Was just talking about transmission. I feel the 911 looks cool, very unique. Of course not stylish or sexy like a Ferrari. They sounds a little cooler then a 4 bangers ricer rocket, but nothing to brag about.
DCT is coming for all future Vette. GM is just slow. When that happens, the Vette will probably be like the Ferrari and Lambo today, mostly DCT or actually DCT only. I believe 10 years from now, all sports car will be DCT only.
I could just as easily ask what are you trying to prove by using the paddles to shift a 458? The DCT box can run in full auto mode and the software can do a better job than you changing gears both up and down. So should Ferrari just get rid of the paddles altogether and just give you the reverse and neutral buttons? No, because you want to roll down the road at 35 MPH and pretend you are Michael Schumacher by flicking off downshifts as you come to a stop at the next traffic light. If it was legal in F1, the downshifts would be completely automated. So why doesn't Ferrari do that on their road cars exclusively if everybody wants the most technologically advanced system. It would make the 458 even better then wouldn't it? The Vette is nifty in that if you want the computer to rev match, it can, or you can disable it for the full manual. Even if you left it on, that is in no way more futile than somebody flipping paddles on a DCT box that would do better if left in full auto mode.
I agree but would argue its more the other digital systems in the car along with the DCT that give you that feeling, rather than outright speed and capability. Before sequential manual boxes there have been many many race cars with H pattern that were far faster and far more capable than any current road car. The 458 is a good package but its not even close to the max that Ferrari could do, in terms of maximizing the technology and performance because to do so would remove even more driver involvement. It's still a compromise so the fact that there is no manual is only slightly less digital compared to how it could be. Personally I think a 458 with a truly awesome manual like a GT3 Porsche instead of the traditional Ferrari gate would be an amazing experience regardless of how many get ordered. The 458,s high revving and torquey NA motor begs for the ability to have full control like that, even if the DCT version is equally as involving.
BTW, has anyone tried automatically decending multiple gears on deceleration by simply holding the left paddle down while braking for a corner? I don't know if it's documented or not but it works. Throttle matches each gear, too. I have no idea how good or bad this is for the transmission.
