Sequential or Manual

Anonymous · March 2, 2005, 16:35

Simple question.

I'm looking at buying a MKIII and was wondering what the general prference was regarding the gear box.

Anonymous · March 2, 2005, 16:42

Hello and welcome mate s:)

s:)

IMHO i'd go for manual, apart from better standing start performance it is said to increase re-sale value s:)

s:)

Anonymous · March 2, 2005, 16:43

I've got an SMT and I like it but with one or two reservations. It definitely took a while to get used to it when in town. We are so conditioned to grabbing a gearstick, that it can take a split second to think about what gear your in. Taking your eyes off the road to look at the indicator is still not natural to me. Plus changing when the wheel is turned and going for the g/lever takes a bit of adjusting to. The plus side is out on the open road when your 'going for it', and I think this cancels out the downside.
I've noticed mine being a bit clunky first thing in the morning until everything is warmed up, especially 1st to 2nd.
My advice would be to get an extended test drive in both.

Anonymous · March 2, 2005, 16:50

Thanks very much. Just the sort of advice I was after.

Think it might have made my mind up, but will get the extended test drives.

Thanks muchly

any more info would be great......

THEMOSS · March 2, 2005, 17:08

Personally i would go for the smt. Most here won't agree with that, but it depends what you're after. Yes, the manual is quicker in a straight line, but i've moved on from the traffic light grand prix many years ago. The mr2 is designed for the twisty stuff....

There is a definate knack to getting the changes right, which you learn over time. You can 'blip' the throttle on the upchanges which makes them far far quicker than just leaving your foot on the gas. Also the engine automatically 'blips' on down changes, which sounds awesome.

The smt can be very clunky when cold, and you will need to regularly re-set the ecu to stop it getting 'lazy', which it does over time. Once re-set it's like a different car... s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:

For driving in traffic it's brilliant, and you can keep your left foot on the footrest at all times which really helps hold you in place when gunning it (unless you left-foot brake, which i don't!!) s:shock: :shock: s:shock:

I actually used to regret having got an smt until i did the 'First Lotus' airfield day with Andy Walsh. I told him i wasn't a big fan. He told me he likes the smt and showed me how to really get the best out of it. He totally changed my view of it, and my course times on the day testify to that......

Having said all that, i would have no problem with buying a manual, to be honest you're a winner either way. The car is incredible with both smt or manual. You can't go wrong buying one of these...... s:D

s:D

Anonymous · March 2, 2005, 17:09

So which one are you looking at mate?

Also where are you based?

kanujunkie · March 2, 2005, 21:16

just look at the 0-60 times, manual wins hands down

THEMOSS · March 3, 2005, 02:23

Yes the manuals quicker 0-60 in a straight line, if that's all you're interested in.... s:roll: :roll: s:roll:

juansolo · March 3, 2005, 06:53

The SMT is slooooow at changing gear. It's it's only flaw really.

dreambackup · March 3, 2005, 07:47

2003+ are not slow... they're quick. quicker than most drivers (those paying attention to their car).

fun on the twisties, cool in town... slower for a 0-60 (not that slow on the 1/4 mile and I need the figures on a whole mile, just for fun s:wink: :wink: s:wink: ).

if you want to race a Golf TDi between two traffic lights, go for the manual.

if you want something really different, fun, go for the SMT.

I got the MR-S because of the SMT. I am so glad it got me to buy this car. everything about it is great. except for the plastic inside and the resale value s:cry: :cry: s:cry:

Tem · March 3, 2005, 08:30

There's this japanese video, which compares the 2003+ SMT/6MT on a track. They are practically even with a flying start and a driver will make a bigger difference than the transmission. From standstill, SMT doesn't have a chance.

I put these online here:
m http://koti.mbnet.fi/temmeke/vids/ m

Jared vs Willem is SMT vs manual on a strip. mlk_f1_BestMotorJan03 shows the 03 SMT vs manual on a track.

Anonymous · March 3, 2005, 10:40

I'm looking at two.

One SMT and ther other is the manual.

The SMT is a little more expensive and the manual has the hardtop option.

Think i will aim for the hardtop, manual that's a little cheaper.

kanujunkie · March 3, 2005, 10:50

Quote from: "Pieman.grfc"I'm looking at two.

One SMT and ther other is the manual.

