Shifter For Automatic looks unnecessary? and gets in the way....

Norm Peterson · Oct 22, 2017

Maybe if you're never ever going to be shifting when you've got much of any steering input going on, paddles might make more sense. Like in Formula 1 with extremely fast steering ratios or the straight-line stuff where you don't plan to be steering away from straight ahead at all.

However, that still leaves the chance you'll tap some paddle a second time if/when the commanded shift doesn't happen as fast as you think it should, or it does and you don't notice it. That's not something as likely to happen with a lever that needs forearm and hand movement as it is with paddles that only need the much faster fingertip twitching. I've driven (albeit briefly) a few cars with paddles, one of which also had sequential at the lever. The lever was not just more natural, it was more accurate with less attention required.

Norm

TomcatDriver · Oct 22, 2017

Norm Peterson said:
Maybe if you're never ever going to be shifting when you've got much of any steering input going on, paddles might make more sense. Like in Formula 1 with extremely fast steering ratios or the straight-line stuff where you don't plan to be steering away from straight ahead at all.

However, that still leaves the chance you'll tap some paddle a second time if/when the commanded shift doesn't happen as fast as you think it should, or it does and you don't notice it. That's not something as likely to happen with a lever that needs forearm and hand movement as it is with paddles that only need the much faster fingertip twitching. I've driven (albeit briefly) a few cars with paddles, one of which also had sequential at the lever. The lever was not just more natural, it was more accurate with less attention required.

Norm

If you want precise unambiguous shifting get a DCT or a manual. Paddle shifters work just as well as a sequential lever. A slushbox auto is always going to be a little ambiguous.

griffbl · Oct 22, 2017

TomcatDriver said:
If you want precise unambiguous shifting get a DCT or a manual. Paddle shifters work just as well as a sequential lever. A slushbox auto is always going to be a little ambiguous.

And with very nearly 500hp in a mustang GT, it doesn’t bother me to have both hands on the steering wheel, and paddle shifters make that possible!!

Norm Peterson · Oct 22, 2017

TomcatDriver said:
If you want precise unambiguous shifting get a DCT or a manual.

Probably true and definitely true, respectively.

But I'm trying to work within the restriction that this thread concerns only shifting devices for automatics.

I have to look beyond the cars I have now to what we'll need one or two purchases down the road. The reason being that I may eventually get "boxed into" a "choice" that I'd never make otherwise by the inability to find a decent MT car on the one hand and by limits on financial reach to a good DCT car on the other (I'm retired).

For me, a lever-shifted automatic - with that lever being DIY-fabbed if necessary - would be light-years ahead of having to put up with some autonomous transportation box, and that's coming from as die-hard of an MT attitude as you're likely to find.

Norm

Shifter For Automatic looks unnecessary? and gets in the way....

Automatic Console Shifter Design Going Forward

Looks Better as is with old style shifter (as found on 2018)

Would look better with something more minimal and less intrustive into the cockpit

Your suggestion!

Norm Peterson

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TomcatDriver

Well-Known Member

griffbl

Active Member

Norm Peterson

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