Has anyone driven a paddle/button shift auto?

[RedRooster]

Which models have you driven?

I've never, but it could potentially be a selling point for me, depending on their quality.
Are they anywhere near as smooth and quick as the WRC/F1 cars seem, and is there a mode where it won't automatically shift up at redline?
They seem like a new option, still in their infancy as far as quality/reliability goes. No?

 

[Howard]

Well, it depends on the car you get. Toyota's roadgoing paddle-operated tranny still shifts pretty slow, IIRC.

 

[boyRacer]

I've driven my friend's G400 and my friends G35... still not complete control... i don't think the exact WRC/F1 trannys would be suitable for the street... and i think the F360 and the Enzo versions would be the closest. But i'm a Ferrari fan boy so ha.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I drove this push button tranny car

 

[fyleow]

I believe that the Audi DSG is the fastest shifter on the market now but it can't be used for high HP applications so it's really only available on the TT. Too bad the TT sucks

The manual autos like the G35, A4, Mazda6 etc are not really faster than regular auto they just give a little more control. When I test drove the Mazda6 I remember the gear change kicking in extremely fast. With Tiptronic on my Passat it's been slowed because it's a family car. With a chip upgrade it can be instantaneous though, just like the Porsche tiptronic. It's a fun little gadget but not a true manual.

If you're looking for paddle shift I think your only option is BMW. I don't know about Mercedez and their shifter though (The auto tranny they use in their AMG cars). Some are paddle shift IIRC or it's available as an option but I don't know if it's faster or not. I know the Pontiac Grand Prix Comp G has touch shift but again I'm not sure if it's faster.

 

[Goosemaster]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
I drove this push button tranny car

lol

 

[Curly01]

Originally posted by: WinstonSmith
I drove this push button tranny car

My granny had an early 60's chryslar that had push button shifting. The buttons were located lower left of the steering column. 5 metalic buttons lined up in a row. That was the first car I ever drove. The thing was a tank.

When do we get the touch screen shifting?

 

[Goosemaster]

I think the main disadvantage of automatic shifters is" lack of customization"


For example, I like to engine brake, and jump down from 5th to 3rd when I need to jump on the highway and some fool cuts me off and I have to slow down to a crawl...blah blah blah...




Basically, things such as engine braking, skipping gears, downshifting, are all key elements of performance driving.

Automatic shifts only shift in sequential order, prohibiting you from taking advantage of these "easter eggs."

 

[fyleow]

Originally posted by: Goosemaster
I think the main disadvantage of automatic shifters is" lack of customization"

Basically, things such as engine braking, skipping gears, downshifting, are all key elements of performance driving.

Automatic shifts only shift in sequential order, prohibiting you from taking advantage of these "easter eggs."

Have you driven an automanual car before?

Engine braking works on my Passat tiptronic
Skipping gears is an option too, tap the shifter twice quickly and it will jump down two gears.
Downshifting is allowed even when it's not really advisable. It allows redlining but obviously there is a rev limiter and it won't let you downshift from 5th to 2nd, blowing up your engine (like a lot of stupid RSX and Celica drivers do by accident).

 

[kag]

I don't know about the exact numbers but BMW's SMGII is really kickass. I think the gear changes in something like 10milliseconds... does that make sense??

 

[ElFenix]

BMW SMG and a regular tiptronic type transmission are not the same thing. SMG is mostly manual, while the tiptronic is merely a computer controlled automatic slushbox. most of the selectable shift up/down transmissions, including the lexus one, are of the second type.

 

[fyleow]

Originally posted by: kag
I don't know about the exact numbers but BMW's SMGII is really kickass. I think the gear changes in something like 10milliseconds... does that make sense??

SMG II takes 80ms to shift, Audi's DSG takes 8 ms to shift.

Too bad the Golf R32 with DSG won't be coming to the US

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: kag
I don't know about the exact numbers but BMW's SMGII is really kickass. I think the gear changes in something like 10milliseconds... does that make sense??

lol... wow thats fast... i believe it was 80 milliseconds... Enzo and Modena is 150 IIRC... and F1 cars are 20-40...

 

[mugs]

I've driven a Passat with the tiptronic shifter... I hated it. It just seemed pointless.

