Flappy Paddles!! Any good??

[Hangus]

No I haven't got the wrong thread here, I'm talking about the ones on the steering wheel of course!

Anybody got any experience of them? Quite fancying this option on my next proposed car a 530i M sport, but are they any good, or just a toy you will play with for a week then use the auto box???
Does it rev the engine when you knock it down a gear, I'm suspecting not. (After all it's no Maserati)

Seen a few manuals but I'm getting lazy with all the miles I do!!

[Fox-]

Are you talking about a new car? If so, I'm genuinelly interested in your decision as you must be one of the very, very few people around ordering a 530i M Sport now - especially given the relative performance and price of the 528i M Sport. It's great to see as I feared simply nobody would order a 530i and didn't really understand why BMW had brought it back.

[Hangus]

Fox- said:

Are you talking about a new car? If so, I'm genuinelly interested in your decision as you must be one of the very, very few people around ordering a 530i M Sport now - especially given the relative performance and price of the 528i M Sport. It's great to see as I feared simply nobody would order a 530i and didn't really understand why BMW had brought it back.

Sorry to disappoint old chap!! I'm talking about the last shape, unfortunately I haven't the dosh for a new one, nor would I ever buy new again.

So looking at an 08 plate or newer, only problem is, my E46 coupe appears to be losting £££s by the day so do I keep a bit longer or take the plunge when the right car comes along and turn to the dark side and trade it in!??

Of course, if I take the plunge I'll keep you informed but that may not be of any use to you of you are wanting brand new. (love the new shape BTW!!)

[gizlaroc]

Hangus said:

So looking at an 08 plate or newer, only problem is, my E46 coupe appears to be losting £££s by the day so do I keep a bit longer or take the plunge when the right car comes along and turn to the dark side and trade it in!??

If you think the E46 is loosing loads, don't go and buy an LCI E60 5 series, they will start to tumble very sharpish over the next 12 months.

One of my customers just bought a 10 plate 530d sport touring and paid £28,000 for it!
There are now F11 530d sport touring changing hands for £4k more, he is going to get royally shafted when he changes in 2 years time.
I reckon the E61 will be worth around £12k where as the 530d will still be worth around £24k.

[Hangus]

That's kinda what I've been thinking. I am trying to be sensible about this (which is hard for me!!) and tell myself to wait another year. Mine might lose another 2K or so, but the car I want might be about 5 or 6K cheaper!!??

PS. Keep getting ixed up with the E numbers for the 5. E61 is current shape, yes, E60, last? Sure I heard somebody mention E62?

[E30M3SE]

E60 is previous shape saloon, E61 it's 'Touring' brethern.

F10 is current 5er saloon, F11 the touring.

[roofer]

Paddles on an auto are a novelty that wears off in about 5 minutes.

[Buster73]

My 520 d auto came with paddles on the steering wheel , use once in a blue moon .

The manual / sport type option on the auto box even less.

To be fair the auto changes are very quick anyway

[jamie w]

roofer said:

Paddles on an auto are a novelty that wears off in about 5 minutes.

Still like and use mine after 2 years (e91 330i with the push/pull on each side).

Done enough clutch pressing in the last 36 years...!

[HoHoHo]

jamie w said:

roofer said:

Paddles on an auto are a novelty that wears off in about 5 minutes.

Still like and use mine after 2 years (e91 330i with the push/pull on each side).

Done enough clutch pressing in the last 36 years...!

When I had my 535D I pretty much used the paddles all the time.

If the car has SAT (which the E60/61 does if fitted with paddles) they are brilliant and help with lightning fast gear changes and add to the enjoyment of the car.

I've got a manual 997 currently but I'm looking forward to my next 997 with PDK

[Hangus]

Thanks for the clarifications! So they've gone for an 'F' now, just to confuse people!!??

I use the sport / auto manual function on my current car quite a bit, but that's maybe because in 'drive' it is pretty lethargic. Seems to breathe new life into the car in sport mode, but it doesn't change into 5th, so you have to resort to using the step to do this. 6 gears will be much better.

[MMT]

I had an M5 paddle wheel fitted to my 535d E60 a few weeks ago, I use it a lot and love it. It's the paddles where left changes down and right up rather than both paddles doing up and down. My car will only go to 5th gear in DS auto mode unless I change via the stick or paddle.

[aeropilot]

Hangus said:

Does it rev the engine when you knock it down a gear, I'm suspecting not. (After all it's no Maserati)

I suspect you're right on the auto's with paddles.....?

However, you do get rev blip with the DCT transmission as in my 135i (and in the DCT equipped 335i etc)

[Hangus]

aeropilot said:

I suspect you're right on the auto's with paddles.....?

However, you do get rev blip with the DCT transmission as in my 135i (and in the DCT equipped 335i etc)

I'm sorry but is that not the same thing, or a different system you are talking about?
I would have thought they'd be all the same!?

[Leins]

When I had my E92 335d I never really bothered with the paddles, as (a) the push/pull thing did my head in and (b) the rev-range was too short, so found it much better to just let the autobox do its own thing. Don't remember a "blipping" function with it either

[aeropilot]

Hangus said:

aeropilot said:

I suspect you're right on the auto's with paddles.....?

However, you do get rev blip with the DCT transmission as in my 135i (and in the DCT equipped 335i etc)

I'm sorry but is that not the same thing, or a different system you are talking about?
I would have thought they'd be all the same!?

Nope, not the same thing.

A 'conventional' automatic (with fluid torque converter etc) is not the same thing a dual clutch transmission (DCT) which is effectively two seperate manual gearboxes, each with their own clutch and operated at warp speed by a whizardly complicated electro-hydraulic system.....

[Hangus]

aeropilot said:

Nope, not the same thing.

A 'conventional' automatic (with fluid torque converter etc) is not the same thing a dual clutch transmission (DCT) which is effectively two seperate manual gearboxes, each with their own clutch and operated at warp speed by a whizardly complicated electro-hydraulic system.....

I am obviously talking to a proper engineer!! I was an engineer once, but it was too hard for me lol!!

Cheers for the clarification!