Am I the only one who thinks paddle shifters make no sense?

[jstefanop]

I had a manual car before I got my C63, and cant say I have missed shifting in the C63 (always keep it in S mode and it seems to shift like I would normally shift in a manual anyway, just have to know how to control the gas to make it do what you want it to do). So no complaints there, but when I tired the paddle shifters I quickly realized they just make no sense for a sports car. Turn the steering wheel more than 90 degrees (which you would commonly do on the track or spirited driving) and you quickly loose track of which paddle shifter is up shift and which is down. And the worst thing is you usually down shift as your going into turns and upshift right as your coming out of them so as your spinning the wheel like crazy your supposed to be able to shift the right one???? what??? I guess im either used to shifting with a manual tranny, or I am using these paddle shifters in a completely wrong way.

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[MikeS54]

um... first you are suppose to downshift before you turn your wheel and enter a corner. So therefore I don't see why you should be turning and shifting.

Secondly even when you are turning into the corner and you wanna correct your gear, both of your hand should be at the 9 and 3 o'clock position anyways which is where the paddles are. I really don't see reason why you are complaining.

[drawde]

I rarely ever use my paddle shifters, I don't know but it feels a little slower than using the shifter.. But I let one of my other friends drive my car and he thought the paddle shifters were the best thing since sliced bread.

[cyberorth]

Originally Posted by jstefanop

I had a manual car before I got my C63, and cant say I have missed shifting in the C63 (always keep it in S mode and it seems to shift like I would normally shift in a manual anyway, just have to know how to control the gas to make it do what you want it to do).

So no complaints there, but when I tired the paddle shifters I quickly realized they just make no sense for a sports car. Turn the steering wheel more than 90 degrees (which you would commonly do on the track or spirited driving) and you quickly loose track of which paddle shifter is up shift and which is down.

And the worst thing is you usually down shift as your going into turns and upshift right as your coming out of them so as your spinning the wheel like crazy your supposed to be able to shift the right one???? what???

I guess im either used to shifting with a manual tranny, or I am using these paddle shifters in a completely wrong way.

I see your point though. The paddles come from F1 where your hands (that is if you are an F1 driver) don't leave the steering wheel. You always maintain your hand position. The same concept works poorly in cars that have more than 2 turns lock to lock with much softer steering ratio. I think the whole idea is to make you feel like you are driving a race car, ie driving enjoyment. Many of times the stick lever comes handy when shifting while steering.

[jstefanop]

Originally Posted by cyberorth

I see your point though. The paddles come from F1 where your hands (that is if you are an F1 driver) don't leave the steering wheel. You always maintain your hand position. The same concept works poorly in cars that have more than 2 turns lock to lock with much softer steering ratio. I think the whole idea is to make you feel like you are driving a race car, ie driving enjoyment. Many of times the stick lever comes handy when shifting while steering.

exactly, if steering wheels in these cars were made like F1 cars (ie you can actually turn the wheel to its furthest point without needing to lift your hands) then it would make sense, but it dosent work in street cars where the steering wheel needs to be turned more than a full circle lock to lock.

[rory breaker]

To answer your question, yes, you are the only one Shifting with the paddles is a blast.

[iatacs19]

F1 shifting paddles are column mounted anyway, so yes I agree steering wheel mounted paddles are useless if you are turning your wheel.

[propain]

I rarely shift with the paddles. They suck and are unresponsive. Straight line racing from a stop I shift with the paddle into 1st and let the auto take it from there. It seems to shift right at redline anyway and I avoid the lame auto tranny shifting me into 2nd before I want to.

[Twazeed]

it gives the steering wheel a sporty look:P
i think its useful sometimes

[shchow]

Originally Posted by MikeS54

um... first you are suppose to downshift before you turn your wheel and enter a corner. So therefore I don't see why you should be turning and shifting.

Secondly even when you are turning into the corner and you wanna correct your gear, both of your hand should be at the 9 and 3 o'clock position anyways which is where the paddles are. I really don't see reason why you are complaining.

+1,
The paddles are either column mounted (Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini) or steering wheel mounted (BMW).
I have driven both types and personally like the steering wheel mount because I usually keep my hands relatively fixed for "spirited" driving, and there are those times when you have to correct the gear while in or coming out of a turn, and the paddles are always in the same position relative to my hands.
As far as paddles are concerned in general, they provide a better sense of control because you keep BOTH of your hands on the steering wheel, and don't have to worry about heel-toeing in cars equipped with rev/matched downshifting, IMHO.

[Cylinder Head]

Originally Posted by MikeS54

um... first you are suppose to downshift before you turn your wheel and enter a corner. So therefore I don't see why you should be turning and shifting.

Secondly even when you are turning into the corner and you wanna correct your gear, both of your hand should be at the 9 and 3 o'clock position anyways which is where the paddles are. I really don't see reason why you are complaining.

