What is it like driving the automatic with Paddles?
02-20-2012, 10:53 AM
#21
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I don't know where you are located but if you want to check one out I would be more than willing to let you take mine for a drive. Learning to use the paddles effectively really takes time though. It's no where near as easy as these clowns on here think. It takes getting used to. So you know I am very old school and I am sure I was as bad as Alberto in my younger days. I bought the auto so my wife could drive it and have since fallen in love with it.
theres not much learning needed, you hit a paddle, it thinks, it shifts. You cant make it better.
Maybe its just my car and every other one ive driven but someone above said their G shifts the same way
now people are saying autos with paddles takes learning and skill?
02-20-2012, 01:17 PM
#23
good article today on jalopnik
http://jalopnik.com/5886552/can-flap...l-transmission
like it or not in performance vehicles paddle shifters and such will be the future...deal with it lol
http://jalopnik.com/5886552/can-flap...l-transmission
like it or not in performance vehicles paddle shifters and such will be the future...deal with it lol
02-20-2012, 02:25 PM
#24
Of course autos or electronically controlled MT's (no clutch but otherwise a manual) will and currently are replacing true MT's.
We are the laziest country on this planet, I expect nothing less from people who want to drive fast. How awesome it must be to mash the gas and go.
Next phase is we will remote control our cars so we can race them down the drag strip while every one sits on their fat fawking a$$ on the side line eating hot dogs.
We are the laziest country on this planet, I expect nothing less from people who want to drive fast. How awesome it must be to mash the gas and go.
Next phase is we will remote control our cars so we can race them down the drag strip while every one sits on their fat fawking a$$ on the side line eating hot dogs.
03-05-2012, 09:01 PM
#29
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Alberto I'll have to disagree with you on this one. I know your "The Man" on this site and I respect you ...
But, I'll have to say I like the S7 tranny on my 370Z. It's computer controlled so if your not floored it does take a second to shift. That's part of the way it was designed so that when around town cruisin' you don't get hard shifts. It's still faster than pressing in clutch taking hand off wheel pulling lever and releasing clutch in that situation. If you floor it the tranny shifts much faster but, you have to be completely committed. No partial thottle to get the most out of it. Split second shifting. So, it does take some time to get used to. But, once you master it, it is a lot of fun. Fun in a different way from my manual cars. If you anticipate your shift it's very quick. It's like short shifting a manual tranny. You just don't wait until the last moment or you'll over rev / hit rev limitter. You just have to pull the lever about a thousand rpms earlier than you are used to in a manual car.
Let me take a second here to let you know how committed I was to having a manual in my sports cars. All of my sports cars for the past 35 years have been manual cars. I still own two, a C5 Vette and Supercharged Formula Firebird. I love my stick shift cars.
I like to drive my Z in manual mode and shift using the floor shifter if I'm in a turn. Much like you do with a manual car. However, mountain road driving if the turns aren't too tight it's no problem using the paddle shifters especially if you use your head and have your hands at the right position going into the turn. Better than a floor shifter because you hands never leave the wheel. If I'm going straight ahead I use the paddles almost all the time and bang off four shift to 100mph pretty fast. Sometimes I just mash the thottle let the tranny do it on full thottle it's pretty amazing how fast it shifts in that mode and with the traction control on it's hang on and go.
I was amazed how much fun the S7 can be with VDC off. Burnouts are pretty fun ... Lock on brakes bring up to 4000rpm let off brakes ... drag the brakes a little for a long smokey burnout. I was truly surprised.
Fun .... #ell Yes !!!!
OP you need a week with the S7 to really know what you can do with it. Hopefully, some of my suggestions will help you along. Give it a try OP and don't be discouraged with your first time out. It does take about three or four hours just to understand what it does in what situation. After that you'll understand. You have to drive it hard, rev it up and go for it. The auto loves this. You wouldn't expect that. But it really does and the computer does keep you out of trouble. Well, at least until you take off VDC.
Tip - If you want to pass someone don't just mash the gas. Downshift like you would in a manual via the paddleshifter by pulling once and then when your ready to pass hit the gas hard at the same time that pull again for another downshift HOLD ON and get ready for a quick up shift give yourself room you will slingshot around that car right about the time you get along side you'll be doing an upshift and they will think your insane. A couple of times I chirped the tires right next to their door. This car is very fast if you know what to do. If you just mash it you might as well count to two and that is just not good when you want to pass. However if you mash the gas in auto mode, it will do a double shift and rocket you around said car. You'll just have lost lost two seconds in the process though and not be very happy at all with the delay. This tranny does take some learning/understanding. Once I learned that little trick about getting it into manual mode early it changed the whole experience of this car. Just pull a - lever to get into manual mode quickly before you plan on any performance driving and it changes everything. I promise.
