612 F1 Shift Times

HGTC on the SA did not affect shift times, it did on the 612 F1A HGTS and HGTC (~160 ms). Interim F133H 612s also had speeded up shifting, not affected by HGTC/HGT2. The OTOs have a different clutch (twin disc from 599) and gearbox case and Superfast 1 shifting from the 599, also not affected by HGT2, but considerably faster and smoother than earlier versions.

 

Hi, I have driven an early 612, I own a 2006 HGTC and I’ve also driven a number of OTOs.

The differences in shift times, 180 vs 160 vs 100ms are not so easy to feel in real life. These are minimum shift times given perfect conditions.

Where you tend to notice the difference is with less aggressive shift situations, e.g. when you are short shifting through the gears or in normal driving. In this case the newer the car the faster it shifts. For example, I was driving a friend’s 2004 612 the other day. In normal mode (without sport engaged) and light driving style the shifts were ridiculously slow (over 1 sec) but they were smooth. In comparison my HGTC never shifts this slowly in the same situation. However in sport mode and more aggressive driving the shifts are very similar to the HGTC.

OTO is similar but faster again. Flat out shifts are a bit faster but its the in-between situations that you notice. Its just a bit faster and smoother overall.

It’s easy to get hung up on shift times but it doesn’t really make that much difference. I was fully intending to buy an OTO and test drove about 6. However I ended up buying a HGTC because it was the best car I found. In the end the shift time did not really matter.

Jeremy


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Everybody should realize the min shift times only apply to full throttle shifts above ~5000 rpm where the intake path changes length. Each of the upgrades to the system resulted in smoother shifting at less than full throttle and algorithms that extended clutch life through quicker, smoother pick up on starts and shifts, realizing most wear occurs on starts. Later versions are also much better shifting for those that use the AUTO mode.

 

Auto mode on my 2005 is dreadful. Paddles all the way for me. (Though a clutch pedal would be even better.)

 

Have the system serviced, fluid changed, system bled, leak check, and self test run and see if it improves. Personally, in 10 years of ownership, I have never used AUTO mode.


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Had he f1 system fully serviced just after i got it. The garage said the oil was bogging- normal for cars that spend their lives only being serviced by main dealers.

Auto mode was still crap afterwards though! No worries; I’d rather use the paddles anyway.

 

So did the early 2008 612s get the faster shifts or only OTOs from that year?

 

Interim 612s (late 07, early 08) all had upgraded F1 systems with min shift times around 125 ms. HGT2 did not affect that shift time or OTO shift time (100 ms).