Manual 135i for a newbie manual driver?

[Robert]

I picked up my 135i manual without knowing how to drive one. Got a 20 mins of lesson from the sales and drove it home. Love the manual. Particular easy to drive because the amount of torque equated to less shifting. But I have always been a quick learner at toys, never read an instruction manuel unless I can't figure it out.

I am no idiot though. The car was picked up at 8-9pm when there's less traffic on the road. Bring a backup plan, if you have issue have friend/family drive it home for you then practice near the neighborhood.

[SpacE82]

If your going back and forth between getting manual and getting automatic, get manual because thats probably what you really want. If you get automatic, you'll regret it and wish you had gotten the manual and now you are stick with an auto transmission for 5 years. I had that happen to me when I had a mustang in high school. I got auto, but wanted manual, but didnt know how to drive it. People don't really consider getting manual unless they really want it. So since your considering it, its probably what you really want.

The hill hold is a nice feature, but once you get good enough, the hill hold will become an annoyance. I dont know about anyone else, but I like rocking back and forth sometimes haha. In my old car that was stick shift, i was rocking back and forth, and my roommate heard a girl in the car next to us say to her passenger, "I love it when guys who drive stick rock back and forth, its so hot."

The only time I hate manual, is like what I'm sure everyone else has said, traffic. Its such a bitch. But when your not in traffic its a blast. I dont think I will ever go back to automatic until my knees give out haha. After you drive stick for a while, you get used to it and everything becomes second nature, and you do things without even thinking. Im sure everyone can attest to this, but when I drive a car thats automatic, the first thing I do is look for the clutch before i start it..and when driving auto, i get bored.

Get stick. You'll love it!

[dcho]

i learned stick on my 135i as well. i was a bit terrified at first but just practiced at night, and on quiet roads so i think its feasible. just don't ride the clutch or drop it. as for the hill hold assist, it holds it for 2 seconds or so. so you can still get the feel once the car stops holding

[GaryS]

Honestly, I think a lot of people are making it sound harder than it is. When I bought my first car, I had not driven a manual before, but I got in and drove it home without incident. One year later, I taught my 16 year old sister how to drive it and she was doing fine within 15 minutes.

[SpacE82]

^I agree, I think now its easier to pick up because video games give people the basic understanding of the concept. I'm not saying video games are a good way to learn, but with all the racing games, its a good way to understand the concept. My roommate in college taught me a loong time ago.. we started in a parking lot and within 15-20 min i was driving around the streets. Its not that hard if you understand the basics, and you get better with practice.

[jeremyc74]

The 135i is a pretty easy car to drive with a manual transmission. It's got pretty good torque off idle, which makes it harder to stall, and the hill assist feature should remove a lot of the anxiety about pulling out on hills.

Once you get the car, go out and find yourself a nice empty parking lot to practice in. After a week with the car you'll be doing fine, and after a month it will be second nature.

[Jeef Beef]

I drove auto for a year before buying the 135i in manual. During the months I was waiting for delivery, I took a 2hr lesson from an instructor.

We drove around in a 1992 Daihatsu Sirion 1.0L 3cyl. That thing was absolutely horrendous, the gear lever was straight out of a bus or truck. When I got into the 1er for the first time it felt like it was fitted with a super super short shift kit. However, that car was great for learning - it was a beater that allowed me to learn the basics of hill starting, reversing and 'feeling' when to change gears (since the car had no tacho)

Moving straight into the 1er was fine, sure I had a few stalls initially as I was getting used to the clutch feel and take up point. You'll learn to love it more than any auto you have driven.

I do have to say though our clutches feel very vague with the CDV in (still have yet to remove mine).

[plasar]

Black135ier, my opinion: if you've decided that you'd like to drive a manual, of course you should go for one of the best cars out there, a 135i.

Ultimately, the "clutch" is a consumable, like brake pads. Specifically, the friction face wears down over time, no matter how well you drive a clutch. I think you should ask your dealer for the price of replacing the clutch friction plate. Now just understand that, as a noob, if you slip the clutch more than you need to on regular or hill launches, you are going to need to pay this price sooner than other drivers.

