Learning to use Paddle Shifters

[wootwoot]

I have never had a car with paddle shifters and I am sure there are situations when they work really well and other times you shouldn't use them (like in traffic). Where can I find a video or instructional guide on how to use the paddle shifters to their full ability.

[eMacPaul]

I pretty much just use them when I'm going up and down hills, since in S mode it will go to a higher gear when I go downhill and I'd have to apply brakes more.

[audiction01]

yeap....i dont really use mine either....really rare when i do.... but i also ave da same problem dont know how to use them.... when i really wanna take off i use the s mode.....

[audiction01]

yeap....i dont really use mine either....really rare when i do.... but i also ave da same problem dont know how to use them.... when i really wanna take off i use the s mode.....

[toaster]

the auto is so much better in the b7 than the b6.

in the b6 i frequently found it a necessity to use the shifters to get the b6 up to any respectable speed quickly. with the b7, even in regular "D" the car's got grunt everywhere. "S" mode and the car is ready to move quickly with just a blip of the throttle.

basically, my point is that i rarely find it necessary to use the manual shifters with the b7's auto transmission to get great performance.

[mfresh2k2]

read what I wrote, #6. The tip tcm works in mysterious ways
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=296842

[audiction01]

yeap....i dont really use mine either....really rare when i do.... but i also ave da same problem dont know how to use them.... when i really wanna take off i use the s mode.....

[mfresh2k2]

i would def use mine more if they were the .2/sec shift time like the s-tronics, shifts sofast!

[Quattro]

paddle shifting is sooo much fun, no real method to learn how to use them. Left is down and right is up shift.

when engaged in tiptronic mode, paddle shifting is the same way as you would using the shift knob. Tiptronic comes in handy all the time for me, I love to speed! It comes in handy when you need to quickly downshift.

I suggest not using tiptronic on the track, auto-x and canyon runs.

[A4QSoSick]

I wish I had the option. Sucks!

[nramsey]

I use mine either going up or down constant hills instead to hold a gear (not riding the brakes going down for example) and when on a twisty backroad so I can accelerate out of corners without having the auto shift around, which can upset the vehicles balance in a corner.

[RedS-line]

the automatic transmission is slow to shift and boring. having the paddles you can correct it quickly when needed. good times to downshift- passing and going uphill. good times to upshift- saving gas on the highway and when you dont wanna speed.

[A4_cabrio]

I wish my paddle shifters were a little bigger.
Does anyone sell some sort of larger paddle shifters that can go over the current ones?

[kitae80325]

wish it was like ferrari's shifter...our's just too hard to shift while steering....shifters are better when it's attached separately from the steering wheel......it's fun but that's the main reason i don't use them....we have to move our whole upper body to shift and turn at the same time haha

[Quattro]

vivid racing offered some larger paddles, might work for some.

[eskimopunk]

I'm sorry, but I lol'd at the thread title and OP. I thought it was a joke
I hardly use mine, S mode works well. And I prefer to use the + and - on the shifter more than the paddles.

[scud]

I'm sorry, but I lol'd at the thread title and OP. I thought it was a joke
I hardly use mine, S mode works well. And I prefer to use the + and - on the shifter more than the paddles.

Haha then I'll trade you steering wheels without the paddles

[eMacPaul]

wish it was like ferrari's shifter...our's just too hard to shift while steering....shifters are better when it's attached separately from the steering wheel......it's fun but that's the main reason i don't use them....we have to move our whole upper body to shift and turn at the same time haha

I'm not familiar with the Ferrari system, but you can shift using the transmission stick instead of the paddles, if that's what you mean.

[wootwoot]

I'm sorry, but I lol'd at the thread title and OP. I thought it was a joke
I hardly use mine, S mode works well. And I prefer to use the + and - on the shifter more than the paddles.

I am lol'ing at your advice, or lack thereof.

[Sanjman]

there's no advice really needed... you aren't achieving much from the paddle shifters except giving you control on when to shit. Shift how you please, if you really want to do some sort of racing stick with S-mode.

Let's not compare our tiptronics to Ferrari's please :). They use sequential gear shifting system that makes their shifting faster than manual shifting. I know the R32 has DSG, I swear I thought I read an Audi magazine article on DSG for the A3, but don't hear much about it.

