Paddle Shifters - Car Maker Scam or Life-Changing Upgrade
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- Опубліковано 24 кві 2024
- Paddle shifters are awesome! I use them every time I drive. If you love the experience of driving and are in the market for a new car don’t let anyone tell you you don’t want paddle shifters. Experience them for yourself and you decide without the bias from someone who doesn’t use them.
#paddleshift #paddleshifter #mazda #mazda6
I have the 2016 CX-5 with a related 6 speed auto you likely have. I don't have paddles but i have the manual gate on the shifter. I probably use it on about 2/3 of the trips I make.
Basically there are three use cases for me.
First -- spirited cornering. Love that it matches revs and enables fine weight transfer on the gas mid-corner to corner exit, while ensuring you are already in the right gear. Usually, I'll exit the corner and go back to auto unless it's actually a fun road! So, it's a little moment of driving pleasure on otherwise mundane trips.
Second use: two lane passing. Again having thr right gear queued up can help minimize time in the opposing lane. This is mostly useful if someone is really going slow (imagine passing farm equipment in the country) where avoiding a multi-gear downshift helps.
Last is just enjoying interacting with the powertrain. While the 2.5 isn't a particularly characterful motor, it's still a nice, linear n/a engine with an enjoyable swell above 3000 rpm. It's fun to keep it in the powerband, where it feels very responsive and decently powerful given its rated power and fuel economy.
I've mainly driven manuals and this car's manual mode feels like it was designed for people like me. Works well and -- in sport mode -- even part-throttle shifts are decently quick. I'm quite impressed with the compromise Mazda came up with here as it is also good to drive in auto.
Right! You know exactly what I’m talking about.👍🏼
I like paddle shift very much. It gives back to the drive what was stolen when we changed to automatic transmissions. Specially in CVT with virtual speeds. It's really good to overtakes and downhills.
I agree!
Manual mode is great for midwest mountains. Sport mode I like in traffic for better response.
I love mountain roads with paddle shifters. 👍🏼
I would rather have paddle shifters than no paddle shifters if I had to have an automatic.
I agree 100%.
I have to say I really like your Mazda 6 content. It's really great viewing. I would love for you to continue uploading content about this vehicle. I like to use shifters because that way I have better control just like you describe. Not a gimmick, I think it's important and useful. And besides that, when you want to go a little crazy, you can have a lot of fun with it.. with this 2.5 engine in this car, it's just great.
My favorite is that you don't have to switch to m mode to use the shifters
It does give driving that extra flare of enjoyment. I’m glad to hear you are still enjoying the content. It keeps me motivated. There is more content to come!
The paddle shifting in my 2018 Kia Stinger GT are incredible, they're super responsive and quick but the auto transmission will upshift automatically if you rev it a bit too much which can be annoying.
Does it have a manual mode that you need to put in first? My Miata will do the same thing but only if I leave it in D and then use the paddles. You have to actually put the gear selector in the manual slot first, then use the paddles.
@DaveSimkus newer years have a manual selector but I have a first gen so you just tap the paddle to engage it and hold the up shift to disengage, no actual selection for just manual.
I think yours is more responsive than mine. It’s not an immediate shift. There is a slight delay. But that should be expected. The Stinger is a sport sedan. Mine is just a sedan.😄
Paddle shifters are like velcro shoes for seniors
Fast and convenient?
That’s what I was thinking, too.
Sir, you need to get paddle extenders to make them even better to use and reach. I have a 2017 Miata automatic and love the paddle shifters. I got my extenders on carbonmiata, I'm not sure if our steering wheels are the same but I'm sure there must be some extenders for you Mazda too. They make a huge difference and look great. You can get them in different colors and are very easy to install, they just tighten with a screw to the stock paddles.
