Paddle Shifting?

[godigy]

Anybody can explain about paddle shifting and how it works and any pics/movies to demonstrate it. Search the forums about it but nothing. And tell me why this opt isnt in American cars yet.

[_PG_]

Originally posted by godigy
Anybody can explain about paddle shifting and how it works and any pics/movies to demonstrate it. Search the forums about it but nothing. And tell me why this opt isnt in American cars yet.

It activates an electro-hydraulically controlled clutch to disengage from the flywheel, automatically change the gear and reengage the clutch. Also on downshifts it blips the throttle a few RPM to revmatch for you. All within .5 seconds per gearchange. I wonder why we don't see them on Chevy Impalas or Chrystler Crossfires. Oh, that's right, they are on Ferrari F430s, Enzos, Ason Martins, BMW SMGIIs, Mercedes CLK DTMs....

Its circuit-developed tecnology that takes sequential trannies to the next level... making them even easier to use and less effort and distraction for the driver.

But like everyone says, they's all take the Ferrari with a tradition gated 6 speed. Sure it wouldn't be as consistently precise and thus possibly not as fast while lapping a race on a track, but for road/mountain driving, manually revmatching a downshift, selecting you rgear with a nostalgic, traditional gated Ferrari shifter, and working the stiff clutch is ultimately way more fun.



PS. paddle shift systems suck for drifting.

[Whisky]

Paddle shift seems to suck for anything with a normal steering ratio. It would be particularly bad for drifitng because regardless of whether the paddles stay in place or turn with the wheel you would have a hard time getting to the paddles when you want them.

They are really only useful on something like an F1 car, where lock-to-lock on the steering wheel is only like 300 degrees, so your hands never change position on the wheel.

Even Tiff Needell from Top Gear and Fifth Gear has complained about the new street car paddle shifters being hard to use.

[godigy]

But I def. no that paddle shifting is used in rally racing ie Citeron car they had in WRC 04' with Loeb on the helm of it. I saw him using the the paddle when rallying.

[CrazyBadger]

Whisky, If the paddles did not move with the steering wheel then you would not be able to shift or downshift while turning.

[RotaDrift]

aren't most the paddle shifters connected to the steering wheel like in the G6 or some pontiac car that i can't remember?

[Whisky]

Originally posted by CrazyBadger
Whisky, If the paddles did not move with the steering wheel then you would not be able to shift or downshift while turning.

Right, but even if the paddles move with the wheel you are still going to have a hard time drifitng. Plus it would be one more thing flying at your fingers when the wheel spins from lock to lock

[Zilch321]

Originally posted by Whisky
Paddle shift seems to suck for anything with a normal steering ratio. It would be particularly bad for drifitng because regardless of whether the paddles stay in place or turn with the wheel you would have a hard time getting to the paddles when you want them.

They are really only useful on something like an F1 car, where lock-to-lock on the steering wheel is only like 300 degrees, so your hands never change position on the wheel.

Even Tiff Needell from Top Gear and Fifth Gear has complained about the new street car paddle shifters being hard to use.

What What and What?

So its easy to reach for the floor, but hard to reach for the stearing column? Right..

The complaint that the british guys make is that the shifting in many of the cars are slow - in fact most of the cars they complain about are not full blown sequential boxes - they are automagics with paddles.

[4doorpimpn]

one of those pro orange and blue sil80 drift cars has a seq. it was on spike tv when the bald twins had a show on that channel. the driver was bragn he could get the best reaction time, but he was new to the seq and it mest him up.

[4doorpimpn]

he got like a .65, even teens made fun of that. so he hoped in his friends infinity and nailed a .505. best reaction seen at that trac on amatuer night ever.

[Whisky]

The part I was thinking of that doesn't move is the clutch lever on a shifter kart. Thats not relevant here, please disregard my "whither or not they move with the wheel" comment and assume that they do (of course).

I'm not talking about sequential trans, I'm talking about paddles. When you drift, if you drift, how often are your hands at the corners of the wheel spokes?

The complaint Tiff had, that I'm talking about, had nothing to do with speed. It was a question of being forced to have your hands on a specific part of the wheel to be able to shift easily. Unlike grip road racing, where you rarely if ever see full-lock or anything remotely close to it, drifitng you often see odd and very rapidly changing wheel positions, and you need your hands placed for maximum control, not placed for shifting. I have not found an H-pattern shift gate and normal shifter to be difficult in any way on the track.

[_PG_]

Originally posted by Whisky
The part I was thinking of that doesn't move is the clutch lever on a shifter kart. Thats not relevant here, please disregard my "whither or not they move with the wheel" comment and assume that they do (of course).

I'm not talking about sequential trans, I'm talking about paddles. When you drift, if you drift, how often are your hands at the corners of the wheel spokes?

The complaint Tiff had, that I'm talking about, had nothing to do with speed. It was a question of being forced to have your hands on a specific part of the wheel to be able to shift easily. Unlike grip road racing, where you rarely if ever see full-lock or anything remotely close to it, drifitng you often see odd and very rapidly changing wheel positions, and you need your hands placed for maximum control, not placed for shifting. I have not found an H-pattern shift gate and normal shifter to be difficult in any way on the track.

Exactly. All these kids that can't understand what you were talking about either don't drift (very likely), never driven anything with a real sequential (almost definitely) or they have never seen rally car "paddle shifters".

The rally sequentials have a clutch pedal available for use ie starting, spinning, city driving (have to drive the streets between stages). Also, the "paddles" are a complete ring integrated with the steering wheel, so no matter what degree the wheel is turned you have to push the ring to downshift or pull the ring to upshift. (this is Puegot's system). Subaru has 1 big paddle/lever that stems from the steering column area and sticks out on the right hand side past the rim of the steering wheel. Push for downshift, pull for upshift. Ford has the same type of lever system. I think Citroen does as well.

These systems are VERY different from F1-style paddles where in an F1 car the lock-to-lock is 1/3 the amount in a street car. That's why in an F1 car (where your hands don't move from the "9 and 3 o'clock" positions) the paddles turn with the wheel. On a road car, the steering wheel moves 900 degrees instead of 300 so you have to move hand positions while turning. Thus, the wheel and paddles may not line up with your hands when you want to shift. Not all shifting is done in a straight line, you guys. THIS is the complaint Tiff had, and what Whisky already said in his first post.

[PrOxLaMuS© S30]

Um... the Subaru WRC cars have a paddle shifter as well...

just the manual gear lever is located up to the right of the steering wheel, kinda by where the stereo would be... instead of it down in the center console

[Whisky]

Originally posted by PrOxLaMuS© S30
Um... the Subaru WRC cars have a paddle shifter as well...

just the manual gear lever is located up to the right of the steering wheel, kinda by where the stereo would be... instead of it down in the center console

Yeah, PG just said that

[PrOxLaMuS© S30]

No i mean there are paddle's BEHIND the steering wheel and also to the right of the steering wheel... like a normal shifter....

I think PG was implying that instead of the paddle triggers behind the steering wheel.. there was a shifter to the right of the steering wheel.... a sequential shifter