Of course, you should follow other clutch best practices:

* don't rest your foot on the clutch while driving (and wear throwout bearing),
* fully depress it during gear changes and never "speed shift" (shift w/o clutching or keeping foot on gas during shift),
* if you shift very quickly and hear a crunch, this may well be the syncromesh that cannot keep up with the speed of your shift - shift more slowly (and make sure clutch is FULLY depressed and not against floor mat).
* IF you choose to downshift to slow the car or keep revs up while slowing, you should rev match to the lower gear.

Following the above steps will help the other parts of the transmission function for as long as possible.

I haven't driven a 135i without the CDV, but for me, the stock setup is fine.


Just to keep things in perspective, ask your dealer also what it costs to replace a 135i auto transmission, new or rebuilt. Auto trannies don't last forever - 125K, 150K, 200K, etc. They are very sophisticated devices - that's why there are transmission only shops. They require maintenance - healthy fluid and operational filters. And now with the DCT transmission in the 2011 135i, it's really an electronically operated manual transmission. I wonder if and when those clutch friction faces wear out and how much they cost to replace. The DCT option is USD$1,575.


Shifting Without Clutch
How to Speed-Shift a Manual Transmission for a Drag Race
Wikipedia Manual Transmission

[Black135ier]

thanks for all the comments, it really made me think a lot. The reason why I wanted a manual in the first place is that I really love driving and I really find auto boring to drive. When I took the lesson, i only stalled the engine twice because i let go the clutch too fast in the first gear and because the clutch was really really stiff but other than that changing from 2nd to 3rd is not really a problem. I think i pretty much decided, i'll just go to the dealer and test the manual and see how i like it.

I think i'm a person that's cautious with things so I always remember the steps not to break stuff, including all the things plasar mentioned above, so I'm gonna stick with shifting slowly at the beginning and not letting the clutch go too quickly.

I'll also ask the dealer how much it cost to replace the friction plates and how fast it will wear compare to auto and DCT based on previous experiences.

[tcd223]

I picked my car up and drove it out of the dealership with about 15 minutes of ever having driven a stick in my life. I'd previously driven an e92 328xi with the step and the manual is so much more entertaining then the DS/M mode in the auto tranny. I am by no means an expert at driving stick yet (6.8k miles driven so far), but when the stars align and I rip off a couple of perfect shifts up an on ramp, its pretty satisfying.

I had been regularly driving into Manhattan for class some days, and not once did I think to myself that I'd prefer the automatic. This car is easy to drive in traffic. I can't say in your case you will prefer one transmission over another but I knew I wanted a stick and have had no trouble learning how to drive it and living with the car as a daily driver that sees traffic regularly.

[sb335is]

never having driven a manual or had instruction, the first time i got in my friends 328i i was able to start it and get it into first then second around my street- first had some major stuttering and i kept stalling on reverse lol. but the fact i could get moving was pretty nice

[iDriveaBimmer]

It seems learning how to drive manual in an s2k is a common thing here I too learned on my friend's '03 s2k. It really was not that difficult once you get the hang of it.

[Robert]

I thought Japanese clutch is a little more forgiving than BMWs

[Ash83]

WTF to I HATE IT to HMMM I GET IT NOW to I LOVE IT to I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT IT

[tonmonde]

Originally Posted by Robert

I thought Japanese clutch is a little more forgiving than BMWs

huh i felt the bmws were more forgiving...

[Ash83]

MANual

[warpanda]

I learned stick on a new evo. I think the 135i has a much more forgiving friction point.

Sometimes ... you just gotta do it. People will honk at you as you nervously start off on a hill during a stoplight, but you'll get the hang of it. Don't be afraid to mess up a little in the beginning - we all do.

Good luck!

[heffergm]

I watched my dad drive sticks growing up... Heel & toe, double clutching, all the fun stuff. When I first sat in the drivers seat I already knew what to do and it came naturally. It helped that I'd been riding dirt bikes in the meantime... Gives you a good feeling for a clutch.

You may pick it up instantly. You may suck @first. Give it a shot and see how it goes.

[Xyloft]

Originally Posted by warpanda

I learned stick on a new evo. I think the 135i has a much more forgiving friction point.

Sometimes ... you just gotta do it. People will honk at you as you nervously start off on a hill during a stoplight, but you'll get the hang of it. Don't be afraid to mess up a little in the beginning - we all do.

Good luck!

I learned on my tiburon, but my STI was way less forgiving. Just when i got used to the STI, i'd have a few extra people in the car and i could totally tell the difference (and stall).

My 128 is rediculously easy to drive, i can only imagine a 135 being easier.