I've read the section in the manual about what the paddles are, but I still don't get it. I don't really see a use for them, and they are in the way.

When I am driving I keep accidentally brushing my hand again the paddles, and it is making me nervous! What happens if I inadvertently press one of them? Will my Fit suddenly go into another gear in the manual transmission option? How do I then get it back to normal??

Or is it that I need to put the shifter into S before the paddles will work, preventing me from triggering the manual transmission accidentally?

I would really appreciate if someone could explain this paddle thing to me. As i said, I DID read the manual but I am still confused.

My Fit is a 2012 Sport. Orange. Not that it matters.

 

Orange is a cool color.

Nothing bad happens if you flip one of the paddles while in D. If you pull the left one, the transmission will change down a gear. The engine will spin up a bit, but you'll notice immediately and let off the gas to compensate. It will quickly switch back to the appropriate gear and you'll continue on your way.

Flip the right one and the transmission may switch up, lowering the engine speed. You may not even notice a change. It will again switch back on its own quickly and everything will go back to normal.

If it makes you that nervous, take a drive and pull each paddle to see what happens, then you will see how little you have to worry about.

 

An Orange Sport?! Well you have the fastest color, so you may have to worry about shifting accidentally. :P J/K

I see you read the manual, but you can also try checking out Google and YouTube for a more in-depth description.

The paddles will allow you to "manually" shift the automatic transmission in both D and S modes. In D, it will go back to normal operations after a few seconds, but in S, it will remain in the gear you select (unless you are going very slow/stopped).

Keep in mind that this is NOT like a dual/triple-clutch transmission that many of the higher end cars have (BMW DCT, VW DSG, Ferrari F1, etc). In the Fit, the paddles simply send an electronic signal to the automatic transmission. There will be a small delay.

If you're not comfortable with it, I recommend playing with it more and testing it out in a safe area. Since it's an automatic transmission, you don't have to worry about breaking anything. It won't allow you to shift into an incorrect gear.

The only "danger" I could possibly see is if you're driving near your limit and you accidentally downshift. It could potentially upset the balance of the vehicle. On the street, you should really never be driving at anything above 8/10ths since there's other traffic, obstacles, sand, etc on the road.

It is a relatively new technology so it's not surprising that your hand might hit/brush against it when driving. You'll quickly get used to it, so I wouldn't worry too much. Like I said, drive some more and play around with it to see what it can do.

I came from more powerful cars so I rarely use the paddles. I think it's pretty silly to have them on a 117hp car. :P But in the Fit's defense, they shift relatively quick. It's much faster than the original "tiptronics" that many other cars had in the prior years.

 

comes very useful in D mode for certain situations. for example, the fit in automatic mode accelerates very slowly, especially if you are trying to pass someone coming from behind. if u want the extra pep, u can tap the left paddle to drop it down a gear. pass the car in front of u, and when u "coast" or maintain a certain speed, the transmission would return back to D mode (automatic mode).

 

the paddle thingies are a poor design on these cars. i have them on my 09 and i think they are a joke. honda should've made extra +/- gates at the shift lever.

for me, it is best to use the left button to click, blip, and downshift to slow down, but let the car shift up on its own. i hate the AT on these cars.

 

I'm really not a fan of the +- on the shifter. It makes sense on manual cars but for simple electronic switches they should be as convenient to the driver as possible, ie on or near the steering wheel. That said I think stationary ones would make a lot more sense.

To the op: you should play with them to see what they do. It won't let you do something dumb and damaging. In D it'll hold the new gear for maybe a minute or so or you can cancel by holding the + for 2-3 seconds.

 

I guess im the only one who likes the paddles? When I hit the mountain roads or the track its convient. I can hold the gear I want

 

Oh, I like them more than I dislike them and notice the absence when I have to drive a regular automatic. That said, they are still more of a lark than a necessary bit of equipment.

