I have owned my TL since Dec 2010 and I have yet to use the paddle shifters. I was all gungho initially. I couldn't wait to drive every day using the paddles. I don't know what happened but I have never used them. I thinks its because I enjoy driving the car so much that I don't want to be bothered (or is it hampered) by using the shifters. Is this normal? Do you use your paddle shifters? How Often?

 

they are novelty items, thus why you got bored.
the car doesnt need them to function properly....

where as a manual transmission NEEDS human input to function
Butt, you knew this already

 

I'm in the same boat... I've owned mine for a few months now and haven't used them once, yet, I only drive it during the weekends. During the week it either the civic or the manual Tacoma
Heck, I don't even know the proper way to use them. Salesman was showing me how to use them... but I wasn't paying attention.

 

I used them a little bit when I first bought my TL but I've found them to be fairly useless since the sport mode seems to do just fine when I want a more spirited drive. I only find them to be helpful on the highway if you want to kick down 2 gears to make a quick pass but that's about it.

I accidentally put my TL in sport mode the other day for a trip to the drive thru and noticed the car felt amazing and much more powerful driving around, I didn't know what was going on until I almost got home and realised it was in sport mode. I wish it felt that way in drive, it's so quick to upshift to save fuel in drive.

 

I have a manual TL, But my wife had an RDX with paddle shifters. Used them ONCE in like 5 years.
Guess I just can't get used to shifting without the man pedal

 

I wonder if you were required to use paddle shifters, would people balk and complain? or would they adapt?

probably be mighty hard to eat a bowl of cereal while trying to paddle shift around that corner

 

Yeah I hear you. It's the new fad... transgender.
Kinda like grilling with propane.

 

I tried it all for about a 1/4 mile. I was done. Lazy I guess or just didn't want to focus on shifting.

 

I'm sure they're the best way to get the best time on a drag race out of the automatic, but I don't think many people drag the TL lol

 

they are not.

the best way is to keep it in D!
its purely for fun. a marketing tool, if you will. a novelty item, that NO one uses

 

^^ just for that... I'll use it this weekend. how does it work again? Lol

 

redline = POWER!

 

that works!

 

Used it occasionally. Good for merging onto highway, that's about it.

 

Before I got my 1G RDX I thought the paddles were really cool, I was very close to buying a VW tiguan without them and wanted to retrofit them. I ended up with the 1G RDX instead and at first I couldn't find situations to use them, then I found a really good use for them when leaving Uni because there is a semi-long down hill grade I would simply downshift into 3rd or 2nd and just use engine braking vs actual braking and the hill transitions into a freeway-ish road so I would already be in gear to accelerate quickly. But due to the size, and location of the paddles, I couldn't ever really use them for spirited windy road driving. Had they been much larger and/or on the steering column vs wheel, I would have used them more often.

Now I have a 2G mdx and it doesn't have the paddles. I have to say I really do miss them, having to reach down and use the shifter is less cool and it was much more comfortable and easier to do with the paddles. Though in both cases I don't use the manumatic mode for spirited driving.

Even with or without the paddles, I prefer to keep it in sport mode (when I had the rdx) or normal mode (no more sport ) and let the car do whatever it wants. Had it been a dual clutch and had the paddles been located in a more useable spot, I would use them more. I think with our honda slush boxes we are not going to benefit from paddles like we would have with a slicker transmission so it is really just a gimmick imho.

 

the only time I've really used the paddles is in a scenario where I need to downshift manually a few gears like a highway merge or passing.

 

This is where I am at now. I tried them out when I first bought the car but didn't find them useful driving in MANUAL MODE. I do use them, as needed, especially when I find I want to downshift when driving down along decline or when I want to make a quick pass.

 

Disagree on that one bro. Propane gas on my Weber grill, steaks/burgers are awesome. The flame is still there, therefore its man approved

 

Usually I will go for a few months only using the car in D mode, get that itch to drive spirited / get annoyed with the super conservative D mode, then use S mode + paddle shifters to get the fix. S mode without paddle shifters is actually very good as well, possibly better than my stupid reaction time for realizing that I should have down shifted. Lol. Most of my commute is on the highway though, so there's really no need to constantly be at 4k+ RPM when cruising. Surprisingly my gas mileage doesn't drop much, if any, when I'm using the paddle shifters, and I like to hold the gears until at least 4k RPM. Plus our cars have a VTEC engage that you can actually hear, so I'll occasionally shoot for that. I think it's somewhere around 4,600 RPM, and it sounds great.