So all in all... do what you please with the paddle shifters, you're just telling your car you want to go to a lower/higher gear and your auto transmission does the rest.

Not going to lie, I did LOL on the title as well.

[swoardrider]

It's all I use while on the track, but almost never use them on the street except to downshift quickly while passing, or wanting to hold the tranny in a gear while corning freeway on/off ramps.

[eskimopunk]

wish it was like ferrari's shifter...our's just too hard to shift while steering....shifters are better when it's attached separately from the steering wheel......it's fun but that's the main reason i don't use them....we have to move our whole upper body to shift and turn at the same time haha

You're meant to have two hands on the steering wheel exactly where the shifters are if you're gonna be going 'round the track or driving hard. Therefore the fact that they move with the steering wheel makes perfect sense.

[wago]

I came from a manual, so for me... tiptronic using the gated shifter for normal driving, paddles for aggressive/fast driving, and 'D' when my wife drives the car

[minameismud]

I came from a manual, so for me... tiptronic using the gated shifter for normal driving, paddles for aggressive/fast driving, and 'D' when my wife drives the car

+1. tho i didn't come from a manual, i have plenty of videogame driving under my belt. built my own cockpit with wheel/pedal set for Forza 2. i drive in tip for 95% of the time. D for parking lots; tip w/ stick for lazy driving; tip w/ paddles for bad weather, heavy traffic, & on-ramps i rarely use S mode. fwiw, my car's got over 24k miles in about 14 months, and i've driven at least 23.5k of those miles.

i also find i can get better mpgs with tip driving. tranny wont shift into 6th unti you hit about 50 in D under most conditions, but you can upshift at 45, and it'll hold all the way down to 40 before it downshifts to 5th.

the lesson, and it can be applied to paddles & stick the same:

• know that your shifts in tip, unless you're a god, will be rougher. your foot doesn't have the calibration with your hand to shift as smooth as the computer. the jerky shifts are usually between 1st & 3rd.
• there is a delay between your shift command and the tranny actually doing it. assume between half to a full second delay, or 500 rpm non-spirited to 1000 rpm spirited.
• if you forget to shift, either up or down, the tranny will shift itself to prevent red-lining (on acceleration) and stalling (on deceleration). also, the car won't let you shift itself into a over-rev or stall situation. it's german. it's smart.
• for non-spirited driving, upshift between 2k and 3k rpm. when you get to your desired speed, upshift one more time so you're cruising between 1600 & 2k rpm. note that at this rpm, you'll have virtually no usable passing power. if you don't mind accelerating slowly at the start, you can accelerate without downshifting, but ugh, it's slow.
• for spirited driving, i usually try to shift between 4k and 5k. on very rare occasions, i may let it climb up to 6k, but only in 1st and *maybe* 2nd gear.
• non-spirited downshifting: before you drop below 1500, but not before 2k. or, just let the car downshift on its own. it'll be smoother.
• spirited downshifting: ah, i usually downshift in the low 2ks, sometimes in the high 2ks. this usually puts the engine in the mid 3ks in the lower gear, and i don't like to force the engine to jump much higher than that.
• to get the most out of passing in tip mode, from cruising (holding speed @ 1600-2k rpm), downshift once while holding the same road speed, check that the road is clear for your pass, then downshift one more time & give it some gas. when you hit 5k rpm, upshift, then upshift again once you reach your max comfortable passing speed.

essentially, like a manual but no clutch. take note of what the tranny does in D (for non-spirited) and S (for spirited), and do that. the biggest thing to get used to is the shifting delay.

[wootwoot]

+1. tho i didn't come from a manual, i have plenty of videogame driving under my belt. built my own cockpit with wheel/pedal set for Forza 2. i drive in tip for 95% of the time. D for parking lots; tip w/ stick for lazy driving; tip w/ paddles for bad weather, heavy traffic, & on-ramps i rarely use S mode. fwiw, my car's got over 24k miles in about 14 months, and i've driven at least 23.5k of those miles.

i also find i can get better mpgs with tip driving. tranny wont shift into 6th unti you hit about 50 in D under most conditions, but you can upshift at 45, and it'll hold all the way down to 40 before it downshifts to 5th.

the lesson, and it can be applied to paddles & stick the same:

