Manual vs paddle-shift gearboxes

Paddle shift transmission fan: fast and perfect shifts everytime Total voters Status This thread is archived New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. PC Valkyrie Member. Well, I checked, and there hasn't been a "manual vs automatic transmission" thread title here on this forum for a couple of years. First, I want to poll the members here about which type of car fan they are with regards to transmissions taken in part from a recent article in Excellence.

You are proud that you can heel-toe downshift anytime. You don't want to drive a car with paddles with no clutch as it feels like a video game to you. You think this is the way of the future anyways I fall into category 3. I recently made the switch to an F30 auto - my first non-manual car ever after 22 years of driving - but I still regularly drive manuals which are either my own or my clients'.

I've done 5 sessions of track instruction this year so still have to be able to do the fancy footwork thing. Funny, I find myself braking the auto on the side of the pedal with the ball of my foot still! I then "heel-n-toe" to activate the auto-start earlier in anticipation for moving off. Old habits. Nothing can replace the enjoyment, involvement and feeling of connectedness that you get from driving a good manual though.

And driving it well is hugely rewarding. This of course is limited more to slowing down rapidly and balancing a vehicle into a corner. I don't care for full-bore, snap-shifting acceleration in a manual, I always have a measure of mechanical sympathy and prefer to keep things as smooth as possible.

Smooth is slow when accelerating with a manual. To that end, the automated gearboxes make accelerating more of a pleasurable experience in my opinion.

Also, accelerating through and out of a corner is equally fun in either a manual or automated shifter as balancing the car on the limit becomes an interaction between throttle position and steering angle. And, this is where I believe the most fun is to be had in enthusiastic driving. I've already had my diesel auto on the skidpad! Sunny Member Premium Supporter. Obviously the answer depends on application. But on a driver's car, for me, it has to be a manual.

For me there is no replacement for the involvement and connectedness of a good manual and that is leaving aside the joy of heel toeing. I know we probably won't have a choice very soon on some segments you already don't , so while I still can, my choice would be a manual.

Didn't really miss the manual - I was just enjoying how the car feels so direct and pointy and willing to oversteer. Zafiro Member. If I went for M5 or E63 then automatic, they are big and heavy to deserve a manual. But for smaller cars it must be a manual. I've driven all kind of automatics and I can understand its purpose. But for involvement a good stick is the best choice. I've been driving manual for 20 years and my upcoming car is also a manual.

There are good and bad manual gearboxes. A good manual comes with meaty feel with precise and easy gear changes. If its a crappy manual gearbox then I don't want one.

I guess I'm into category 3. Tho my situation puts me in the third option I'll always vote for the first! ACE Member. Sunny said:. Click to expand Good discussion so far guys. I'm definitely category 3. I agree with many people that nothing really compares to the experience of driving a true stick shift manual transmission with a clutch pedal. This type of feeling simply can't be replicated with a paddle shift transmission.

I learned to drive on a torque converter automatic transmission car at age 17, but then decided later on to learn how to drive a stick shift in my mid 20's. For the last 5 years, I've taken my 6MT i to the track many times, and in my mind, I completely understand and have mastered to a certain degree the hardest part of driving a stick shift: heel-n-toe downshifting when braking hard prior to corner entry.

And no offense to anyone, but you CAN'T replicate this type of experience driving legally on the streeets. Am I the best stick shift driver? To make this easier, both the paddles are placed on either side of the steering wheel to avoid any accidental pull of the wrong paddle.

This was done to let the driver concentrate on his driving and change gears without removing his hand from the steering thus making high-speed racing that much safer. This way, the driver retained complete control of the steering wheel and thus the vehicle.

From then on, paddle shifters began to migrate to almost all vehicles, and today, mostly all automatic transmission vehicles bear them, to let the driver have a modicum of control over his vehicle.

A paddle shifter also makes a car more fun to drive and having that bit of extra control makes for high brownie points in favor of that car. As responsive automatic transmissions might be, most drivers like to have the option to be able to bring about a gear change if they so wish.

Then again, paddle shifters are not put in for fun alone, they have some major pros as well. For someone who has recently made the switch to automatic from manual, it could be frustrating to wait for the car to make the shift when you know you can do it faster.

A paddle shifter takes that lag and frustration away and lets you shift at your pace, instead of waiting for the computer to kick in and do its bit. Another time the paddle shifter comes in handy is when you need to rapidly slow down and turn on a tight corner, or even want to slow down on a slick road.

Applying the brakes too quickly can cause a car to skid or fishtail, grappling for a hold on the road. If you downshift a gear or two, the engine speed automatically reduces, slowing the car down without the need for braking, thus helping you drive that much safer.

Another instance where downshifting can come in handy is when you are headed down a decline in inclement weather, or when you are towing something that is adding to the whole push and momentum of downhill driving. Actually, many manual drivers are of the view that the ease of driving automatic transmissions tends to make such drivers view road safety in such a relaxed manner; thus, do things that they usually would not do while driving.

Manual vehicles make it easier to speed up and slow down when needed. Traditional automatic transmissions felt more sluggish and accelerated far much slower than their manual counterparts. As such, it gave rise to the belief that manual vehicles were faster than automatic cars. However, automatic cars accelerate faster than manual cars, because the driver does not need to press on the clutch pedal to shift gears.

However, professional drivers of manual vehicles, such as race car drivers, know precisely when their engine requires a gear change, even before it is time to shift the gears. By predicting their driving conditions, they take advantage by generating more power and speed and shifting gears, when the engine needs it. In racing competitions, you want to produce more power and speed than your opponent.

With an automatic vehicle, you have to wait for the gearbox to automatically change the gears and boost your torque and power, which may translate into sluggish racing performance. Manual transmissions give the driver more control, in terms of power and speed, when driving, when compared to traditional automatic vehicles.

As a result, automakers came up with a solution for the pursuit of pure speed and control that the racing community required. Continuously Variable Transmissions CVT and automated manual transmissions are better racing options than the traditional manual and automatic transmissions. CVT vehicles are the standard gearbox for many modern cars as they deliver incomparably fast performance and excellent fuel economy. An automatic vehicle accelerates quicker than a manual one.

Automatic cars do not have gear shifting since it does this automatically with the help of computers and processors. As such, the energy from the engine transfers to the steering wheel as quickly and smoothly as possible. Therefore, this quick energy transfer facilitates the fast acceleration in automatic vehicles; hence, the possibility of automatic cars beating a manual car. However, in races, drivers are accustomed to feeling the speed and manipulating the engine to produce maximum speed and rotational force.

They shift gears with excessive ease and efficiency. In general, the average consumer prefers an automatic transmission over a manual one because of its easy drivability and controllability. People who prefer urban driving are better off with automated cars, while those who travel for long distances and enjoy driving on fast highways tend to enjoy driving manual vehicles. In automatic vs.

There is some difference when it comes to car insurance policies between automatic and manual cars. For one, the automatic cars gearbox take more time and are more expensive to maintain. This may lead to an increase in insurance premiums as opposed to the manual one.

Automatic transmissions have more parts than the manual one and thereby switching to one is more costly and labor intensive. For the manual transmission all you have to watch out is shifting gears and clutch. In automatic transmissions you have hydraulic, mechanical and electronic instruments. This figures are higher for luxury vehicles. The general myth is that if you have a car with gears and clutch then you have better control of the car. With a manual car it is believed you have less room for error but the reality is car accident are more a factor of how the driver drives than it is about the kind of car they are driving.

Distractions from smartphones cause more accidents than anything else.