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| e90post.com
BMW is looking to patent a seven-speed manual transmission. |
The intrepid Bimmerphiles over at www.e90post.com
have uncovered a few drawings from BMW's latest patent request. The
drawing shows a new transmission linkage and what looks to be a
seven-speed manual transmission.
Like the new Porsche 911,
the BMW gear shifter has six gears in standard H pattern, with a
seventh gear out to the right. We'd guess that the last gear would be a
cruising cog for better fuel mileage on the highway.
The company
is also exploring a way to protect drivers from hitting the wrong gear
during spirited gear changes by using magnetorheologic fluid--the same
fluid that General Motors and others use for fast-changing suspensions
in high-performance sports cars. The fluid would thicken up with an
electric charge, locking out gates of gears that shouldn't be selected.
Both the shifter look and the lockout function are illustrated in the
patent drawings.
The other option the company looks to be
exploring is a clutchless, shift-by-wire option. That would let drivers
bang through the gears without a third pedal, while being protected from
going into first gear at 70 mph. All of this will be controlled by the
computer and take place in fractions of a second.
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