Have fun !!! 7500rpm has never been so fun !!!
My 350Z was a manual and I didn't like how that was set up from the factory. One of the first things I did was shorten the pedal travel for quicker shifts and buy a short shifter for it to improve things. The clutch engagement was just too high for me and the throws of the shifter just too long. The 370Z hasn't changed anything in that department. I'd recommend those two mods if you were to buy a six speed manual 370Z.
But, I'll have to say I like the S7 tranny on my 370Z. It's computer controlled so if your not floored it does take a second to shift. That's part of the way it was designed so that when around town cruisin' you don't get hard shifts. It's still faster than pressing in clutch taking hand off wheel pulling lever and releasing clutch in that situation. If you floor it the tranny shifts much faster but, you have to be completely committed. No partial thottle to get the most out of it. Split second shifting. So, it does take some time to get used to. But, once you master it, it is a lot of fun. Fun in a different way from my manual cars. If you anticipate your shift it's very quick. It's like short shifting a manual tranny. You just don't wait until the last moment or you'll over rev / hit rev limitter. You just have to pull the lever about a thousand rpms earlier than you are used to in a manual car.
Let me take a second here to let you know how committed I was to having a manual in my sports cars. All of my sports cars for the past 35 years have been manual cars. I still own two, a C5 Vette and Supercharged Formula Firebird. I love my stick shift cars.
I like to drive my Z in manual mode and shift using the floor shifter if I'm in a turn. Much like you do with a manual car. However, mountain road driving if the turns aren't too tight it's no problem using the paddle shifters especially if you use your head and have your hands at the right position going into the turn. Better than a floor shifter because you hands never leave the wheel. If I'm going straight ahead I use the paddles almost all the time and bang off four shift to 100mph pretty fast. Sometimes I just mash the thottle let the tranny do it on full thottle it's pretty amazing how fast it shifts in that mode and with the traction control on it's hang on and go.
I was amazed how much fun the S7 can be with VDC off. Burnouts are pretty fun ... Lock on brakes bring up to 4000rpm let off brakes ... drag the brakes a little for a long smokey burnout. I was truly surprised.
Fun .... #ell Yes !!!!
OP you need a week with the S7 to really know what you can do with it. Hopefully, some of my suggestions will help you along. Give it a try OP and don't be discouraged with your first time out. It does take about three or four hours just to understand what it does in what situation. After that you'll understand. You have to drive it hard, rev it up and go for it. The auto loves this. You wouldn't expect that. But it really does and the computer does keep you out of trouble. Well, at least until you take off VDC.
Tip - If you want to pass someone don't just mash the gas. Downshift like you would in a manual via the paddleshifter by pulling once and then when your ready to pass hit the gas hard at the same time that pull again for another downshift HOLD ON and get ready for a quick up shift give yourself room you will slingshot around that car right about the time you get along side you'll be doing an upshift and they will think your insane. A couple of times I chirped the tires right next to their door. This car is very fast if you know what to do. If you just mash it you might as well count to two and that is just not good when you want to pass. However if you mash the gas in auto mode, it will do a double shift and rocket you around said car. You'll just have lost lost two seconds in the process though and not be very happy at all with the delay. This tranny does take some learning/understanding. Once I learned that little trick about getting it into manual mode early it changed the whole experience of this car. Just pull a - lever to get into manual mode quickly before you plan on any performance driving and it changes everything. I promise.
Have fun !!! 7500rpm has never been so fun !!!
My 350Z was a manual and I didn't like how that was set up from the factory. One of the first things I did was shorten the pedal travel for quicker shifts and buy a short shifter for it to improve things. The clutch engagement was just too high for me and the throws of the shifter just too long. The 370Z hasn't changed anything in that department. I'd recommend those two mods if you were to buy a six speed manual 370Z.
Last edited by Z_Driver; 03-05-2012 at 09:43 PM.
03-05-2012, 09:24 PM
#30
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Of course autos or electronically controlled MT's (no clutch but otherwise a manual) will and currently are replacing true MT's.
We are the laziest country on this planet, I expect nothing less from people who want to drive fast. How awesome it must be to mash the gas and go.
Next phase is we will remote control our cars so we can race them down the drag strip while every one sits on their fat fawking a$$ on the side line eating hot dogs.
We are the laziest country on this planet, I expect nothing less from people who want to drive fast. How awesome it must be to mash the gas and go.
Next phase is we will remote control our cars so we can race them down the drag strip while every one sits on their fat fawking a$$ on the side line eating hot dogs.
However, don't forget drag cars have been running autos for years so it's safe to say they do shift faster and have proven to be more reliable than a stick shift for repeated runs. We run a Powerguide two speed in our '67 Camaro and pull 9's on a N/A 454. My '98 Firebird Supercharged is a lot more work and risky shifting through four gears to get her down the track and I do not have as much control as I do with the auto on the track.
