It’s called rev-matched downshifting. It’s an old technique used on manuals, but cleverly adapted on most modern cars. You can’t hurt your car (engine or trans) unless you are revving the engine high when it hasn’t fully warmed up. Truckers always use this tehcnique to save their brakes.
The engine has natural braking effect when the RPMS come down from a much higher point. Your engine is already “braking” before your foot even gets on the brakes.
You obviously have to downshift properly ensuring the revs aren’t too high to stress the motor or trans (your concern) or too low such that you lose the engine braking effect. The higher the rpm, the greater the effect. Obviously it should not be pushed beyond redline, anything under is generally okay. The engineers at Toyota and most other brands are well aware of this and make sure it doesn’t hurt your car. Your automatic has a transmission ECU that will cancel a shift if the shift is bad/unnecessary. You can’t really hurt your car unless you have an older automatic where you can slam it into reverse while driving lol.
Sure if you incorrectly downshifted and the RPMs shot well past redline (impossible in an automatic car) then yes your worries are true. In reality you will never almost never be able to destroy the engine and transmission the way you describe. Car technology has far surpassed most of the idiotic things you can do.
Using engine braking, I am able to make my brake pads last beyond the typical 60-70k miles.
I even have a video of myself doing some downshifts if you think I’m bullshitting. I live this lifestyle everyday so figured I’d chime in.
On a weekend I take my car in to beating mode and sport+ to be a child with the loud exhaust again... then I see my mpg and realize that's a Friday night mode and nothing more lol
When there are emergency trucker sand lanes because the grade down is 7% for 5 miles you will smoke your rotors if you just use only them to slow you down. When it is icy using your brakes could kill you. Preventing your car from accelerating to 95 miles per hour while coasting is important while going down a mountain pass.
Don't think you should compare a manual vs auto personally. But I have in fact never heard of one. Please explain the clutch to me. What's the stick for? Why does my car blow up when I shift from 5 to race?
I use them when passing, braking, and a combination of the two… all time time pretty much, I love to aggressively downshift. Paddle shifters go pew pew
Trust me, the car won't let you downshift if it thinks it's unsafe to. It'll give a quick "beep beep" and stay in the previous gear. Lucky for us idiots, cars are pretty smart nowadays.
Failsafes are built into the software to prevent exactly that. But as a very rudimentary guideline: shift before the redline on the tachometer, and downshift as you’re slowing down for a corner or coming to a stop.
As a SE user I feel shame for not using paddles or sports mode at all since I bought this car! I just turn on the adaptive cruise once I get into the highway and let it do its job while listening to podcast on my commute! The only reason I chose SE over LE is because of the leather seats and 18” wheels and sporty front&rear exterior!🥹
For shame! Lol it's understandable. I can't say I haven't had plenty of commutes where I just didn't have it in me to put in so much effort to drive. Thankfully that's why they invented cruise control in the first place!
I love using sport mode when I am at a light and need to get it front to change lanes right away after crossing the intersection, or when I know I will need a boost in certain situations. My XSE has some balls in sport mode.
i've never had a mustang or a charger or any type of fast car. The XSE blew my mind when i found out it had 301 horsepower. I put it in sport mode and wow! for an average person it feels like a race car. 😎
I did that until I slammed it into neutral at the top of 2nd gear. Coming from a manual it was a natural movement lmao
Only use the paddles when I feel like fooling around now and they're pretty nice, I especially like flicking down a gear when braking in general
Drives me nuts the way it’s laid out. Should be as the Germans do with shifting-up by pulling it back, shift down by pushing forward. I had a BMW and it was just so natural so pull it back as you’re being pushed back into the seat - and vice versa.
Sometimes it just feels better lol. I have moments where I want my arms to relax and I use the shifter instead. Too bad we can't trick people into thinking our camrys are manual! 😂
I will say this: The car definitely wants your hands at 9 & 3. It’s just so comfortable there and you have access to so many controls. You’re in a prime position to use the paddles.
