Padle Shifter

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

I know many of you Atom fiends are technologically and mechanically adept. Has anyone seriously looked into the possibility of having a padle shifter placed on the steering wheel? Would this be a very complex, expensive and troublesome addition?

[Jammer]

There is a company that electronic adapts autos to paddle shifter..I ordered one for my Pontiac... but you need an auto...and most autos dont much like being treated that way... sort of a short cut unless the tranny is designed for it.  I'll try to post a video/link soon.

[Jammer]

see web site here  http://www.twistmachine.com/products/

[dp]

since atoms only come with a regular manual gearbox a paddle shifter is impractical to add.  you'd have to find, engineer and install the actuators and controller - on a one-off basis it would likely cost more than the car itself.  a slightly 'easier' solution would be to find a complete drivetrain (including the electronics) from a production FWD car that has a sequential manual box.  none come to mind immediately but i'm sure they're out there.  or put in an automatic and then you can use the controllers mentioned above.  all of that seems like a lot of hassle and expense just to avoid shifting   i, for one, rather enjoy the manual shifter.  i had an '06 bmw M5 with SMG and would have much preferred a regular manual.

[Driver]

I drove sticks for years. Learned when I was 15 on an old Dodge truck with a column shifter ("3 on the tree"). Upon moving over to a V8 and a automatic from a 4cyl with a 5speed, I always missed the connection between myself and the vehicle that a stick relays. Never felt the same "connection" with an automatic.

[Myerfire48]

I'd love a sequential gearbox with paddle shifters myself.  But I wouldn't want an adapted auto or some other slushbox adaptation.  Give me a real deal sequential and I'd spank myself with those paddles.

[dp]

easy - all it takes is money   quaife, hewland and xtrac all have FWD sequential boxes. they all run about $18K apiece plus another $8K for custom bellhousing, then figure another $2K for custom flywheel and cluch, $10K engineering and miscellaneous install bits (new mounts, halfshafts, CV joints, linkage and the paddles themselves)...  so for just under $40K you can have one.  i can even do it for you

[kenazusa]

[quote="dp"]
easy - all it takes is money   quaife, hewland and xtrac all have FWD sequential boxes. they all run about $18K apiece plus another $8K for custom bellhousing, then figure another $2K for custom flywheel and cluch, $10K engineering and miscellaneous install bits (new mounts, halfshafts, CV joints, linkage and the paddles themselves)...  so for just under $40K you can have one.  i can even do it for you
[/quote]

I thought it would be easy!

I saw Eddie Lawson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Lawson at the track last Sunday while I was on the starting grid. I signaled him to come over and drive the car. He hesitated, but then asked "is it sequential"? It had me thinking of how hard that would be, but it also meant the car looked like a race car to him.

He said next track day - at the bigger track, Don't know if I have the guts to ride along.

[FAST BUCK]

Ariel have looked into paddle shift but I don't know the outcome....... they wanted me to try it out on my old 450.

[ross]

Personally, I think that trying to bolt a paddle shift mechanism onto any gearbox that hasn't been designed to support a paddle shift from the outset would be a very bad idea as it would be crap.

Perhaps a future Atom will use a gearbox that will support this?  It would certainly be cool to have, although the added complexity goes against the grain a bit.

Cheers, Ross.

[rfmarz@frontiernet]

I guess I know where I'm going with this (nowhere!). Just didn't realize the complexity of it all.

[Myerfire48]

[quote="dp"]
so for just under $40K you can have one.  i can even do it for you
[/quote]

I have full confidence you coud build it dp, however, for fourty grand, I'll buy another house thanks..  maybe once I go public and after I buy the Golden Statre Warriors I'll get back to you on that.

Or maybe I'll just buy a Ferrari, since we're fantasizing..

[dp]

a house for $40K?  then you could more than double its value when you park the atom in the garage! such practicality coming from an atom owner and self-proclaimed 'speed junkie'   but hey, to each their own.  i too felt it was a bit much for a box so i went with a quaife-geared H-gate MTX75 for my atom instead.  to some it's not that far fetched an idea though, so a true sequential atom is not fantasy.  it is very doable and sooner or later someone will do it... 

[Myerfire48]

Well not exactly but $40K will get you a down payment on a very flippable fixer.  No houses down here start with another zero for a 500 sq.ft. studio condo.  Pretty ugly actually.  I actually consider myself quite practical and case in point with the Atom.  Look at the performance bargain the Atom is when you put its pure numbers against another marquee.  To get the same performance you'd have to spend considerably more, and it's somewhat safer than a motorcycle.  You could say it's a speed junkies most practical fix.

Someday I hope to see that Atom of yours, quite intriguing. I  also hope to someday get into a car with a real sequential gearbox, be it an atom or otherwise.  SOmeday..  today Im quite happy with my manual shifting Atom though.

[dp35]

[quote="Myerfire48"]
Look at the performance bargain the Atom is when you put its pure numbers against another marquee.  To get the same performance you'd have to spend considerably more, and it's somewhat safer than a motorcycle.  You could say it's a speed junkies most practical fix.[/quote]

I agree, Atoms are a bargain.  That's the only reason I bought one.  I couldn't pass up the deal!

[quote="Myerfire48"]
I also hope to someday get into a car with a real sequential gearbox, be it an atom or otherwise. 
[/quote]

You could easily satisfy this fantasy by going for a ride in your hairdresser's MR2, it has a real seq tranny.  Speaking of your hairdresser and satisfying fantasies....