Discussion
The only manual came across i bought... Personally im glad there arent many about as it should (hopefully) make my DB9 hold it value more than the touchtronic variant.
It's a much more concentrated drivers car being a manual, the only gripe i have with the manual is that 2nd is awkward to engage when cold.
It's a much more concentrated drivers car being a manual, the only gripe i have with the manual is that 2nd is awkward to engage when cold.
hi the mod for the amv8 includes replacing the bell crank lever on the transmission a different gear oil, and a slight modification to the gear lever, as the amv8 and the db9 use the same bell crank assembly mod should work the same, db9 transmission oil should be changed at 30000 or 3 years for the db9 and 40000 miles or 4 years for the amv8, i automatically use the modified gear oil at these intervals this makes an improvement on its own,
Edited by rickdms on Tuesday 11th November 18:33
Dan1heMan said:
The only manual came across i bought... Personally im glad there arent many about as it should (hopefully) make my DB9 hold it value more than the touchtronic variant.
It's a much more concentrated drivers car being a manual, the only gripe i have with the manual is that 2nd is awkward to engage when cold.
I think in the early years, the TT will continue to be the bigger market. The TT is close enough to a manual when driven on the paddles (especially the 09 - which is actually quicker than the manual through the gears). So a manual lover might go for a TT but someone who wants an auto won't go for a manual. The rarity of the manual will ensure it continues to sell but it won't be the choice for the majorityIt's a much more concentrated drivers car being a manual, the only gripe i have with the manual is that 2nd is awkward to engage when cold.
In ten years time when the DB9s are being bought by "enthusiasts" (not that us DB9 drivers today aren't), it will be the manual that is the car of choice. That is what is happening with DB7's.
I bought a manual convertible which sounds a strange combination but I need open top motoring and the TT reminded me of my Lexus but with lousy damping.Manual is great fun either to drive like an auto in third using the torque or scaring the wildlife going through the gears . Shouldn't an Aston be a bit of a brute ?
steve_amv8 said:
... because the DB9 is a large GT and so a manual isn't really that desirable for most DB9 owners ....
That would have been my assumption. It certainly is with Jaguars and German kit, and also among the older population.However, I would have thought that there would be more Aston owners wanting the more hands on pleasure of a manual.
Has anyone driven both and have any comments to make?
hartley said:
I bought a manual convertible which sounds a strange combination but I need open top motoring and the TT reminded me of my Lexus but with lousy damping.Manual is great fun either to drive like an auto in third using the torque or scaring the wildlife going through the gears . Shouldn't an Aston be a bit of a brute ?
I saw a rather nice manual Volante up at Donington at the final round of the AMOC series last month and remember thinking that's an unusual combination - was it you?Camel said:
hartley said:
I bought a manual convertible which sounds a strange combination but I need open top motoring and the TT reminded me of my Lexus but with lousy damping.Manual is great fun either to drive like an auto in third using the torque or scaring the wildlife going through the gears . Shouldn't an Aston be a bit of a brute ?
I saw a rather nice manual Volante up at Donington at the final round of the AMOC series last month and remember thinking that's an unusual combination - was it you?steve_amv8 said:
... because the DB9 is a large GT and so a manual isn't really that desirable for most DB9 owners ....
Or because DB9 owners are on average older and can't be arsed to change gear anymore? I had a Ferrari 550 and still have DB7 manual after 8 years of ownership(both by any definition big GTs) and have driven both manual and auto/tip DB9s. It's all personal preference, but I think demographic is important. As to the big Mercs etc, it's much easier to sell ludicrously over-powered cars in auto than manual because the driver can't destroy the clutch so fast and damage your brand's reputation for reliability. For an illustration go to a Vanquish thread or Lambo Gallardo thread somewhere and see how fast they eat clutches in manual spec.Put simply, I think the touchtronic does 90% of what you can do with the manual whereas the manual does 0% of what the touchtronic can do. The ZF Touchtronic gearbox on the DB9 is first class and cannot be compared with the TipTronic from Porsche which is crude and obsolete in comparison. The DB9 is a superb GT car and I think the touchtronic plays a large part of that. If you want a bit more engaged driving put it in Sport Mode and use the paddles. I do rate the manuals put I think the touchtronic appeals to a much larger market hence the low production numbers.
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