Different transmission naming schemes

F1 is Cambiocorsa, which is (kind of) Duo Select.
Duo Select was the name given to the newer F1 transmission in late models (07+???, IDK). I think they are basically the same mechanism.

Automatica is a pure automatic transmission. On the interior an Automatic will have a traditional automatic's selector knob/lever on the center console. The F1/Cambocorsa/Duo Select cars will have a small T-shaped lever with a rounded chrome tip that switches the transmission between Forward and Reverse. Both transmissions can have shifting paddles behind the steering wheel.

Automatic is the way to go if you're driving in the city or in traffic.

I beg to differ. The F1 duoselect transmission is fine in city traffic driving as long as you get used to its characteristic. I drive the QP in Jakarta, which is the 3rd or was it 4th most traffic-jam-ed city in the world. Nothing to be proud of, but it's a testament that the F1 transmission is not THAT bad like how many people are making it out to be.

You just have to think of it as a real manual transmission, sans clutch pedal. Treat it like a real manual and it will reward it. Expecting the car to behave like an auto and it will really disappoint you.

From what I understand, the F1 Duoselect eats through clutches a lot faster than the full automatic, or is that only the case with the 2006 and earlier models?

There is no clutch on the full automatic. That's what makes it an automatic

If you want peace of mind and low maintenance costs (no need to regularly replace the clutch for the F1/manual transmission), then the automatic transmission is your best bet.

The Automatica has a ZF transmission (also used in other high-end vehicles), very reliable.

Does the duoselect, or F1 equipped car have a rear transaxle? The ZF automatic is mated to the engine like BMW or Mercedes, not? If the duoselect does indeed have rear transaxle, what is the rear suspension of the ZF equipped car?

jtanoyo1 said:

I beg to differ. The F1 duoselect transmission is fine in city traffic driving as long as you get used to its characteristic. I drive the QP in Jakarta, which is the 3rd or was it 4th most traffic-jam-ed city in the world. Nothing to be proud of, but it's a testament that the F1 transmission is not THAT bad like how many people are making it out to be.

You just have to think of it as a real manual transmission, sans clutch pedal. Treat it like a real manual and it will reward it. Expecting the car to behave like an auto and it will really disappoint you.

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Could not have put it better myself.If you really want an automatic buy that version but if you want a paddle shift manual with a compromise auto feature available then go for the duo select. It really is the best of both worlds but seems to be criticised for offering something extra!

Paul

According to the Maserati technical field rep Eric Deck, the DuoSelect is the exact same gearbox and transmission as the Ferrari F430. So, if you like driving like a Ferrari, that's the way to go. Further, you rarely hear Ferrari owners say the F1 transmission is not desirable!

Many on this forum continually say these clutches need to be replaced all the time but that is pure myth as told to me by Eric Deck. He had a customer with 120K miles on a single clutch. Mine has 26K miles and the original clutch is like new.

I agree..... and there are many who will disagree...

I'm at 20,000 and have plenty of clutch left....80%......
yes, I do a lot of highway driving but I also am very tender on that clutch.....
as tender as I am with any $5000 bill :laugh:

From reading here.... I , for one, feel it has more to do with the driver than the miles driven

OK..... just shoot me.....:biker:

Opinions on clutch life seem to be practically worthless (no offense William) as the range is sooooooo wide. You have a better chance of solving "how many angels can fit on the head of a pin"

dino246gt said:

The ZF automatic is mated to the engine like BMW or Mercedes, not?

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"ZF" is that name of a German automotive parts supplier that sells transmissions to a variety of car manufacturers. Those manufacturers include BMW and MBZ (along with other less prestigious brands).

veloce49 said:

Opinions on clutch life seem to be practically worthless (no offense William) as the range is sooooooo wide. You have a better chance of solving "how many angels can fit on the head of a pin"

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No offense taken.... my point exactly.....there is too far a range to say its the transmission's fault.

A previous post indicated that this transmission is identical to to the F-430.... go figure !!??
Do those boys complain about clutch life? Maybe they drive better b/c they paid double

As for those angels..... I just need one - he sits on my shoulder 24/7.