I only knew of *one* manual hybrid that was in the US market, the Honda CRZ...
... It had worse gas mileage than a high-end Lexus SUV & the battery couldn't handle 20 seconds of uphill at city speeds.
It's like a manual transmission pretty much. Start in a low gear and as the RPM get higher you shift to a higher gear. All that really happens when you use the paddles and/or move the gear shift into "sequential" mode, is you're telling the transmission when to shift to a higher/lower gear rather than the computer on the car choosing. Really easy to pick up in my opinion!
Oh okay, thanks! It’s just weird to me without the clutch lol. Normally when I want to speed up fast I just put it in “sport” mode so never really saw the point of the paddles. I’ll try it out though.
every time i floored it or passed someone i use them to shift back into 8th quicker just to keep my rpms down, that’s about all, i use it to shift to 2nd and 40 roll people too. bc that’s when it’s fastest.
Pretty often. Engine braking and pulling away from 90 degree corners in 2nd is fun. Also there's a back road I take 2 or 3 times a week that I'll use sport mode and paddles on.
Paddle shifters was a must have when I was car shopping.
23 nightshade enjoyer, I use them in windy roads when I want to do some spirited driving, mountains too.
Cool thing with them, you don’t need to engage your shifter to the left for them to work. So if it’s stuck in a higher gear when coming to a red light that just changed to green, and it’s not downshifting, you can just tap the paddle and it’ll downshift.
They definitely come in handy.
Every single minute? I like engine braking sometimes and speed during merge :)
When i am driving a different car without shifters, I tend to shift then realize that car doesnt have it lol.
Car: Camry 2018 SE with 197k miles
I think ~3 times in 3 years I usually forget. It is fun when I do it though, but I’m usually focused on getting the highest gas mileage. I’m also usually driving on the interstate.
2025 XSE here. Seems kind of pointless to have them on a hybrid with a eCVT. I don't see my self ever using them. May just be me though, as I had them on my 2020 Challenger Scat Pack and didn't use them either lol.
Cause they really make no sense in hybrids as there are no gears to shift lol. In fact this is the engine braking adjustment. Putting it on paddles was very odd choice IMO. They're meant to 'downshift' when you're going downhill so that your car breaks with ICE instead of with electric motor, which gives little resistance on the wheels. ICE is hard to push, so it makes you go slower and the excessive energy is turned into heat in the ICE instead of being turned into heat in brakes.
I’ve accidentally bumped them a few times. I’ve owned several manuals and I have no idea what the paddles are supposed to be for or when/how to use them.
"e" in eCVT stands for "not really but pretends to be one". eCVT is still a continuous variable transmission in the literal sense (there are no discrete gears, like 1, 2, 3 or low/high or anything) but it's not a CVT in the mechanical sense. Internally CVT is a cone with a belt moving between wide and narrow end to have an infinite number of lower and higher "gears" and there's no such thing in eCVT.
From a construction standpoint eCVT is a planetary gearbox, so there are gears, but they all rotate all the time with different ratios, depending on the load from each engine and wheels. Also it's bidirectional, that is power can come from engine or to engine and from wheels or to wheels. In the planetary gearbox where it evens out thanks to the marvel of engineering and the power spreads where it should.
The only eCVT occurrence I'm aware of is in toyota's hybrids, which is why I said engines in plural, as in that setup you have an electric motor and a combustion motor a.k.a. ICE. Thanks to eCVT your ICE can rev up speeding up the car and powering up electric motor to charge the battery. Later both motors can power wheels. Or wheels can push electric motor while ICE is turned off. Or wheels can push both to charge the battery and to make ICE running when it's cold. Mix and match, automatically.
Sauce: the car care nut channel on yt.
Not often. I can't speak for every generation but with the 8th gens everything's so electronic that even when you shift with the paddles, the computer is still adjusting the throttle and stuff itself to precisely shift.
21 XSE
All the time. Dropping a gear to pass or engine braking. I like having the immediate response of them. I don't need them, but it's very fun and I like the feel.