What he said. Shifting mid-turn is a no-no, you're throwing the weight distribution off and it's only a matter of g-force before you're spinning.

Second, there is no point to paddle shifters on an automatic transmission, other than to make you feel cool.

[Vegas_AMG]

Sorry guys but you are missing one important point with the paddles.....The ability to throttle blip. When you get the right combination of RPMs and gear selection it is like a symphony of sound. This one aspect is worth every penny I spent on this car.

[Sincity]

Originally Posted by Vegas_AMG

Sorry guys but you are missing one important point with the paddles.....The ability to throttle blip. When you get the right combination of RPMs and gear selection it is like a symphony of sound. This one aspect is worth every penny I spent on this car.

I still don't understand how to do it. At what RPMs?

[sflgator]

Originally Posted by MikeS54

um... first you are suppose to downshift before you turn your wheel and enter a corner. So therefore I don't see why you should be turning and shifting.

Secondly even when you are turning into the corner and you wanna correct your gear, both of your hand should be at the 9 and 3 o'clock position anyways which is where the paddles are. I really don't see reason why you are complaining.

+1. Left hand - downshift and right hand - upshift. Simple. Actually, I would think many ppl complain about paddle shifters if they don't turn with the steering wheel...then, you would have to take your hands off (or reposition your hands) the steering wheel to shift.

[sflgator]

Originally Posted by Vegas_AMG

Sorry guys but you are missing one important point with the paddles.....The ability to throttle blip. When you get the right combination of RPMs and gear selection it is like a symphony of sound. This one aspect is worth every penny I spent on this car.

+63!!!!

[451/443=EW]

I understand what you guys are saying about the paddles not working on a street car. I felt the same way too. BUT.... Your wrong and so was I. The streets are filled with 90 degree corners! You wont find that on any corner filled highway or track if you want to track your car. This is where the paddles work best. Remember you dont have to use the paddles just because you have them. But would you rather not have them at all for straight line fun or like a said, for highways or twisty mountain roads? Ya in the city you may not use them as much but I love them on the mountain roads. Im happy to have them just for fun.

[MJ50]

we need badass torque converter so we'll enjoy paddle shifters...

[AMG Dictator]

Originally Posted by Vegas_AMG

Sorry guys but you are missing one important point with the paddles.....The ability to throttle blip. When you get the right combination of RPMs and gear selection it is like a symphony of sound. This one aspect is worth every penny I spent on this car.

The paddles have nothing to do with this. It blipps on agressive downshifts in S mode as well as if you use the gear lever to downshift in manual mode.

[SebringSilver]

Originally Posted by AMG Dictator

The paddles have nothing to do with this. It blipps on agressive downshifts in S mode as well as if you use the gear lever to downshift in manual mode.

When driving aggressively, you don't even need to do the downshifting yourself to enjoy the rev-matching throttle blip. Just brake hard from a relatively high speed and the gearbox automatically downshifts as you decelerate, and you'll get the resultant throttle blips as though you're doing the heel-and-toe all on your own.

[Vegas_AMG]

Sebring that works too. But its more fun to click the gears down IMHO.

Dictator, agreed the shifter works too but you paid for 'em so might as well use them

Hey SIN, around 4 - 6K RPM/30 - 40 MPH and use the trany to slow the car down. On a few occassions it was pure magic.

Here's a MB pro driver, it appears to me he's using the paddles

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance...ing-north_auto

[mzporto]

I understand completely the statement that the paddle shifters make no sense. Functionally, they really don't. All you can do with them, you can do with the stick (give me a break guys, I don't know the name of it in english!), considering it is an automatic car.

I've had an E46 M3 SMGII. It had the paddle shifters and they were much more vital. The SMG automatic shifting worked so poorly that it was easier to change the gears myself, even in heavy traffic. The shifters were also important because the E46 M3 engine was a hig-rev engine (much less torque in lower revs) so I had to constantly downshift to keep revving higher. With the C63 and its monstruous torque, it is not necessary.

For the Benz, I use the paddle shifters only in 2 cases, none of them related to good driving: (i) to scare away the pedestrians so I can enter my office's garage; (ii) to show ricers that my benz sounds better.

[norb]

I like it when I'm about to encounter traffic and hold down the downshift button until it selects the lowest gear automatically, slows down the car then hold it there until the traffic clears up. This is on the freeway. Its a nice feature.

[cyberorth]

Originally Posted by iatacs19

F1 shifting paddles are column mounted anyway, so yes I agree steering wheel mounted paddles are useless if you are turning your wheel.

No actually they are on the wheel...It is Formula One we are talking about I believe.

[iatacs19]

Originally Posted by cyberorth

No actually they are on the wheel...It is Formula One we are talking about I believe.

You are right, let's just say Ferrari paddles are column mounted then.