 

[RedRooster]

Originally posted by: fyleow
I believe that the Audi DSG is the fastest shifter on the market now but it can't be used for high HP applications so it's really only available on the TT. Too bad the TT sucks

The manual autos like the G35, A4, Mazda6 etc are not really faster than regular auto they just give a little more control. When I test drove the Mazda6 I remember the gear change kicking in extremely fast. With Tiptronic on my Passat it's been slowed because it's a family car. With a chip upgrade it can be instantaneous though, just like the Porsche tiptronic. It's a fun little gadget but not a true manual.

If you're looking for paddle shift I think your only option is BMW. I don't know about Mercedez and their shifter though (The auto tranny they use in their AMG cars). Some are paddle shift IIRC or it's available as an option but I don't know if it's faster or not. I know the Pontiac Grand Prix Comp G has touch shift but again I'm not sure if it's faster.

Nice info man, thanks!
When you say the DSG can't take too much power, how much are we talking? The 250 that the new TT has is borderline for the transmission?

 

[kag]

Yes, SMGII is 80 milliseconds, I was wrong
Formula 1 takes 60 milliseconds to shift according to some site on the net.

 

[boyRacer]

Here's a whole page just for semi-automatic trannys...

Gearbox (car) Min. shift time
BMW SMG II (M3 E46) 80 ms
Ferrari F1 (Maserati 4200GT) 80 ms
Ferrari F1 (360 F1) 150 ms
Ferrari F1 (Enzo) 150 ms
Bugatti Veyron (proposed) 200 ms
Ferrari F1 (575M) 220 ms
BMW SMG (M3 E36) 220 ms
Aston Martin Vanquish 250 ms
BMW SSG (3-series) 250ms (150ms for 1st to 2nd)
Alfa Selespeed (156 Selespeed) (old) 700 ms

Audi is claimed to be the fastest. (Bottom of page)

EDIT: McLaren - Mercedes claims 20-40 on their F1 car.

 

[kag]

That's one of the pages I found too, but it doesn't list Audi's time

 

[fyleow]

Originally posted by: RedRooster

Originally posted by: fyleow
I believe that the Audi DSG is the fastest shifter on the market now but it can't be used for high HP applications so it's really only available on the TT. Too bad the TT sucks

The manual autos like the G35, A4, Mazda6 etc are not really faster than regular auto they just give a little more control. When I test drove the Mazda6 I remember the gear change kicking in extremely fast. With Tiptronic on my Passat it's been slowed because it's a family car. With a chip upgrade it can be instantaneous though, just like the Porsche tiptronic. It's a fun little gadget but not a true manual.

If you're looking for paddle shift I think your only option is BMW. I don't know about Mercedez and their shifter though (The auto tranny they use in their AMG cars). Some are paddle shift IIRC or it's available as an option but I don't know if it's faster or not. I know the Pontiac Grand Prix Comp G has touch shift but again I'm not sure if it's faster.

Nice info man, thanks!
When you say the DSG can't take too much power, how much are we talking? The 250 that the new TT has is borderline for the transmission?

I'm not really THAT knowledgable about cars so someone else could probably clue you in better. I believe that it can't handle a lot of torque because of its complexity. I know they have it for some other Audi's in Europe like the A3 and the upcoming Golf R32. It's not an option for the twin turboed 450 hp 415 lb/ft torque RS6 or the S4 though.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: kag
That's one of the pages I found too, but it doesn't list Audi's time

Its not on the chart but it's mentioned at the bottom.

 

[fyleow]

Originally posted by: kag
That's one of the pages I found too, but it doesn't list Audi's time

It does list the time...DSG is nice but it's not flawless, downshifting is way slower than SMG. The only advantage it has is upshifting.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: kag
I don't know about the exact numbers but BMW's SMGII is really kickass. I think the gear changes in something like 10milliseconds... does that make sense??

80ms IIRC.

EDIT: Should read the thread next time.

 

[Hammer]

i've driven the M3 SMG

 

[woodie1]

My CLK55 has buttons on the wheel. Once the engine has enough miles on it I'll try them out. I have used the shifter to make manual shifts at part throttle. Shifts are immediate!

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: woodie1
My CLK55 has buttons on the wheel. Once the engine has enough miles on it I'll try them out. I have used the shifter to make manual shifts at part throttle. Shifts are immediate!

Your is probably a Tiptronic, which isn't the same.