vs a regular manual transmission.
so i am looking at buying a car that has an option of a automatic transmission with those paddle shifters and i was wondering how they compare to a standard manual transmission, like is it worth it to get it or not are they the same thing besides the automatic part?? i am new to the paddle shifters so i dont know much about them
unless the car is an M3 or a ferrari… the transfer of power feels just like it would if you started in 1 on an auto and shifted to 2… transfer of power is what makes a manual tranny feel sweet.
Im curious if the new corvettes feel like a grand prix with the tiptronic option
[quote=“Joe,post:2,topic:32858"”]
what car?
[/quote]
x2
Some cars use an actual automatic (fluid driven) trans, others use a manual (friction plate driven) box.
I’ve driven a few cars with the shifters, it varies. None are quite as much fun for me as a stir-my-own gearbox, but I don’t think I was going quite fast enough to appreciate them either… 
fuck that shit.
[quote=“Viper966,post:6,topic:32858"”]
automatic tip tronic systems suck…
SMG/DSG/F1/E-gear trans for the win
[/quote]
buy a manual, SMG/DSG is about as fun as an above ground pool
manual for the fun factor
:word: I have no experience with paddle shifters, so feel free to stop reading what I have to say now. Actually, nevermind. I have no first hand experience with them so I’m just going to stop typing now. 
MR2 Spyder
Edit: Thought he wanted to know what his options are. I lack teh reading skillz.
the car i am looking at is a 07 miata
[quote=“93dx–hatch,post:8,topic:32858"”]
buy a manual, SMG/DSG is about as fun as an above ground pool
[/quote]
have you pushed one around the track? i find it more fun
[quote=“Viper966,post:13,topic:32858"”]
have you pushed one around the track? i find it more fun
[/quote]
it gives “push” a whole new meaning.
got gravel?
well think of it like this…the cars arent made to be raced. so they shift slow and smooth as if youre commuting to work…when you get on it, nothings telling it to shift differently so you romp on it…then shift really slow…then get back on it…its pretty weak…and not fun…grow up and get a stick 
[quote=“RedrRocket,post:14,topic:32858"”]
it gives “push” a whole new meaning.
got gravel?
[/quote]
zing.
No experience with these either. I call them auto-sticks.
I’m a big fan ofthe manual gearbox, but I hear those double clutch or manual devived automatics are getting pretty good. Isn’t the new gti supposed to have a pretty slick auto-stick for an affordable car…???
No idea what they have in the miata, but I do remember watching a youtube video of 2-rx-8’s, one with a manual and one with the paddle shifters. Well anyways the manual freaking WALKED the auto-stick by like 10 car lengths. If the miata’s auto-stick is anything like the rx-8, it robs a lot of power.
My IS300 is an '01 so it was only available in E-Shift auto. Manuals are definitly more fun but the e-shift is better than a regular automatic. My car shifts extremely hard, enough that it jerks the car when you’re at WOT. Now the ISX50’s feel very soft and weak when you use the paddle shifters. I’ve never driven an M3 so I can’t speak for that. Overall if you’re looking for something performance oriented get a manual. I bought my car as a DD and have lived in cities that I’m always stuck in bumper to bumper traffic so I didn’t want a manual.
[quote=“Boomin99GT,post:18,topic:32858"”]
Overall if you’re looking for something performance oriented get a manual. I bought my car as a DD and have lived in cities that I’m always stuck in bumper to bumper traffic so I didn’t want a manual.
[/quote]
About what i was going to say. Depends on what your driving in and what your preference is.
I’ve beaten the piss out of a loaner M3 my old boss had, same car as Viper has but stock, and while it wasn’t on a track I can say I was pushing it hard enough that I probably should have been on a track.
After about 10 minutes the novelty wore off and I was wishing for a traditional manual.
I think I say the same thing in all these threads, but for me having a sports car is not about being .3 seconds faster in the 1/4th or a second faster around a track. That’s what being a professional race car driver is about. For me, it’s about the involvement and challenge that comes with driving a powerful car quickly, and turning the shifter into a video game style “click-click” removes much of the involvement.
About the only way I’d consider an SMG is if my daily drive involved a TON of bumper to bumper traffic and my sports car also had to be my DD.
There isn’t a “right” answer to this though. It’s about what you want. Miata’s are a dime a dozen so I’m sure you can manage to get test drives in both a traditional manual, and the auto-tap-paddle contraption. It’s not like you’re looking at F430’s.