"Stick shift" vs "Paddle shift" transmissions

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I'm slowly starting to like using the paddle shifters in the new 3, especially in sport mode. However, I still find driving my 2003 5spd manual Subaru more fun, at times.

I need to drive a DCT. Maybe I'm a GTI candidate. The WRX CVT is a standout too. Tough decisions these days. Years ago it was manual all the way, no questions asked. Now the gap has closed.

From what I've read and been told, DCT's are the way to go. Just expensive.
 
Paddle shifts are a gimmick for itchy fingers. You're still driving an automatic transmission, which is programmed to shift at the optimal points. No person can outcalculate the optimal shift points.
 
My autos don't anticipate when I need to downshift to prevent lugging or have better control on downhill curves etc. Sounds like I am outhinking these optimal shiftpoints.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Paddle shifts are a gimmick for itchy fingers. You're still driving an automatic transmission, which is programmed to shift at the optimal points. No person can outcalculate the optimal shift points.


Automatics are programmed to shift for best fuel economy, which is why many don't like them.

Formula 1 and GT cars use paddle shifting sequential gearboxes.
 
Originally Posted By: Apollo14
My autos don't anticipate when I need to downshift to prevent lugging or have better control on downhill curves etc. Sounds like I am outhinking these optimal shiftpoints.


This is what I hate about our 3 when it's not in sport mode. It's a 6spd auto and it always wants to down shift so when you slow down for maximum fuel economy. You have to give it a lot of throttle to get the rpms back up.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Paddle shifts are a gimmick for itchy fingers. You're still driving an automatic transmission, which is programmed to shift at the optimal points. No person can outcalculate the optimal shift points.



Not all of them are still automatics.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
Originally Posted By: Kestas
Paddle shifts are a gimmick for itchy fingers. You're still driving an automatic transmission, which is programmed to shift at the optimal points. No person can outcalculate the optimal shift points.


Automatics are programmed to shift for best fuel economy, which is why many don't like them.

Formula 1 and GT cars use paddle shifting sequential gearboxes.

Those are dry clutch transmissions capable of shifting faster than a human could possibly manage with a stick and clutch pedal. It's also jarring as heck and not built for durability.
 
The paddle shifts on my 08 Malibu LTZ with the 3.6 have a lot to be desired, shifting is delayed and slow, nothing to brag about
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I still prefer a regular manual trans. I know that the automatics are far better these days and often quicker in a drag race than the manuals but I still prefer the manual because it is just a better driving experience.
 
I've driven a few paddle shift cars and I just thought it was a gimmick. Imo,a manual tranny car has to have a clutch pedal and a stick shift lever between the seats
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Originally Posted By: morepwr
I still prefer a regular manual trans. I know that the automatics are far better these days and often quicker in a drag race than the manuals but I still prefer the manual because it is just a better driving experience.

+1
 
I like autos, especially in my 2013 Silverado. I have the option of using the manual button on the trans lever and selecting up shifts and down shifts when I want them. Manual mode in that 6 speed auto is a great option i use every time I drive it. I let is make some shifts, and I determine others. Basically a hybrid way of using a transmission. I tuned the transmission control module so that I get more firm shifts also.

After shifting commercial trucks for several decades, I have no desire to have a manual trans in my personal stuff. I get enough manual shifting of the 18 gears in my semi in the 140,000 miles a year I put on my truck. And the manuals in those are not the forgiving simple for the user synchronized kind like in autos and pickups. Nope. Commercial heavy truck manual transmissions are non synchronized and you have to have it at the right rpm at the road speed along with selecting the exact gear to match up rpm and road speed for the shift or it is not going to happen. Miss a gear on a hard pull, and it really screws things up.

Nope. No desire to play with a clutch when I am at home.
 
Sticks are fun, but these days a bit of a PITA in traffic and slow.

Nothing bangs off gears like a dual clutch transmission, faster than a human can think about shifting it can shift.
 
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