2002 Spyder GT tranny question

Hello everybody. Interested in a 2002 Spyder GT I've come across. Curious about any issues with the 6 speed manual transmission. A colleague of mine has a Cambiocorsa and it seems that he spends a fortune on clutches/hydraulics. This seems to be a consistent problem area for these cars but not much write up info on the manual tranny. Is the 6 speed manual a better tranny/clutch setup in terms of life expectancy? Any thoughts/opinions/experiences would be helpful Thanks.

Nick P.

 

I have a 2002 Cambio and never had a tranny problem. If you drive it in Auto, you will go through clutches pretty quick.

What I heard is that the manual is rather normal in nature but the linkage is not very direct or precise. It's a long way back to the gearbox. It's a bit rubber-y. Drive it and see if you like it. Most people chose the Cambio so they are pretty rare. The car is really a GT, not an all out sportscar.

I've never driven a manual though. If you like the feel, I don't think it's much different than any other manual. The gearbox is in the rear and easy to drop if you need to change a clutch.

The Maserati is the best bang for the buck for an Italian exotic today. People think you spent a million bucks on it and you only paid more than buying a new Camry. The motor alone is worth the price of admission.

 

I did drive the car. The car is nice and the motor is sweet. The shifter in the car is very sloppy and rubbery. Not what I would expect from an Italian exotic. Car drives nice though and it is in perfect shape. 30k or so miles and asking $24K for it. The paint is very nice and the interior is near flawless.

My concern, more specifically, is about the integrity of the tranny/clutch system in the manual. It seems that overall, the quality of the Cambiocorsa tranny/clutch/hydraulics in a comparable car with the mileage is roughly equivalent to that of a gingergread house. I'm curious if the clutch issue is inherent to the manual also or if this is something that is unique to the CC because of the specific setup. Does the simplicity of a clutch pedal and manual rowing spare the clutch to any significant degree, if the car is driven reasonably normal? While the car is an excellent value, I'm not interested in spending $8 grand on a clutch(which, BTW, is just ridiculous) every 7-10K miles(which is EVEN MORE ridiculous). I want a car that I can drive on the weekends and perform routine reasonable maintenance on without spending more than what I spent on the car itself. I realize that maintenance on this car is going to be above average, but burnt out clutches at 5K mile inervals is not something I'm even remotely interested in.

 

There is nothing inherently wrong with the clutch or transmission on either the CC or manual versions of the car. The problem is with the electronics that control the clutch on the cambiacorsa. If you get the stick, you and only you will dictate how long the clutch lasts by the manner in which you slip the clutch as you drive the car. Contrarily, with the CC, a computer controls the amount of slipping of the clutch as you drive. Slipping of the clutch is the only thing that wears it out, and the CC electronics slip the hell out of it and wear it out fast, especially in 'auto' mode. I think they were trying hard to program the system to make super smooth shifts, and over did it at the expense of the clutch. Driving the cc in sport mode lessens clutch slippage and shifts are jerkier as a result, but the clutch lasts longer. The manual is the way to go if you want to have long clutch life.

 

Thanks for the reply! I'll probably try to go back out and look at the car again. Who knows? Maybe it will wind up my garage....

 

My guy said the harder I drive the car- the longer the clutch lasts.

 

I happen to prefer the stick shift GT version, particularly when I have to drive it in traffic. But I might prefer a CC on the open road. Comparative clutch life is a topic that has been discussed at length on the Maserati forum, without much resolution. I can't say I find the shift linkage "rubbery" but you know that it's going through a linkage. I find you have to shift with purpose, you can't be lax. The shift pattern has a fairly strong centering to "3-4" which requires some extra effort for 4-5-6 shifts. It isn't a porblem, you just need to be in charge. It isn't a Honda.
Jon
04 Spyder GT

 

Hello,

I would say take a look at our Drive By Wire Enhancement Module. They are designed to produce improved performance and response compared to the factory programming. From the factory, the Drive By Wire systems for Maserati's are designed with the luxury motorist in mind. As such, the vehicle is engineered to produce the smoothest, most predictable response and requires you to push the pedal to the floor in order to get the car to respond in a true Sports Car fashion.

In contrast, the Formula Dynamics DBWEM has been developed with the performance driver in mind to produce a substantial increase in vehicle response and performance under all circumstances. Typical effects of our DBWEM are an immediate boost in throttle response, power delivery and improved clutch engagement for Cambiocorsa F-1 models.

Reviewed heavily in Maserati Forums you can definitely find that the Drive By Wire is a must have for your vehicle. Almost immediate clutch engagement and much better throttle response gained by installing a Drive By Wire not only adds to the pleasure of driving your vehicle but its been said that it even extends the clutch life.

http://www.formuladynamics.com/products/4200_dbwem/4200_dbwem.php

Feel free to give us a call with questions.

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