Just got my car and I'm wondering if any of you, who have them, use their paddle shifters much. If so, would like to hear some thoughts. Also curious about the difference in mpg when using them.

 

I barely use mine

 

Same with me; at least they look nice!

 

every day

 

Much difference in mpg?

 

yeah. it goes down lol. the CVT is a very efficient transmission if you can keep it under 2000 rpms - just leaving it in D is the best way to get good mileage. Ds will rev higher and shifting on your own it will also be revving higher

i like to play around with the paddle shifters sometimes accelerating, i use them all the time to down"shift" and slow down, and are hella useful when im tryin to hit some twisty roads aggressively so i can keep both hands on the wheel

 

I don't have the paddle shifters. Couldn't get the tan interior with the sport-package.

Just swapped my manual '03 SE so still getting used to any kind of auto.

I do use the manual mode quite a bit. 2 main situations. In slow traffic I use the downshift to hold speed and upshift (and a light bit of throttle) as traffic speeds up a little. Seems easier than repeated breaking (and my old manual). The "slide" downshift you get with the CVT doing this is a lot more pleasent than with a regular auto.

Also use the downshift when gradually slowing like on an off-ramp. Works particularly well when you have a sweep and descent on the ramp. Again the CVT "slide" shift makes this work when the downshifts can be annoying with fixed auto.

Makes me wonder. Has anyone retrofitted OEM paddles to a car that didn't come with them. If the column wiring was set up for either to cut down on part variation, that could make it almost plug and play. Of course if it is specific to software differences that would make it impossible.

 

we looked on a S model and the bolts to mount the paddles on aren't there and the wiring harnesses that plug into them are also missing. would take a little work to get them on there

 

Downshifting in traffic, so its convenient. I just keep it in D and downshift every so often. It automatically gets back to D, but you can force the issue holding the upshift paddle.

 

once in a great while after using the S4 dsg it just doesnt seem right shifting a cvt

 

Yup, I was the guinea pig for this one I had an SV and like Ghozt said, the mounts and connections aren't there. You gotta have the electronic steering column for this swap to take place; but if you do already have the e-column, you've already got the paddle shifters.

To the OP, I use mine almost daily. Did a little $2 mod and put little 3M clear rubber bumpers where the paddle meets the column shroud for a shorter paddle actuation. Just takes a quick flick of the finger now. I did make the downshift paddle throw longer so I don't accidentally hit it by accident.

 

I use them occasionally to down shift in traffic and just to play around

 

barely ever here.

 

For some reason I prefer the shifter for acceleration and the - paddle for slowing (De-acceleration).

 

I don't get regular downshifting for slowing down, stick or auto. I get it if you're prepping for immediate acceleration, or working some turns. But just to slow down, you're burning gas and shortening the life of your drivetrain; where a light tap of the brakes is a far more reasonable and cheaper method...

 

actually downshifting and letting the car decel down burns less gas in the overall scheme. the cars ECU put its into open loop if your not accelerating and resulting in a lean fuel map until the accelerator is pressed again....thats y on a normal naual car decel in gear is better than neutral, neutral has its own fuel map as well and in the overall its more gas than decel in gear......

but overall its not going to add up to that much fuel in general...In my humble opinion if you are realllllllllllllly that worried about fuel you bought the wrong car

 

...almost forgot. Lot more paddle usage during the colder months with both hands firmly planted on that nice heated steering wheel.

 

Paddle shifts are cool to look at

 

When attacking back roads at full tilt, I use them almost exclusively. Keeps the revs up for corner exits.

 

Yep,

With a mechanical (pre ECU) caburetor downshifting will bring up the revs, suck more air,which,with a minum throttle position set to hold idle, more fuel will be pulled in.

However, with fuel injectors, when engine braking, the revs go up but the ECU knows why and nearly shuts down the injectors, then increaing flow as needed later to maintain idle. Brake, and the injectors continue to squirt a littleo maintain idle.

CVT ownshift is smoother than tradiional auto, so vey little shock to the system. Extra wear is miniscule to none. You are saving on brake wear.
.
As you note, differences in all of these would be nearly impossible to notice or measure. So go with what feels good to you.

 

So just to confirm downshifting to slow down a bit is ok? Is there a speed that this shouldn't be done at?
Thx!

 

Yes, but it's RPM you want to be careful about. The engine is not so much the main concern when de-accelerating unless you do something very unwise It's mostly the CVT to be concerned about. Never begin at an RPM that is much over 3K-4K. Even though I say that, I do find I do it at around 4K at times. Never more as you could loose control of the car especially with wet roads.

