paddle shift gearboxes

[BrokenBiker]

to pass the time i usually browse ebay to see what is about...found a vw passat estate with paddel shifters in it...

how good are these systems for general road use? do they offer anything practical or are they just a gimmick to make people thing they are buying a sportier car?

 

[Burdekin]

My wife has DSG in her Fabia VRS. Most times just drive around in auto mode but if you want to give it some it works fantastic. Brilliant system is my opinion.

 

[BrokenBiker]

My wife has DSG in her Fabia VRS. Most times just drive around in auto mode but if you want to give it some it works fantastic. Brilliant system is my opinion.

does it down shift when you want it too, or only when the car is at certain revs and certain conditions etc? guy i used to wrk with bought an aston and said it would never down shift when he wanted it to and he had to wait until he was virtually stopped then come down through all the gears to get round a corner and out the other side...

i quite like the passat and i know a local place that will map them to decent power too

 

[gordon stephenson]

If its anything like my Touareg auto, you can change down but it won't let you change down on over-run if it would take the engine revs higher than a safe limit, It works well.

 

[Burdekin]

Yeah. A mate knows about how it works but it's a double clutch system and predicts if going up or down based on how it's been driven is my basic understanding. I personally have never had an issue but under certain circumstances it could get it wrong and have an up gear ready rather than a down.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Yeah. A mate knows about how it works but it's a double clutch system and predicts if going up or down based on how it's been driven is my basic understanding. I personally have never had an issue but under certain circumstances it could get it wrong and have an up gear ready rather than a down.

sounds good enough for the odd blast around...is it just VW and Skoda that have it or do audi use it too? im always surprised at how cheap passats are compared to toher similar sized cars

EDIT just found an a3 with dsg so kind of answered my own question

 

[tomsutton529]

Fantastic when working... But when I breaks I hope you are sat down, with bank manager and have a lot of ink in your pen to write the MASSIVE cheque you need to get it right.

 

[rikrobson]

Most of the time you will leave it in auto mode and maybe sport, but with that you don't get ant engine braking. DSG gives you the option to have quick gear changes and engine braking when changing down. the ZD gearboxes are 7 or 8 gears now. I think there may be a 9 out or in the offing.

I still prefer a manual box.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Most of the time you will leave it in auto mode and maybe sport, but with that you don't get ant engine braking. DSG gives you the option to have quick gear changes and engine braking when changing down. the ZD gearboxes are 7 or 8 gears now. I think there may be a 9 out or in the offing.

I still prefer a manual box.

yeah most of the time it will stay in auto but every now and then it would be nice to have the same sort of effect as a manual box too...

that said i would probably just go for the slightly cheaper standard auto anyway

 

[Kayos]

Helped a mate fit it to his 5 series auto, it's just a couple of wires

After the test drive he never used it, suppose it would be more useful on a manual?

 

[Jim Davey]

Give me a Sadev or Quaife sequential any day of the week

 

[rich r]

I've got a few friends with DSG boxes, and as above - most just leave it in auto and might as well have bought a car with a standard automatic gearbox. Most modern autos have a manual (Tiptronic/Geartronic/Selectronic etc depending on whose trademarked name you want!) mode that isn't too bad if it's a road car that occasionally you want a bit of liveliness. There's usually a slight lag between moving the stick or paddle and the gear changing, but not too dissimilar to the time it would have taken for you to move your left foot on a clutch pedal and change gear etc - but with the advantage that you can do it at full throttle. On cars with drive-by-wire throttles, it'll quite often blip the revs on downshifts on a lot of models.

 

[Robotstar5]

You could always look for an older car with the forerunner of DSG, called a preselector gearbox, it's down to the driver to decide the next gear not a computer.

 

[blenkie1]

Honda has an auto box option on its new Africa twin. Seemingly they have got it to work well off road as well.

 

[daleyd]

Honda has an auto box option on its new Africa twin. Seemingly they have got it to work well off road as well.

A mate of mine had the auto vfr1200 - like the worlds fastest Rev and go he reckoned!!

 

[BrokenBiker]

A mate of mine had the auto vfr1200 - like the worlds fastest Rev and go he reckoned!!

ive ridden one...its mental...it just keeps pulling all the way to its top end and there is no let up in the power at all, it is really hard to get used to as its so smooth too it just feels like your going to hit the red line and need to change but when you get there you realise you are travelling a hell of a lot quicker than you thought

 

[blenkie1]

I think with the Africa twin you can go auto, manual (using paddles) or an off road option which keeps it in the gears longer. Not sure how it copes with wheel spin. Don't know if I would like a bike with an auto box doesn't seem right!

 

[ms08]

I have it on 9-5...use the paddles on open road/motorways and auto around town. If you change up too early it just drops back into the lower gear. Drop down a cog on motorway and overtake and then back up.
Five speed Asin Warner box.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I think with the Africa twin you can go auto, manual (using paddles) or an off road option which keeps it in the gears longer. Not sure how it copes with wheel spin. Don't know if I would like a bike with an auto box doesn't seem right!

the vfr is scary when the front wheel is up and it just keeps pulling...

I have it on 9-5...use the paddles on open road/motorways and auto around town. If you change up too early it just drops back into the lower gear. Drop down a cog on motorway and overtake and then back up.
Five speed Asin Warner box.

that is probably what i would use it for to be honest...my fathers jag has had some chimp do something to it at some point, the only thing the sport button does is drop a gear so i use it as a kickdown as the actual kick down is slow to respond

 

[Tigman]

We got it in the wifes Honda Jazz 7 gears I have a play with it but generally leave in auto I also drop it into Sport mode its quite nippy

I told the wife not to use it too quick for her