TAPshift Feedback

[trewyn15]

I like the idea of tap shifters, but I've only used it before in an Acadia Denali... anyone else have the trouble of the shifting being super slow?

[amz]

Originally Posted by SuperSport2011

this thread is gonna get ugly lol, but here we go...

Exactly !

[IBM camaro]

Lol the 2012 is the same shift programming only the zl1 has preloaded gears and I would rate the shifting at a 5 after driving a 2012 m3 and 2012 boxster s it's super laggy

[mikeSS]

what do i think of autos? i can see why people may get them. personally, i do not care what is faster by a half of second. the manual is simply fun, and i get a different feel of the car. so i would never get a sports car in auto, ok many a Duel clutch tranny. but that may be later in life.

[SPCBA]

I don't know why others shift "lags" or whatever, because mine is pretty much instant. Its not a lambo so its doesn't work as fast (advertised in miliseconds or some shit) or break as fast.

[Ozzie RS]

Originally Posted by rydahog

this is what i got..no more steering wheel tap...

I also bought this same shifter from a member on this forum and love it. Your right hand naturally stays on the shifter and to have the shift buttons on the console is the way to go. I wish I could remember his name but I do know he is on the east coast around Boston and does great work. Price was under $200 and have no regrets. He will build anything you want. Mine is chrome with a red stripe down the middle of the handle.

[Jimmy Superfly]

I'm sure I have said most of this before in one of the many auto vs manual threads on these forums. For the record my car is a 2012 which means that it has the updated shift algorithms and the transmission will pre-load the next gear. At this point I have not tuned my car so the transmission behaves exactly as stock. Keep in mind that because my car is not tuned it is still using AFM. If you want a super aggressive automatic then a tune is a must (I will be getting mine in the spring).

I’m looking to hear what people think of the three modes (Sport, Manual, and Auto I think??) and how the car responds to the steering wheel mounted paddles. Is it fun to drive in “manual mode”? Does the car shift quickly and sharply, or does it lag?

Drive: The car behaves like a normal automatic car. The shifts are much less aggressive, the gas millage is better and the car is very easy to drive in gridlock traffic (my daily commute to work). Because I have yet to tune my L99 I still have AFM which tends to engage a lot more while in "D". Its not my preferred way to drive my Camaro but its very nice to have it when I need it.

Sport: Aggressive shifts and a tendency to hold gears much longer make the engine and the car as a whole feel much more sporting. At this point it still doesn't really compare to a real manual but it makes the car feel way less pedestrian. 'Sport' does become a lot more fun once you learn the transmission's tendencies and how to use it aggressively yet smoothly. This is my preferred way to drive my car through light highway traffic or suburban areas. The millage isn't as good as "D" but it is still way better than what you get with the paddles.

Paddles: The paddles give you a lot more control over your shifts than most 3 pedal purists would care to admit. They are far from perfect but I believe that they do a very effective job of giving you control over what gear you are in. The transmission will not automatically up-shift for you. Instead it just seems to cut power for a split second when actually you hit the rev-limiter. I am not too sure about automatic downshifts because I haven't really put my car in that position while using paddles but I would assume that the car will take steps to avoid causing damage. I use my paddles exclusively when I take my car to the track (road course) and on any twisty back road I can find. As much as I tike the paddles I admittedly don't see much of a point using them in other situations once you learn to effectively work with "S". In the hands of a professional the manual would certainly be better around the track then the paddles. With my admittedly novice level of skill however I do believe that I can set much faster lap times with the paddles. As was previously mentioned the positioning of the paddles is not great but it still allows me to keep both hands on the wheel while driving my car to the best of my ability.

If you’ve driven others with this type of transmission, how does TAPshift compare to other systems…such as Dodge’s Autostik?

Mopar: I have driven a previous generation Grand Cherokee and a current generation 300C. Both cars were equipped with "Autostik" transmissions mated to the 5.7L Hemi. This combination absolutely pales in comparison to the GM unit. I got extremely frustrated by the (lack of) responsiveness and overall poor feel of these units. I found both vehicles much more enjoyable when I left the transmission alone and simply tried to work with its auto kick-downs and random up-shifts.

