[45ACP]

My last two cars were BMWs with manual transmissions, so I insisted on getting the Sport automatic with shift paddles for the F10 if I wasn't to have a 6MT anymore.

I'm finding the sport paddles/manual shift mode pretty much useless on the F10 550. With the engine noise being so insolated, and the gear indicator so tiny within the instrument cluster, it's very difficult to tell which gear you're in due to the lack of audible or tactile feedback. Often times I'll be driving around in the 3-4000 RPM range inadvertantly for several minutes because the engine is so quiet. It would help if the current gear was shown within the HUD. I also think 8-gears is not very conducive to sporty manual mode driving -- as in having to drop 2-3 gears from 8th gear cruising in order to get a nice acceleration thrust?

Other than installing a louder exhaust, and/or CAI, has anyone tried removing the sound dampening material underneath the hood?