I have seen several posts like that, I suspect many people don't understand what a performance auto brings to the table. Or maybe you do, but it doesn't come across in your post.

With an auto, when you drive normally around town, you can leave it in fully automatic and it does everything you'd expect an auto to do.

When you drive on the track or want to have some fun, you put it in semi-auto mode and shift it yourself using the paddle shifters. A proper performance auto won't shift for you in such a mode, it will just peg the rev limiter and stay there until you shift.

So skill is required, knowing when to shift is required. What has been replaced is the lever for shifting and the manual clutch.

Now you may still not like it, but lets be clear what we're talking about.

To beat the 7 speed manual Corvette around the track in the 8 speed auto DOES require that you manually shift the 8 speed, you just do it using the paddle shifters rather than a stick shift.

 

I understand how sport autos work, My personal opinion is that it takes away from the driver experience. And im sorry but tapping a paddle does not take much skill.

 

Fair enough...

So if you like tossing a stick around, more power to you, no problem with that...

My point, that started all this, was that the GT350/500 deserve an auto, for those who want to really race them. That's all.

 

I'm not sure if these cars deserve an auto, but choices are great. I'm sure 95% of the people who buy these new won't race one. To me, I'd pay EXTRA NOT to have an automatic !! Scott

 

Yeah i agree, they should offer it. They will sell more of them.

 

Choices are indeed great!

I have no desire to take away your manual, I simply don't want one anymore...

20 years ago, sure... but today, meh, too much work for a daily driver.

 

Yes, this... If anyone thought I was saying "take away the manual", that is not true at all...

I simply think that today an auto needs to be offered, there are people who believe won't buy one without it.

*raises hand*

 

The paddle? pffft lol I have an automatic and I never use the button shift option on the gear selector. It's a gimmick. I just put the car in sport shift mode and let the ECU do the rest. You can't out drive the computer. I've had my share of manuals but with my latest daily driver car I just didn't want to row my own. It's just a hassle most of the time to me. More power to those that still opt for the stick though. Nothing wrong with that.

 

By all means, let's be clear what we're talking about.. As for the paddle shifters go, they are no different from a conventional auto trans with the exception of pressing a paddle button rather than move the gear selector handle from one gear to another..

So once again, where is the real skill involved ? there isn't, as the ECU is electronically controlling the gear shifting and not the driver.. All the driver is doing is selecting the desired gear with the push of a button and nothing more..

Heck back in the day, I could easily accomplish that long before paddle shifters ever became a reality by just simply moving the gear selector from drive to gear 1,2 or 3 and get the very same effect

Paddle shifters with or without sport modes, are still never the less electronically controlled ManuMatic gearboxes and as far as I'm concerned is just a gimmick for those who don't want to settle for neither a conventional automatic or manual transmission..

Although I'm not denying what your magazine articles mentioned about the Corvettes, Lamborghini's and so forth being faster ? You do realize the Lamborghini is also a world class supercar which btw: also has dual clutch technology and is $600.000 and up right ???

So your pretty much comparing apples to oranges in this scenario and as I also mentioned earlier, just being a few seconds slower isn't such a deal breaker to begin with.. Now if on the other hand, we're talking about a significant difference ? I could then understand your concern behind the need for having the GT350/GT500 equipped with an auto trans as an option..

However until Ford decides there's a significant reason for doing so ? They're just not going to offer 2 different power trains in a LE non mass produced vehicle, it's as plain and simple as that !

 

Put the automatic in "sport shift mode" hammer the gas and don't push the button to change gears. Guess what happens? Nothing, the car is going to change gears for you anyway. In sport shift mode the better option is to just let the car do the shifting and in so doing it will in fact run faster than the manual version.

 

I couldn't agree more Scott ! As most who buy these new are going to use them as trailer queens and keep as collectors anyhow

 

When you mention being faster than manual version Rob, do you mean as in being faster over pushing the paddle buttons when changing gears

 

Couldn't had put it any better myself Martin

 

No what I mean is the shift time in the automatic is milliseconds where as with the manual it takes longer due simply to the fact that you have to engage the clutch, switch gears and then release the clutch. A process that takes longer. All things being equal if you had two Mustang GT's with drivers of equal talent the automatic should run faster than the manual simply because it doesn't take as long to work through the gears. The problem is that in the real world, things are rarely equal.

 

Idk about you guys, but if/when my knees give out down the road, I will relish the fact that sportscars will be available with paddle shifters, so I can still hold the gear during a turn and get that satisfaction of hearing the engine rev up all the way through the RPMs. I know I won't be able to drive stick forever, and I'll be happy having the control over the transmission.

 

I'm 29 and have had knee issues in my past, they don't bother me while shifting now but I couldn't agree more!

 

Where are you guys getting this? You don't have control. No control. It will still shift gears even if you haven't pushed the button. Have you never driven the automatic in sport mode? You can't hold it in a certain gear. There is no such thing with the automatic. If the ECU decides its time to shift gears, sport mode be da*ned, it will shift gears. The button shifter is a pure gimmick. It does almost nothing.

 

I'm sorry, but you're mistaken...

There is a world of difference between having the computer decide based on reacting to what you're doing, vs. making proactive decisions and picking specific gears to be in...

Driving 150mph around a track, you better know what gear you want before you come up to the hammerhead turn, expecting the computer to know when it doesn't know the track is how you end up in the wall.

Go get into a Formula One car, they don't have a stick shift, they use paddle shifters.

In your old school non performance car, when you see PRND321 on the auto trans, what that is telling you is that you can put it in D which is drive for normal auto, or you can limit it to to the bottom 3 gears, 2 gears, or first gear only.

Putting it in 3 doesn't force it into 3rd gear, it tells the auto not to use 4th gear, that is all.

Using a performance transmission with paddle shifters, you can force a gear and the transmission won't shift on you. Not all paddle shifters work this way, but the ones in these types of cars do. Go drive a Camaro SS with auto and give the paddle shifters a try, you might be surprised.

The Lamborghini Aventador has a single clutch system.

 

Okay, there is a huge difference in the paddle shift technology in an F1 car and the sport mode in the Mustang. When paddle shift technology first came out for production cars the car companies within a year or two realized they were going to have to make big changes. This was because automatic transmissions were regularly being blown to pieces by would be race car drivers who were running the automatics way out passed the red line. As a result, nearly every modern day version of paddle shift technology has a computer controlled fail safe to prevent drivers from running the car out to the ragged edge and destroying transmissions. So, when you put your Mustang in sport mode, regardless of what you do, at some point the car will shift the transmission for you. You can't hang it in a certain gear and red line it. You can't make it start out from the line in 2nd or 3rd gear to get better torque. You can't stall the car by not downshifting as you slow down, it will downshift for you. The button is pure gimmickry. You aren't doing anything. In fact, to get the best performance in sport mode the best thing to do is leave the button alone.

 

You haven't driven a real performance auto then...

In semi-auto mode, whatever each car calls it, when you put it in 4th, it will say in 4th, no matter what you do. You can start from 0 MPH in 4th if you want.

You can then floor it and hit the rev limiter and it will just rev and rev and never shift.

The purpose of the auto is not to take away shifting decisions, it is to take away the MANUAL clutch and the big shift lever.

That's it, you still decide every shift.

Now of course most of these cars also have a full auto mode where they will do it all for you, that is for just driving around town when you don't want to mess with it.