BMW: I have spent a significant amount of time driving a 2009 BMW 135i equipped with the N54 twin turbo I6 and a 6 speed auto. The transmission in this particular car is a conventional auto built by ZF and not a DSG unit. This is an excellent unit that I found very fun to drive both aggressively and in normal conditions. While the shifts in Camaro are just as fast (if not faster) the BMW felt a lot smoother. It was so smooth that I actually found the "manual" shifting to be quite fun while cruising at low speeds. I give this transmission bonus points for having both the wheel mounted paddles and a properly orientated shift gate feature.

Any problems or consistent failure issues?

None that I have experienced at this time. My car has 12,000 km's on it.

Also, what to people who normally drive true manual cars think of the TAPshift?

The last manual I spent a significant amount of time with was a 2011 Mustang V6 with essentially no options. The car was not equipped with the sport pack and did not have the more aggressive gears. It's not really a fair comparison because of the power difference and the mods I have but I felt that my car as a whole was significantly more fun and interesting to drive. I have another friend with a 2013 Auto V6 Mustang on order right now. Ask me again in a month for a more fair comparison.

I also will add a 1 to 5 poll, five being the best, so people can rate the transmission.

I voted 4/5. It's no Porsche PDK but it is so much more than 'adequate'. The transmission is not quite as smooth as the ZF box and it lacks the options of the BMW. On the other hand I think that if you are looking at similar cars for similar prices it can't be beat. I am very satisfied with mine because it accomplishes its main goal, I can drive my car like any other grocery getter in heavy traffic and then let loose on some empty back-roads when the opportunity arises.

I hope this helps.

[Fiveg56]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Superfly

I'm sure I have said most of this before in one of the many auto vs manual threads on these forums. For the record my car is a 2012 which means that it has the updated shift algorithms and the transmission will pre-load the next gear. At this point I have not tuned my car so the transmission behaves exactly as stock. Keep in mind that because my car is not tuned it is still using AFM. If you want a super aggressive automatic then a tune is a must (I will be getting mine in the spring).

I’m looking to hear what people think of the three modes (Sport, Manual, and Auto I think??) and how the car responds to the steering wheel mounted paddles. Is it fun to drive in “manual mode”? Does the car shift quickly and sharply, or does it lag?

Drive: The car behaves like a normal automatic car. The shifts are much less aggressive, the gas millage is better and the car is very easy to drive in gridlock traffic (my daily commute to work). Because I have yet to tune my L99 I still have AFM which tends to engage a lot more while in "D". Its not my preferred way to drive my Camaro but its very nice to have it when I need it.

Sport: Aggressive shifts and a tendency to hold gears much longer make the engine and the car as a whole feel much more sporting. At this point it still doesn't really compare to a real manual but it makes the car feel way less pedestrian. 'Sport' does become a lot more fun once you learn the transmission's tendencies and how to use it aggressively yet smoothly. This is my preferred way to drive my car through light highway traffic or suburban areas. The millage isn't as good as "D" but it is still way better than what you get with the paddles.

Paddles: The paddles give you a lot more control over your shifts than most 3 pedal purists would care to admit. They are far from perfect but I believe that they do a very effective job of giving you control over what gear you are in. The transmission will not automatically up-shift for you. Instead it just seems to cut power for a split second when actually you hit the rev-limiter. I am not too sure about automatic downshifts because I haven't really put my car in that position while using paddles but I would assume that the car will take steps to avoid causing damage. I use my paddles exclusively when I take my car to the track (road course) and on any twisty back road I can find. As much as I tike the paddles I admittedly don't see much of a point using them in other situations once you learn to effectively work with "S". In the hands of a professional the manual would certainly be better around the track then the paddles. With my admittedly novice level of skill however I do believe that I can set much faster lap times with the paddles. As was previously mentioned the positioning of the paddles is not great but it still allows me to keep both hands on the wheel while driving my car to the best of my ability.

If you’ve driven others with this type of transmission, how does TAPshift compare to other systems…such as Dodge’s Autostik?

Mopar: I have driven a previous generation Grand Cherokee and a current generation 300C. Both cars were equipped with "Autostik" transmissions mated to the 5.7L Hemi. This combination absolutely pales in comparison to the GM unit. I got extremely frustrated by the (lack of) responsiveness and overall poor feel of these units. I found both vehicles much more enjoyable when I left the transmission alone and simply tried to work with its auto kick-downs and random up-shifts.

