How to Shift with Paddle Shifters

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A comprehensive guide on shifting manually when you have an automatic transmission
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Paddle shifters are a great way to enrich the driving experience and give the driver more control in an automatic vehicle. Paddle shifters have been in the racing world for decades now; they allow the driver to shift quickly up or down without requiring a clutch pedal or removing a hand from the steering wheel to shift. As the technology in modern transmissions improved, paddle shifters began to appear on production cars. Today, both performance cars and family crossovers can be found with paddle shifters. With a little practice and a basic understanding of how engines function, anyone can use paddle shifters to improve their driving experience.

Shifting with Paddle Shifters

Shift into manual (or sport) mode to turn the paddle shifters on. When you accelerate and you want to shift into a higher gear, apply pressure to the pedal behind the steering wheel on the right side. To downshift, use the pedal behind the wheel on the left.

Section 1 of 5:

Starting the Vehicle

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  1. Press the brakes and start your vehicle. Turn the key to spark the ignition. If the vehicle you own has no ignition key, press the "START/STOP" button to ignite your engine. Vehicles with paddle shifters have automatic transmissions. This means that there are only two pedals (brake and gas pedal) within the vehicle. [1]
  2. Keep the brake pedal depressed, and use the shifter on your right. Both manual and sport modes enable the user input of paddle shifters to change gear. Some vehicles may have both manual mode and sport mode available. Regardless, both modes will still support paddle shifter input. [2]
    • What is sequential mode? Sequential mode is a rare option on some sports and racing cars. It’s functionally identical to sport mode, except it turns your transmission into an F1-style gearbox where the car cannot shift up or down by more than one gear at a time.
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Section 2 of 5:

Upshifting Using Paddle Shifters

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  1. Pay attention to the tachometer (located to the left of your speedometer). You'll notice that as you accelerate, the tachometer value increases. This value will help you determine when to shift up and down while driving. [3]
  2. For normal driving, you'll want to shift between 2700 rpm and 3300 rpm. Every car is different so it's best you use the tachometer to find your shift point rather than your speedometer. [4]
  3. Do this while accelerating. The upshift paddle is usually the paddle on the right and, in most cars, has a + on it. You'll notice an audible change in the engine speed as well as the sensation of changing gear. [5]
    • If you try to upshift while you’re cruising or braking, you’ll likely end up slipping your transmission and feel the car struggle to swap back into the correct gear.
  4. If you want to maintain that speed for a great distance, be sure to keep shifting up gears until your tachometer value is between 1500 rpm and 2000 rpm. Keeping your value within this range will ensure that you maintain good fuel efficiency while at your desired cruising speed. [6]
  5. For normal, relaxed driving, a shift point between 2700 rpm and 3300 rpm is ideal. For spirited performance driving, you'll want to pick a shift point closer to your redline limiter. On the tachometer, this is indicated usually by red tick marks and red lettering. [7]
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Section 3 of 5:

Downshifting Using Paddle Shifters

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  1. Pay attention to the tachometer; you'll notice that as you slow down, the tachometer value decreases. This will help you choose your downshift point. [8]
  2. If you are coming to a stop, then you'll want to downshift between 1800 rpm and 2200 rpm. This will ensure that if you need to accelerate again before stopping you will be in the proper power band to do so without lugging the engine or damaging the transmission. [9]
  3. Do this while you’re coasting or braking. The downshift paddle is usually the paddle on the left, and in most cars, the paddle will have a - on it. You will notice an audible change in the engine speed as well as the sensation of changing gear. [10]
    • You’re probably going to slip the transmission if you downshift while accelerating. It won’t destroy the car or anything, but it will certainly impact the smoothness of your ride.
  4. Be sure to practice the starting and stopping sequences to better understand your shift points. [11]
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Section 4 of 5:

Parking and Turning Off the Vehicle

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  1. Use the gear lever, not the paddle shifters, to shift the vehicle into park. Shifting into other gears such as drive, neutral, and reverse follow the same process and the vehicle will automatically disable the paddle shifters once the gear is changed. [12]
  2. Once the vehicle is in the park, either turn the key in the ignition counterclockwise or press the ignition stop/start button to turn the vehicle off.
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Section 5 of 5:

Shifting with an F1-Style Gearbox

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  1. F1-style vehicles do not have clutch pedals—the clutch is located on the back of the steering wheel. In fact, there are two clutches! Use whichever clutch is on the opposite side of the shift button or shift pedal to change gears manually. To do this, simply press the clutch pedal on either side to activate it. [13]
    • F1 gearboxes are semi-automatic, so you can completely ignore the clutch if you don’t want to change gears manually.
    • Do you have two sets of pedals? If you have paddle shifters and paddle clutches, the clutches are on the bottom.
  2. If you have an F1-style steering wheel to match the F1-style gearbox, your shifters are usually not paddles. They’re buttons, located on the front of the wheel. Look for the (usually color-coded) buttons marked where your thumbs would naturally sit on the wheel. [14]
    • Like traditional paddle shifters, the button on the left shifts down, and the button on the right shifts up.
    • Do you not have shift buttons? Some (especially older) F1 wheels have the traditional paddles on the back of the wheel. If your wheel has pedal shifters, the left is down, and the right is up.
    • What makes the F1-style gearbox/shifter unique? F1-style gearboxes are sequential, which means you can’t shift over/past a gear. You must move either up or down one gear at a time. Also, these gearboxes are semi-automatic, which means they shift automatically via the on-board computer unless another input is provided. [15]
  3. The only time you can skip gears in a sequential gearbox is when you go into neutral. To do this, press both clutch pedals to slip all the way back into neutral. [16]
    • On professional/higher-end F1 wheels, there’s a dedicated “neutral” button or lever directly on the steering wheel. Use that instead if you have access to it. [17]
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      Tips

      • Every car is different. It's better to drive the car in standard automatic mode first to understand where it shifts before putting the car into manual shifting mode.
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      • A lot of amateur racers like to paint the shifter paddles so they’re easier to see and feel when they’re navigating the track. Any kind of paint designed for plastic should work.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/how-to-use-paddle-shifters-and-when-you-should
      2. ↑ https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/how-to-use-paddle-shifters-and-when-you-should
      3. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      4. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      5. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      6. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      7. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      8. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      9. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      1. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      2. ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cars/buying-a-car/what-to-know-about-paddle-shifters-a2928429910/
      3. ↑ https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/how-to-use-paddle-shifters-and-when-you-should
      4. ↑ https://f1chronicle.com/do-f1-cars-have-a-clutch-f1-technology/
      5. ↑ https://youtu.be/qvGFJCUkQ-4?t=24
      6. ↑ https://youtu.be/qvGFJCUkQ-4?t=101
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/qvGFJCUkQ-4?t=161
      8. ↑ https://youtu.be/qvGFJCUkQ-4?t=229

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