bembol

First, Acura got dropped their only Coupe the RSX and now if 6-Speed Manual is not available they only have 5-Speed Automatic with Paddle Shifters.

I hate Automatic and I don't mind Tiptronic but after driving my sister's '10 Base, I hate the Paddle Shifters and wondered why did Acura dropped the standard Tiptronic gear box. Some like my Dad's '08 Nissan Rogue SL has both.

I never like driving with two hands on the wheel, it's very uncomfortable.


If you use it in Sport Mode, do you like or hate it?

CU2MIKE

I don't "hate it", but it definitely is inconvenient since i am used to having one hand on the shift knob at all times.

kowloonsniperhk

+1, i guess its better if you are in a race in a straight line lol

MrOtocinclus

It's more of a gimmick than anything, I don't expect anyone could realistically drive regularly with just the paddle shifters.

That said, it is fun using it to get on freeways at a dead stop. There's an onramp nearby that I use often that's perfect for this.

ed_423

honestly, i rarly use it. maybe cuz my lack of knowlege for it, or i just dont feel mcuh of a difference when i used it.

TheGoodGuy

I hate it, but its a good compromise of sorts. 3rd gear is the only usable gear. I keep it in D 95% of the time, there are only a few times I've over ridden it, and 1% that I have used S mode.

ttk5

I like paddle shifters more than the tip tronic, but thats jus me

Nammib0i

I guess it can be useful for passing other drivers on a 2-way road. I rarely use sport mode. I kinda forget about it most of the time, lol.

Shift_Acura

+1

The only advantage the paddles have is that it only take a split second to reach over and hit the (-) paddle for downshifting which is useful for merging on highways or passing.

If you are holding the wheel with both hands and you need to downshift with triptronic you would have to take your hands off the wheel, reach over and slide the gear lever and then go up or down depending on the car, hypothetically this would take longer.

Having both would be ideal. But no gated shifter like the 3G TL or 1G TSX, doesn't suit a luxury car.

coffeefingers

Ferraris, Lambos, and F-1 cars have the paddle shifters so they must think the paddles are useful.

kowloonsniperhk

i wish they had both paddle shifters and a gated shifter so I can choose whenever I feel like. I think the IS has it.

GrigioX

True, but all of those have direct shift gearboxes which shift infinitely faster than conventional autos with a torque converter. Our paddle shifters and those paddle shifters are worlds apart.

I rarely use mine. but sometimes it's convenient to downshift with the paddles than to slam on the accelerator.

Farage

i miss the sportshift by the gear lever from my 06 rsx. the paddles kinda suck. they are way too small and you have to constantly keep your hands on the wheel.

patcracks

I love em i think theyre fun and interesting also get a good reaction outta passengers when i step on it

Tishkevich

iTrader: (3)

I dont' enjoy the paddle shifters at all, couldn't get into it. Probably because I drive a manual though

TSteezyX

Paddles are okay for passing on the highway. I'm two clicks of the - paddle away from rocketing past someone at redline.

They're useless for AutoX because they're mounted to the wheel rather than the column and my hand position is constantly changing, but are pretty useful on a fast track where my hands stay at 9 and 3.

Interesting concept, I guess. And the average person doesn't know about them, I guess you could say. With the old gated shifter+Tiptronic setup, your passengers knew if you were gonna blow past someone etc., but at least with the paddles, you still have the element of surprise.

cpmajai

two clicks? one click shifts down for me while in D...is mine defective? lol

MrOtocinclus

I would say that the AT is rather conservative, so if you're driving in D and you click once, you still won't be in the power band of the car so you click again to get the "rocketing past someone at redline."

fceeviper

I don't know how to use them yet, I'm soo new to this. :\

MrOtocinclus

The best way to learn is to play some Gran Turismo on Playstation. "MT" in that game is like using the paddle shifters.

civichbdx

X2

bsc7080tec

I have tried to use them. Its just not the same as a regular stick for me. My wife drives the TSX primarily, and I have an 07 Civic Si. The bad news I hear is that Honda will be trading in the 6 speed manual for a paddle shifter model in the 2011 of the Honda Civic Si. Something about they have had repeated issues with the 6 speed transmissions grinding. Guess 8th gen Civic's are the last of the fun Civics. Maybe the TSX went the route of paddle shifters for the same reason. Our destiny is no manual transmissions at all ?

cb1021

probably tiptronic is better, though i never tried.

It would be cool if somebody made a "click-on" paddle extension which increases the size of the paddle.

