Thumper
Autocross Champion
Good points about the MT! The Fiat 124 Spider is a cool little car. Not sure if you saw the Grand Tour episode where Richard Hammond featured the car. He seemed to really like it.
Yup, that's what I was referring to.
I don't think you're gaining anything by downshifting to second on virtually any road course, particularly when these cars make so much power in the mid range. Even at Road Atlanta turn 7, which is fairly slow for a road course, I'm in third; if I downshifted to second I'd have to upshift again before I've straightened out the car.
You would be wrong, take a look at High Plains in CO, heck try out Pueblo in CO as well. Topeka in KS has some nice 2nd gear zones in the last 2-3 turns. You will NOT post a decent lap time at those courses without using 2nd at least once in open track conditions.
Not to mention you are talking about best case scenario/clear track. What about when you are in traffic setting up for a pass on a slower car? That MILLISECOND blip from 3rd down to second to grab some engine breaking without upsetting the car and then MILLISECOND back to 3rd on the unwind power up and MILLISECOND up to 4th as you spool into the straight.......trust me, it adds up lap after lap after lap. It gives you more options to ever changing traffic in addition to shaving seconds off lap times just from being not just in the power band somewhere, but in the power ZONE every single second of the lap.
Trust me, you put two drivers of equal skill and the DSG will win every lap. Give a DSG to a slower driver and he or she will close the gap to the higher skilled in the MT every lap. Probably even close to side by side.