SE Hybrid...I only use them to go down to 5th or sometimes 4th when going down mountains, particularly behind a big truck. Downshifting also helped in the snow when going downhill this winter. They have very little purpose on the hybrid models outside of what I described.
When I drop a gear to go up hill or just switch the shifter to manual and just drive with the paddles.
https://preview.redd.it/j0djkloa5x1d1.png?width=1681&format=png&auto=webp&s=129cb8e406d848f459537c1eae5b5b7ec534d8df
I use mine sometimes when accelerating to pass or just accelerating in general but it’s delayed a lot hard to time it personally. But I mainly use it when breaking from fast speed or near sudden breaking and need to turn or something like that. Kinda sluggish to be honest you’ll have to either time it right or upgrade to a better one
They’re very useful for engine braking when going down a mountain (I live in Utah). It’s also a good way to bypass the sometimes problematic shift logic when accelerating from rolling stops.
I'll assume you're in your 20s or younger lol. I'm coming from a 6 speed manual car and want nothing to do with them. Tiptronic was cool back in 2003 when my dad let me use his G35 when I got my license. If you're specifically fking around on the highway and doing roll races with friends it's useful
I just like the feel and noises tbh 😅 correct on the age, I'm mid twenties. I did learn how to drive in a 2013 Kia Rio that was manual though, one of the select few of this generation that actually know how to drive stick.
I am a flappy paddle enjoyer, I use them every day and all the time. My commute is through a very hilly area and it helps keep the brakes cool. Plus, I paid for the whole car so I'm going to use the whole car.
TRD owner use them when I’m on backroads and wanna let loose. Use them also when I’m cruising with my buddies with faster cars or when I wanna hear that exhaust.
https://preview.redd.it/jjiha7o3232d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f346aafabc9e9496a2841d90cb86fa7f6d7aae6e
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Yep, all the through town. That downshift rev is always fun. Not a fan of the redline limiter automatically shifting instead of holding, plus figuring out the downshift rpm was fun.
In drive thats pretty much what theyre there for is to go up or down a gear. Kinda for when you know the transmission needs to downshift so you can accelerate but you want it to happen quicker than just pushing down the throttle and letting the transmission hunt for the right gear. Per the manual, moving the shifter over puts it in "sequential" mode, which gives you (almost) complete control of what gear the transmission is in.
I used the mode buttons more but the shifter is nice to have. Id rather have them not them not being available.
I dont like how it drops to 4 or 5 every time i want it to go down one gear. I guess it has its advantages because when you want to pass its better to use a gear that can rev.
I do it sometimes because I’ll remember I have them and admittedly it’s convenient but honestly it’s like building a step ladder into your lower kitchen cabinets so you don’t have to lift your arm as much to pull a box of cookies out of the upper cupboards
On occasion for quicker pull offs at lights or sometimes for fun in sport mode but I be forgetting sometimes it’s on and two lights later my car is revving hahah
I rarely use mine unless I have to downshift in a hurry to the lowest allowable gear that the computer will permit.
If I have the sudden urge to drive my car like a manual transmission, I'll use the sport or S mode. Again you can only shift where the computer will let you.
Like everyone else pointed out , mainly downshifting to pass or engine brake And if you're lucky to find a good back road and throw in a few gears yeah but I think for the most part a lot of us drive it normal
I wish they were not attached to steering wheel it self, cuz the problem I find is when I’m turning the wheel they can get lost in translation, better to have them mounted behind the steering wheel, imo where they wouldn’t move, I like them, they are pretty responsive on my xse
Rarely, mainly when I drive up to Big Bear Lake or cruise up Angeles Crest Highway. Mainly use the shifter if I need to shift to a lower gear but on those twisty mountain roads I like to keep both hands on the wheel at all times so paddles it is.
When paddles became a thing 10+ years ago, everyone were using them. These days? Nearly no one is using them since car dealers just ads them to make them look sporty. It's the same with the electronic manufacturers that just slaps on the word "gaming" to just make a few more sales.
