Paddle shifters - do you use them?
Discussion
Having previously been a committed manual gearbox only chap, I bought my first automatic a year ago, SLK280 Sport. Yawn inducing hairdresser jibes aside, it's a really good car for what I want. All my journeys are either really short (nipping into town) or 300-500 miles in a day type and the combination of a decent sized engine, quiet comfortable car, and fast shifting 7 speed auto works really well.
As it's a Sport it came with paddle shifters so you can drive it in "Manual" and shift up and down yourself if you want (there's a display in the dash to tell you which gear you're in).
When I got it a couple of mates (one of whom has an auto with paddle shift) said "the paddle shifters are just a novelty, you'll never use them". And in truth I don't most of the time. But every so often, such as a couple of nights ago when I had a 200 mile drive home across mainly A roads, I knock it into manual and really enjoy clicking up and down the 'box. The car has sport suspension and "Direct Steer" which is essentially a quick rack (two turns from lock to lock). It's no Boxster but it's reasonably quick, planted, pointy, and fun to drive at 8/10ths.
So I wondered whether I was unusual, or whether other people enjoyed manually shifting their auto with paddles?
As it's a Sport it came with paddle shifters so you can drive it in "Manual" and shift up and down yourself if you want (there's a display in the dash to tell you which gear you're in).
When I got it a couple of mates (one of whom has an auto with paddle shift) said "the paddle shifters are just a novelty, you'll never use them". And in truth I don't most of the time. But every so often, such as a couple of nights ago when I had a 200 mile drive home across mainly A roads, I knock it into manual and really enjoy clicking up and down the 'box. The car has sport suspension and "Direct Steer" which is essentially a quick rack (two turns from lock to lock). It's no Boxster but it's reasonably quick, planted, pointy, and fun to drive at 8/10ths.
So I wondered whether I was unusual, or whether other people enjoyed manually shifting their auto with paddles?
Have driven lots of both SMG BMW and Porsche PDK cars. The BMW M6 I had for six years was rubbish in auto mode if driven hard, but in a congested city it was just fine in auto mode for bumper to bumper traffic. Other than that I used the paddles. The Porsche PDK was vastly superior in every way though I used it in manual mode most of the time except for the same dense city traffic. II never use manual mode in paddle shifter that are just extensions of a traditional auto.
X5 with 8 speed auto box again.
There's no paddles but there is a tiptronic function on the gear lever.
I've used it to see how the function works (it works the other way to previous tiptronic I've used) and to prove to passengers that it has 8 gears.
I use D 95% of the time and DS for the rest when I want to hold a lower gear for hills or twisty roads. If I'm in D and need more power then it's much easier to just use the kickdown to change down.
There's no paddles but there is a tiptronic function on the gear lever.
I've used it to see how the function works (it works the other way to previous tiptronic I've used) and to prove to passengers that it has 8 gears.
I use D 95% of the time and DS for the rest when I want to hold a lower gear for hills or twisty roads. If I'm in D and need more power then it's much easier to just use the kickdown to change down.
LeoSayer said:
X5 with 8 speed auto box again.
There's no paddles but there is a tiptronic function on the gear lever.
I've used it to see how the function works (it works the other way to previous tiptronic I've used) and to prove to passengers that it has 8 gears.
I use D 95% of the time and DS for the rest when I want to hold a lower gear for hills or twisty roads. If I'm in D and need more power then it's much easier to just use the kickdown to change down.
Our fist one didn't have paddles and I was a little disappointed. I tried using the lever for manual control and realised it was pointless. The new one (previous one was stolen) has paddles and I can't see the point. The box is amazingly good.There's no paddles but there is a tiptronic function on the gear lever.
I've used it to see how the function works (it works the other way to previous tiptronic I've used) and to prove to passengers that it has 8 gears.
I use D 95% of the time and DS for the rest when I want to hold a lower gear for hills or twisty roads. If I'm in D and need more power then it's much easier to just use the kickdown to change down.
I rarely use mine (BMW autobox). Yes they look good, are a nice novelty and sound like they might offer a bit more tactility but in reality they don't really work very well on a full autobox as they just aren't responsive enough, even on newer cars.
The gears take too long to engage when using the paddles which defeats the object of them. The half a second lag makes it difficult to get gear selection correct, especially when you are on it. The fact that you have no clutch also makes it impossible to rev match which means you end up in the wrong rev range or gear.
However on a SMG I loved using the paddles, it just seemed to change quicker and feel more direct. Not tried a DCT but have heard good things as they still have a clutch or two and I think this is the thing that makes the difference. However good the locking\change mechanisms on a torque converter auto box gets, they just can't match that mechanical clutch engagement feel and for this reason I think paddle shifters on an auto are a bit of a gimmick.
The gears take too long to engage when using the paddles which defeats the object of them. The half a second lag makes it difficult to get gear selection correct, especially when you are on it. The fact that you have no clutch also makes it impossible to rev match which means you end up in the wrong rev range or gear.
However on a SMG I loved using the paddles, it just seemed to change quicker and feel more direct. Not tried a DCT but have heard good things as they still have a clutch or two and I think this is the thing that makes the difference. However good the locking\change mechanisms on a torque converter auto box gets, they just can't match that mechanical clutch engagement feel and for this reason I think paddle shifters on an auto are a bit of a gimmick.
Had paddles on a Merc C-Class and I used them all the time TBH, much nicer to decide youself what gear you should be in when pressing on.
I am one of those people who doesn't particulrly bemoan the decline of the manual gearbox though. Good fun for the occasional opportunity to enjoy yourself but for the other 99% of the time a decent auto is so much nicer and more relaxing.
Maybe I'm just getting old...
I am one of those people who doesn't particulrly bemoan the decline of the manual gearbox though. Good fun for the occasional opportunity to enjoy yourself but for the other 99% of the time a decent auto is so much nicer and more relaxing.
Maybe I'm just getting old...
SWoll said:
Had paddles on a Merc C-Class and I used them all the time TBH, much nicer to decide youself what gear you should be in when pressing on.
Unless your driving style is "pressing on" "all the time" we'll just assume you leave it in D like the rest of the human race. 
The big advantage of paddles or any kind of tiptronic is when the transmission is unable to anticipate what you will want to do next. Classic example IMO is making a manual downchange ready for an overtake.
Not strictly paddles in my Roadster (although they are an option). But you can pump the lever to change gear.
In 40,000 miles I have 99%+ of the time used it in manual mode. Only the last couple of weeks were I'm now commuting through 5 miles of 20mph zone have I started to use the auto mode as it seems easier to drive it at 20mph like this.
In 40,000 miles I have 99%+ of the time used it in manual mode. Only the last couple of weeks were I'm now commuting through 5 miles of 20mph zone have I started to use the auto mode as it seems easier to drive it at 20mph like this.
Ozzie Osmond said:
Unless your driving style is "pressing on" "all the time" we'll just assume you leave it in D like the rest of the human race.
The big advantage of paddles or any kind of tiptronic is when the transmission is unable to anticipate what you will want to do next. Classic example IMO is making a manual downchange ready for an overtake.
It's very easy to select and hold a lower gear on a conventional autobox (especially those with a staggered or 'J' gate like Mercs and Jags). The big advantage of paddles or any kind of tiptronic is when the transmission is unable to anticipate what you will want to do next. Classic example IMO is making a manual downchange ready for an overtake.
Ozzie Osmond said:
The big advantage of paddles or any kind of tiptronic is when the transmission is unable to anticipate what you will want to do next. Classic example IMO is making a manual downchange ready for an overtake.
Absolutely , that scenario is about the only time I use the paddles(DSG) or buttons (tiptronic) Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff