Will clutchless cars become the norm

[obi_waynne]

Following a debate/row/discussion/rant I thought I would post this up for discussion.

Now we are not talking about auto transmission per-se where the car decides what gear we are talking about removing the clutch pedal.

Some of the paddle shift arrangements are pretty good and work better and faster than a human can possibly use a manual clutch.

There are also some good semi autos which allow the driver to select a gear manually again without the clutch pedal.

So will you vehimently stick to your using the clutch or happily swap over to a cluch free car?

 

[pgarner]

would happily swap to an auto, well a semi auto anyway.
the time it takes to hit the clutch pedal some of the faster garboxes have already changed gear, never mind pedal down change and pedal up.

th biggest problemi have with full autos is the fact that as soon as you push the pedal harder it drops a cog or two even if you dont want to

 

[MasterAuron]

Or if it forgets to/doesn't change down a cog when you want it too (fully autos). There's not enough control. In a manual car you have the option of sitting there in a low gear, well in the power band then putting your foot down and you're off. In an auto (even the quick ones) you put your foot down wait a second and then you're off. I can't believe anyone thinks they're comparable performance-wise.

 

[obi_waynne]

We're not really discussing full auto boxes, just auto clutches but I think your point still stands.

 

[MasterAuron]

Sorry Blame pgarner he started it! :cheesy: Auto clutches are extremely fast and transmissions clever these days, but so am I lol. As someone said on another thread, it just brings an extra element of skill and judgement into the equation.

 

[HDi fun]

I think that two pedals will become the norm with a variey of methods offered for gear selection. The continuously variable transmissions are horrid things in my opinion.

I'd really like the Golf DSG system where it's a clutchless manual that can be left ot its own devices if you choose. And it works extremely well indeed even just left in automatic mode.

The traditional torque converter ane epicyclic autos are becoming rarer than ever, but one thing they can do is withstand enormous torque outputs. Clearly these hydraulic transmissions are very inefficient and will also probably disappear as the DSG type technology continues to evolve and can withstand the stress (The Veyron uses a DSG type of arrangement but the clutches are wet rather than the dry type in the Golf GT TFSi)

 

[Miniman]

The flappy paddles that change gear really quickly remind me of video games such as grand turismo, one button and youve gone up or down a gear .