drmosh

The paddles are stationary, you aren't supposed to shift in a turn...

CC16

Damn beat me to it. I can see that being real popular. Try a quick downshift at higher rpm and swap ends into a ditch, even with the awd and all that.

Qick question... doesnt the MR come with that downshift thing where you tap the brake real fast and it does it. Thats what the dealer told me, and a brochure confirmed. MR guys?

vesendak

iTrader: (1)

You are always going to want what you can't have.

machron1

iTrader: (1)

LOL you can't say you NEVER shift in a turn. There are plenty of tight turns that slowly open and as you gain speed you HAVE to shift even though you are still in a turn. People that say you NEVER shift in a turn amuse me.

machron1

iTrader: (1)

A quick downshift in the MR will be rev matched and the S-AWC will keep you out of the ditch so long as you haven't pretended to be an "expert" and turned the ASC all the way off. And no, the transmission doesn't have a hard downshift programmed in every time you mash the brakes. I love when people over-simplify extremely complex systems.

Kwiq Niss

my 3 series has paddles that move. DIFFICULT. I can't ever find the paddle coming out of a turn, whether they stay still or move, I still prefer a stick, I hate downshifting with paddles, too hard to count off gears while trying to concentrate on how many inches I am away from dude on left, wall on right, where's the apex, k, why is the clutch higher than the brake, so hard to left foot brake in here, aww man, what gear am i in, lemme look, oops, hello wall
However, I've even read articles where the pros state it automatically shifts exactly where the would, when they would, to the gear they would, etc, so the paddles when in s-sport shouldn't really even be a concern.

jmoz

paddle shifters are gay IMO, but the Tcsst shifts so well already that you dont need to guide it with paddles, id take a 5spd just because they're more fun to drive but if you get the MR and are concerned about shifting just let the computer handle it.

CC16

I think you know what he meant. Sure shifting and turning is all good in the hood, but he's talking about slamming a downshift going thru a 90 at a heated pace. Not upshifting. As that isn't really going to make the rear end pass the front in an awd car. Hope that clears everything up so you aren't quite as amused.

USP45

iTrader: (13)

There are quite a few times when driving in the mountains that you have to downshift as you come into a turn cresting a hill. Unless you are very familiar with the roads in the area you are occasionally taken by suprise. Now with that being said hopefully if driving in that environment you are not driving 10/10ths or even 9/10ths as if you are you will quickly be intruduced to several laws of physics that not even the X can overcome, but the point is that you will sometimes have to downshift as you enter a turn depending on the situation. From what I have read however the SST is competent enough to let you get away with a lot if you are not already in over your head to begin with.

machron1

iTrader: (1)

LOL at my local race track there is a 2nd gear right angle turn after the 130 mph (for me) front straight and i'm not going slow enough before turn-in while trail-braking to "jam it" into second, so i shift right before the apex...while turning sharply...and there is no way around it. the last thing i want to be doing at that point in time is hunting for a steering wheel mounted paddle, so the paddles on the column are the best option (if rowing your own gears...which is supposedly less effective with the TC-SST...gotta love technology). like i said people who say you NEVER SHIFT in a turn amuse me. sometimes you just have to, and you just have to throttle blip heel-toe down shift (if you don't have a TC-SST of course) so as not to unsettle the car while doing so because yeah, if you are shifting like an ape with no finesse you can swap ends in a hurry with no S-AWC to save you. it's funny how many people have this silly notion that down shifting is dangerous in a turn. it's only dangerous if you can't do it right, and judging by the way most people drive they lack the ability. but for those capable of downshifting with virtually imperceptible driveline shunt it's not at issue. And since the TC-SST reportedly has all the finesse in the world it shouldn't be an issue grabbing paddles in the middle of turns such as the one i described as well. and when you do, you'll certainly appreciate the fact they are always in the same place. one more thing you can train into your muscle memory and be done with so you can focus at the task at hand.
The only argument AGAINST column mounted paddles is "oh but i have to move my hands off the steering wheel." well, you will likely have to do that anyway if you are turning, and when you do, where are they? you might have to shift from the opposite side of the wheel, the top, the bottom, or any place in between. this might not be terribly confusing if you are tooling around in the starbucks parking lot, but if you are driving at 11/10 you don't have a lot of spare processing power in your brain to sort out such nonsense. and if you AREN'T turning (the NEVER shift during a turn crowd for instance) they are in the same position as they would be if they were mounted on the wheel anyway, so the point is moot.

VincentX

Sometimes you have to, man. It really depends on the course.

VincentX

It will even shift mid-corner when necessary. From what I gather, in full automatic mode TC-SST is constantly trying to be in the ideal powerband. All of your focus can now be on just braking, accelerating and maintaining the fastest line possible. A stick and third pedal is now redundant and a waste of time.