Paddle Shifting
 

It's quite a dumb question but after doing some looking online I wasn't able to find a very pin point answer.

Overtime, is using the paddle shifters (not redlining, using them properly) going to wear down my transmission more than just letting the transmission shift itself? I feel like the automatic transmission has really funky points at where it shifts that make no sense. But at the same time I've been put on blast by friends and family saying that If I constantly use my paddles i'll wear my transmission out.

Probably an extremely stupid question so don't kill me :bonk:

They are meant to be used, so use them!

It will not prematurely wear the transmission to any noticeable degree.

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I doubt in increased wear by manually shifting. Economy may suffer though as that nut behind the wheel usually shifts later and has heavy foot for more fun/better soundtrack/more press in seats :)

Had a couple of family and coworkers ride in my car. They were a bit worried about my engine exploding or transmission catching on fire soon.. My mom told me to stop making those loud noises (downshifting) because "you are going to break your car" :bellyroll:

Considering many here track their ATs or drive them hard.. you'll be fine. I suppose change the fluid out if you are worried?

Well the fact that so many (most) supercars are paddles only I don't think you have to worry. With all the rev matching features these days paddles are kinda like cheating. Through it all a properly placed heel\toe downshift going down 3 gears and hitting your apex is still one of the worlds best feelings though...

I need to get all of my fluids looked at soon here just purchased my vehicle in Feb but for sure. My dad and sisters boyfriend have huge things against CVT vehicles and told me that CVT ruins your trans, although I'm 99% sure CVT is old news and not used in the twins It's still a hard argument that had me a bit confused.

For sure, and I love the paddles. I'm only 18 and the FRS was my first car, never driven a manual before and If i had the option I would have went with the auto anyways, I was so excited to use the paddles. Thanks for the input!

I predict that the automatic transmission in your car, using the paddle shifters, will last longer than you have the car.

So, just quit worrying about things like that and just enjoy your car ......:)


humfrz

Correct. The Twins' auto is a traditional 6 speed auto.

You'll be holding revs higher, and shifting less.

I think it'll increase wear on the engine, and decrease wear on the transmission. But probably not enough to be measurable.

for sure. I have my rev lock / limit at 6500 RPM and never redline it

How you are using CVT here.... i am not sure you know what it means.

Maybe you didn't read my post correctly or didn't understand what I was trying to say -- My family was under the assumption that because my vehicle has a way to shift the gears that it is CVT, and even though I told them it wasn't they were still under the impression that it harms the transmission just like CVT does.

Yeah, no.... I understand how you are saying it. I don't think you know what CVT is, or what it means.

maybe i'm way off and or using the wrong acronym, my bad

They are wrong on both counts. A CVT tranny is not harmed in any way shape or form by using paddle shifters. I am baffled why they would even think that.

You can not harm the engine or transmission in your car by using paddle shifters. The rev limiter and the control unit will not let you do anything bad. No chance of a miss shift like on a MT since it simply will not shift down too far.

Continuously Variable Transmission. They are operated by a belt (or belts depending) that is sped up or slowed down by changing the position of the pullies. There are no gears in the traditional sense so it isn't really shifting at all. When paddles are used with a CVT all that happens is the pullies move to a set position and do not move again until you hit the paddle again.
Some CVTs (my wife's new Impreza) have artificial "shift points" that make it seem like there are gears even though there really is no practical need for them. Her last car (Outlander Sport) did not have shift points and the car just sped up evenly with the revs at a constant rate. Was a weird sensation that I never quite got used to. Probably why some have the fake shift points.

I think he just means his family assumes being able to select specific gears with an automatic means the car has a CVT. Probably because of the marketing hype around CVTs in the past, and paddle shifters were mentioned in those ads.

Basically vroom vroom commercials for fancy cars made some people equate paddle shifters with CVT.

Most people with automatics are just used to R, P, N, and D lol.

My bad for the confusion guys lol, but yeah it's good to know. I love the paddles, auto gets boring and the shift points in the auto are very awkward, there's times where i'll be in second and it wont shift until around 6k RPM (around 60mph most times)

exactly

Well some know L as well. Even the 2 speed Powerglde in my 64 Impala SS had L.
http://www.motoexotica.com/listings/...972/161374.jpg

thank you for the info :) :bonk::bonk:

Ya the shift points are set up for fuel economy and at least the basic ability to keep up with normal traffic. They are not entertaining. If people with MTs turn on the shift indicator and follow it they would have no fun either though since it is also set up for economy.

You can adjust the shift indicator though, I set mine for 6500 RPM

Not the max the indicator that tells you when to shift. The MTs have a setting that blinks when you should shift. It is sort of like a game to hit it right on. I called it "Shift Hero" and it was very boring after about an hour.

Ahh, I never really noticed if the AT's version of that caps your RPM's at that number but I'm assuming by your post it does :bonk::cry:

It doesn't stop you shifting higher it just gives you warning you are up there. It will not let you rev over 7400 though. It is just an indicator and you could set it at 1000 if you wanted too.

I would probably end up in a crash because I'd be too busy shifting back and forth constantly from following that eco shift indicator lol.

The only autos I've ever driven were family cars and yea I hated them. For the ones I drove, when it shifted was based on how much I was on the gas pedal. Putting my foot to the ground to try and switch lanes would make the car chug along for a second before dropping a gear and suddenly being in the upper RPMs. Same idea as manually dropping a gear for acceleration, except you didnt know exactly when that drop was going to happen.

Have fun with the paddles. The car will probably develop other issues in old age before the transmission dies from paddle usage.

The family sedan is what gives the AT a bad rep. The two fastest cars I ever owned (and I have had several fast cars) were autos. The vast majority of drivers do not care about sudden acceleration or launching and want smooth shifts and ease of driving. A shift kit and some performance tweaks could make an old school auto as good as or better than a mt equipped car of the same power. Mind you they sacrificed all the niceties that had been designed in order to get that speed. The fact that the paddle shift tech that eliminates most of the compromise required for an at to be attractive to the general public even exists should be embraced by the "enthusiasts" not shit on.

This post in itself should be a sticky.

I can't tell you how many people and how frequently I argue about this with. The auto transmission in general is an amazing creation, and I drive a manual...

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I drive mt as well and about 98% of the cars I have owned have been but some of these new ats are truely a marvel of engineering.

I understood that part of it. Most of the marketing I remember were all about it not having "shift shock" or gears. I was kind of suggesting, in my own way, for someone to educate themselves on what will likely be the most prevalent technology in a few years. Cvt does not equal paddle shifters. Thats all I was getting at.

Woops, I wasnt insulting autos overall if thats the impression you got. Just giving my thoughts on why the shift points might feel weird for him.

for sure, i was just so uneasy after using my paddles but now I'll use them :) My FRS has just below 40k on it, hoping it will make it to 120k at the least. It's being daily driven so i don't plan on doing anything too crazy to it

Nope I didn't think you were insulting anything. Was just an expansion of what you said.

Oh an for the record most family sedan ATs do suck balls for anybody that actually enjoys driving.

I think I finally found a post on the entire internet that doesn't diss the AT on these cars! Hooray!
Also, didn't see it mentioned, but the AT also has the programmable shift light feature of the MT's.
I use my paddles daily when driving, and actually more frequently lately, with about a 2mpg drop in city driving. And thats with pretty hard driving most of the time.

ftfy