328is Automatic People

[IceCzecher]

To all 328i/328is people (e36):


-Are you satisfied with the perfomance of the Auto Tansmission? Been looking for a 328is manual for a while, but cant find one close in my price range. A sweet automatic is available, but I'm hesitant b/c I've wanted a manual.

So, how are the autos?

[mattr328i]

I have a manual 328i and love it. It's fast and so much fun to drive! If at all possible get the manual.

[schwarzII325is]

dont mind the auto.....for stop and go traffic, but manual is the way to go.

[westyftw]

I converted from auto and would never ever consider going back....it really is that much better.

[BoneThug]

i've got an auto 325. its not bad, very smooth, not a manual but then you just stop noticing.

[ducky328i]

auto does fine. if your in alot of traffic its GREAT. i have mine running 9.84's in an eighth

and you never have to worry about teh dreaded money shift. :woot:

and besides, go on and get it...if you like it r great, if not, good reason to go drive crazy fuck it up, and 5 spd swap it

[NYY42]

I had an auto 325 and did a zf tranny swap after my auto transmission gave out at 90k.

[ducky328i]

my auto tranny is still strong at 250k

[NYY42]

my auto tranny is still strong at 250k

Says something about your driving habits I suppose lol.

[ducky328i]

nah....i give it hell....lol


says somethin bout GM trannys...:shifty..

*smakes self in face*

[afshar16]

i'm more than happy with my auto 328, specially in traffic. i have no regrets about getting an automatic, however, after riding in my friend's manual e46 330ci i think my next bmw will be a manual. ... but i'm not sure, it's nice to be able to just cruise home without thinking about switching gears when i'm exhausted

[jhstealth]

Yea i went from auto to manual, the auto would have been good but i fucked it up and it slipped VERY badly and the torque converter like shuttered so i got a 5-speed and i dont regret it, the only thing i regret is leaving the 3.91 in the car....new diff soon i hope

[328flyer]

If you like driving a manual I think you'll be disappointed. I have one of each. My GF drives a 96 328i auto. We raced once and I was surprised that her car was nose to nose. The auto stays right around 5kRPM once it gets there so it does well 0-60. On the highway the manual is much better, especially when you need to move. I've never timed 60-100 but my car seems much faster. I drive both regularly and really prefer the manual. But I have always driven manuals, probably 300,000 miles worth.

The other thing is economy. The manual will do quite a bit better normally. If you drive all highway it will be about the same.

[busterhax]

yeah autos suck when your at 50mph and someones pulls up next to you and wants to go from 50.

[ducky328i]

yeah autos suck when your at 50mph and someones pulls up next to you and wants to go from 50.

nah, just put it '3' and youll do ok, just floor it about a half a second before the third beep...:shifty

[busterhax]

isnt that bad for the tranny?

[ducky328i]

isnt that bad for the tranny?

no not at all. read your manual. '3' is its 'sport' mode, delays shift points and what not...makes a slight difference believe it or not. whats bad for the tranny is fooling with that stupid A/M button:nono

[weenstan]

You mean flooring it? "3" means sport mode, not the gear.

[Bmw Rollin']

I also fell victim to aup tranny failure so I completed the auto - manual swap. My auto tranny went out a little after 90k. I didn't realize how badly the auto tranny robbed power until after the swap. I'd say go for the manual. You won't regret it. Plus you won't have to deal with a possible tranny failure which will cost you an additional 2-3k in the future. Save yourself the time and frustration and put the 2-3k towards mods!

[footballcrzy888]

-Are you satisfied with the perfomance of the Auto Tansmission? Been looking for a 328is manual for a while, but cant find one close in my price range. A sweet automatic is available, but I'm hesitant b/c I've wanted a manual.

So, how are the autos?

Honestly, I love the car. I have 91xxx miles on it and it still shifts smoothly. I mean, sure it's not as fast as a manual, but hey.... it's no big deal to me. The ride is the same, the engine is the same, the body is the same....

For me, the only thing about having an auto is that I probably won't be doing an exhaust modifications. As for traffic, from 3:30pm to 8pm on the 405, auto>manual. :redspot

[busterhax]

no not at all. read your manual. '3' is its 'sport' mode, delays shift points and what not...makes a slight difference believe it or not. whats bad for the tranny is fooling with that stupid A/M button:nonooh damn, i didnt know dropping it from D to 3 is sport mode. guess i should read the manual. bahaha i know someone that pretends he has a manual by putting the A/M switch to M and starts from 1 and works his way up....idiot

[328flyer]

oh damn, i didnt know dropping it from D to 3 is sport mode. guess i should read the manual. bahaha i know someone that pretends he has a manual by putting the A/M switch to M and starts from 1 and works his way up....idiot

That's exactly what that switch is for. But you have to shift at the right times or it will make a mess of your tranny.

