What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

All that has to do with the power train, gearbox, clutch, fuels and lubricants, etc. Generally the mechanical side of Formula One.
Richard
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Lets keep this thread to discussion of gear selection, shall we?

I've started another thread for exploring what we mean by the word "sport" in relation to F1.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7690

Giblet
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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richard_leeds wrote:Lets keep this thread to discussion of gear selection, shall we?

I've started another thread for exploring what we mean by the word "sport" in relation to F1.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7690

I appreciate the move to a new thread, however this thread was off topic immediately after question posed in the subject was answered. Anything else after that was fair game, including talk about gear selection.

Maybe ask to get the topic title changed to "Gear Selection" as the content of the post is worthy of keeping intact.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute

Mystery Steve
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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zoru wrote: To me, paddle operation looks more ergonomic than thumb button operation.
Maybe it is because we have only 1 per side opposable thumb which is short, as opposed to 2-3 long fingers.
Moving a thumb without affecting steering wheel grip does not seem easy. (e.g. Trulli at Suzuka braking to the 2nd corner)
It may seem better, but if the button is positioned correctly it really doesn't make a difference. There is no coincidence that the commonly used buttons (drink, pit limiter, radio) are all near the thumbs on pretty much every F1 wheel.

You just have to trust me. There is no problem with grip, as with the current gearbox layout (yes, I know auto... :D please restrain yourself... [-o<) you don't want to shift during hard cornering anyway. I'd imagine the reason you don't see it on F1 wheels is so they don't go to take a swig of water and accidentally shift since they already have a number of thumb-operated buttons that are used regularly. It's a matter of personal preference for layout. If a driver said they wanted buttons for shifting, I'm sure you would see it then.

Giblet
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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The button can not be as good as paddles. Yes, you can used to buttons and use them to great effect but paddles have advantages that buttons do not.

As a human reaction, clasping is one of the first things we learn to do. It's a more natural movement, and a big red button is not ergonomically molded for your hands like the paddles of an F1 car.

When gripping something, your thumb is the anchor to your fingers. Better to leave the anchor anchoring.

1 thumb vs 4 fingers. Thumbs and the muscle near the palm can get very tired. I know from playing guitar and using the thumb to help with chords, or playing a lot of bar chords can really fatigue the hand.

Are there any actual advantages to buttons, as opposed to reasons that they might be equal to paddles?
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute

Mystery Steve
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Trust me, it does not make a difference. It's not like the button requires 50 lbs to actuate. I agree that guitar playing can be rough on the thumbs, but the hand control for playing guitar is not the same as pressing a button, particularly with your left hand on the neck which is used for prolonged periods of time and not for quick bursts and then relaxed. The dexterity required is just different. From a hand ergonomics point of view there is no overwhelming advantage to either. It is merely preference. However, with the multitude of buttons already on an F1 wheel, it makes sense to have them paddle-actuated so there aren't missed shifts or accidental shifts.

autogyro
autogyro
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Joined: 04 Oct 2009, 15:03

Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Giblet wrote:The button can not be as good as paddles. Yes, you can used to buttons and use them to great effect but paddles have advantages that buttons do not.

As a human reaction, clasping is one of the first things we learn to do. It's a more natural movement, and a big red button is not ergonomically molded for your hands like the paddles of an F1 car.

When gripping something, your thumb is the anchor to your fingers. Better to leave the anchor anchoring.

1 thumb vs 4 fingers. Thumbs and the muscle near the palm can get very tired. I know from playing guitar and using the thumb to help with chords, or playing a lot of bar chords can really fatigue the hand.

Are there any actual advantages to buttons, as opposed to reasons that they might be equal to paddles?
Your not one of those 'power' chord johnies with long hair ar you?
I was thinking of modifying one of my Strats to buttons instead of frets.

xxChrisxx
xxChrisxx
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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autogyro wrote:Your not one of those 'power' chord johnies with long hair ar you?
I was thinking of modifying one of my Strats to buttons instead of frets.
ewww. Fender. Frankly they would be better with buttons, turn it into one of those guitar hero guitars. :wink: :lol:


I'm a Gibson man myself, good weighty hardwood body and humbuckers... perfic sound. a tad heavy to cart around stage i'd imagine though.
Last edited by xxChrisxx on 29 Nov 2009, 15:57, edited 1 time in total.

Giblet
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Not anymore.

But when I did have long hair and played power chords on stage in a metal band, I was a bad ass mofo.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute

Giblet
Giblet
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Mystery Steve wrote:Trust me, it does not make a difference. It's not like the button requires 50 lbs to actuate. I agree that guitar playing can be rough on the thumbs, but the hand control for playing guitar is not the same as pressing a button, particularly with your left hand on the neck which is used for prolonged periods of time and not for quick bursts and then relaxed. The dexterity required is just different. From a hand ergonomics point of view there is no overwhelming advantage to either. It is merely preference. However, with the multitude of buttons already on an F1 wheel, it makes sense to have them paddle-actuated so there aren't missed shifts or accidental shifts.

I thought I made a reference in my post that I am sure buttons could be used to as great effect as paddles, but there is no reason a button is better than a paddle.

The overwhelming advantage is the fact that 4 fingers is better than one thumb.

I appreciate the fact buttons are fine, but there has to be a reason that paddles are best, and why they use them in F1.

You would choose buttons over paddles if given the choice? It really sounds like there is more to it than preference. Maybe the guitar was a bad analogy. If you have an injured thumb, what do you do? There are not 3 more thumbs backing it up.

This is F1. We don't need a huge quantifier to use paddles, just that they are slightly better than buttons for the reasons I have mentioned.

Image


And yes ew fender. Give me a Jackson with an EMP in the bridge any day.
Before I do anything I ask myself “Would an idiot do that?” And if the answer is yes, I do not do that thing. - Dwight Schrute

Mystery Steve
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Giblet wrote:I thought I made a reference in my post that I am sure buttons could be used to as great effect as paddles, but there is no reason a button is better than a paddle.
My bad... I read the sentence that said "The button cannot be as good as paddles," and the next sentence kind of went over my head. I think this topic has been effectively beaten to death now.

autogyro
autogyro
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Re: What was the first F1 car with paddle shifting?

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Anyone play bass, you could use paddles on that.

Sorry :lol: