[JACIRO]

I took out the qp sport today and drove in auto mode until I got to the main road, I must say the auto isn't bad on the sport and it beats shifting at every stop sign.Was wondering if this is that bad on the clutch to let warm up in the auto mode until you can drive more sporting in manual?



06 Qp sport
06 GS spyder
06 GS coupe

 

[BigFoot]

Jaciro, is your QP a duoselect then? Probably calibrated differently compared to the cambiocorsa gearbox on the Coupe and derivative but still probably not the best for the clutch.

 

[JACIRO]

Yes It Is A Duo-select And Runs Great And Comfortable In Auto, I'll Try The Others In Auto Also.

 

[Maserati Blue]

Some people complain that AUTO wears out the clutch. Not in my case, the AUTO mode gear changes are as fast as when driven in Normal.

 

[CoupeCambioChicago]

Auto Clutch Wear?

I used to use auto in city driving and it seemed I was out of luck after 14,000 miles.

But I wonder if it was more because it encouraged me to feather the clutch a lot my just using a little gas in stop and go.

I later concluded: 1) it is less painful to take the bus than to drive the Coupe in stop and go, and 2) let the car in front of you pull away then give the gas a decent punch for quick clutch action.

I think the clutch wear might be the same with either auto or not if you work the gas appropriately - especially if you are not engaged in stop and go driving.

 

[Maserati Blue]

My GS has a very much improved clutch over the 2004 Coupe, so i can't compare.

I do know that i have the same clutch for about 25k miles and haven't changed it so far.

Here are my rules:

1) never reverse on an incline, because reverse never fully engages the clutch and will wear it out rather quickly.

2) in stop and go driving, always let the car in front get ahead, then hit it without hesitation so the clutch engages fully and quickly.

3) changes at high revs are always faster and smoother

4) the DBW module by Formula Dynamics is a cool gadget that can save some clutch life

5) use AUTO as much as you like, at least on my GS, changes are fast.

 

[Lionel Hutz]

After I replaced my clutch, the dealer service manager, who seems like a pretty knowledgeable guy, said it's a good idea to avoid Auto mode in order to preserve the clutch.