Tinluver

I don;t think there should be any paddle shifting.If there is no clutch peddle "You Bought an Automatic"!

PeterC4

It looks to me like the steering wheel mounted "paddles" work like the current tipronic, which Porsche drivers are used to by now. It also looks like the stick works the same way + is up, - is down. Personally I find this more intuitive and is consistent with the way Acura does it, backwards to the way BMW does it. I think Porsche is just being consistent. Personally, I like the paddles moving WITH the steering wheel, although you should do most of your shifting before entering a corner.

mdrums

No you push and pull the paddles but they do not look like traditional paddles like you see on a Ferrari. You push the Porsche PDK paddles with your thumb and pull with you finger...either hand which is kind of cool if you are in a tigh corner I bet. Go to the Porsche website and check out the flash program mini movie of all the new equipment and then take the test at the end. The Paddles do not toggle like Tiptronic according to the info on the website.

PeterC4

Yes, you're right its push to move up to the next gear, pull to move down to the previous gear.

mdrums

Yep, and if you do not like the push pull of the paddles you have the stick you can push or pull to change gears. If you do not like that get the manual. end of story

nyca

the steering wheel controls are fine, the stick control is backward. As you decelerate, weight transfers forward, yet they want you to move the stick in the opposite direction of the momentum transfer to downshift. Didn't Walter Rohrl tell them it was wrong?

BuddyK

Yes, I drove a Gallardo with the paddle shifters that didn't move with the wheel. I didn't mind it, but then I tried a Ferrari 430 and the paddle shifters do move with the wheel on that one - and I liked it better. (BTW either of those cars, when you downshift with the paddle shifters, you get the most amazing sound!) On the Lambo - you could be reaching to do a shift and there is no paddle there - so you have to remove a hand from the wheel and get to the proper paddle shifter. (maybe it's intentional - to prevent you from spinning out during hard cornering - could be) Ferrari was way better for the paddle shifters actually, IMHO. (I am no pro driver - that's for sure!).

For sure you don't want to accidentally downshift in a hard turn - but probably once you get used to it, either way is going to work. Definitely did like the Ferrari 430 shifters more though. More like a video game! - and more intuitive.

But this new Porsche shifting thing - it sounds like it's almost opposite to the paddle shifters - "pull for downshift on either side" is how I understand it - I don't know - I'd have to try it out to have an opinion, but to me, it seems that nobody has figured out the best way yet - I'll betcha this will all change in a few years. But hey, these are very special cars.

I had an old BMW 2002 and the signal lights were on a stick on the right side of the steering wheel! Go figure that one out!

BuddyK

Hmm - I have been thinking more about this. I did try both on a short autocross type track, and didn't have to shift too much - except for a downshift before a chicayne (sp?). Wheel position during shifting eh? I never thought about it.

Well Ferrari does one way and Lambo does the other - so I think the jury is still out on this one.. Interesting! I have no idea now!

PeterC4

To me, having the paddles move WITH the steering wheel feels better/safer. You may not shift inside a hard turn, but you may shift in a modest one, and having the paddles fixed in a position seems like you could inadvertently straighten the wheel when you don't want to. As to the Porsche buttons, seems like they work in a push/pull fashion on both sides. I also find this better too because you can shift at the top of the wheel, regardless of which way you are steering. It will be interesting to actually drive one and see what it's like. Heck, I'm getting tempted to order one!

mdrums

For performance driving at the track I would prefer the paddles mose with the wheel. The PDK paddles will work good because you can up and down shift with either hand.

Chris from Cali

I shuffle-steer exclusively (unless it's a quick opposite-lock moment), so I'm a fan of column- versus wheel-mounted paddles. My hands are almost always at 9 and 3...

Chris from Cali

It's progress...

Do you hand-crank your car, adjust the choke, etc. to start it? If so, then YOU bought an automatic. Know what I mean? If I have my druthers, I like to have one DSG-type and one "stick and clutch" car. Different types of involvement.

FWIW, the twin-clutch transmissions can be very involving if you take advantage of the clutch-free action by left-foot braking, timing up- and downshifts, etc. Just different...

scycle2020

Very well said...also, keep in the mind the dual clutch is faster, more economical and not prone to human error....with that said, i still plan on always having an old school manual car in the stable...perhaps a classic 911 like the 993 or SC....

JDN34

The Adui Dsg I tried for a few days(a loaner car when mine was in service) is steering wheel mounted right up and left down shift paddle mechanism. I didn't like it as much as when I gotten a mini automatic. The mini is like the porsche's pdk, it's thumb push to up shift and finger pull to down shift of both side of the steering wheel. I haven't tried steering column mounted paddles.

However, I found I liked the mini system (pdk) better. I believe the arguement is the difference between corner shifting or not, since shifting while straight doesn't make that much of a difference in any of these mechanisms.

IMHO, corner shifting w/ a column mount paddles, leaves the driver with only one hand on the steering wheel. With a steering mounted paddles that dedicated to up/down shift per side makes the driver to look for down shift paddles during cornering (usually caused by late shifting after breaking with only about the little 10% of the circumference that one have to look for); however, still enable the driver to have both hands on the wheel. For example, when I'm the first car at a light of a left turn. To drive normally in a city like a stick-shift, I shift mid-corner. I was hunting for my up-shift paddles on the steering wheel in the audi DSG from 1st gear to 2nd.

Now, the pdk let you down shift at 2 of the most obvious points (3 and 9 o'clock; and most people keep their hands close to these two points while turning using their palm/thumb) of the steering wheel while both hands are on it, it's a fatanstic thing and only took a minute to get used to it (based on mini's experice.) And you have 4 fingers to down shift.

IMHO, I think porshce is doing the right thing. I've tried to shift in city traffic as if I was driving a manual (I'm a manual kinda guy). PDK is easier to live with and the driver will probably use it all the time where the column mounted or DSG, most will leave it in D or Sport for around town driving.

This is assuming most people don't up shift during mid corner that have to hunt for the two little buttons on the steering wheel and the down-shift latch/paddle behind the steering wheel is a good size.


sorry for the long post, just my 0.2 cents,

Alan Smithee

I agree. Having thumb-operated buttons on the wheel requires awkward movements even with hands at 9 and 3...let alone 10 and 2. Paddles allow for easy hand movements in either position.

At least you can shift with the stick now, unlike the 997's Tiptronic.