Industry

Although I'm sure it will be quite a while before I actually get a hold of an R8, I obviously need to decide exactly what I'm going to order when I get the call to do just that from the dealership.

In most reviews (so far) they've commented that the R-Tronic is amazing for the track, but a drag around town. Can those who have found a good source of information about the R-Tronic or have experience with E-Gear help me with two questions?

1) Is R-Tronic effectively a beefed up manu-matic, or is it just a sequential shifter that doesn't require the driver to engage the clutch? I.e. Can you drive and not touch anything and it will shift up/down at the right points given speed and load or will it only shift at the limits as if I leave my A4 in "manual" mode and don't hit the paddles?

2) Is the issue with it not being a good casual driving experience based on a high degree of engine braking and late up-shifting (guess this may depend heavily on the above question) or does it just not shift smoothly without tremendous load? (i.e. how is it great on the track, I assume full out load, but not under minimal load in the city?)

Cameron

... it is a manumatic shifting system (there is a clutch, but the gearbox and clutch are both controlled by the system, not by you -- you just specify upshifts and downshifts and it does what you tell it... this can and does lead to situations where you're trying to nicely/smoothly downshift as you slow for a stoplight a quarter mile away and it's banging every downshift like it's F1 qualifying). In my opinion, it essentially ruins every car it's been installed in and it's a travesty that the Lambos and now the R8 use the system instead of DSG (which would be far, far, far superior). I should clarify this by saying that I have "only" driven the system in the Vanquish, 575M, Gallardo, Murcielago Roadster, 360, F430, Smart, and CambioC Maserati. However, its implementation in even the most recent iteration (having driven a friend's new Murcielago Roadster this past weekend and having driven the first Murcielago Roadster in Chicago, both of which were e.gear) is flawed to the point of being a gimmick at best and a serious handicap to the driver's ability to enjoy the car at worst.

This is why I not only ordered my Gallardo with the 6spd, but wrote a letter to the dealer and to Lamborghini that I would refuse to take delivery of the car if it had e.gear and that I would have HAPPILY paid a $10,000-$12,000 premium to get DSG but would not accept e.gear or Ferrari's F1 system even if they PAID ME $10,000-$12,000.

I realize I may have a stronger negative opinion of these systems than some, but apparently others share the same view... people have been so upset by the Vanquish misbehaving, eating clutches, suffering catastrophic transmission failure at normal highway speeds, etc. that Aston now offers a retrofit kit to take the paddle-shift retardobox out of the Vanquish completely and replace it with a conventional six-speed manual.

I can't imagine ever wanting to own a car with this particular transmission system.

But that's just my two cents, penny after taxes.

android356

I just back from the R8 Test drive in LV, and I can say the R-Tronic is vastly superior to the 6-speed box. Around town it was smooth, not notchy like the BMW SMG.
1. yes it does have an Automatic format which just like the slush box. It didnt change gears once you hit the paddles, but you tip the gear shift to the left for "A" and it was in auto again.
2. full load or street driving it didnt kick like I expected it to, it rev-matched on down shifts and up shifts were a firm nudge w/o the lag like the SMG. Very easy to drive and shifts very fast when you want it to. They really did a nice job on it and I my co-passenger who ordered a 6-speed changed his mind since the R-Tronic was so much fun and easy to use around town.
BTW: we both felt the clutch pressure on the 6-speed was way too soft. I guess if you are a girl you might like it but I felt it didnt have enough conection to the tranny for our liking.

Mike Shields

The R-Tronic is a pneumatically operated manual transmission, via three solenoids controlling the shifting rods and a fourth unit to operate the clutch. This type of operation is common to rally cars and road racing cars, but in those cases the gear sets have special, low mass, dog-type synchro mechanism that works very smoothly when shifted with maximum quickness. Such a design is unfortunately noisy and high wear components.

My driving impression of the R-gear equipped R8 was not favorable compared to manually shifting. I think the basic reason is that one has the potential to be much smoother in the un-load and re-loading of the power than with the e-gear box. Smooth, quick shifting is very easily done with the manual and the gear change is probably just as fast. The R-tronic is not objectionable when driven in everyday mode, but when going 9/10ths it becomes obviously quite clunky on shifting, which I found quite disconcerting.

Audi has already proven the way with the twin-clutch, dual lay shaft DSG design seen in the TT and A3 transverse engine plan form. This principle of seamless power transition and quick shifting is a goal that is not with-in reach of the current R8 gearbox design.

For those considering the R8 my recommendation is the manual gearbox without reservation. Even those who might think driving in traffic with a manual gearbox is a tiresome task are in for a surprise. The R8 engine is so flexible that there is no need to constantly shift up and down through the box. I was perfectly content to use 1st, 3rd, and 5th or 6th for road driving. It is almost as if the car were designed for the fabled Bedouin taxi driver who would select either 1st, 2cd or third of an Austin Taxi based on how far his had to drive.

Cameron

... the R8 deserves two solid transmission choices rather than one decent choice and one terrible gadget (as the cars I've driven have had as choices)... that being said, I can't imagine "R-Tronic" has any advantages over DSG at all. Hopefully the Murc's replacement (fondly called the "Newcielago" by the Lambo flock) moving to conventional doors and DSG will offer a longitudinal mid-engined DSG that will "trickle down" to the R8 rather quickly...

Chernaudi

<center><img src="http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o254/Chernaudi/audigearbox.jpg"></center><p>The pic says it all.