What's the Point of Paddle Shifters?

I think you need to get some clarification on the different types of gearboxes out there.

in cars and motorcycles there are various commonly used types of gearbox.

the simplest is a basic manual gearbox. it uses a pedal operated clutch and a gear lever moved by the driver to change the ratios in the transmission.

if you don't know how a manual works and want to know, watch this video. I know it's old but it does a fantastic job at explaining how a manual gearbox works even if you have little to no experience with them.

https://youtu.be/aFvj6RQOLtM

the next gearbox type is the basic automatic. unlike a manual which uses a clutch, an automatic uses a fluid coupling to connect the engine and gearbox. on top of this, an automatic has a computer selecting the gear ratios.

just like with the video for manual gearboxes, there is another one for automatic gearboxes. it too is very easy to understand even if you have no experience with mechanics or engineering.

https://youtu.be/leCEmJA0WsI

now in more recent years, there has been the development of the automated manual gearbox.

an automated manual gearbox has a clutch just like a regular manual but instead of being operated by the driver using a foot pedal, an automated manuals' clutch is operated by a computer. the biggest benefit to an automated manual is the ease of use of an automatic in combination with the direct connection to the engine of a manual. (automatics have power loss due to the fluid coupling as some of the engine power is lost to the fact that there is no direct, solid connection)

automated manuals are expensive and complex and as such are mainly used in expensive sports cars.

some years ago during their development, automated manuals were very rough. computers just werent as smooth as human drivers. they could be much faster but not as smooth.

this, along with the strive to be even faster, cause the development of the dual clutch gearbox. a dual clutch automated manual is technically 2 gearboxes in one.

one clutch controls gears 1, 3, 5, and 7 where the other controls 2, 4, 6 and reverse. this allows for much smoother shifting between gears as well as a drastic improvement in shifting speeds.

most of the worlds top exotic sports cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mclaren and Porsche use dual clutch gearboxes for their speed.

in automated manuals (single or dual clutch) as well as regular automatics, the gears are selected by a computer. but just like our home computers, the computers controlling gears in a car can take inputs to change their programming. these inputs are often times paddle shifters. by having paddle shifters, a cars automatic or automated manual gearbox can take inputs from the driver as to which gear to select. if the driver want to stay in a particular gear,or shift up or down, paddles give the driver a way of telling the computer what they want.

this in the case of sports cars can make the car much faster because the driver knows what they want to do. the car does not. the driver can stay at high RPMs to have more power or use the gearbox to engine brake if they want to.

paddle shifters on any automatic are an easy way for a manufacturer to make a car more exciting and attractive for a low cost. all it costs them is a pair of extra buttons and some extra programming and they can gain an attractive selling point that can help them sell more cars or sell cars for a higher price.

now in road cars with manual mode, their use is limited but it can still be useful. I drive an automatic with manual mode and since i like to drive quick, I often use manual mode to keep the engine at high RPMs to let me accelerate quickly. this helps when merging onto faster lanes on the highway or trying to cut through traffic.

This is especially useful when your car lacks accelerating performance like a pickup truck carrying a heavy trailer or a car with a small engine trying to pass a long truck on a single lane highway.

manual mode also helps out a lot when driving on mountains.

driving up steep hills in a high gear can quickly overpower an engine and cause a stall.

alternately, driving down a steep long hill can quickly overheat your brakes if you use them to control your speed. if you use the gearbox to use engine braking to keep your speed in check, you can keep your speed under control while keeping your brakes cool letting you stop quickly if you need to.

My auto has 8 speeds. 99% of the time it is brilliant. 1% I want control. On an old auto I could select 2 and 1 on the shift lever. I now have a rotary dial. To select a gear I just use the paddle shifters. I can then go back to full auto when I am ready.

Example crawling in traffic when the car us hunting I can just hold the lower gear.

Having 7 fforward places plus D on the a shift lever would be silly. .

They allow you to shift without removing your hand from the steering wheel. And yes, when you put the transmission in manual mode you're controlling the shift points.

They are fast and efficient. Otherwise F1 teams would not use them.