After living with the car for not quite a year now, I tend to agree. The steering ratio is quick enough that there are seldom situations where you have the steering wheel cranked over and need to shift at the same time. This to me would be the only situation where it would be better to have the paddles mounted to the column instead of the wheel. Remember, you're not supposed to shift in the middle of a turn!

Larger paddles would only be needed if you had them on the column. If you had large ones on the steering wheel, you'd hit them by mistake more often. I think I've only mistakenly hit a paddle in our cars once, on the track at the R Performance Academy.

Back to the original question, yes, it would look cool to have a metal paddle like AMs have, but lighted like the paddles on our cars. But if kept to the same size, I don't think we (as drivers) would see much of them. Mostly the passenger would see them and only if they were looking that direction. So I guess Jaguar made the right cost compromise by not going to metal. I'd still spring for a set of lighted metal ones if someone offered them at reasonable cost.

 

I can't seem to find another car with lighted metal paddles... Plus this would add complexity to the install/upgrade/grafting process. I still haven't noticed the stock ones being lit, I'll have to look next time I'm depriving at night. My guess is that the stock part is hollow and has translucent + & - symbols. Maybe they get light from inside the column and not from the paddle itself. The part list shows the paddles at $22.85 (at least for the 2010), and don't show any additional parts like a light bulb, etc. guessing illumination is passive therefore.

With no consensus on preferable size and preference for illuminated paddles, I don't think we will find a solution... Really for me it comes down to the feel of the part. Hollow plastic isn't up to snuff for a major control mechanism. For me, having metal or super dense plastic or wood would be a big upgrade.

I'll order some stock parts and post findings...

Skeeter

 

A glance through the TIDstyling.com site shows them using a three layer design with the inner layer translucent?

TID STYLING - GERMAN CAR BODY KIT DESIGN - EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR PARTS - AUDI-VW
TID STYLING - GERMAN CAR BODY KIT DESIGN - EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR PARTS - AUDI-VW

I cant help but think that the first person to send them an OEM set of paddles so they can designe a set for the Jag could get a real price break on the first release.

Still the "Ultimate Shifter" retails just over $600, so it is not a price I would feel comfortable with regardless of how nice they look.

Vince

 

Whoa! $600 vs. under $30 for our paddles... These show electric leads, I'm sure they plug in and have internal light bulbs to light up the + - symbols. Tough to get that in our cars, where the paddles show as just a plastic piece, no connectors or sub components, like a light bulb, and nowhere for them to plug into in the jag.

Nice looking though!

Skeeter

 

Removed; not in the correct thread. Don't know how it got here.

 

Yeah I hate having to switch to auto before going sideways above about 80mph.

 

I'm planning to do this: Buy new paddles and wrap them with either 3M 1080 brushed aluminum or 3M CF Di-Noc. One wrap of Di-Noc (it's textured and thicker) or two wraps of 3M 1080 brushed aluminum might make it feel much more substantial -- at least they'll look better.

And I can always put the original ones back in when I sell the car.

I know the paddles won't "weigh" as much as real metal, but the extra thickness might just add enough feel to my fingertips.

Thoughts on which color - aluminum or di-noc cf? The di-noc probably will feel better, but the aluminum will better highlight the paddles for on-lookers.

BTW- there's always hydrographics for those who are interested. Some paddles have flashing left on them, so my hunch is that a wrap will turn out better than hydro.

Either way, you'll lose the little green "+" and "-" just in case you might otherwise get confused about which one to pull

 

The paddle size if fine by me. I sometimes wish they were just a tad further away from the wheel. I've engaged them by accident a few times.

My gripe is when both paddles are pulled back, the car does not go back to "D" as quick as I'd like and it also goes down a gear. I can deal with gear change, just wish it would go back to "D" smoother and quicker.

 

I think you're only supposed to pull the upshift (right) paddle to go back to "D". It still takes a 2-3 second pull of the right paddle to resume full auto. On 07-09 models, I found it's flick the J-gate over from sport to auto (and back if you want fully auto sport).

On MY10+, same concept with rotating the JaguarDrive.

