Paddle Shifter Install - Twisted Shifter

For a long time hot rodders have had to make tough choices. One of these was choosing between a manual and automatic transmission. For the road course nothing beats rowing through the gears manually. It's sort of a Zen experience where man becomes one with machine. Not to mention that you are able to put yourself into the right gear at the right time. All is perfect in this world until you find yourself stuck in slow-moving traffic or at some cruising event. At those moments, when your right arm and left leg are slowly going numb, you wish you had an automatic. For the automatic trans guys, the slow stop-and-go traffic is a breeze, but on track day they are left out of one of the most enjoyable aspects, manual gear selection. Until now...

Visit any car dealership and you'll be hard pressed to find a new car that does not have an electronic transmission. And, thanks to those electronically-controlled transmissions, there's a pretty good chance that your new car will have some sort "manu-matic" feature that allows you to emulate a manual transmission without the delay inherent to pre-electronic "slush boxes." Everything from a new HEMI Magnum R/T to a Volkswagen Passat benefits from manu-matic shifting control. Chrysler calls their manual shifting function AutoStick while Porsche calls their design TipTronic. Regardless of the name, the technology is almost commonplace. So, why are hot rodders lagging behind?

Some would argue that the technology is unavailable in an older car. Well, guess what? It turns out that manu-matic functions have been hiding in aftermarket transmission controllers for many years. Those of you running TCI's T-Com system have a connector hanging off your harness that's marked "manual shift." The feature has just been sitting there, waiting for creative car guys to tap into the benefits. Other transmission controllers like Powertrain Control Solutions, Compushift and soon BigStuff3 also have manual-shift inputs. But, for ease of programming, we chose TCI's unit for this install. So one half of the puzzle has been in place for years, now all that was needed was just a way to control the shifts to take advantage of this modern manu-matic technology.

First, you need to understand how the modern transmissions like the 4L60E and 4L80E operate. Many people still refer to these tranies as "slush boxes" and figure that they operate in the same way as their old Turbo 350s and 400s. This is not the case. Even though the newer transmissions still have a mechanical lever, they are not a mechanical shift mechanism. Moving the lever merely activates electronic switches inside the transmission and adjusts the gear accordingly. A computer that selects the gear based on rpm, mph and throttle position controls this new breed of tranny. If the transmission is, in effect, controlled by electronic switches then couldn't you bypass the mechanical lever all together? In a word, yes.

Steve Chryssos had an automatic trans and he loved it, but he loved shifting too, so what to do? Steve and his friend, Frank Cerasuola, have been messing around with manu-matic shifting for years, but credit the initial concept of a hot rod manu-matic system to hot rod electronics guru John Meaney. Six-or-so years ago John had the foresight to include the manual-control option in his transmission controller design. Steve and Frank started with a TCI system and a couple of steering-wheel mounted buttons with coil cords wrapped around the steering column. The whole deal was very primitive. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. In fact, Popular Hot Rodding published pictures of their makeshift design way back in May 2003. As far as we know, this was the first published example of a "manu-matic" hot rod.

After seeing that this would work, Steve and Frank formed the company Twist Machine LLC and set out to perfect this electronic interface. Borrowing an idea from F1, they designed the Shrifter, a paddle shifter that could electronically control the first through fourth shifts in modern GM transmissions. The Shrifter unit bolts to the steering column and replaces the hub used with aftermarket steering wheels. The Shrifter has paddles at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions with the right paddle controlling upshifts and the left paddle controlling downshifts. When a paddle is pulled toward the wheel, it activates a switch, which sends a signal, wirelessly, to a control box. In essence it is really just three switches packaged in a very cool design. One switch for upshifts, one for downshifts and a separate switch to engage the system. Delay between the transmitter and receiver is a mere 0.125 seconds. Unfortunately, The Shrifter does not work with stock PCMs, so an aftermarket controller is a must. Another advantage is that you can turn the Shrifter off at any time, and your transmission will shift automatically like normal. Cool huh? The wireless design is very cool since it eliminates having to mess with running wires through your steering column. If you can replace a steering wheel then you can install the Shrifter, it's that easy.

The other part of this system is the computer that controls the transmission. A factory PCM does not offer much flexibility with programming and, while okay for stock applications, will not give you the control you need. For this duty an aftermarket transmission controller is required. TCI has been making a transmission controller for sometime now. The TCI T-Com has mainly been used by people who want the benefits of an electronic transmission in their computerless car. As mentioned, the T-Com has an input for the Shrifter so if you already have the TCI unit installed then the Shrifter is a simple plug-and-play install. The T-Com also has a laptop port that allows you to easily interface with the trans computer. You are able to set part-throttle shifts, wide-open throttle shifts, rpm levels and a host of other parameters. One other helpful tool is a virtual dashboard function, with data logging capabilities that let you monitor the operation of your transmission in order to fine tune it better.

Programing The T-Com

Like any computer, the T-Com needs programming. Some things have to be programmed in like tire size, transmission type and gear ratio. The best part about the software is that it allows you to take precise control of your transmission functions. You can control and alter the feel of the gearshift, the timing of the gearshift and the application of the lock-up in the torque converter. The T-Com software also allows you to have the transmission shift at Wide Open Throttle solely as a function of engine rpm, while it continues to follow shift curves based on road speed and throttle position during part-throttle driving. The software includes a dashboard function with data logging capabilities. This is very handy when it comes to fine tuning how and when your transmission shifts. When you are in the manu-matic mode the T-Com will automatically put you back into first gear if you come to a complete stop (rolling stops don't count). In addition, it will stop you from accidentally paddling into first gear at 90 mph. It won't keep you from hitting your rev-limiter if you forget to shift though, just like a manual transmission. Both TCI and Twist Machine were great when it came to technical questions. So far I love the system, I am able to enjoy driving in traffic and when the mood hits me I can paddle shift myself crazy through the gears, it is truly the best of both worlds.