9oh5

I like using mine, they are a fun way to break bordeom on long drives, my buddy has a Suby Legacy same shifting and its a hell of a lot slower to react then my car, pretty much instant change when you ask for it, Suby you wait......

NFTSX

I recently drove a new Malibu with paddle shifters, and the reaction to the paddles was so slow, they were useless.

At least the TSX is quick to answer to paddles. I don't use them a lot, but they do have their place, and I like them. I use them most weeks, at least a little.

The most I do is tap a downshift sometimes instead of hitting the brakes for a gentle scrub off of some speed.

DJMcGee

The paddle shifters on any auto are a bit of a joke due to the torque converter. However, on the acura they are somewhat responsive. I generally find them useless unless I "plan" to pass and downshift in advance. The auto generally takes care of everything anyway.

I spent the last 8 years in a manual and it's taking some getting used to.

Also, although uncomfortable, it is best to have both hands on the wheel; you will eventually get used to it.

daveku1

i'm coming from a 2002 rsx type-s, and i've had my 2010 tsx auto since last weekend. i test drove both the auto and mt before i bought and even tho the mt def had a more noticeable "oomph" factor, the auto surprisingly held its own (especially considering it has one less gear). even though i'll miss being 'truly' in control of the car, i am more than satisfied with the convenience and performance of the auto/paddles. the ONLY thing that would top it off for me is if the auto was a 6-speed auto instead of only a 5-speed and as much as i love the paddles, i definitely wouldn't mind having both paddle shift AND a gate/tiptronic shifter

super4

test drove the new tsx last week, i kind of liked the paddle shifters, if ur getting an automatic dont expect it to be like a manual, even with the 1st gen tiptronic, its not even close to a manual. and its not like its a true paddle shiftbox like a ferrari, so ye more of a gimmick, but it is kinda fun IMO.

Bart50

For me the paddle shifters are more of a "better than nothing" feature. Kind of like a consolation prize ha ha ha. "Nope, you can't get a manual transmission on the V6 that you're paying $5000 more for, but we'll throw in these paddle shifters to help soften the blow."

atarrill

I've driven a manual for 25 years and hated giving it up, but bought an automatic 2010 TSX with the paddle shifters when I got tired of waiting for the dealer to get a manual in the color I wanted, etc. (And I kept my 1995 Integra for running around the city, so I haven't given up manual entirely!)

I mostly forget that I have the paddles until I hit them by accident when turning the wheel. Reading this makes me want to experiment with them -- I basically have no idea how they work. As someone said, it might make long highway drives a bit more interesting. But no way it's going to give me the same feeling as driving a stick.

pinatubo

I'm type of guy making a clear choice, manually with stick and clutch or automatically with "D" only (which is the whole idea of AUTOMATIC). I don't like this kind of "half this-and-half that"

terencemunro

The Paddles should be mounted on the steeringwheel column and not on the wheel itself.
On winding mountain roads it can happen that the wheel is upside down an then its hard to hit the right button.

ttk5

You shouldnt be shifting while you are turning anyways, but even then they arent that hard to find

ShootaV6

+1

If your going into a turn always downshift before heading into the turn and excelerate through the turn. Also the gears are long enough in the 5spd that you shouldn't need to shift in a turn.

Personally, I love the paddle shifters. You obviously cannot compare them to stick because there far from stick. Stick is always more fun to drive then automatic but the v6 is definitely way more powerful then the inline 4 and if you know how to drive with the paddleshifters it's only a matter of personal choice.

More power vs having stick

fallacy

meh

HondoGermany

I like the paddles, because I can drive the gear I want to and not the D on Automatic. I can downshift when I want to without playing with my foot on Gas Pedal (Excelerate). Its difficult for me to explain it in your language

pinatubo

One thing that I observed in the last couple of days is when driving on the SAME route, at the same speed (@ 80 mph)
a. in D mode, the needle hit 2800 rpm while
b. in S mode with M5, the needle hit 3000 rpm.

At that moment, the engine seems to be cranked harder in the S-mode.
I do believe that the D mode has better fuel efficiency.

HondoGermany

In S Mode you can force the car to drive in a gear that you want, instead of shifting down and up in the D Mode, sometimes when the road went up and down. Here is the S Mode sometimes more efficient than D Mode, I think.

hjahmad

i love it. dont always use, cause of s mode, but i love them.

question about s mode. does it ever go higher than 3rd gear?

its rayden

in s mode, you never go over 4th gear until you hit the paddles. then you can make it go into 5th.