[REZBMR]

I don't mind my auto tranny, but i still with it was a manual when i'm driving the twisties...either way, get whats best for you, and with a few minor mods, you can have some decent power with the auto...not a manual, but for some of us who deal with traffic everyday, the auto is a lifesaver...

[runetang[1337]]

yeah autos suck when your at 50mph and someones pulls up next to you and wants to go from 50.

Lol. You must not drive an auto. Because 50mph is the best spot to start a race from in the automatics, due to their gearing.

Anywhere at or below approx 60mph the car will downshift into 2nd gear, putting rpms immediately in to the 4k-4.5k range, just like a manual downshift. ive chirped the tires doing this before while moving, yes, on a 325i auto w/just an air filter.

At 58mph to 60mph, simply pushing the gas pedal wont downshift the transmission into 2nd gear. Even though it would not be going past the redline, it still doesnt let you.. unless you take the shifter by hand, and place it into the 2nd gear position with your foot off of the gas pedal while driving a hair below 60mph. It'll downshift right into the highest horsepower spot in your whole RPM band. Instant 190hp, crank anyways.

Auto owners know.. what truely sucks is when someone wants to go from a complete stop, resulting in us losing by at least 1 car length if not 2 to someone we could beat from a roll-on. And to go from a roll anywhere between 61mph and 74mph is going to drop the trans into 3rd, but it wont be very high into the RPM band, maybe 3k rpm. As this is happening, the other guy w/the manual is pulling away from you. As soon as your RPMs hit 4.5k range, you've matched your opponents speed, and his car is no longer putting distance on you. but depending what car it is, you probably wont have enough juice to catch back up either. so the 70mph roll on SUCKS..

to reiterate: go from less than 59mph into 2nd by hand, and go from more than 74mph into 3rd by hand, any other roll-on will result in an embarassment.

as for downshifting into 1st gear, ive done it at 20-35mph for a roll-on, theres a bit of a delay and it jerks the car forward once it goes into 1st because it puts you right into the peak of the RPM, and for some reason, 1st gear just isnt that powerful. Its a whole lot of noise and torque feeling for not alot of distance covered.

ps - leave it in auto mode, manual mode doesnt have 4th gear, so during a race, youll start bouncing the limiter at the top of 3rd gear.

[tramlaw]

Hey, my 328i is auto. And while I wanna say my 328i is 'unfortunately' auto, I won't. Because even though manual is faster and a hell of a lot more fun to drive its still a bmw, its still fast, reliable, and an overall great car. If the car is better in your price range, and is clean, get it. You can ALWAYS make it manual someday. Until then, enjoy blowing away fools that think there cars are the shit.

[ducky328i]

That's exactly what that switch is for. But you have to shift at the right times or it will make a mess of your tranny.

im pretty sure its there for extremely steep grades, so that you can stay in the gear you wish, without unnecessary up and down shifts which can put more strain on the tranny than just leaving it in one gear and letting your motor slow you down (if its a downhill grade)

also it can be useful in extremely slick conditions, to keep better control of the speed of the car. IT IS NOT however for normal driving conditions where you just feel like bumping your way through the gears for shits and giggles.



]
Lol. You must not drive an auto. Because 50mph is the best spot to start a race from in the automatics, due to their gearing.

Anywhere at or below approx 60mph the car will downshift into 2nd gear, putting rpms immediately in to the 4k-4.5k range, just like a manual downshift. ive chirped the tires doing this before while moving, yes, on a 325i auto w/just an air filter.

At 58mph to 60mph, simply pushing the gas pedal wont downshift the transmission into 2nd gear. Even though it would not be going past the redline, it still doesnt let you.. unless you take the shifter by hand, and place it into the 2nd gear position with your foot off of the gas pedal while driving a hair below 60mph. It'll downshift right into the highest horsepower spot in your whole RPM band. Instant 190hp, crank anyways.

Auto owners know.. what truely sucks is when someone wants to go from a complete stop, resulting in us losing by at least 1 car length if not 2 to someone we could beat from a roll-on. And to go from a roll anywhere between 61mph and 74mph is going to drop the trans into 3rd, but it wont be very high into the RPM band, maybe 3k rpm. As this is happening, the other guy w/the manual is pulling away from you. As soon as your RPMs hit 4.5k range, you've matched your opponents speed, and his car is no longer putting distance on you. but depending what car it is, you probably wont have enough juice to catch back up either. so the 70mph roll on SUCKS..

to reiterate: go from less than 59mph into 2nd by hand, and go from more than 74mph into 3rd by hand, any other roll-on will result in an embarassment.

