Paddle shifting vs. manual - your opinions
 

I just had occasion to drive a paddle shift sports car this past weekend. That it was "different" is the best I can describe it. My preference is to row through the gears, engage the clutch, etc.

Those of you with C7's and paddle shift, do you miss the manual process (assuming that's what you grew up with and/or had on prior Vettes)?

Also, does a paddle shift car have less wear & tear on the transmission or clutch?

:bigears:

I don't think many want to go here again at this point in time. This thread is discussed, argued about, and insults hurled routinely on this forum over and over again in dozens of threads. Everything that has been said on that subject has been said ad nauseam.

It's purely a matter of personal preference, but I happen to agree with you on C7 transmission preference.

^^ I did a search on paddle vs. manual and yes read thru a bunch of the things you said.

I tried to ask a specific question here as it relates to former owners of manuals who now have a paddle shift, so as to (hopefully) narrow the responses!

Maybe I'm dreaming of getting that kind of outcome...:lol:

All personal preferences aside, I don't think anyone here will dispute that the A8 is MUCH more trouble-prone than the M7.

M7 FTW!!
/thread!!

If you are happy with it (auto or manual) then thats all that matters.

I had the opposite result. I tried paddles on other sports cars (Jaguar F-Type, Porsche PDK, and BMW M3 DCT) and couldn't learn to love them. It wasn't the same, so I purchased an M7 C7, and then another.

Everyone is different, and it's purely matter of personal preference. Other's opinions don't mean squat, it only matters what you like best.

Agree w/you on all counts.

(And yes, I prefer manual and rowing thru the gears.)

I'm just asking for opinons on someone's specific experience on going from manual to paddle (like the thread title)!

I rented a paddle shift Mustang for a long trip a while back and missed my Mustang GT's manual transmission... Yes, it's smooth. Yes, it's fast in the shifts. Perhaps more experience would make it more familiar, but I found the lack of manual feedback of the POSITION of the gearshift to be somewhat distracting. After decades of manual transmissions, I realized that when going thru the gears, I use the knowledge of the shift knob position as part of the information flow on what the car's doing and what I want to do next.
Often overlooked in the never-ending "Manual vs auto" discussion and its kin is that a manual transmission is an additional anti theft device, as many car thieves don't know how to drive a stick shift... :D

Funny you mention that. I found it odd to be looking at a screen for the number indicating what gear I'm in. Spent most of my time looking at the tach.

Like I said, it was just "different" that's all.

I grew up driving standard transmission cars and love shifting gears. With that said, I made the mistake of buying an automatic and miss manually shifting gears. The paddles just don't do it for me, as much as I try to convince myself otherwise. On a more positive note, with the automatic, my wife gets to drive, which she appreciates and since she is a very good driver I don't really mind.

When I get the itch for old school shifting, I take out my Triumph TR6.

However, like many will tell you it is truly a personal preference and there is no right or wrong answer.

I love my A8 and I NEVER touch the paddles.

If you buy an A8 with the dreams of screaming through the gears while you pull paddles, you probably want an M7.

I have no interest in controlling the final drive ratio nor the intermediate drive ratio, so I drive an automatic. If controling gear ratios is a passion for you, get the M7.

As for me the only downside to the A8 is listening to the M7 guys go on about wives and bad knees and how manly the M7 makes them, but once you've heard those old guys crow enough times, it's just part of the background noise around here.

Paddling is best done in a canoe.

Muscle cars never were desirable in automatic transmissions. They still aren't.

When you decide to give up on shifting a manual transmission, that's when you've lost it.

Trying to keep on track.....not asking for opinions on manual vs. auto. Don't need to hear that (plenty of threads on that topic).

Am asking for specific experience on those who formerly had manual and now have auto/paddle.

Cheers!

To each their own
 

My car is not a daily driver, so when I do fire it up on a nice warm summer day, I am looking for the best driving experience. For that experience, it's a manual hands down.

The M7 rev matching feature is addictive and the first thing I do when I start the car, is pull back on the RM paddles and turn to the exhaust to track mode.

My buddy has an A8 in his 2016 and he really likes it for daily driving.

You're saying the point of a muscle car is to pick the SLOWER option as long as it looks better? That's actually the definition of being a poser.

I think you mean Honda, not musclecar. See on a musclecar, you pick the FAST one, which is the A8. For the Honda, you pick the COOL one, which is a V-TEC sticker.

You know you've TRULY lost it when you stop caring that it's slower than the car you're making fun of.

(In reality, they're both so fast I don't care)

I bought my first paddle shift auto in my 17 GS. Before that, with the exception of any SUVs that I owned, all of my sports cars were manuals.

Taking a lot of variables into account - roads, traffic, speed of shifting, fun factor, impact on my knees and back, i can't see myself going back to a manual. Don't get me wrong, I still love manual sports cars and if I had more garage space at home, I would get another one, but at this point in my life, the A8 with paddles is fantastic. I can shift faster and be in control of the car better than with a manual. It took awhile to get used to the paddles and I'm still learning/optimizing the shifting, but I'm sold on paddles. Which doesn't take anything away from manual, i'm just not against paddles anymore :)

Am asking for specific experience on those who formerly had manual and now have auto/paddle.
I have a two Vettes right now. Mine, which is the automatic and my son's, which is a Z06 manual. I get a lot more enjoyment out of driving his manual. Not just because of the power difference, but because I get a kick out of shifting. That feeling of depressing the clutch in sync with shifting is more rhythmic. Clicking on paddles just doesn't feel fully engaged in the driving experience for me. But hey, I still like the A8. What will I buy for my next one? I'm still up in the air on that.

Like Foosh stated, it is just a matter of personal preference.

My C6 was manual and I really thought I was going to miss rowing through the gears but I honestly don't miss it all that much. I'll be the first to admit that I went with the A8 this time in order to allow my wife to drive the car, as she loved driving my C5 but when I got the C6 she missed out on the fun for a few years.

I really thought that I'd miss manual the most when I was out on cruises with my Corvette friends as our routes almost always take us on some nice twisty roads out of the city. But this Saturday morning I was on a long cruise and I still had a ton of fun, and I didn't even use the paddles that much, I left it in drive a lot of the time.

So for me, my driving experience really hasn't gone down with the loss of the clutch/shifter. I just enjoy the feeling behind the wheel of a Corvette, even if the computer is deciding which gear I need to be in :) There is definitely a huge difference having an automatic with 8 gears and shifts lightning quick, compared to the old automatics like my C5 that only had 4 gears and didn't shift all that quick (even with a proper tune that automatic can't even come close to the quickness in shifts of the A8)

I've got a manual C5 and an auto/paddle shift Audi A5. I never use the paddles on the Audi except when we're autocrossing. It's definitely superior to the manual for getting around the track, particularly on a tight autocross course. But the manual is just plain more fun.

Plus, nobody asks me if they can drive the vette.