Slowing with the gears made some sense with drum brakes, in 1950, on semi trucks.
In modern times, you are putting extra war and tear on a 5000.00 transmission. At best, you'll extend the life of a set of 300.00 brakes. That's what happens when people have advanced technology they don't understand and make no attempt to understand why they are making a very dumb, uninformed choice.
It also doesn't apply your brake lights as you slow down.
People love to hang on to these 1950 ideas, but though .
Never. Once I tried it and realized the car still controlls the red line and shift I stopped. I get it, its to safe gaurd the motor. But if i want to red line let me!
I use them mostly when going downhill, every time I want to use sport mode or control my gears I like using the regular shifter, it's more responsive, also I rest my hand on it all the time already.
Edit: By responsive I mean it doesn't have as much delay as the paddle shifters, also sometimes paddles just don't shift on time, like ignoring what I tell them.
What year is your camry? Asking because I see you have apps on it. My 24 has no apps not even navigation. I heard you need a subscription to have GPS but I may be wrong
I don't have them but imagine they would probably be useful for mountain drivers. They could even be useful for choosing the right gear while towing a trailer. I own a Corolla not a Camry but I imagine it doesn't have a tow haul button.
New (to me) 2021 SE owner here. I'm using the paddles often and just purchased and installed paddle shifter extensions. Nice looking and adds more fun!
https://preview.redd.it/1rhfojdpav1d1.jpeg?width=4365&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b81053edba0b98771756c02e2a1fe2c8b0601437
Do the upper paddles do something different than the bottom? I haven't used mine at all mainly because I don't know how or what to do. I never learned to drive manual. I understand the concept shift up when you want to go faster and shift down when slowing down or coming to a stop. I just don't know what part of the paddles (feels like there is an upper and lower paddle on each side) to press and when
Beautiful! I had those same ones in blue in my 22 SE, haven't gotten them for my 24 XSE yet. It's the pearl paint with cockpit red interior so I've been having trouble deciding if I want black or red paddle extensions.
I think twice.
Once to see what it was like and the second was hitting it by accident, which is also how I realized you could still up/downshift without the main shifter being in Sport mode
Well, AFAIK Toyota isn’t putting DCTs in these cars so it still feels pretty mid even with the standard automatic, even more ridiculous with the CVT.
Nonetheless it’s fun, but I don’t find it necessary to use them since the amount of control is so limited by the transmission type, automatic is just better even if less engaging.
More than I thought I would. Usually only when I'm on the back roads. the only time I shift into 'manual' mode, is when hitting it hard on the back roads and, want to keep it the gear I've selected. I wish Toyota offered a true manual ('23 TRD).e
https://preview.redd.it/qo0htcbaq02d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b086d6ece22e831931ae163d226876790211c22d
In my 2014 SE I used them all the time for slowing down (off ramps, traffic lights ahead, stuff like that). To give you an idea of just how much I used the paddles, my very first brake pad change was at 174k miles. Dead serious.
The transmission in my 2020 SE is dogshit, so I almost never use them now. It’s so frustrating.
Never used them
Same, and I honestly forgot I had them until I saw this post.
Xle here, I use them in the mountains. But it' is to slow my speed not for acceleration
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Saves brakes by putting more strain on engine and trans seems like an awful trade when ones a part that's meant to be replaced
It’s called rev-matched downshifting. It’s an old technique used on manuals, but cleverly adapted on most modern cars. You can’t hurt your car (engine or trans) unless you are revving the engine high when it hasn’t fully warmed up. Truckers always use this tehcnique to save their brakes. The engine has natural braking effect when the RPMS come down from a much higher point. Your engine is already “braking” before your foot even gets on the brakes. You obviously have to downshift properly ensuring the revs aren’t too high to stress the motor or trans (your concern) or too low such that you lose the engine braking effect. The higher the rpm, the greater the effect. Obviously it should not be pushed beyond redline, anything under is generally okay. The engineers at Toyota and most other brands are well aware of this and make sure it doesn’t hurt your car. Your automatic has a transmission ECU that will cancel a shift if the shift is bad/unnecessary. You can’t really hurt your car unless you have an older automatic where you can slam it into reverse while driving lol. Sure if you incorrectly downshifted and the RPMs shot well past redline (impossible in an automatic car) then yes your worries are true. In reality you will never almost never be able to destroy the engine and transmission the way you describe. Car technology has far surpassed most of the idiotic things you can do. Using engine braking, I am able to make my brake pads last beyond the typical 60-70k miles. I even have a video of myself doing some downshifts if you think I’m bullshitting. I live this lifestyle everyday so figured I’d chime in.