as for downshifting into 1st gear, ive done it at 20-35mph for a roll-on, theres a bit of a delay and it jerks the car forward once it goes into 1st because it puts you right into the peak of the RPM, and for some reason, 1st gear just isnt that powerful. Its a whole lot of noise and torque feeling for not alot of distance covered.

ps - leave it in auto mode, manual mode doesnt have 4th gear, so during a race, youll start bouncing the limiter at the top of 3rd gear.

i love racing people from a complete stop (aka dig), the lack of wheel spin off the line insures me to jump them right off the bat, and my SUPER OMFG long 2 gear is great, esp when its followed by a full pull through third at which time i have to shift into over-drive.

going from a roll (aka kick) takes a bit more practice however, (since we all now know to leave it in '3' when *ahem* legally racing) the tricky part is to make sure you floor it ever so slightly before you go, so that your tranny has that second to kick down, and you both launch simultaneously... yes it takes some practice to get the timing down, but once you get the hang of it, youll be able to take your buddies wiht manuals from a roll...

[Eryan36]

I have a 328iA/4..I wish it was a manual. But then, I just love manual trannys. For what it is, the auto is fine; but I'll be doing a manual swap when this slushbox gives out.


At 58mph to 60mph, simply pushing the gas pedal wont downshift the transmission into 2nd gear. Even though it would not be going past the redline, it still doesnt let you.. unless you take the shifter by hand, and place it into the 2nd gear position with your foot off of the gas pedal while driving a hair below 60mph. It'll downshift right into the highest horsepower spot in your whole RPM band. Instant 190hp, crank anyways.
That sounds like a good way to fry the tranny real quick; how often do you do that? My third gear is slow, I have teh hesitation. :(

[zen]

i'm more than happy with my auto 328, specially in traffic. i have no regrets about getting an automatic, however, after riding in my friend's manual e46 330ci i think my next bmw will be a manual. ... but i'm not sure, it's nice to be able to just cruise home without thinking about switching gears when i'm exhausted

330ci = SMG :redspot

Threadstarter, you should test drive it. My 318 is an automatic, and while it is slow as a prius (almost), it's still fun. Add 70 HP, and like 70 ft. lbs. of torque that 328 has, and it can't be bad. However, obviously manual is quicker as most of the time.

[jehuflores]

I converted from auto and would never ever consider going back....it really is that much better.

I had an auto 325 and did a zf tranny swap after my auto transmission gave out at 90k.
:confused more or less how much did you guys pay total?

[kaosfere]

My M is a manual. It's how I love to drive. I'm in stop and go city traffic all the time, and I don't understand why people whine about it.

That said, my wife has a 328Ci with an automatic. As far as automatics go, I don't mind it at all. For someone who wasn't sure about the whole manual thing, I would recommend it in a split second.

But if you want a car with a manual -- get a manual. There is no reason to compromise on an automatic if what you really want is a stick. How would you feel if the day after you bought it, you saw an almost identical car for sale, but with the stick?

A manual conversion is doable, but is an expensive process that you'll never recoup any money from.

[motorwerks]

That's exactly what that switch is for. But you have to shift at the right times or it will make a mess of your tranny.


that's not at all what it's for, and will cause premature tranny failure.

for those who did not read, or do not have your owners manual.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=712657&highlight=a%2Fm+button

[328flyer]

that's not at all what it's for, and will cause premature tranny failure.

for those who did not read, or do not have your owners manual.

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=712657&highlight=a%2Fm+button



OK, I did remember looking at the manual for this. And indeed this is what it says. But I'd really like to see some evidence that says shifting it manually is different than the computer shifting it for you.

[328flyer]

On a different note does anyone know if the auto is supposed to lock out in any gear other than 4th? The one I have will only lock out after a few seconds above 55MPH in 4th. I assume this is normal but this isn't covered in the manual.

[Bmw Rollin']

:confused more or less how much did you guys pay total?

I paid about 1800 for parts and labor. Not too shabby for what you get! From what i've been quoted an auto tranny replacement will run 3000+ Save the extra money and get a ltwt flywheel, clutch, short shifter and still have some extra money to mod w/

[Bmw Rollin']

That sounds like a good way to fry the tranny real quick; how often do you do that? My third gear is slow, I have teh hesitation. :(

Heres what happened w/ me. I had the hesitation issue as well. No power at all at about 60mph 2500-3000 rpms. Push it to the floor w/ out depressing the kickdown switch and would barely accelerate. Though it was the hesitation issue in the other posts....well, i was wrong. It was the auto tranny going out. After replacing the tranny I have no issues at all regarding hesitation. I'm not sure if you've already diagnosed the hesitation so this is my 2 cents. I'm glad I didn't complete all the diagnosis and purchase new coils and blah blah blah....my tranny went out before i got to that ;)