[midwest 340xi 6sp]

Originally Posted by dkhm3

Some have said it, but not clearly.

ZF makes the PDK for PORSCHE.

GETRAG makes the DCT for BMW. they also make DCT's for Ferrari, and AMG GTS.

The reason why bmw is dropping the DCT is money-

BMW needs a Longitudinal orientation DCT for its cars. This application for DCT's have maxed out on torque and will need further development money from BMW for Getrag to make it.

fyi- I have a ZF on my X5M and I have a DCT on my M3. There is a HUGE DIFFERENCE in driver engagement. The DCT is an automated Manual gearbox and behaves like one- and should be driven like one. The ZF behaves like any other automatic I have ever driven, just tweaked to make it instant and fast. I have posted about this before, but multi gear shifts are a blast in the DCT and smooth as silk, the ZF is smoother on 1 gear shifts, not 2-3 gear.

Here is what a zf does on a 3 gear shift from 7-4 vs a DCT: (done manually)

ZF: 7-6-4
DCT: 7-4

shift speeds are equal, the zf in my M is tweaked, it is unlike any other zf I have ever driven, x3, x5, 640i gc, etc. In auto mode the ZF is superior in every way, it can skip shifts at will when you floor it, etc.

the devil is in the details, and most companies bank on the fact that you are ignorant on the details.

Bingo!

Someone sticky this to the top of this thread...