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[hr]Originally posted by: Silver2k1Dood


Nah, man...that ain't no auto or manu-matic. That is a true electro-hydraulically controlled and actuated clutch-less manual, directly derived from the F1 car, BTW.

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[hr]except instead of you pushing a pedal to actuate the clutch, a computer does it for you in like 10-15 milliseconds[hr]

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[hr]Originally posted by: Unleaded
come again? what's the defination of cluthless? if there aint't no clutch then it's an automatic IMO. you even said it. so what's the definition of automatic? a computer does it for you, hmmm, interesting.....[hr]

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[hr]Shifty Business: The Clutchless Manual Transmission
By Scott Memmer
Last updated: 2001-07-31

The automotive business abounds with innovations that have fallen by the wayside. I remember a push-button automatic transmission in an early '60s Plymouth station wagon I once drove that quickly went the way of the brontosaurus.

Transmissions have seen a number of improvements in the last few decades. For instance, we've been following with great interest the recent rise of the CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) and its application in such vehicles as the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and soon the Audi A4. More recently, we've gotten wind of a different kind of transmission, something geared more toward the high end of the spectrum. Although this technology is not exactly brand-new, it appears poised to make a splash in the U.S. marketplace.

What we're talking about here is the clutchless manual transmission. For simplicity's sake, think of it as a manual transmission without a clutch pedal. That's right — look down, and there are only two pedals at your feet instead of three.

Actually, the clutchless manual tranny has been around for a while. If you had the bucks to shell out for a Ferrari F355 F1 in the late '90s, you could have bought one back then (the tranny continues in the 360 Modena). Saab also briefly offered it in the 1995 Saab 900, under the tradename Sensonic.

So what's all the fuss about the clutchless manual? Why now?

Well, for starters, with gasoline topping two dollars a gallon in some places, even the wealthiest motorists have begun to take note at the pump. And the clutchless manual, in addition to improving gas mileage over conventional automatic transmissions and even standard manuals, offers performance advantages, as well. Why else would it be used in Formula One racing, where it originated?

Let's take a quick look at the system in the Ferrari, to acquaint ourselves better with the clutchless manual.

As mentioned earlier, a car equipped with a clutchless manual has no clutch pedal. For one very good reason: There's no clutch, at least not in the conventional sense. Instead, two "paddles" occupy a space on either side of the steering column, immediately behind the steering wheel. The paddle on the right controls upshifting; the paddle on the left is for downshifting. The driver can also press an "automatic" button on the console to have the car shift for her — but what's the fun in that?

You can see why Formula One drivers — and wealthy Americans who like to go fast — might appreciate such an arrangement. With shifters at your fingertips, you can keep both hands on the wheel at all times. This can be comforting to the novice and potentially life-saving to a race car driver in high-speed competition.

Make no mistake, the clutchless manual is not a pseudo-automatic tranny masquerading as a manual, but a true manual with a computerized brain. Nor is it similar to the Porsche Tiptronic and its various knock-offs (which are semi-automatic transmissions, not manuals).

To shift gears, the Ferrari gearbox utilizes a computer-controlled electronic clutch and a high-pressure hydraulic shift actuator. The Ferrari gearbox contains no torque converter, which is standard equipment on virtually all automatic transmissions. Instead, when the driver flicks one of the paddles, the transmission instantaneously (0.15 seconds) shifts to the appropriate gear. The speed with which it shifts is one of the clutchless manuals' main advantages. Because you don't have to worry about a clutch pedal, the shift is essentially immediate. When the driver requests a downshift, engine electronics automatically raise the rpm to match engine speed with wheel speed. The system is also dummy-proof. In the event that the operator shifts into the wrong gear, sensors will prevent the engine from engaging the tranny.

That's the essence of a clutchless manual. Of course, the paddle system that Ferrari utilizes is not essential to the design. It's perfectly feasible, and even likely, that future clutchless manuals will come to market with the shifter on the floor.

You may well be asking: If the clutchless manual is such a great thing, why haven't we seen it in larger numbers in the United States?

First are the issues of price and technology. Clutchless manuals are expensive and require sophisticated electronics. For most cars and drivers, a clutchless manual (in its current form) isn't worth it. Another reason is that clutchless manuals don't shift as smoothly as an automatic or a manual with a skilled driver. Because of this, European automakers are reluctant to bring cars equipped with clutchless manuals into the U.S., fearing they won't sell. (In many ways, the U.S. market is the exact opposite of other markets around the world. For example, in the U.S., one in 10 vehicles sold has a manual transmission; in Europe, this ratio is the exact opposite, with about one in 10 cars sold being an automatic.) The first cars we're likely to see equipped with clutchless manuals in the U.S. will be in the high-performance arena, where a certain amount of shift shock is already tolerated.

Case in point: BMW has announced that the 2002 M3 will be available with an optional six-speed clutchless manual tranny. The M3 (which is coming to the U.S. in the fall of 2001) will come equipped with steering wheel paddles, a la Ferrari, as well as a floor shifter, although sources at BMW tell us the floor shifter is "not anything like the shifter in the current M3."

Mercedes-Benz, however, which offers a clutchless manual (known as Sequentronic) as an option on the C-Class in Europe, has no plans, at present, to bring the technology to the U.S. This may be a simple case of not wanting to confuse the company's stable of loyal customers, who are used to buying their Mercedes equipped with standard automatic trannies. Why rock the boat when you're making Deutsche marks (or is it Euros?) hand over fist?

You may have noted a European slant to this story. This is because clutchless manuals are nearly all being built by European (mostly German) suppliers. Current makers include Sachs, ZF Friedrichshafen AG, Magneti Marelli (for Ferrari), Siemens, and Aisin Seiki Co.

As with any high-tech feature, you can expect clutchless manuals to move from the exotic car world into more mainstream market segments in the coming years. [hr]

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[hr]Originally posted by: Unleaded
dude, i think you've got too much time on your hands. i didn't bother reading that edmunds crap you posted - sounds like every article about semic- autos in every car magazines.

i didn't realized that you'll be this techical about it. if you read my eariler post, you'll see that i was speaking in terms of OPINIONS and as a driver. i don't care if the cluthless crap shifts faster than a REAL MANUAL, but speaking as a driver if there is no cluth, then it is not a TRUE MANUAL. there were topics about this before, semi-autos vs. stick, and almost everyone agreed that they are not the same. post a new topic and i guarantee you REAL DRIVERS will say that semi-autos/cluthless manuals are technical terms for AUTOMATICS.

also, i don't know why you start using profanity cause i never personally attacked you. this is a classic example of know retards and people without confident belittle others while trying to get their point across just to make themselves feel better. good day.[hr]