F1 Paddle Shifters, Come To Indy Cars

[GP Racer]

Heard a report that Honda, is looking to remove the sequential shifter, and move to paddle shifters on the steering wheel, like in F1.

I personally think this is a great move, simply because, at the speeds the Indy Cars race at, its just got to be far safer to keep both hands on the wheel while shifting.
It also shows the IRL is forward thinking, and is continuing to keep up with technology.

Any thoughts?

[jhansen]

At the moment, I do not believe they have to actively shift at too many of the tracks (pitting, etc. excluded). Although I have heard of it. Especially for certain strategies or for a passing gear on the big tracks. I'm pretty sure I've never seen shifting while in the turns on an oval. Overall, if the league has no rule against it, I could care less. If it's legal and the teams want it, go for it.

But, this could be for another reason with roadracing looking ever more probable.

[Kicking-back]

If it was legal, someone in Champ Car or IRL would've done it before now.

It's been in F1 since 1989.

I think the rules don't allow it in either IRL or CC.

[gttouring]

At motegi the Champcars would shift to 6th gear before theturn in at the tighter end of theoval (3-4) and in car footage of Brack and fernandez showed them up shifting to 6th and then going back down to 4th in a few meters, and then on again...
Indy cars gearing and power and wing setup shows the drivers do not shift, maybe a passing gear, maybe. most of them ride 6th all day long so paddle shifting would be welcome as shifting isn't a huge part of the IRL strategy anyway, I do hope Champcars stays with the man handle nature of the series witha gear shift knob that is the coolest, and provides for more driver input and error, so lets leave them alone- lap times be damned we want good wheel to wheel lap after lap racing in those turbo things

[marcus]

dont see the point personally , I hate it in F1 but in Indycar it wouldnt be that much of an advantage , but hey if they wanna do it then why not , it wont change much at all.

allthough maybe this will again increase costs ???

[racer69]

Give them back a H-pattern

[jjspierx]

I agree with Racer69, I am fan of the gated shifter myself. They require the drivers to be more precise, and they increase the chances of mishifts by impatient drivers which could lead to more passing. But I guess that is all irrelavant on ovals, where I imagine they would never need to drop more than a gear after they are up to speed. In fact it would probably be more dangerous to have a gated shifter on an oval, cause if a driver missed a shift on an oval, it would greatly increase the chances of a spin or accident. Also gated shifters would not work for the "no-lift upshifts" that IRL engines and Champcar engines both use.

GP Racer - It wouldn't make much of a difference to me if IRL went to paddleshifters, although I don't think it would make much of a difference for oval tracks. The main thing that bothers me about it, is it is one more aid for the driver, to make it easier to drive. I don't think driving SHOULD be any easier than it already is for the driver. If you have to take one hand of the wheel to downshift, or upshift in midcorner, than so be it, thats why you are being paid the big bucks and thats why you are a professional race car driver that seperates you from the amateurs. Paddle shifters would be an even BIGGER advantage(and bigger driver aid) for Champcars, that would actually use the shifter 20-40 times per lap on most street and road courses. While I agree yith your point that it shows that IRL is "forward thinking", I disagree with you in that it points towards the IRL keeping up with technology. There is no technology involved with paddle shifting. The gearbox's don't change at all, it is simply mechanical changes to the shifting mechanism. Unless they decided to do something like digital paddles, like I believe F1 had in the later days before the automatic gearboxes that they have now(I could be wrong on this). In that case, it can get quite complex, and I really doubt that the IRL would decide to make such an expensive decision in a series that is trying to cut costs to attract more teams and drivers.

[Down F0rce]

Not a big issue for me really - but I'd rather they had a gearstick. A H-Pattern sounds good to me

[GP Racer]

I love H pattern shifters to guys, I mean, thats what we were all brought up on.

On an oval racer doing 230MPH though, I think it would be quite dangerous as jj pointed out. You could look at paddle shifters as another way that the IRL is going after safety issues. They are always being critisised for not doing enough. There is a technological difference between paddle shifters and sequential shifters though. Paddle shifting is extremely quick, the gear changes are instantaneous, no lag whatsoever is felt. I don't know exactly how thats accomplished though, but most probably through electronics. Anyone thats heard an F1 car go through the gears, knows how quick it is.

Many cars are beginning to use paddle shifters now. From high end cars such as Ferrari's and Maserati's, to the new Pontiac Grand Prix. Its definetely the next "big thing" in car manufacturing, and I'm quite sure the H shifters days are numbered, unfortunately.

[911gt1]

Originally posted by GP Racer
Heard a report that Honda, is looking to remove the sequential shifter, and move to paddle shifters on the steering wheel, like in F1.

I personally think this is a great move, simply because, at the speeds the Indy Cars race at, its just got to be far safer to keep both hands on the wheel while shifting.
It also shows the IRL is forward thinking, and is continuing to keep up with technology.

Any thoughts?

The reason for the move is road racing. With many of the IRL drivers not being used to shifting, and steering one handed while doing so, the switch to paddle shifters will make everything easier and safer for them on the road courses in 2005.

[evo]

Of course shifting is usually done while the car is travelling in a straight line so I don't really see the need for paddle shifters.

[racer69]

Originally posted by 911gt1
The reason for the move is road racing. With many of the IRL drivers not being used to shifting, and steering one handed while doing so, the switch to paddle shifters will make everything easier and safer for them on the road courses in 2005.

But the majority of IRL drivers come from a road-racing background.

GP Racer - I disagree about H-patterns being a safety issue. There were no complaints for 80 odd years until Indycars went sequential in what, 1995?

[GP Racer]

Originally posted by racer69
But the majority of IRL drivers come from a road-racing background.

GP Racer - I disagree about H-patterns being a safety issue. There were no complaints for 80 odd years until Indycars went sequential in what, 1995?

For 80 odd years there wasn't much choice but the H-shifter. Now technology has made something better, well, maybe better.

I wonder if any accidents were caused by a missed shift on an H-pattern? I think its highly probable, although I'm quite sure no driver would admit it!

[marcus]

I want to raise the issue of cost on this device.

does anyone know if this will increase costs ?

surely if it goes wrong the electronics will cost more to fix ?

I could be wrong but I still dont see a need for them

[Weaver]

Originally posted by 911gt1
The reason for the move is road racing. With many of the IRL drivers not being used to shifting, and steering one handed while doing so, the switch to paddle shifters will make everything easier and safer for them on the road courses in 2005.

Sorry, that is not the reason. And it is not being developed by HPD, but one of the teams.

It is solely to speed up gear engagment. It is having some teething probelms, none of which I can comment about. You will probably not see it on a car during a race for quite a while. It has been seen by the IRL, and its development has been OK'd. Cost? Parts are cheap. Time and manpower, that a different story.

Oh, and if it goes wrong? It chews up gears and dogs, and possible even larger implications.

[GP Racer]

Thanks for the info Weaver.

I thought it was to speed up the shifts. Sequential shifting can't compare with paddle shifting, and forget about an H pattern shifter, thats really "old school"! I've heard F1 cars on the up shift and it really is very quick. It must give you a real kick in the butt!

I didn't know a failure could lead to such catastrophic problems though, ouch!