 

I usually flick the J-gate over, but pulling both levers on '07 I thought was the way to do it. How would pulling just the right paddle do it? Would that just mean to go to the next gear?

 

A 2-3 second pull on the right hand paddle puts mine back in to Auto. It does also try and put it in the next gear but will change back if the revs aren't high enough but will then eventually put it back to Auto.

 

I always just pull the upshift and hold for 2 seconds to go back to D in my 08. Its smooth since yes, you upshift, then another second later D is back.

 

I've got an 07, a few seconds with just the right paddle works. It does upshift first, but I'm usually coasting when I do it.

 

Just tried the pull and hold right shifter, works great! Thanks for the tip!

 

Does this have to be done in "D" mode?

 

How do you like that, you've had the car for how many years and your still learning new things

I bet this renews your relationship a bit and will definitely add a additional pleasurable driving experience. It would have drove me nuts to downshift when I just wanted to get back to auto. i.e. you want to smooth out into auto not rev up into auto.

 

Yes, you need to rotate the knob on the console to "D" first. Just pulling the right paddle doesn't put the transmission into drive. It will return it to D mode if, after pulling one of the paddles to shift gears "manually", you want to return to D's auto mode.

Often if you pull a paddle to shift, it will return to D mode on its own if you don't keep using the paddles to shift. Some find that useful. I find it annoying. When I want to shift, I want to shift.

There are a couple ways to keep it in manual mode. One is to select both "S" mode and "Dynamic" mode. It will shift automatically (albeit at higher RPM for each gear and it will be reluctant to upshift) until you pull a paddle. Then it will stay in manual mode unless you either pull and hold the right paddle for 2-3 seconds or rotate the knob back to D. When you enter manual mode this way, the center display will display the gear you are in, in a large numeral inside a circle.

FWIW, I find the S/Dynamic manual mode more satisfying to use that S-Auto. D mode upshifts a bit too soon from 2-3, but S mode auto shifts it too late and then holds it in 3rd too long. For fun (at the expense of some MPG), I put it in S/Dynamic, then use manual mode to hold 2nd longer than the S-Auto program, but then manually upshift to higher gears sooner than S-Auto, so as to keep from wasting too much fuel or sustaining high revs (there is so much torque to the engine that higher revs really aren't necessary at speeds above 40-50). Quite fun. The torque and push in the back keeping it in 2nd to accelerate out of turns or from stop lights is quite amazing.

At the Jaguar R Performance Academy (highly recommended!), we used S-Auto and Dynamic/Track mode most of the time during the track sessions, so that we didn't need to remember to shift and just concentrate on braking, line and cornering techniques. Other than such a use, I prefer S/Dynamic manual mode so I can select gears for myself.

The only issue I have with the Jag system is that there isn't a button like "M" mode in BMWs that lets you program your favorite settings so that you don't have to select S, and Dynamic, then paddle shift to get to manual. It's not that inconvenient, but you can't set it up until after you back out of your garage or parking space. While you can select Dynamic anytime, you can't obviously go to S on the knob until you finish any use of Reverse (don't select S and Dynamic and then hit what's in front of you instead of backing up!).

 

Ya, learning new things! The downshift thing I just thought was odd, but I'd make sure I was in the gear I wanted to be in before doing it. I am not really into the flappy paddles at all. I just keep it in D about 95% of the time.

I will for sure play around more with switching from D to Man more now. I couldn't find a car in manual that would do the trick. Don't like the 6 Series and I am not a 911 kind of guy. I would like to own a 911 some time, but the "mid-life crisis" and "another douche in 911" monikers I could do without.

All connotations of owning a Jag (good or bad) are good to me...

 

Not sure if it's the same on the XK, but holding the right paddle shifter to go from manual to auto can be reversed as well. Meaning, if you decide to take it out of auto, just keep holding the right gear selector and it will go back into manual mode.

My XF does this only in S, since the newer ones can't be activated in D, but i thought i would share.

 

Looks like the Xkr-s gt has some nice, bigger metal paddles. I wonder if these will become available.