Ferrari Flappy Paddle Vs Lexus Flappy Paddle

[Mincey]

I was lucky enough to have a razz around in a Ferrari 360 F1 yesterday. I was appalled by the severity of the flappy paddle gear change compared with my IS250's. Ok, it's an older car, but I'd never be able to put up with the jerkiness of the 360's change if I was fortunate to be able to afford one. Has anyone else driven one and found the same thing? I was wondering whether it was in "Sport" mode or something which "sharpened" things up a bit.

[WylieCoyote]

I have driven a few cars with flappy paddle gear systems. The thing about them is that they're all unique, the Ferrari gearbox will respond in a different way to a Lexus one - it will be sharper because that's the nature of the car. The secret to getting the changes smooth is feathering the throttle. Some cars will need this more than others - the Lexus system is primarily built for comfort therefore the changes will be smoother anyway. Ferrari's system is sharp because gear changes happen very quickly - something that you need when you are 'making progress' - there's no point faffing around making your Ferrari as comfortable as possible when you're trying to bend the laws of physics.

[Unregistered_User]

Driven the F360 but not with the F1 Paddle Box. Even so, the power-put-down from the 360 is immense, which will obviously contribute to the shift experience.

Jamie

[dazz32]

Im lucky enough to have driven an f430 and the flappy paddles in that are better but still not as smooth as the IS250`s but thats the nature of the beast...

[Einstein]

Lexus... Autobox with manual shift (to a point)

Ferrari... Manual box with hydraulic clutch + shifting..

Completely different kettle of fish..

The lexus has some control over the gear changes, but only if the electronic control knows the speed and revs are safe to do so..

The torque converter will allow a smooth change almost all the time..

Ferrari is as per a normal manual box, but with the clutch and gear selection taking less than 1/2 a second, so there is very little play from the clutch, hence the large jerks... in a full manual, the clutch takeup is longer, and controlable, so much smoother..

John

[Mincey]

Thanks for the explanation John - it all makes sense now. Does that mean that the shift's that fierce in an F1 car too?

[Einstein]

Probably even more so... considering the amount of power they chuck out..

It isn't as noticiable on the telly, but if you see them in real life, the gear changes are almost instantaneous.. the revs rising and falling so quick must cause a big stress to the engine.

John

[Parthiban]

Yep confusing the difference between a sequential manual and an auto there.........

The thing I don't understand is how ppl say that DSG is very civilised. I've not experienced one yet, but can anyone who has driven one or been in one comment on how smooth the changes are when just driving around normally?

SMG isn't very smooth, so I'm surprised DSG could be so different when BMW have been doing them so much longer

[swfcdan]

my uncle used to have the 360 with the F1 ****ers, it was quite brutal. On the downshift you were lucky not to get whiplash, it really did jerk you forward

[Mincey]

Thanks everyone for your comments and explanations. I'd love to know how much smoother a 430 is than an 360. Clarkson liked the 430 and he hates flappy paddles. On the same day as I drove the 360, I drove a Maserati Grand Turismo (with just 400 miles on the clock). That was as smooth as silk, but as Einstein has pointed out, that's an autobox with manual shift. For day to day driving, give me the Lexus/Maserati approach. For putting a smile on my face, give me something from Maranello and to hell with the jerking!

[Unregistered_User]

Not driven the F430 but been out in one - seemed so unbelievebly powerful and with amazing delivery!

J