BMW: I have spent a significant amount of time driving a 2009 BMW 135i equipped with the N54 twin turbo I6 and a 6 speed auto. The transmission in this particular car is a conventional auto built by ZF and not a DSG unit. This is an excellent unit that I found very fun to drive both aggressively and in normal conditions. While the shifts in Camaro are just as fast (if not faster) the BMW felt a lot smoother. It was so smooth that I actually found the "manual" shifting to be quite fun while cruising at low speeds. I give this transmission bonus points for having both the wheel mounted paddles and a properly orientated shift gate feature.

Any problems or consistent failure issues?

None that I have experienced at this time. My car has 12,000 km's on it.

Also, what to people who normally drive true manual cars think of the TAPshift?

The last manual I spent a significant amount of time with was a 2011 Mustang V6 with essentially no options. The car was not equipped with the sport pack and did not have the more aggressive gears. It's not really a fair comparison because of the power difference and the mods I have but I felt that my car as a whole was significantly more fun and interesting to drive. I have another friend with a 2013 Auto V6 Mustang on order right now. Ask me again in a month for a more fair comparison.

I also will add a 1 to 5 poll, five being the best, so people can rate the transmission.

I voted 4/5. It's no Porsche PDK but it is so much more than 'adequate'. The transmission is not quite as smooth as the ZF box and it lacks the options of the BMW. On the other hand I think that if you are looking at similar cars for similar prices it can't be beat. I am very satisfied with mine because it accomplishes its main goal, I can drive my car like any other grocery getter in heavy traffic and then let loose on some empty back-roads when the opportunity arises.

I hope this helps.

Great post! Thanks for the info.

[Fogey]

Bought them from a guy that's on this board. Do a search. They took 5 minutes to install. I've had them for about a year and no problems. I like being able to keep both hands on the wheel and these shifters let you do that
I wish the shift was a little quicker. This can be achieved thru a tranny tune and that will be my next mod.
I drove sticks for many years, (I'm 71 years old) but two bad knees and Los Angeles traffic made me make the shift to auto. I use th tapshift 99% of the time. If I'm on a long road trip with lots of straght away, I do use drive and cruise to save gas.
Anyway, a big thumbs up for the tapshift with paddles
Found the info. PM horizon670 of Vitesse Motorsports. He's the guy selling these.

[CamaroKevin]

To be honest, I'm not a fan of the tap shift. On occasion I try it out, but I'm not a big fan. Like others have said, I've seen lag. It would have been better, IMO, to have shift-tronic on the shifter rather than have paddle shifters. The paddle shifters have an awkward feel too, like I shouldn't be able to shift from the steering wheel. Sometimes I find myself holding onto the shifter, but obviously unable to shift from there.

I do use the Sport Mode alot! The shifting in the car changes dramatically and the exhaust is more noticeable with a growl when stepped on. Other than the Sport Mode, I am indifferent to the tap shift as much as I think the idea is cool and as I'd like to love it. Very hard to get used to.


Posted from Camaro5.com App for Android

[My Caroline]

Everything about the stock transmission has been said. Drive is for economy, sport is for higher revving Automatic shifts, and manual is for fun.

A good transmission tune will make it even more fun.

[CFD]

I am actually quite happy with this feature. I do have a tranny tune which makes it even better but once you use the system you can get quite efficient with it. The biggest set back was the buttons on the wheel. No matter how big it just doen't feel natural but that has been solved with my tapshifters.

[rush2112]

I need to play with this yet.
i want to get a few mile on it first

[OmniCamaro]

I use tapshift about 90% of my time behind the wheel. The only time I do not like to use it is when I want to go from 0-whatever in the shortest amount of time! The only way I can think to explain it is that while using tapshift there is a transition in shifts that just isn't there in S or D. The reason I use tapshift the most is to avoid the AFM and to get the most sound from my rear end! Downshifting is fun as well!

Like others have stated, the Sport mode is quite cool. If not using tapshift I'm in Sport mode. It has surprised me a few times on turns or when I brake hard in short succession.

I also have to comment on the aftermarket shifter that some have posted about. I absolutely cannot imagine shifting gears with it in my car! I've actually tried to imagine it in my car and to me it would just be too awkward. I'd have to rotate my arm/hand in order to reach those buttons; my thumb is only so long. A T-handle shifter with the buttons under the T or on the driver side of the T seems like a much better idea. I could also possibly see it work if the buttons were smaller and more towards the top. The design shown is a definite no for me.