Why three pedals are necessary...
 

Keep the driving experience!
Stop the numbness!


Why More Cars Need Three Pedals

From the article:

You have direct control over the transmission's smoothness by modulating engagement and disengagement of the clutch. Smooth automatic-like shifts or head jerking bang-it-in shifts...up to you

I have an E46 M3 with SMG. It does all this by itself far better than I can. It also never misses an upshift, never crunches a gear or reverse and will not let me down shift to first from fourth at 8000rpm destroying an engine. It has six different settings for shift speed and smoothness. Also has launch control with two modes: 1. burnout mode 2. Fastest accelerating mode. A third pedal is just less room for big feet.

I like 3 pedals because:

It's a passive anti theft system:D
I enjoy controlling the physical connection between engine and transmission myself instead of leaving it to a computer
A perfectly executed heel-toe brake/downshift on the track is incredibly satisfying
I expect standard transmissions won't be available much longer, and I will enjoy being the old fart who insists on driving old cars with clutch pedals.

I had a Maserati with the F1 gearbox and hated it. My daily driver RX8 with a manual gearbox was more fun. I will never doubt that the computer can shift smoother and faster than I can. But I don't drive sports cars on city streets because they are fast, I drive them because they are fun. A stick gives you 100% control over the car, you don't submit a request to a committee of computers and allow them to make the decision. It is more involving, more rewarding, and more fun.

If I was racing my opinion might be different, as the stick would yield a slower lap time.

Last line is the best:

"Maybe flappy paddle gearboxes should have handicapped placards as a prerequisite."

Did the Maser have an auto function like the M3 SMG? The SMG in auto mode freaks people out that don't understand what it is and how it works. They think it's like an auto gearbox with seamless shifts but when they feel the gear changes like a manual car, they're like "WTF?"
I've had lots of manual cars (Porsches) but I love the SMG. Different strokes I guess.

My wife had a 2004 M3 with the SMG and I loved it. Lots of options on how to shift and scary fast. However, for the pure thrill of total control driving, I still vote for the manual gear box. Maybe it's a control thing, but it provides a total experience of driver, car, and road.

u can change the clutch as DIY.

can't do that with a SMG :P

Yes, for sure.

I know the technology is amazing, and I know that I will never be as good as the computer at gear changes. I'd be faster around the circuit if I didn't have to think about the clutch, and heel-toe braking technique (I am practicing to be good enough to NOT have to think about it;)). But for me, something is lost when drivers don't have to learn these techniques. Perhaps one way of putting it is that undeniably, technology advances the science of driving. For me, it does not advance the art of driving.

I suppose I am becoming a crotchety old bastard (get off my lawn!). I can make an analogy with modern communication - emails, texts, etc. You can't deny that technology has brought us faster, and sometimes more efficient mediums to communicate with one another. Nor can you deny that something is lost vs. voice or face-to-face communication.

Who needs three pedals or computers for that matter?

What's a "flappy paddle?

Let me google that for you

;)

lol.

I'd rather ride the bus than drive an automatic. Yuk.

agree with 3 pedals 90% of the time. 10% of the time, if i'm on the 405 or 101 in the Ferrari, I dream of driving a tiptronic 911 turbo

I don't think the new dual clutch Porsche trannys should be called Tiptronics. They are manumatics or Doppelkupplung (PDK). Never been in a car with one, but I think I'd like it.

And then I could fool with the flappy paddle thingy.

3 Pedals? bah!
How bout 3 paddles, 8 knobs and a dozen switches?

Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website

Yes, the Cambiocorsa F1 gearbox (shared with the Ferrari 360) is very similar to the SMG. The F1 box in automatic mode was about as smooth as a drunken teenager driving stick for the first time. Shifting manually was better but still snapped your head, and sport mode was fast and harsh. The ONLY time that I liked it was under hard acceleration in sport mode, then it hauled ass. Sadly on the street that was about 3 seconds on a freeway entry ramp, then I was going fast enough that jail time was a concern. Hence my biggest complaint about the F1 gearbox - it's faster but not as much fun for normal driving.

I believe Porsche calls all of their PDK boxes exactly that. The Tiptronic box available on the Cayenne is totally different, it's a torque converter automatic with manual control. I have it on my S8 and it's really more of a gimmick in my opinion.

I drove the flappymatic in the che'vette. I was thinking of buying it and took it for a test drive with the sales person.

One of the reasons that I bought the car was to do continue track days lke I drove in my old mustang. Turn 2 At streets of willow is a 90 or so mph turn into a 30mph exit. I took the car out to an area where I knew that there was a 180 degree turn that I couldcome close to the turn at lil'willow. 1st. the car at the time couldn't dump gears quick enough.
2.nd The tires weren't up to temp and there was more pea gravel on the pavement and not enough "grove"
3rd. Car salesmen that don't do HPDE's aren't really good passengers.

I drove an 09 997 PDK for one week. That PDK is amazing, and if I had to drive a Porsche as a DD in traffic, I suppose it would be the best possible solution.

That said, given my druthers, I'll keep driving my soul-less Lexus in traffic, and keep the manual Porsche for the weekends!