Paddle shifts on Indian cars - will it work?

Shan2nu · 25th November 2005, 02:13

With the traffic congestion increasing by the day, driving a stick shift has bcome a bit of a bother. Nobody likes shifting between 1st and 2nd a thousand times per km.

Automatics on the other hand are good for such conditions but, they're sluggish and don't give the driver the freedom to up/down shift when needed.

That brings us to the paddle shift. It's quick, easy to use and takes you one step closer to F1, which means that you'l never get tired of it.

It lets you upshift/downshift when and as you wish to, while saving those fractions of a sec between changes.

And with technologically advanced transmissions likes VW's Direct Shift Gearbox or DSG, shifting can be more fun that ever.

I think I could live with a paddle shift on my car, could you?

Shan2nu

.anshuman · 25th November 2005, 02:35

i dont think thats a good idea for indian customers because even automatics are not that popular here and paddle shifts is a big leap ahead,but if some company like hyundai launches a car with paddle shift and do not charge a huge premium might work here as well,but indian customers wont shell out their hard earned money on a think like this.

amit · 25th November 2005, 04:57

Quote:

It lets you upshift/downshift when and as you wish to

Are you sure about this? The only paddle shifter I have driven is the new VW Passat and it doesn't let you upshift/downshift when and as you wish to. The shifts happen at the programmed rpm's and the transmisssion downshifts automatically too. Maybe other cars have it different.

gr8guzzler · 25th November 2005, 05:33

Paddle shifts sound cool, but I'll stick to Manual. I think I won't ever get bored of it...

Mpower · 25th November 2005, 05:49

I think you are generalising too much by simply saying paddle shift.

There are totally garbage designs like single clutch automated mauals (SMG,Selespeed) and VW excellent DSG twin-clutch system, then there are conventional automatics with paddle shifters (tiptronic)..............there is also a version of NHC CVT in Thailand which comes with a 7 speed paddle shift. The only thing common with all these systems is a + and - button behind the wheel.

Aditya · 25th November 2005, 07:26

I used to think very highly of paddle shift gears until I saw the Top Gear Aston Martin Vanquish video. 3 point turns are an absolute disaster with a paddle shift gearbox. Parking in tight spots will be frustrating as hell. So while it's still a handy device on the race track, I'd much rather have a proper manual gerabox for everyday use. Nothing like the feeling of depressing a clutch with your foot and slotting gears with your hand.

normally_crazy · 25th November 2005, 08:49

with the traffic conditions being as they are now - i would love an Automatic shift ! As it is with traffic , fast cars would be sluggish too !

trinadha · 25th November 2005, 09:03

hey sorry can u post some pics of paddle shift .i dont know how they look like

Shan2nu · 25th November 2005, 09:19

Quote:

I think you are generalising too much by simply saying paddle shift.

When i say paddle shift, i do mean something like the DSG. I've even mentioned it in the openeing post.

Quote:

with the traffic conditions being as they are now - i would love an Automatic shift ! As it is with traffic , fast cars would be sluggish too !

U didn't get my point. I meant good for bumper to bumper traffic but, sluggish on the open roads, when you really want to extract performance out of it.

Quote:

I used to think very highly of paddle shift gears until I saw the Top Gear Aston Martin Vanquish video. 3 point turns are an absolute disaster with a paddle shift gearbox. Parking in tight spots will be frustrating as hell. So while it's still a handy device on the race track, I'd much rather have a proper manual gerabox for everyday use. Nothing like the feeling of depressing a clutch with your foot and slotting gears with your hand.

Trust me, if you could download the fifth gear episode, where they test drive the VW Golf GTI, you'd fall in love with the DSG.

The way i see it, only Skoda is capable of providing us with DSG (at the moment). The new RS with a DSG will kill the competition.

Shan2nu

normally_crazy · 25th November 2005, 09:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

U didn't get my point. I meant good for bumper to bumper traffic but, sluggish on the open roads, when you really want to extract performance out of it.

I did get your point Shan. Even out on the "unsafe Highways" i would love the Auto Shift.As it is there are hardly roads where you can go for outright performance and top it all off with a sedate driver like urs truly , the auto shift makes perfect sense for me !

normally_crazy · 25th November 2005, 09:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

The new RS with a DSG will kill the competition.
Shan2nu

the current RS kills the competition as it is ! why would skoda get a technology that would increase the cost of the car ?(as of now ) in the future , who knows !

GTO · 25th November 2005, 09:48

The solution to the pain of a manual gearbox in traffic conditions already exists : The Automatics. They are NO longer sluggish and the gear shift is getting smoother by the day.

Paddle shifts were primarily invented for high performance cars to lessen gear shift times and to ensure that the driver keeps his hands on the steering wheel.

To answer the thread question : NO!

GTO

GTO

VtecDeGr8 · 25th November 2005, 09:57

For straight and long roads - Love to have that paddle shift

For our bumper to bumper traffic - Negotiate with the automatic

Being practical for everday usage and the occasional long drive - Stick to the stick gear

Ofcourse I see lot of fun factor in the paddle shift...wish I had one

ramkya1 · 25th November 2005, 10:22

There's nothing like the feeling of the engine revvs thro the stick and quickly darting in and out of traffic..... I don't think any other shift will allow you to connect straight with the engine like the stick.......