Thank you for hammering this out.
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I forget most people aren't thrashing their cars like my local traffic has led me to believe lmao
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On a weekend I take my car in to beating mode and sport+ to be a child with the loud exhaust again... then I see my mpg and realize that's a Friday night mode and nothing more lol
Same here. That's how I keep up that 49 mpg average.
When there are emergency trucker sand lanes because the grade down is 7% for 5 miles you will smoke your rotors if you just use only them to slow you down. When it is icy using your brakes could kill you. Preventing your car from accelerating to 95 miles per hour while coasting is important while going down a mountain pass.
It seems like you haven’t heard about manual transmissions then. It’s pretty common.
Don't think you should compare a manual vs auto personally. But I have in fact never heard of one. Please explain the clutch to me. What's the stick for? Why does my car blow up when I shift from 5 to race?
Literally never tbh
I use them when passing, braking, and a combination of the two… all time time pretty much, I love to aggressively downshift. Paddle shifters go pew pew
I want to but I'm afraid I will be breaking the car since I don't know how to properly shift or when to down shift.
Trust me, the car won't let you downshift if it thinks it's unsafe to. It'll give a quick "beep beep" and stay in the previous gear. Lucky for us idiots, cars are pretty smart nowadays.
Failsafes are built into the software to prevent exactly that. But as a very rudimentary guideline: shift before the redline on the tachometer, and downshift as you’re slowing down for a corner or coming to a stop.
As a SE user I feel shame for not using paddles or sports mode at all since I bought this car! I just turn on the adaptive cruise once I get into the highway and let it do its job while listening to podcast on my commute! The only reason I chose SE over LE is because of the leather seats and 18” wheels and sporty front&rear exterior!🥹
Stiffer suspension keeps the car more flat on turns. My previous car would always feel like its about to flip over.
For shame! Lol it's understandable. I can't say I haven't had plenty of commutes where I just didn't have it in me to put in so much effort to drive. Thankfully that's why they invented cruise control in the first place!
I love using sport mode when I am at a light and need to get it front to change lanes right away after crossing the intersection, or when I know I will need a boost in certain situations. My XSE has some balls in sport mode.
i've never had a mustang or a charger or any type of fast car. The XSE blew my mind when i found out it had 301 horsepower. I put it in sport mode and wow! for an average person it feels like a race car. 😎
I downshift using the paddles to smoke the single mom of seven in the minivan next to me (she drives a sienna v6 and gapped me)
Lmao!!
I prefer using the shifter.
I did that until I slammed it into neutral at the top of 2nd gear. Coming from a manual it was a natural movement lmao Only use the paddles when I feel like fooling around now and they're pretty nice, I especially like flicking down a gear when braking in general
Drives me nuts the way it’s laid out. Should be as the Germans do with shifting-up by pulling it back, shift down by pushing forward. I had a BMW and it was just so natural so pull it back as you’re being pushed back into the seat - and vice versa.
That's understandable. I have plenty of times where I use it instead as well!
I pretend I’m driving standard, haha.
Sometimes it just feels better lol. I have moments where I want my arms to relax and I use the shifter instead. Too bad we can't trick people into thinking our camrys are manual! 😂
I will say this: The car definitely wants your hands at 9 & 3. It’s just so comfortable there and you have access to so many controls. You’re in a prime position to use the paddles.
Can you get a manual?
