How do paddle shifters work ???
 

Are they just an automatic transmission with fast valving??? I watch the Formula One guys, and those cars shift in about one nanosecond. Just wondering how it is done.


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Electronically shifted solenoids for the valve body, controlled by the paddle switches.

There are different types of paddle shifters.

There are manumatics, which are manually shifted automatic transmissions and there are automanuals which are manual transmissions that have a clutch and gearshift actuated by a computer.

The Ferrari F1 transmission in the road cars is an automanual. The computer checks on engine load, throttle position and a bajillion other parameters. When you flip the paddle, the computer actuates the clutch, blips the throttle to match revs if needed and summons the gear. The F1 transmissions in racing are super special high performance versions of this tranny.

The Corvette with an auto and paddle shifters is just an electronically controlled automatic that makes a gear change when the paddle is pulled. I believe it will also blip the throttle on downshifts.

There are also new dual clutch transmissions that have two clutches and the the next gear is already selected, but the clutch is dissengaged until you pull the paddle, then it dissengages one clutch and engages the other. This makes for very fast gear changes. Porsche is coming out with this system later this year. The VW GTI has had it for a few years and it works well in that car. I believe Ferrari and BMW are working on or have versions of this type of tranny as well. Its also used in the new Mitsu EVO MR and Nissan GTR...

What Joe ^ said. I've wonderd how long a manumatic would last if driven (and shifted) aggressively.

Long because all the cars with manumatics have computers that think they are smarter than you and if they deem a downshift too agressive it won't allow it or an upshift too late it will do it for you.

Most automanuals when turned into full manual mode will bounce off the rev limiter if you don't upshift and downshift as long as the gear won't push it over the redline.

PS..

The Ferrari F1 transmission will go a long way in making any hamfisted idiot a hero when it comes to shifting. Perfectly matched revs and no chassis upset when braking for a corner. Perfect up shifts that are lighting fast... It also takes away the joy and satisfaction of a perfectly executed heel-toe down shift because it is no longer needed.

I think that this is why the Cobra and its replicas offer one of the most enjoyable driving experiences on the planet... It is all still very direct and very mechanical. From the loud pipes, to the vision blurring acceleration, to the high cornering ability to the fact that it can all go wrong so quickly... It is all up to you whether it's good, bad or ugly. It just takes some respect and nothing else can match the experience.

Richie18: I was thinking along the lines of how strong the internal parts, gears, bearings, clutches, etc. are compared to a manual tranny. The old 4 speeds of the period, T-10's and Top Loader's are practically bulletproof somewhere above 400 HP and 450 ft.lbs. torque. But an automatic with standard internals, ... I don't know when driven under numerous full-throttle accelerations in half-hour sessions on track day. All transmissions should be rated by their maximum torque capability, not horsepower.

David Hobbs mentioned in the course of an F1 broadcast that he had visited the Ferrari factory while an F1 transmission was on the transmission dyno. Each shift cracked with the sound of a large caliber rifle. Spectators don't hear the shifts over the sound of the engine. Hobbs was impressed both that the system holds together and that, as he put it, "an enormous amount of energy directed on two or three mechanisms for mere milleseconds" is succesfully anticipated in the design and operation of these systems. We've come a long way from slide-rules and manual construction and assembly.

"The clutch fits in the palm of your hand."