Just call me "Pinhead":cheers:

william webster said:

A previous post indicated that this transmission is identical to to the F-430.... go figure !!??

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If that is true, I would imagine the unit wears much more quickly on the QP. The QP has over 1,000 extra lbs of vehicle weight and presumably more passenger weight (double the seats). I would also suspect the QP sees more stop/go city traffic.

william webster said:

Do those boys complain about clutch life? Maybe they drive better b/c they paid double

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They seem to rarely complain. Perhaps they have a little more financial "pain" tolerance.

I dunno Travis..... alot of those F-Cars seem like Cafe-Cars to me..... short ttrips w/ the girlfriend in conspicuous places...

They must east clutches for breakfast if we believe what we hear here....

Clutches wear in general... It should never stop someone from buying a car though. I think what may be happening is that those who purchased the QP as a luxury car must have driven the car in automatic thus wearing the clutch rapidly and they made comments that the clutch was "problematic" and burned up quickly. I heard a story about a guy who drove in reverse uphill everyday to park and his clutch was toast in 10K miles.

Obviously, if you tried to drive the QP like an automatic, its not the way to drive the car...Especially an Italian car called a "Sport GT!" On the other hand, guys that love to drive and experience the joy of F1 racing and shifting themselves don't seem to complain about clutches...or anything for that matter! LOL

william webster;112646I said:

driver [/B]than the miles driven

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I agree, the first owner of my QP had toasted the clutch in 15k, I'm on 12k and have tons of life left, and I drive it primarily in the city and suburbs. I am also one that agrees that the 'auto' mode toasts the clutch faster either by operation (slip) or by changing up a gear at every available opportunity.

I drive a 2007 duoselect QP and love it. If you are buying a duoselect, check to see if clutch bearing has been replaced...likely would have shown up early in car life. Duoselect is very similar to Ferrari F1 and much better that early Maseratis and Ferrari 575s and 360s. I know it was in the 2005 QP and am told software/mapping was improved by 2007. The duoselect has a 47%/53% weight distribution compared with 50%/50% in the automatica. I think some post 2007 Maseratis switched to a wet sump vs dry sump engine. Overall, the duoselect QP is very much a Ferrari like driving experience with a more modest power/weight ratio. Sometimes the reverse shift level on the console breaks, expensive...see threads here. Clutch wear can be read by dealer. I imagine the ZF automatic is a very nice daily driver setup. Best wishes, Doug

GFORCED said:

Clutches wear in general... It should never stop someone from buying a car though. I think what may be happening is that those who purchased the QP as a luxury car must have driven the car in automatic thus wearing the clutch rapidly and they made comments that the clutch was "problematic" and burned up quickly. I heard a story about a guy who drove in reverse uphill everyday to park and his clutch was toast in 10K miles.
Obviously, if you tried to drive the QP like an automatic, its not the way to drive the car...Especially an Italian car called a "Sport GT!" On the other hand, guys that love to drive and experience the joy of F1 racing and shifting themselves don't seem to complain about clutches...or anything for that matter! LOL

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We have all heard the "reverse" horror stories...
it never truly engages in reverse - true or false?
uphills , in general, aer bad for these clutches - true or false
auto is worse than manual/sport - true or false

All of these are factors...... light feet solve many problems:cheers:

william webster said:

We have all heard the "reverse" horror stories...
it never truly engages in reverse - true or false?
uphills , in general, aer bad for these clutches - true or false
auto is worse than manual/sport - true or false

All of these are factors...... light feet solve many problems:cheers:

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Yeah, from what I learned from Maserati, True, it never fully engages. Next one True, as not engaging and extra effort is worse. A valet just backed mine uphill at the Beverly Hills Hotel and I yelled at him cause it smelled like fried clutch, and I think he left the e-brake on!! Apparently, Auto is really bad especially if the driver tries to floor it when engaging cause its again slipping badly.

According to Eric at Maserati, if you know how to drive paddles in the "Manual Sport" mode, the clutch will last as long as a clutch in any other car and he said most of the wear is in 1st gear engaging. And I've found that to be true. If there's anyone that has actually gone through clutches in Manual Sport in 10 or 15K miles please tell us your experience.