Use of ZF 8-speed auto gearbox (BMW and other makes)
Posted: Sat Jun 09, 2018 7:10 pm
This is to follow-up on a conversation started under “Introductions” but that would fit better here.
My car (2015 BMW 320d) is a traditional automatic (DCT is only on some high powered BMWs). It has an 8-speed gearbox and auto gear changes are very slick indeed. For town driving “D” is indeed good (it also includes stop / start as you might expect) but I often drive with the gearbox in “S” or in the “sport” driving mode. Both keep the revs a bit higher, around 2000/min, and these modes also disable the stop / start so there are no hiccups when driving onto a roundabout for instance. In fact the auto mode is so good that I normally leave it at that.
There are gearshift paddles but I find I need to shift my hands on the wheel to use them (not the 10 to 2 I would normally use but towards quarter to 3) – and it only works when you are more-or-less going straight (or when used a fixed steering grip). [You can always reach for the gear selector to make manual changes – and gear changes should probably be left for the straight bits anyway for stability.] The gearbox also keeps to a low gear automatically when going downhill – but often not low enough where there are speed restrictions.
One option for a more spirited drive is to go “all manual” (I need more practice with this – and with so many speeds to choose between, you do end up doing gear changes quite a bit). An alternative is to use a manual intervention (such as move down a gear) only under certain conditions, such as for down hill stretches. Some windy country roads lend themselves well to the “squeeze and ease” approach (accelerator sense, no brakes) but this is one where I find the auto gearbox often picks too high a gear – and then you end up not losing enough speed when approaching a bend, meaning a touch on the brakes is needed.
I have spoken with a couple of keen drivers with the same gearbox who either never use the manual options, or only sometimes, when they can be bothered! I have not settled on a “favourite” approach yet but I think that with practise, I may go part or all-manual for out-of-town driving (one trade-off to consider is whether to keep the gear changes to a minimum – and let the revs vary more – or use more gear changes, closer to what the auto gearbox would do?) Any other thoughts?
My car (2015 BMW 320d) is a traditional automatic (DCT is only on some high powered BMWs). It has an 8-speed gearbox and auto gear changes are very slick indeed. For town driving “D” is indeed good (it also includes stop / start as you might expect) but I often drive with the gearbox in “S” or in the “sport” driving mode. Both keep the revs a bit higher, around 2000/min, and these modes also disable the stop / start so there are no hiccups when driving onto a roundabout for instance. In fact the auto mode is so good that I normally leave it at that.
There are gearshift paddles but I find I need to shift my hands on the wheel to use them (not the 10 to 2 I would normally use but towards quarter to 3) – and it only works when you are more-or-less going straight (or when used a fixed steering grip). [You can always reach for the gear selector to make manual changes – and gear changes should probably be left for the straight bits anyway for stability.] The gearbox also keeps to a low gear automatically when going downhill – but often not low enough where there are speed restrictions.
One option for a more spirited drive is to go “all manual” (I need more practice with this – and with so many speeds to choose between, you do end up doing gear changes quite a bit). An alternative is to use a manual intervention (such as move down a gear) only under certain conditions, such as for down hill stretches. Some windy country roads lend themselves well to the “squeeze and ease” approach (accelerator sense, no brakes) but this is one where I find the auto gearbox often picks too high a gear – and then you end up not losing enough speed when approaching a bend, meaning a touch on the brakes is needed.
I have spoken with a couple of keen drivers with the same gearbox who either never use the manual options, or only sometimes, when they can be bothered! I have not settled on a “favourite” approach yet but I think that with practise, I may go part or all-manual for out-of-town driving (one trade-off to consider is whether to keep the gear changes to a minimum – and let the revs vary more – or use more gear changes, closer to what the auto gearbox would do?) Any other thoughts?