 

- I use them when I'm in bumper-to-bumper traffic and I want to hold a gear (with shifter in S mode).
- I also used them when I'm preparing to pass on a two lane road and I want to spool up the engine before I start to pass.

Other than those two situations I do not use them.

 

I do this too so I'm not constantly on my brakes in bumper to bumper traffic.

 

Only time I've found paddle shifters useful wasn't in my wife's TL, but rather when I owned my "13 RDX. I was towing a medium U-Haul trailer, and the paddle shifters are extremely useful while towing to keep the vehicle in lower gears in situations that warrant it (but that the transmission doesn't think are warranted). Other than situations like this when towing, the paddle shifters go virtually untouched....

 

I only use them to quickly change lanes or to pass someone, which happens only a couple times a week. It's a bit faster than simply pressing on the gas more.

 

That's exactly as far as I go as well. Other than that, I find that keeping the car in automatic S mode (without touching the paddles) is best for road rage.

 

So, apparently I am one more of the bunch

 

I use them nearly all the time. For a long time I used to drive manual trans cars, but as a concession to my wife got an auto trans when I purchased my TL. I've come to like them more than the manual. The TL doesn't shift like a dual-clutch, but it's as quick as a shifting a manual at normal speed. I think I'd like a true DCT even better. Just like in a manual, you develop the habit of knowing what gear you're in for the situation. You anticipate traffic, stops, ramps, etc. I think that the reason it works as well as it does in the TL is that the trans locks the torque converter at low speeds and from second gear onward and it stays locked. So like in a manual, when you apply throttle the response is instant. There isn't any hesitation with a down shift, or any TC slippage. When I had a rental for the airbag recall, it had paddles, but since the TC was always unlocking, when you applied throttle the engine rev'd before the TC locked. Really annoying. I ended up keeping it in D all the time.

In a few years, when it's time to replace my TL, I'll look for a true DCT or at least one that behaves like my current TL. I have not driven the TLX with the DCT and torque converter. But I may have to check it out.

Early on, I did a little testing where I did the exact same commute of 45 miles one way (city traffic and highway) in "D" and using the paddles manually. I got a little better gas mileage shifting myself, and I think it's because I'd get into a higher gear faster and I'd keep it there. In know there were several places on my commute that the car would downshift from 6 to 5 when in D and I wouldn't. Totally unscientific, FWIW.

 

Typically only use the paddles for downshifting to pass or to help it find the right gear when the revs are low. Other than that just for decoration.

 

I use mine when I have to slow down quick at lights to use less brake

 

I use mine while passing on the freeway or racing other vehicles to see how well the TL can hang in a quick sprint. Like mentioned though, just running Sport mode gets up just as quick.

 

I drive in the mountains a lot, I use them all the time when going down hill. I can drive down most mountain passes without ever using my breaks. Of course I have driven manuals my whole live until I got the TL, so its just how I am used to keeping the car at a reasonable speed. It also saves the breaks. I also use Sport/Manual mode on hilly dirt roads a lot as in those situations I don't want the car to take back over like it does in Drive, but paved situations, I like it when the car takes back over, I think it does it right most of the time

I find I also use them when approaching a red light when I have a longer distance, or when in stop and go to hold the gear.

I have never used them to pass like others have, I always let the car downshift there. Ill give it a try.

 

I have a 6MT TL, but my wife's car is a TSX SW with paddle shifters, I probably use them on 60% of the drives in that car. They're good when you want them, the 5AT is not super responsive in that car.

 

I use them fairly reguarly, either to downshift while passing or shift up after. Haven't "raced" anyone yet so no need for that part =P There's a few really nice roads around here and I try to put the car into S and use the paddles but end up getting annoyed and put it back to normal drive and continue on my way. Lol