The SMT is a little more expensive and the manual has the hardtop option.

Think i will aim for the hardtop, manual that's a little cheaper.

you can fit a hardtop to either but if your buying a new 2, then i'd hold off on the hardtop and buy a second hand one after, a lot cheaper

Tem · March 3, 2005, 11:00

I was just browsing some older stuff and remembered one (possibly major) issue with the SMT. You can't use any tunable ECU with it, like the Apexi Power FC s:? :? s:? Piggybacks do work though.

Also some parts only seem to fit the manual models, though I'm sure anything can be modified to fit the SMT as well.

zud · March 3, 2005, 11:04

I'd certainly agree with THEMOSS. For me, here's some Pros...

It's great when your gunning it... two hands on wheel, nicely braced left leg. My times were good at the 1stLotus day (compared to 3 guys with manuals). I'd love to claim I was the star driver... but suspect it was the SMT that made the difference. You can concentrate on line, braking etc, and know that the car will handle the revs when changing gear.

If you have a long rush-hour commute then SMT is fantastic. With previous cars I always got a bad back after about the first week or two of driving in a new position. With the SMT (and the Alfa Selespeed) I had no problems. I put this down to not pumping the clutch.

The change down sounds awesome! Esp with a twin exhaust. I catch myself getting into a higher gear just so I can change down (preferbaly twice s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted: ) when turning into work/car parks etc. OK, that's slightly s:oops: :oops: s:oops:

It's a great toy! s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

And a few cons...

The change up feels slow. You can definitely improve it with a slight lift on the throttle, but it's still slower than the Alfa was. On the other hand, once you've pressed the button, it's all wait time... if you try to image going for the clutch at the same time as you press the button... then think press clutch, shift gear, raise clutch... I'm not sure it's that much slower than a manual.

Standing start: probably the biggest difference. I get the impression that guys doing the timed 0-60 runs push a manual in a way that I couldn't/wouldn't. So the evryday difference might not be quite as large as published (but that's just a guess on my part)

Are you missing out on something? Sometimes when I'm driving in the country I miss the gear changes... miss part of the experience.

Personally, if I was having one just for fun, or to keep for a very long time I'd probably go manual. With a fair bit of town/rush-hour driving then the SMT is ideal. Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!

ps Thanks to THE MOSS for the reminder about resetting the ECU... I'll go do mine right now!

Anonymous · March 3, 2005, 13:57

I have seen one with gears on the steering wheel, but was also told that there was a gear stick as well....

Is this a gear stick as in a normal manual gear box?

Anonymous · March 3, 2005, 14:21

Nope, the SMTs have two ways of changing gear:

pressing the buttons on the steering wheel (front to go down, back ones to go up... I think).

They also have something like the normal gear lever... but this just does the same as the buttons, push forward and back to go up/down. It may also have a park/neutral, but I can't remember. It's not the same as a normal manual though, no slots for individual gears.

Anonymous · March 3, 2005, 14:35

Thought that might be the case.

Cheers

filcee · March 3, 2005, 18:41

What THEMOSS and zud said.

Phil4 is right about the buttons on the wheel, the 'stick' is push to change down, pull to change up (the way it should be) there is also a neutral and reverse position available. For parking, you are advised to leave it in 1st gear (I always leave cars in gear when parking anyway).

It can be clunky when cold, but this just reminds me to take it easy for the first 5-10-15 mins until everything is nicely warmed up

If it's any help, I'm on my 2nd SMT. I wouldn't go back to a manual, and I've never re-set the ECU (in either of mine). I'm certain it's quicker than me at gear changes.

One minor gripe I had with my '01 SMT is that occasionally it wouldn't select a gear at all, and required a few selections of neutral and blipping of the throttle. This mostly occurred when parking, so changing between first and reverse to get in/out of a space. Most embarrassing. It hasn't been anywhere near as much as a problem on the '03 I'm now driving - in fact I can't remember the last time it happened. Clearly, MrT has made some improvements here.

SMT = highly recommended (IMHO s;-) ;-) s;-) )

Anonymous · March 3, 2005, 19:04

Doesnt SMT also have Traction Control and ESP?

GSB · March 3, 2005, 19:13

Quote from: "cstevens"Doesnt SMT also have Traction Control and ESP?

Only on the 6 speed versions.