--- Ramky

Abhay · 25th November 2005, 11:25

Paddle shifts are fine on race cars and supercars but in very bad traffic I would rather have an auto box than a paddle.
Overall I would still prefer the manual gearbox.

View Poll Results: Which transmission would you like?
Paddle Shift	69	44.23%
Stick Shift	56	35.90%
Automatic Shift	31	19.87%
Voters: 156. You may not vote on this poll

25th November 2005, 02:13	#1
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 125 Times View My Garage	Paddle shifts on Indian cars - will it work? With the traffic congestion increasing by the day, driving a stick shift has bcome a bit of a bother. Nobody likes shifting between 1st and 2nd a thousand times per km. Automatics on the other hand are good for such conditions but, they're sluggish and don't give the driver the freedom to up/down shift when needed. That brings us to the paddle shift. It's quick, easy to use and takes you one step closer to F1, which means that you'l never get tired of it. It lets you upshift/downshift when and as you wish to, while saving those fractions of a sec between changes. And with technologically advanced transmissions likes VW's Direct Shift Gearbox or DSG, shifting can be more fun that ever. I think I could live with a paddle shift on my car, could you? Shan2nu
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 02:35	#2
.anshuman Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Good-Gaon Posts: 7,763 Thanked: 11,064 Times View My Garage	i dont think thats a good idea for indian customers because even automatics are not that popular here and paddle shifts is a big leap ahead,but if some company like hyundai launches a car with paddle shift and do not charge a huge premium might work here as well,but indian customers wont shell out their hard earned money on a think like this.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 05:33	#4
gr8guzzler BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Navi Mumbai Posts: 653 Thanked: 87 Times View My Garage	Paddle shifts sound cool, but I'll stick to Manual. I think I won't ever get bored of it...
	(1) Thanks

25th November 2005, 05:49	#5
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,409 Thanked: 1,730 Times View My Garage	I think you are generalising too much by simply saying paddle shift. There are totally garbage designs like single clutch automated mauals (SMG,Selespeed) and VW excellent DSG twin-clutch system, then there are conventional automatics with paddle shifters (tiptronic)..............there is also a version of NHC CVT in Thailand which comes with a 7 speed paddle shift. The only thing common with all these systems is a + and - button behind the wheel. Last edited by Mpower : 25th November 2005 at 05:51.
	(1) Thanks

25th November 2005, 07:26	#6
Aditya Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 17,841 Thanked: 77,063 Times View My Garage	I used to think very highly of paddle shift gears until I saw the Top Gear Aston Martin Vanquish video. 3 point turns are an absolute disaster with a paddle shift gearbox. Parking in tight spots will be frustrating as hell. So while it's still a handy device on the race track, I'd much rather have a proper manual gerabox for everyday use. Nothing like the feeling of depressing a clutch with your foot and slotting gears with your hand.
	(1) Thanks

25th November 2005, 08:49	#7
normally_crazy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 4,369 Thanked: 528 Times View My Garage	with the traffic conditions being as they are now - i would love an Automatic shift ! As it is with traffic , fast cars would be sluggish too !
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 09:03	#8
trinadha BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: HYDERABAD Posts: 244 Thanked: 22 Times	hey sorry can u post some pics of paddle shift .i dont know how they look like
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25th November 2005, 09:48	#12
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,534 Thanked: 300,736 Times View My Garage	The solution to the pain of a manual gearbox in traffic conditions already exists : The Automatics. They are NO longer sluggish and the gear shift is getting smoother by the day. Paddle shifts were primarily invented for high performance cars to lessen gear shift times and to ensure that the driver keeps his hands on the steering wheel. To answer the thread question : NO! GTO GTO
	(1) Thanks

25th November 2005, 09:57	#13
VtecDeGr8 BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: PHX...Chennai Posts: 39 Thanked: 10 Times View My Garage	If I had that billion em em ok atleast few millions... For straight and long roads - Love to have that paddle shift For our bumper to bumper traffic - Negotiate with the automatic Being practical for everday usage and the occasional long drive - Stick to the stick gear Ofcourse I see lot of fun factor in the paddle shift...wish I had one Last edited by VtecDeGr8 : 25th November 2005 at 09:58.
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 10:22	#14
ramkya1 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Palakkad, Keral Posts: 1,826 Thanked: 431 Times View My Garage	Stick Shift There's nothing like the feeling of the engine revvs thro the stick and quickly darting in and out of traffic..... I don't think any other shift will allow you to connect straight with the engine like the stick....... --- Ramky
	() Thanks

25th November 2005, 11:25	#15
Abhay BHPian Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Pune Posts: 727 Thanked: 11 Times	Paddle shifts are fine on race cars and supercars but in very bad traffic I would rather have an auto box than a paddle. Overall I would still prefer the manual gearbox.
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