoyed the AutoSolutions SSK in the past, that coupled with a heavy knob made the biggest difference. My M Roadster with that setup feels like a bolt action rifle. Stiffer engine mounts helped getting into 2nd gear, if that's still an issue these days.

[BMWRacer523]

I've driven and raced many BMW manual transmission cars including every gen M3 besides the F80 and they have never been the smoothest shifting transmissions at least without modifications (cdv delete, clutch stops, ssk, taller shifter etc.) I don't think you can compare them to Honda/Toyota manual transmissions.

I had an e39 540 with the 6 speed and even after daily driving it for 5 years commuting in the NYC metro area with lots of stop/start traffic I never got that 1-2 shift to be seamless. Perhaps the comparison is not valid due to the difference in torque between the m3 and the cars you are used to?

[Tyga11]

Originally Posted by BMWRacer523

I've driven and raced many BMW manual transmission cars including every gen M3 besides the F80 and they have never been the smoothest shifting transmissions at least without modifications (cdv delete, clutch stops, ssk, taller shifter etc.) I don't think you can compare them to Honda/Toyota manual transmissions.

I had an e39 540 with the 6 speed and even after daily driving it for 5 years commuting in the NYC metro area with lots of stop/start traffic I never got that 1-2 shift to be seamless. Perhaps the comparison is not valid due to the difference in torque between the m3 and the cars you are used to?

Why does Honda / Acura build the best manual transmission? I had an RSX Type S back in the day and it's by far the best transmission I've ever driven (even with the gear grind issues) Is it just a difference in HP / Torque?

[BMWRacer523]

Originally Posted by Tyga11

Why does Honda / Acura build the best manual transmission? I had an RSX Type S back in the day and it's by far the best transmission I've ever driven (even with the gear grind issues) Is it just a difference in HP / Torque?

I don't have enough experience with Japanese performance vehicles to say for sure but I have a feeling it's related to the torque and also the gear ratios being selected in BMW manual transmissions.

[androidtopp]

I'm going to ask a stupid question, but I honestly don't know. How much is this a BMW problem vs. a ZF (or other supplier) problem? BMW doesn't seem to be designing and building its own transmissions from zero, but how much are they working with their vendor to refine/design/adjust their offerings? Are Toyota and Honda building their own gearboxes internally to their exact needs, and that's why they're beloved? Or are they better at telling ZF/Getrag/Borg Warner/whoever what they need, or better at integrating it with the rest of the package?

Point of my question being, is BMW somewhat captive to its suppliers' design choices, and if so, why don't the brands we're comparing to above have this issue? It sounds like from the above that BMW manuals have always been meh (perhaps that exaggerated here, but...no one is leaping to their defense, only saying "they break in") and so this isn't just one bad pick or one bad pairing.

[kDot17]

Jesus. You pulled a muscle... in your back? From shifting a freaking car. I don't even know what to say.
Ever driven an STI? The G8X gearbox feels like soft mashed potatoes in comparison.

[mzcp]

We're lucky to have choices. The G8X MT is not the best but also not the worst. This is the last M3/4 MT so buy it while you can.

[bri1042]

Traditionally, Honda has been its own transmission vendor. I'm not sure if that's still entirely true, and I don't know on Toyota. The 6MT in the S2k and RSX-S was an in-house unit.

[androidtopp]

Originally Posted by bri1042

Traditionally, Honda has been its own transmission vendor. I'm not sure if that's still entirely true, and I don't know on Toyota. The 6MT in the S2k and RSX-S was an in-house unit.

Very interesting. Thanks for the info, I had no idea.

[bhmax16]

I picked up my M4 manual on Saturday. The shifter is marginally stiffer in feel than my 2007 328xi, but we're talking a new car vs one with 150k on it. I have zero complaints about the shifter. Even the clutch is relatively easy to modulate with the delay valve (I had removed the delay valve from my 328xi...I probably won't even bother removing it in the M4). Sure I can't shift it anywhere nearly as smooth as my 328xi but I first need to determine if it's because it's a new vehicle to get used to vs how much of it is due to the CDV.