R-tronic vs. Manual

[Quest]

Curious as to what you chose for your R8 and why? I drove one with r-tronic which was great but wonder if some of the driving experience was lost due to it. It certainly made shifting a breeze.

[KfabR8]

If I may, I'd like to add to this thread and ask if anyone's gone from an MT6 to an R-Tronic and what their feelings are about the switch.

I've had the MT6 in both of mine, as I like the idea of having full control over the shifting.

I drove a V10 R-Tronic a while back and didn't care for the system, but was told that it takes a little time getting used to how to "drive" with it. Seems like most that have it love it once they learn how to drive with it.

[SebringSilver]

The idiosyncrasies of the R-tronic are many, but mastering it is half the fun. Sounds odd to be saying this, but you actually have to learn to use this transmission.

Someday, people will be asking, "so, can you drive R-tronic?" rather than "can you drive stick?"

[RS4Cab]

My only experience with a sequential gearbox was when I had my 2003 M3 SMG, hated it. Might not be the best comparison since that early system had a lot of bugs. But even without the problems I really missed having full control over car. Nice that you get to save almost $10k going with the option you want, I would have paid that to get stick if I had to. Also think it will help when you go to sell your car, more people still want a stick. I had to wait about 6 months to get my Maserati GT Spyder because I wanted a stick and all they had was cambi, I know having the stick helped me in selling that car. But it is all a matter of personal taste and I'm not knocking the R-tronic system and I'm sure it's a big plus if you track, Which I don't

[FiftyPence]

I previously had a BMW M3, E46 shape and was quite happy with the SMG II gearbox in that but it was showing its age when I decided to purchase the Audi R8.

After the experience with the M3 I decided I wanted another paddle shift car and as soon as I drove the R8 for the first time I realised it was significantly better than the rubbish old SMG II gearbox of the M3.

My daily driver is a stick shift vehicle but I love driving the R8 with the paddles. A manual box just seems so clumsy and needless to me now. I'd much rather sit there with racing paddles than have to manually operate a clutch and move the stick.

[Psalm40]

My R8 will be a MT6. Period. My last car was a '09 GT-R, which only has the dual clutch F1 style transmission. It is fast. BUT, I did miss the manual feel and drive. Even in the GT-R it takes a while to drive the paddles well. In my opinion, I would only have the paddles for three reasons, 1.) Track car 2.) Manufactuer does not offer manual 3.) Porsche Turbo S with PDK.

I also have to give a little jab at Audi for placing the paddles on the steering wheel....not MY preferred location.

[SteveR]

I have a 6MT car and have always loved having such direct control during spirited driving. I still love it, but if were to order again today I'm not sure which trans I would pick. There is something to be said for knowing you will never scuff your gearbox with a sloppy shift or even worse, pick the wrong gear when downshifting. It also helps to be able to keep both hands on the wheel at all times. Manuals are a lot of fun, but the R-Tronic is safer and faster in the hands of all but a handful of drivers.

I have come to think the R-Tronic is nearly perfect for the car. I would even pick it over a technically superior dual clutch setup as I love the way it simulates the feel/sound of a well driven manual car.

[randombloke]

I've been a fan of sequential manuals since the e46 m3 smg II and then the m6 with its smg III - the single clutch r-tronic feels much the same as the m6, albeit with a lower powered engine attached. I'm not a huge fan of any at crawling speeds, but once the pace builds I love the precision and find that leads to more gear changes and a better driving experience as a result for me personally. It all depends on how much you enjoy the physical act of changing cogs and how much time you're willing to give the r-tronic to feel natural to you.

the shift speed is plenty fast enough with the single clutch and the robotized cluth/cog-swapping has a feel to it that I think goes well with the nature of the car. In the real world, I can't see what difference a dsg setup would make for me. I know some have a hang up about single clutch being older tech vs dsg, but that's not an issue for me as it gets the job done.

[NFS13]

I don't understand why the R8 does not have a dual clutch setup? My 335is with DCT is much better than the R-tronic. Aston Martin also uses a single clutch, so both of mine were 6spd

[randombloke]

I believe it's a packaging issue - they don't have a dsg that will fit the space and can't justify the cost to design one just for the r8 given its sales volumes.