while shift points may be improved, i'm not a fan of mb's 7spd yet. the main reason has already been mentioned by 330. it's not anywhere near as strong as the 5spd it replaced which means it can't handle the amg 65's or any mods to amg 63's. the second reason is that it's ratio is not a nice tight linear 7spd ratio that will keep the car planted in it's powerband. it's essentially a 5spd with 2 overdrives...wtf???
while shift points may be improved, i'm not a fan of mb's 7spd yet. the main reason has already been mentioned by 330. it's not anywhere near as strong as the 5spd it replaced which means it can't handle the amg 65's or any mods to amg 63's. the second reason is that it's ratio is not a nice tight linear 7spd ratio that will keep the car planted in it's powerband. it's essentially a 5spd with 2 overdrives...wtf???
IYou'll have to help me on both of these:
I'm not sure, but doesn't the new generation CL65 and S65 come with the 7spd?
While the 5spd offers 4 gears for acceleration and 1 OD, the 7spd offers 5 and 2 for OD. This is an advantage over 6spd manuals which typically have 4 gears and 2 ODs as well. So 2 ODs is quite common with manuals. I suspect BMWs 7spd manual SMG is similar. Is it still SMG BTW?
I can speak to the consistency of the car/tranny/engine though. My first-time drag racer GF ran her SLK350 7spd on street tires to consistent 14.1s within .03 (HUNDREDTHS!) of a second, multiple times, enough to win a trophy.
I'm not sure, but doesn't the new generation CL65 and S65 come with the 7spd?
While the 5spd offers 4 gears for acceleration and 1 OD, the 7spd offers 5 and 2 for OD. This is an advantage over 6spd manuals which typically have 4 gears and 2 ODs as well. So 2 ODs is quite common with manuals. I suspect BMWs 7spd manual SMG is similar. Is it still SMG BTW?
I can speak to the consistency of the car/tranny/engine though. My first-time drag racer GF ran her SLK350 7spd on street tires to consistent 14.1s within .03 (HUNDREDTHS!) of a second, multiple times, enough to win a trophy.
no, all the amg 65 models still use the 5spd tranny through '07.
while the ratios of the 7spd are improved over the 5spd, it's still not the most beneficial set up for a powertrain that is more performance oriented than not. iirc, bmw's 7spd smg does not have an overdrive and is pure 7spd transmission that keeps that high revving v10 right in the heart of it's powerband at all times. [drool]
no, all the amg 65 models still use the 5spd tranny through '07.
while the ratios of the 7spd are improved over the 5spd, it's still not the most beneficial set up for a powertrain that is more performance oriented than not. iirc, bmw's 7spd smg does not have an overdrive and is pure 7spd transmission that keeps that high revving v10 right in the heart of it's powerband at all times. [drool]
No doubt - even C&D asked "WHY E55?" regarding the E55 vs. the 3SRT-8!!
Actually, regarding the paddles - I think the tach size and location is a bigger design flaw. Regarding not turning with the wheel - simpler means cheaper = more profit - unfortunately!
Why E55? Lets see, 469hp supercharged engine and 516 ft lbs. of torque!!! Not to mention a higher resale value. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my SRT-8, but the E55 will be my next car.
Why E55? Lets see, 469hp supercharged engine and 516 ft lbs. of torque!!! Not to mention a higher resale value. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my SRT-8, but the E55 will be my next car.
Higher resale value but higher purchase price too.
Are you saying it loses a smaller percentage of value in the first few years? I wouldn't assume that, not when I paid 40K a year ago brand new and could still get over 35K today.
Are you saying it loses less dollars of value in the first few years? I'm sure that's not true: a more expensive car will depreciate faster in absolute dollars.
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