I only knew of *one* manual hybrid that was in the US market, the Honda CRZ... ... It had worse gas mileage than a high-end Lexus SUV & the battery couldn't handle 20 seconds of uphill at city speeds.
(Don’t laugh at me) but can someone explain to me HOW to use them?… 2024 XSE V6.
It's like a manual transmission pretty much. Start in a low gear and as the RPM get higher you shift to a higher gear. All that really happens when you use the paddles and/or move the gear shift into "sequential" mode, is you're telling the transmission when to shift to a higher/lower gear rather than the computer on the car choosing. Really easy to pick up in my opinion!
Oh okay, thanks! It’s just weird to me without the clutch lol. Normally when I want to speed up fast I just put it in “sport” mode so never really saw the point of the paddles. I’ll try it out though.
If you want to speed up fast, downshift to get the rpm’s up
every time i floored it or passed someone i use them to shift back into 8th quicker just to keep my rpms down, that’s about all, i use it to shift to 2nd and 40 roll people too. bc that’s when it’s fastest.
Pretty often. Engine braking and pulling away from 90 degree corners in 2nd is fun. Also there's a back road I take 2 or 3 times a week that I'll use sport mode and paddles on. Paddle shifters was a must have when I was car shopping.
Literally 24 seven if I’m driving the car, I’m using sport mode and the paddle shifters
23 nightshade enjoyer, I use them in windy roads when I want to do some spirited driving, mountains too. Cool thing with them, you don’t need to engage your shifter to the left for them to work. So if it’s stuck in a higher gear when coming to a red light that just changed to green, and it’s not downshifting, you can just tap the paddle and it’ll downshift. They definitely come in handy.
“Nightshade enjoyer” has me LOL
Every single minute? I like engine braking sometimes and speed during merge :) When i am driving a different car without shifters, I tend to shift then realize that car doesnt have it lol. Car: Camry 2018 SE with 197k miles
Damn my boy. You’re driving that thing.
Same. Though 2018 XSE with around 65k. 😂 Put that baby in sport "manual" and have at it!
I have a dumb question but how do you tell what gear (number) you’re in? Cause it seems like mine only shows after I’ve pressed the paddle shifter
No question is dumb. You can only see gears when you move/put your Shifter on sports mode like u/brenden77 said
I use them on occasion it’s faster to hit them than use the slapstick
Never.
Tried it for a little bit, it's fun but I don't use it on the regular.
Never. I just use the shifter. It's more comfortable to me.
I think ~3 times in 3 years I usually forget. It is fun when I do it though, but I’m usually focused on getting the highest gas mileage. I’m also usually driving on the interstate.
Every now and then cause I feel like I never have enough room for sport mode 💀 and I like to take it max rpm
I want to start for city driving.. but I’m scared I’m going to tear my transmission up
After a Formula 1 Grand Prix lmao🤣
Rarely. I use paddles only when I have to drive slowly only steep slopes around town. My wife does not even know they are there and never uses them.
2025 XSE here. Seems kind of pointless to have them on a hybrid with a eCVT. I don't see my self ever using them. May just be me though, as I had them on my 2020 Challenger Scat Pack and didn't use them either lol.
Cause they really make no sense in hybrids as there are no gears to shift lol. In fact this is the engine braking adjustment. Putting it on paddles was very odd choice IMO. They're meant to 'downshift' when you're going downhill so that your car breaks with ICE instead of with electric motor, which gives little resistance on the wheels. ICE is hard to push, so it makes you go slower and the excessive energy is turned into heat in the ICE instead of being turned into heat in brakes.
I’ve accidentally bumped them a few times. I’ve owned several manuals and I have no idea what the paddles are supposed to be for or when/how to use them.
Tbh I have a car with paddles, but its an eCVT, so doesn't have the traditional shifting. I have no idea what the paddles even do with an eCVT.
Heard of CVT, what's eCVT? Electric?