• know that your shifts in tip, unless you're a god, will be rougher. your foot doesn't have the calibration with your hand to shift as smooth as the computer. the jerky shifts are usually between 1st & 3rd.
• there is a delay between your shift command and the tranny actually doing it. assume between half to a full second delay, or 500 rpm non-spirited to 1000 rpm spirited.
• if you forget to shift, either up or down, the tranny will shift itself to prevent red-lining (on acceleration) and stalling (on deceleration). also, the car won't let you shift itself into a over-rev or stall situation. it's german. it's smart.
• for non-spirited driving, upshift between 2k and 3k rpm. when you get to your desired speed, upshift one more time so you're cruising between 1600 & 2k rpm. note that at this rpm, you'll have virtually no usable passing power. if you don't mind accelerating slowly at the start, you can accelerate without downshifting, but ugh, it's slow.
• for spirited driving, i usually try to shift between 4k and 5k. on very rare occasions, i may let it climb up to 6k, but only in 1st and *maybe* 2nd gear.
• non-spirited downshifting: before you drop below 1500, but not before 2k. or, just let the car downshift on its own. it'll be smoother.
• spirited downshifting: ah, i usually downshift in the low 2ks, sometimes in the high 2ks. this usually puts the engine in the mid 3ks in the lower gear, and i don't like to force the engine to jump much higher than that.
• to get the most out of passing in tip mode, from cruising (holding speed @ 1600-2k rpm), downshift once while holding the same road speed, check that the road is clear for your pass, then downshift one more time & give it some gas. when you hit 5k rpm, upshift, then upshift again once you reach your max comfortable passing speed.

essentially, like a manual but no clutch. take note of what the tranny does in D (for non-spirited) and S (for spirited), and do that. the biggest thing to get used to is the shifting delay.

Great tips minameismud this is just what I was looking for!

[TH85]

some of you guys make it sound that "S" mode is faster than using the paddles/ + -....is that true? I always figured S mode always keeps you in a lower gear but thats it...

[minameismud]

some of you guys make it sound that "S" mode is faster than using the paddles/ + -....is that true? I always figured S mode always keeps you in a lower gear but thats it...

faster? meh. depends on how you are with the paddles. if i'm feeling lazy, i may dump it into S (yes, it just holds gears longer, usually 1 to 2 lower than where D would be), but i generally prefer tip. it's the little control freak in my getting out. the shifting itself isn't any faster in S than with paddles.

the one thing about D that i think i don't like is that it allows the torque converter to unlock and allow higher rpm without downshifting. ever notice how when you're in D and the DIS shows 6, then you step on it a little, the rpms jump, but the DIS still shows 6? if you then pop over to tip and downshift one gear real quick, the rpm stays about the same? this is the torque converter slipping on purpose to allow the engine to run higher in the power band. maybe it's just me, but slippage = extra wear & tear, or at least it does with clutches (which a torque converter is not, i know). then again, it's engineered by audi to be this way, so it can't be bad. i just prefer tip in most cases.

[naiku]

there's no advice really needed... you aren't achieving much from the paddle shifters except giving you control on when to shit.

I LOL'd a little at the title, then I read the quoted sentence above!! LMAO!! I don't think I need paddles to help me shit!!!!

[MichiganAudiDvr]

wish it was like ferrari's shifter...our's just too hard to shift while steering....shifters are better when it's attached separately from the steering wheel......it's fun but that's the main reason i don't use them....we have to move our whole upper body to shift and turn at the same time haha

Really. Are you using the shifters to pull into your parking spot at work?

Shifters attached any other way would be a dangerous experiment for obvious reasons.

[Dangler]

I wish my paddle shifters were a little bigger.
Does anyone sell some sort of larger paddle shifters that can go over the current ones?

here you go...and this is what i have on my steering wheel.

http://www.zmaxautosport.com/tidadhipecad2.html


yes they are pricey, but if you really want them, then money is no object...lol

look closely, you can see the paddle extensions.

[B5A4Kevin]

wish it was like ferrari's shifter...our's just too hard to shift while steering....shifters are better when it's attached separately from the steering wheel......it's fun but that's the main reason i don't use them....we have to move our whole upper body to shift and turn at the same time haha

downshift before entering the turn

[minameismud]

<offtopic> G-D i wish i had the black interior </offtopic>