 

I'm glad I was an ass to my salesman and made him find me a manual. He went so far as to give it to me for the same cost as the manual, but I couldn't get over the paddle shifters. Too annoying for me... >.<

 

the main issue i have with the Fit's paddles is it spins with the steering wheel. i cant find the paddle while making a left-hand turn from a stop and accelerating.

as you said, if the paddles were stationary on the steering column like on F1 cars (or even infiniti/nissan) then it could make more sense to have paddles.

 

you win. I don't want to get into it. I deleted my post.

 

me too. didnt feel like getting into an argument with fellow fit buddies.

 

I have a manual, so I don't have the paddles... but I can tell you one thing (my friend with a Fit w/paddles agrees): it can make passing easier, ESPECIALLY because the Fit only has 117 HP.

Instead of pressing the gas and waiting for the car to respond, you downshift and gas at the same time (or even shift just before pressing the gas more).

 

I don't see how that is being an ass, you wanted a manual car, that is a big part of driving and not something to settle for something else about.

That said, that sounds like a crap salesman. The guy I went to picked my car up from a dealership 50mi away (he drove another car up to deliver to them) and brought it back for me. It was the last (as far as I could tell/find) white base model 5MT in the NY/NJ/PA area.

 

Exactly.

Original Poster, you should definitely learn what happens when you use the paddles, that way you can learn to use them when you need a bit more acceleration.

 

+1...
OP, it's all part of getting/being familiar with your car. We can't help you with your nervousness. Many of us with paddles can only share our experiences.

Personally I don't find a lot of use for it. I seldom drive with both hands on the wheel, which the paddles require if you want to shift up and down when you want to. By the way, both hands on the wheel if your Driver's License ink is still fresh... Mine's moldy already...

Nice-to-have type novelty for me. I leave it alone and it doesn't bother me. It works fine when I use them. Other posters already explained most of the functions, uses, pros and cons. Just like wax on/wax off - left down (shift), right up (shift). Good luck!

 

Personally, I've just learned when the paddle ends up in that situation. And I find its counterbalanced by having the paddles stay at my finger tips when the wheel is turned 90 degrees. That said, this is clearly more in the realm of personal preference, especially mated to the fit's auto-tragic slushbox. I haven't ever driven a car with fixed position paddles so really can't compare either.

 

No, I like them too. It takes a little getting used to, to get the hang of it.

 

It is extremely unlikely that inadvertent use of the paddles would ever cause something bad to happen. However like any other feature you must bear responsibility for understanding how they work, because it's your car and no matter how much you might want to later say "it's the manufacturer's fault for putting those in!" it would in fact be your fault if you misused a feature that you purchased as part of the car and specifically chose not to inform yourself about. And luckily you have come to a place where people are willing to talk in greater length about this feature that what is in the manual.

You may remember that auto transmissions used to allow you to go from 4 (top gear), to 3, or 2, or 1 or whatever. If you shifted from 4 to 3, the transmission gets an electronic signal to shift down one gear and it does that; the control doesn't physically control anything. Very simple. Well, same thing with those paddles. If you pull the (-) paddle it'll shift down one gear. Similar with (+) except, up. That's really .. it. It's just a control for the car, just like the gear selector or the turn signals or anything else. Don't freak out. Try them out on a gentle straight road and you hopefully will lose all fear of them, and then you can proceed to ignore them for the rest of the time you own the car, which is fine. That's my wife's approach and there's no hard in this.

The "S" on the transmission, btw, just uses a different set of shift parameters; the car will hold gears longer and generally be in a lower gear at any given speed. The main thing you'll notice is higher noise and lower MPG and I only ever use this if I am going up hills for extended periods.

If you manage to consistently yank on the paddle controls unintentionally, which is unlikely but you mention it, then I must say that is very sloppy and probably you should focus more on what you are doing. The car has controls. They're not overly complicated. You don't need to use these paddles if you don't want to, but you should not pull them randomly. You're the driver. Don't want to have responsibility for manipulating the controls? Sell the car; take the bus.

Hope that helps!

 

yah, maybe i just need to get use to it more since i dont drive my 09 all that much. the fixed position ones are nice. the paddles themselves are much longer too.