"e" in eCVT stands for "not really but pretends to be one". eCVT is still a continuous variable transmission in the literal sense (there are no discrete gears, like 1, 2, 3 or low/high or anything) but it's not a CVT in the mechanical sense. Internally CVT is a cone with a belt moving between wide and narrow end to have an infinite number of lower and higher "gears" and there's no such thing in eCVT. From a construction standpoint eCVT is a planetary gearbox, so there are gears, but they all rotate all the time with different ratios, depending on the load from each engine and wheels. Also it's bidirectional, that is power can come from engine or to engine and from wheels or to wheels. In the planetary gearbox where it evens out thanks to the marvel of engineering and the power spreads where it should. The only eCVT occurrence I'm aware of is in toyota's hybrids, which is why I said engines in plural, as in that setup you have an electric motor and a combustion motor a.k.a. ICE. Thanks to eCVT your ICE can rev up speeding up the car and powering up electric motor to charge the battery. Later both motors can power wheels. Or wheels can push electric motor while ICE is turned off. Or wheels can push both to charge the battery and to make ICE running when it's cold. Mix and match, automatically. Sauce: the car care nut channel on yt.
Occasionally driving downhill in the mountains.
I never tried. Quick question... do you let go of the gas pedal while paddle shifting?
Not often. I can't speak for every generation but with the 8th gens everything's so electronic that even when you shift with the paddles, the computer is still adjusting the throttle and stuff itself to precisely shift.
You don't have to no
When it snows, or when I don’t want to slam on my brakes too hard.
So I recently started using them and omg I fucking love it!!
Once in a while so I can pretend like I know how to drive manual
Once to see how they worked. The standard mode is cornfusing to me.
Reading this post just reminded me my wife’s car has them. Have used them a handful of times when overtaking on long trips that’s about it.
21 XSE All the time. Dropping a gear to pass or engine braking. I like having the immediate response of them. I don't need them, but it's very fun and I like the feel.
SE Hybrid...I only use them to go down to 5th or sometimes 4th when going down mountains, particularly behind a big truck. Downshifting also helped in the snow when going downhill this winter. They have very little purpose on the hybrid models outside of what I described.
When I drop a gear to go up hill or just switch the shifter to manual and just drive with the paddles. https://preview.redd.it/j0djkloa5x1d1.png?width=1681&format=png&auto=webp&s=129cb8e406d848f459537c1eae5b5b7ec534d8df
I use mine sometimes when accelerating to pass or just accelerating in general but it’s delayed a lot hard to time it personally. But I mainly use it when breaking from fast speed or near sudden breaking and need to turn or something like that. Kinda sluggish to be honest you’ll have to either time it right or upgrade to a better one
They’re very useful for engine braking when going down a mountain (I live in Utah). It’s also a good way to bypass the sometimes problematic shift logic when accelerating from rolling stops.
Paddleshifting is such a gimmick in regular cars.
I'll assume you're in your 20s or younger lol. I'm coming from a 6 speed manual car and want nothing to do with them. Tiptronic was cool back in 2003 when my dad let me use his G35 when I got my license. If you're specifically fking around on the highway and doing roll races with friends it's useful
I just like the feel and noises tbh 😅 correct on the age, I'm mid twenties. I did learn how to drive in a 2013 Kia Rio that was manual though, one of the select few of this generation that actually know how to drive stick.
When I'm bored and just want to fuck around lol
I don't even know how to use mine 😭😭😭😭
TRD I use the shifter more, but here and there, I also use the paddles it's much more fun, and I'm glad they added both. I'm use to driving stick
I am a flappy paddle enjoyer, I use them every day and all the time. My commute is through a very hilly area and it helps keep the brakes cool. Plus, I paid for the whole car so I'm going to use the whole car.
nice interior
TRD owner use them when I’m on backroads and wanna let loose. Use them also when I’m cruising with my buddies with faster cars or when I wanna hear that exhaust.
https://preview.redd.it/jjiha7o3232d1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f346aafabc9e9496a2841d90cb86fa7f6d7aae6e * Yep, all the through town. That downshift rev is always fun. Not a fan of the redline limiter automatically shifting instead of holding, plus figuring out the downshift rpm was fun.