Now, on a road course I'd take the Firebird anyday over the Camaro. I couldn't even imagine what a two speed auto on a road course would be like. However, it would be fun lighting up the tires through all the turns.
I would take the S7 over the Firebird on a road course / auto cross any day. I'd just shift it using the floor shifter so I wasn't too busy trying to find the paddles. On a tight course the paddles are really tough to use. I'd really like to get a S7 on a autocross course to see what it does. However, I'm not willing to beat mine up just yet.
Wonder if I can get a rental Z car with S7.
Last edited by Z_Driver; 03-05-2012 at 09:36 PM.
03-05-2012, 09:46 PM
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03-06-2012, 09:45 AM
#32
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I think driving an automatic with paddles is like flying an airplane on autopilot. I have the auto/manual shift in my 350Z and the only time I've used it was to show my friends what it does. Now if you want something really cool, think back to when you could buy a car with a push-button automatic. It worked just like changing stations on your radio. If you were born after 1968 you might want to look into it.
03-07-2012, 07:39 AM
#35
lol @ this thread and lol @ the kids comparing paddle shifters to f1. Even if your paddle shifters are 0.03 seconds faster than a fast manual shift (many aren't), are easier to use, and are more consistent, at the end of the day you are completely missing the whole point of owning a proper manual gearbox vs auto/flappy paddle/dct/Doppelkupplungsgetriebe/floppydonkeydick in today's sports car.
Its a lot like comparing a GTR to a GT3, GTR is faster, GT3 will make you feel like a man-god throwing lightning-fking-rods. End.
Its a lot like comparing a GTR to a GT3, GTR is faster, GT3 will make you feel like a man-god throwing lightning-fking-rods. End.
03-07-2012, 10:23 PM
#36
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To tell you the truth ... It's more fun for me to drive my 370Z S7 paddle shift car than it was to drive my 350Z manual. Not kidding. I'm really liking this thing. Wave of the future... ;-)
I'll agree that some cars should only be manual because they don't have a proper S7 or Auto but, the Z isn't one of them imo.
I love my Vette and Firebird with stick but, there is something to be said about shifting a couple of times in a turn (not before or after) at full thottle with S7 in the Z. That is difficult to do in a manual shift car without spinnig a tire/sliding out or losing momentum. Although I've gotten pretty good at it with one hand on the wheel and planted just right in the seat. Throw in some heel toe driving and it does become an art.
Some people see the S7 as not dramatic enough. It can be let me tell you. If you don't want drama it shifts smoothly and seamlessly. Remember smooth is fast.
I like to hop and bob as much as the other guy in a stick shift car. That is caused by power on and power off driving. In the auto it's always power on and that is one of the reasons it's so much smoother. (less dramatic) I'm OK with that. However, put into manual mode and you can get it to bang the gears very hard... It does become dramatic if you want it to. I'm loving this car. Dare I say more than my Vette or Firebird? Not quite, the extra power is really nice in those cars.
I'll agree that some cars should only be manual because they don't have a proper S7 or Auto but, the Z isn't one of them imo.
I love my Vette and Firebird with stick but, there is something to be said about shifting a couple of times in a turn (not before or after) at full thottle with S7 in the Z. That is difficult to do in a manual shift car without spinnig a tire/sliding out or losing momentum. Although I've gotten pretty good at it with one hand on the wheel and planted just right in the seat. Throw in some heel toe driving and it does become an art.
Some people see the S7 as not dramatic enough. It can be let me tell you. If you don't want drama it shifts smoothly and seamlessly. Remember smooth is fast.
I like to hop and bob as much as the other guy in a stick shift car. That is caused by power on and power off driving. In the auto it's always power on and that is one of the reasons it's so much smoother. (less dramatic) I'm OK with that. However, put into manual mode and you can get it to bang the gears very hard... It does become dramatic if you want it to. I'm loving this car. Dare I say more than my Vette or Firebird? Not quite, the extra power is really nice in those cars.
Last edited by Z_Driver; 03-07-2012 at 10:30 PM.
03-08-2012, 02:51 AM
#37
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Only driven one paddle shift car on the racetrack, after 10 laps i was starting to get the hang of it. Shifting was lightning quick etc etc, but just never felt that i had the control of a mt transmission. Would i buy one, maybe , but it would be a DSG style transmission, not just a slushbox like the 370Z has.
The car i drove was a new 458 , fun car.
The car i drove was a new 458 , fun car.
03-08-2012, 09:33 AM
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I have had the Works Bell paddle shifter kit in my car since 2008 and still love it. It simply is a must for the 5AT guys, especially since the new kit allows you to retain your stock wheel.
LOL, How many transmissions have you gone through? I'm still on my first... 