Using paddles or stick more???
#17
Rennlist Member
^^^ stick when needed during a turn, paddles all the rest of the time. I think I have only used the automatic mode twice. Not a fan of the "get to 7th gear as fast as possible" automatic mode. On the flip side, the sport button automatic mode holds gear far too long for street use IMO. Will have to try it out maybe on the track. For me 100% of the time manual shift.
#20
Stick 98% of the time it's sequential and is right. If your in a turn the paddle for 1st to 2nd is always a stretch so the stick is just right for me. However having said that I just discovered that the sport button shifts in auto close to the way i drive anyway. I cruise at 4500 plus. And that's where the sports button keeps me. I was shocked. But it works
I think you will find that you almost never drive in granny mode automatic. It just shifts way to low. I feel I'm hurting the car lugging along at 2000 rpm.
I think you will find that you almost never drive in granny mode automatic. It just shifts way to low. I feel I'm hurting the car lugging along at 2000 rpm.
#22
Instructor
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Maybe this is from years of driving on the track with a stick shift manual transmission, but I always try to be in the right gear BEFORE a corner and try my best not to shift while turning. I do that on the streets too....
Therefore, if I'm in manual mode, I always use the paddles......downshifting before the turns. It's rare a very sharp corner (requiring so much turning of the steering wheel) is so long that I have to upshift before the turn is over.
The whole point of all this is to keep your both hands on the steering wheel as much as possible. I almost never shift using the stick in my 991 GT3.
And I also have to admit: I drive in auto mode a lot too in the city.....
Therefore, if I'm in manual mode, I always use the paddles......downshifting before the turns. It's rare a very sharp corner (requiring so much turning of the steering wheel) is so long that I have to upshift before the turn is over.
The whole point of all this is to keep your both hands on the steering wheel as much as possible. I almost never shift using the stick in my 991 GT3.
And I also have to admit: I drive in auto mode a lot too in the city.....
#23
Rennlist Member
I prefer using the paddles. It's nice being able to keep both hands on the wheel.
#24
Maybe this is from years of driving on the track with a stick shift manual transmission, but I always try to be in the right gear BEFORE a corner and try my best not to shift while turning. I do that on the streets too.... Therefore, if I'm in manual mode, I always use the paddles......downshifting before the turns. It's rare a very sharp corner (requiring so much turning of the steering wheel) is so long that I have to upshift before the turn is over. The whole point of all this is to keep your both hands on the steering wheel as much as possible. I almost never shift using the stick in my 991 GT3. And I also have to admit: I drive in auto mode a lot too in the city.....
#25
When I first got the car, I was using almost exclusively the paddles; currently (900 miles now), it is 90% paddles and 10% shifter. In acute angle turns, if I need to change gear (always try to downshift before the turn), I use the shifter. For street driving, it is almost always manual mode.
#26
I would use the paddles more if they were elongated. They feel too short in height. It's almost as if you have to be right smack at the 9 and 3 o'clock position to grab and shift. I find myself reaching closer to the 10/11 or 1/2 o'clock as I do in the Scuderia.
Hoping someone comes up with paddle extensions down the line.
Hoping someone comes up with paddle extensions down the line.
#27
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Only 200 miles on mine so far, and following break-in guidelines, but I'm getting used to using both the paddles and stick, and enjoying both. But Trakcar is right that the stick feels a bit slower than the paddles.
Auto without sport is good for giving the car a few minutes to calmly warm it up, and for puttering around when going slow (traffic, parking lots, etc.). Not so good for anything resembling spirited driving.
Also, when coming to a stop, I often switch from manual to auto, letting the car deal with getting down to 1st, then I switch back to manual.
Looking forward to trying auto with sport once the break-in is done.
I'm already starting to feel that I may never miss having a regular manual. Didn't think I'd be saying that, especially so soon. Wow ...
Auto without sport is good for giving the car a few minutes to calmly warm it up, and for puttering around when going slow (traffic, parking lots, etc.). Not so good for anything resembling spirited driving.
Also, when coming to a stop, I often switch from manual to auto, letting the car deal with getting down to 1st, then I switch back to manual.
Looking forward to trying auto with sport once the break-in is done.
I'm already starting to feel that I may never miss having a regular manual. Didn't think I'd be saying that, especially so soon. Wow ...
Last edited by Manifold; 01-19-2015 at 09:53 PM.
#28
Nordschleife Master
I tend to sit a bit more forward than maybe what is comfortable for some on the street. With my driving position, I find that the stick is in the absolute perfect, natural, fluid place for my hand. I feel like I am shifting a sequential race car and I love it. Also fills the manual/stick void a bit. I like the activity of shifting back and forth from the steering wheel. If I am going around multiple turns, corners, curve, etc. then I use the paddles. But around city type driving and even some of the twisty driving, I use the stick. So I would say that right now I end up like 50/50.
#29
Race Director
Good point. Unless you're driving with one hand already resting on the stick, it takes far longer to reach for the lever than it does to flick the paddle. The 1/4 second or so it takes to remove your hand from the wheel doesn't seem like much until you compare it to the fact that you can shift with your fingertips almost as quickly as you can think and the gearbox will complete the shift in milliseconds. Not a big deal if you're just cruising around town, of course, but using the paddles has just become second nature now.
#30
I expected to always use a 9&3 hand position for easy paddle use on the track. The weather gave me 4 good days last week to test the expectation.
Hooking my thumbs over the steering wheel crossbars gives me pretty much optimal access to the paddles and enough wheel control to never have to move from those positions for all turns on the track. For a total of 17 sessions over the four days, that's what I did for the majority of the time. I was doing soft laps, trying to observe the break-in recommended rpm limit, to get some miles on the car but still enjoy some track time. (Mileage is now at 1100)
Given that Porsche very thankfully, put the correct shift pattern on the lever, I decided to give it a try... and I loved it. I never felt comfortable using the stick with either of my other PDK P'cars, because of their bassackwards pattern. This one though, is very nice. Using it gave me a sense of freedom and flexibility that was quite enjoyable. To be sure, soft laps are not the same as hot ones, and that fun sensation may turn into panic at higher speeds, but you guys out to give it a try just for the sake of it if nothing else.
BTW, the weather has turned to crap again so it'll be Saturday or beyond before I get to do some more experimenting. The good news is the Doctor told me I'm good for 7Krpm now so that should boost the fun factor some too. As a side note, the tires look to be wearing well but the front pads are going very quickly.
Hooking my thumbs over the steering wheel crossbars gives me pretty much optimal access to the paddles and enough wheel control to never have to move from those positions for all turns on the track. For a total of 17 sessions over the four days, that's what I did for the majority of the time. I was doing soft laps, trying to observe the break-in recommended rpm limit, to get some miles on the car but still enjoy some track time. (Mileage is now at 1100)
Given that Porsche very thankfully, put the correct shift pattern on the lever, I decided to give it a try... and I loved it. I never felt comfortable using the stick with either of my other PDK P'cars, because of their bassackwards pattern. This one though, is very nice. Using it gave me a sense of freedom and flexibility that was quite enjoyable. To be sure, soft laps are not the same as hot ones, and that fun sensation may turn into panic at higher speeds, but you guys out to give it a try just for the sake of it if nothing else.
BTW, the weather has turned to crap again so it'll be Saturday or beyond before I get to do some more experimenting. The good news is the Doctor told me I'm good for 7Krpm now so that should boost the fun factor some too. As a side note, the tires look to be wearing well but the front pads are going very quickly.