 

Yeah the CVT does it a little on it's own when you brake. a Nissan master tech at my local dealership told me that manually downshifting is perfectly fine.

 

i use mine all the time .... all day er day

 

...almost never. I was so excited to get a car with them too! I use "sport" mode a lot though.

 

The car's computer will not allow a downshift that will over rev the engine. I think you'd wear your neck muscles out (bobing during the downshift), before you do any damage to the engine or tranny.

 

I use mine to play around, so almost never or very little.
on another note would the paddle shifters make it easier to dyno?

 

Even in "manual" mode, the trans won't lock a gear like a true step-geared automatic as in the 370Z or G37. You can pull the ABS fuse, but it still wants to upshift for you before redline. Saw a modded SL55 AMG on the dyno at a local shop last week that had the same problem. Even with the auto trans in 4th gear, it still wanted to kick down to 2nd when they mashed the gas.

 

I used mine about a month ago. I wanted to make sure they still work after not being used for a long while.

My theory of driving is simple. Put the car in Drive and let the car do most (if not all) of the thinking.

 

all the time mainly downshifting

 

I use mine to slow down
Just like a normal manual transmission

 

specifically on the highway when a downshiftr is necessary rather than just stomping on the gas to pass someone, downshift and apply less gas...

 

I do use my paddle shifters on occasion and when I feel like racecar.
Using them for decelerating down the hilly and windy back roads is extremely useful as well, when I know that the built in engine breaking / decel mode is not enough to keep me from hitting the car in front. Paddles definitely make the Maxima feel like a 4DSC.
I have to mention though, getting used to the small range gear ratios instead of fixed gear ratios is taking some getting used to when I shift up; downshifting I think I figured it out.

Now to kinda thread jack:
I drive in D mode most of the time, so when I tap the paddle to downshift during those hills, the car jerks noticeably then "slides" to the calculated gear ratio. Of course, I'm using the word noticeably as it's hard to describe what the strength is to someone over the internet.

Here is my half thread jacking question:
Is it supposed to do that jerk and slide, or it supposed to just smoothly slide to the gear ratio? I'm reading the thread here, and everyone says a smooth slide with no mention of any jerk and then slide.

Other notes:
When I park my car, I park in the near same exact spot each time, to the point that there are now indents in my parking spot for where the wheels rest each time. What I do is this:
Back in, until I can feel the car "falling" into the indents,
brake, and place car in neutral,
let the car roll into place and rock until it settles.
Again, I can feel a more subtle jerk between the rocking directions, kind of like gears with teeth that are just a bit small for each other, or space a bit too far apart so that the teeth have some free space before contact again.
The car is still new, warranty and all, so I would like to get this fixed while still under warranty if this is a problem.

 

I use the Ds mode almost all the time because it sounds amazing with my performance parts. I definitely use the paddle shifters when I want to feel like im in the Fast & the Furious..I think they sound bada** too! It's just fun..I can't just keep them for show.

 

how about never? brake pads and rotors cost nothing in comparison to a tranny. Now if you don't plan on owning it over 60-75k use the tranny to slow down all you want. It just puts unneeded stress & wear on it.

 

Rarely to never here. I occasionally do it just to use them but other than that I never even think about them being there.

 

Every time I'm driving the car...mainly to slow down. Why not use them...that's what they're for.

 

not true unless you're downshifting letting the car rev near redline all the time. the car does this on it's own. next time you're on a downhill slope just let the car roll and tell me if it speeds up as gravity pulls on it - the answer is no because the transmission is braking for you. also when you apply the brake in general the trans is downshifting also controlling your speed. so "manually" downshifting the CVT is not only perfectly fine for the CVT, but its how the damn thing operates on its own. anyone who tells you otherwise doesnt know what they're talking about and needs to talk with a trained Nissan tech before spreading misinformation.

 

pssss 2 hands on the wheel is for wussies Dan! I drive pro style left hand on the wheel right hand on my *****... i mean i mean on the shifter... lmao

Tell the rookie how it is Dan! lol.

not really dude downshifting is a normal phenomenon for a tranny it does it all the time. manual downshifting is nothing to CVT because its all computer controlled theres absolutely nothing you can do to it to mess it up because the inboard computer will always stop you beforehand, it will also stop you from doing stupid things like neutral dropping lol

 

hahaha man like Jay said above, when we go cruising some of the twisty roads you need 2 hands on the wheel to keep up and keep the car on the road . its then that i love the paddle shifters