That’s a great idea! I’m looking into it now. Is this what you got? What color did you get?
www.carbonmiata.com/shop/mazda-mx-5/nd-15-mazda-mx-5-mazda-mx-5/interior-parts-nd-15-mazda-mx-5-nd-15-mazda-mx-5-mazda-mx-5/paddle-shifters/aluminum-paddle-shifters/
@TheEpling Yes, those are the ones! I got the silver color so it matches the silver on my steering wheel. I've had them for almost a year now. They feel solid and great quality, not like plastic. I can reach the paddles much easier and shift from more locations or use different fingers. They look awesome too but I'm thinking of also getting the black ones just to switch things up a bit. I would avoid the Red or Gold because they will look like you're trying too hard to be a racecar and will stand out too much. You won't be disappointed. If I remember, it did take some time for shipping because they're coming from China. Also, I don't remember if it comes with double sided tape but I did not use it, only tighten the screw with the included tool and you'll be set. Mine have never come loose or anything so far. Yeah I can't recommend them enough if you love to use paddle shifting. If money isn't an issue then I would recommend both the silver and black ones so you can choose what you prefer or change it up when you want. Silver does stand out a bit but they match other silver things like the gauge cluster etc. Black might look more stealthy and cool. Anyway, cheers good sir.
That’s actually exactly what I was thinking. Silver or black. No red for the same reason. There’s a lot of silver trim in the car so I think that would look awesome. Thanks for the tip! I think I’ll do it.
@TheEpling really glad I could help. I'm just not sure if the Miata has the same steering wheel as your Mazda but I'm pretty sure they're the same. Confirm that they will fit on your paddle shifters.
I’ll definitely check before ordering. Thanks again!
Me agine:) I think it can be very interesting to know about all the maintenance you do for the car. You told us that you never changed the oil in the transmission. And it's very interesting. I wanted to know if you had to decarbonize the valves, if so when and if you had to do it more than once. I would also like to know more about the fuel pumps you replaced, at what mileage and how you felt they needed to be replaced. Did you get to replace suspension parts? Hope these are interesting ideas for videos, I'm really curious to know. I really like my Mazda 6, and want to take care of it the way you did because you must have done something good with such a big Mileage.
That is a video that I’m planning on doing. That will take a while to get everything together. A video of all of the things I’ve had to replace over the years, as much as I can remember. I don’t remember decarbonizing the valves but I do remember having some kind of fuel system cleaner used. I’ll have to locate that information. I noticed the fuel pumps because if I was parked in the heat with the AC on for too long the car would sputter and die and I couldn’t start it again until the car cooled down. They said that was the fuel pumps. That lasted for 2 summers before I got it checked out and fixed. Other than being parked too long in the heat I didn’t notice any other symptoms. I’ve replaced the shocks and struts as well as the front control arms. My ball joints and bushings need to be replaced. Just haven’t done it yet. I’ll go into more detail in the video when I get all the information together. I’m planning on doing that video when I get to 400,000 miles. I’m at 380,000. That’s about 3 to 4 months out.
@@TheEpling Thank you very much for this detailed and interesting response. You can be sure I'll be waiting for that video
You’re welcome!
Jokes on them I retrofitted the paddle shifters on my 2017 Mazda6 so the dealer got nothing from me!
Nice! What did that cost, if you don’t mind me asking?
ZF8 paddle shifters are great
I’ve heard they are super responsive. Is yours a BMW?
@TheEpling Jaguar. I've got HP8 and have made it a lot more responsive too... beautiful in D mode and terrifying in S mode, how it should be!
How it should be! I agree.
@TheEpling I can go from gear 1 at 30 edge of red line to gear 5 low end, takes around 0.4s manually shifting until TCC locks up and enters overdrive. Main part of tuning ZFs is the line pressure can go quite a lot higher than factory with minimal impact on lifetime... clutch material is very strong. These gearboxes are serviced every 60k miles ish recommended so mecha sleeve replacement etc is regular.
Dang. I love my Mazda6 but I could use a little more of that thrill you’re getting on the road.