Quote:
Originally Posted by 82mm 4g63
To play devil's advocate...
I'll take paddle shifters. While you're busy using that 2% of your brain pressing down on the clutch pedal, I'll invest that 2% of my brain in making sure I hit that apex at just the right spot. We're both 100% engaged in our race, only difference is you're tossing some of your concentration out the window where I'm optimizing my driving. In the end we're both satisfied. I'm satisfied that I did everything I could to improve my lap time, you're satisfied that you did more physical work to achieve a lesser goal.
:happy0180:
Driving a MT in traffic isn't "too much," it's more work than it needs to be. I'm not trying to impress girls in school by driving around in super cool MT car, I'm just trying to get to the store to pick up some milk. I don't need any added "feel" for my mindless drive to the store to get my milk. That's why I'm open to the idea of a high performance AT. It's fun when I want it to be, mindless when I don't.
 |
Your post is actually very true. For racing, a paddle shifter is much better than 3 pedals. There's a reason why F1, Rally, and just about every other major race organization has cars with paddle shifters.You're also correct about not having to worry about shifting when getting the milk, and that with a high performance auto, you get all the enjoyment you want when you need it, and can zone out when you don't.
Also, I am not against these automatics as most other people are on this forum, but I can understand where they are coming from. Us MT guys are a dying breed, and we don't like our sports cars having auto slushboxes, it's a slap to our faces.
The thing auto guys don't seem to understand is that having the third pedal is about involvement. Everytime you get in the car is an event, something you have to use all of your limbs for. With respect to the people that have missing limbs, being an intricate part of the car is something that requires more attention than just mashing the gas pedal. Now I can understand that sometimes you just want to go in and drive somewhere without feeling like it's an event, but I can tell you, everytime I get in my car I enjoy it, and I know the same feeling is not present when the car is an automatic.
My girlfriend's dad had a G37S, with the slushbox, and I can report, it was good, very good. The shifts were crisp and quick, the paddle was responsive, the upshifts blipped the gas, it was outrageously good. However, I remember getting in to drive hime around a number of times, and the excitement just wasn't there, I just put it in auto and went about my business. Not having the third pedal to worry about was something that made the car less enjoyable.
Don't worry though, your A/T group is in good company, the head of the M division spells it out very well. He states that manuals are not good for the executive transporting clients around, since abrupt shifting or clutch mistakes can be embarrassing. So there, you can see, even in BMW's M division, you've got good company.