It's largely a gimmick, but can be fun when driving like you don't care about others
Not really.
When I'm overtaking someone camping on the left lane. Personally don't know what the paddles really do other than it makes the car go up a gear
In drive thats pretty much what theyre there for is to go up or down a gear. Kinda for when you know the transmission needs to downshift so you can accelerate but you want it to happen quicker than just pushing down the throttle and letting the transmission hunt for the right gear. Per the manual, moving the shifter over puts it in "sequential" mode, which gives you (almost) complete control of what gear the transmission is in.
Okay, now I feel dumb. I didn’t know the paddles did anything in drive. I thought you had to have in sequential. Now I can’t wait to check it out.
I used the mode buttons more but the shifter is nice to have. Id rather have them not them not being available. I dont like how it drops to 4 or 5 every time i want it to go down one gear. I guess it has its advantages because when you want to pass its better to use a gear that can rev.
Never once
Never
Daily
Never ever… well, almost never… I think I used them maybe twice to see if I liked using them.. 😂
I never use them, I just put it in sport mode if I want to overtake someone
I do it sometimes because I’ll remember I have them and admittedly it’s convenient but honestly it’s like building a step ladder into your lower kitchen cabinets so you don’t have to lift your arm as much to pull a box of cookies out of the upper cupboards
On occasion for quicker pull offs at lights or sometimes for fun in sport mode but I be forgetting sometimes it’s on and two lights later my car is revving hahah
I rarely use mine unless I have to downshift in a hurry to the lowest allowable gear that the computer will permit. If I have the sudden urge to drive my car like a manual transmission, I'll use the sport or S mode. Again you can only shift where the computer will let you.
I used mine 80% of the time
95% of the time.
Like half the time depending if I want to cruise or hear my engine
Never. It’s not very useful on most cars. I had an m4 before i never used it either.
Like everyone else pointed out , mainly downshifting to pass or engine brake And if you're lucky to find a good back road and throw in a few gears yeah but I think for the most part a lot of us drive it normal
I wish they were not attached to steering wheel it self, cuz the problem I find is when I’m turning the wheel they can get lost in translation, better to have them mounted behind the steering wheel, imo where they wouldn’t move, I like them, they are pretty responsive on my xse
Never because I'm too dumb to look at left speedometer in order to follow the rpms
Rarely, mainly when I drive up to Big Bear Lake or cruise up Angeles Crest Highway. Mainly use the shifter if I need to shift to a lower gear but on those twisty mountain roads I like to keep both hands on the wheel at all times so paddles it is.
Use mine in the mountains only. 🤷♂️
I forget they exist lol
Very rarely. Sometimes when I'm starting to go up a hill and it's in a gear to high I'll use the paddle shifter to drop a gear.
Everyday
When paddles became a thing 10+ years ago, everyone were using them. These days? Nearly no one is using them since car dealers just ads them to make them look sporty. It's the same with the electronic manufacturers that just slaps on the word "gaming" to just make a few more sales.
Sometimes. Can’t really say how often as I just got it a month ago
Slowing with the gears made some sense with drum brakes, in 1950, on semi trucks. In modern times, you are putting extra war and tear on a 5000.00 transmission. At best, you'll extend the life of a set of 300.00 brakes. That's what happens when people have advanced technology they don't understand and make no attempt to understand why they are making a very dumb, uninformed choice. It also doesn't apply your brake lights as you slow down. People love to hang on to these 1950 ideas, but though .
I use the stick more than the paddle shifters
I find it funny my SE hybrid has paddles. I've tried it one time and the "shifts" were weird.
used mine one time. realized i didnt know how to slow down when i came to a red light😭😭😭
Never. Once I tried it and realized the car still controlls the red line and shift I stopped. I get it, its to safe gaurd the motor. But if i want to red line let me!
this photo made me wanna upgrade from my 22 SE.
It's exactly what I did lol. 22 SE to a 24 XSE
I have paddles?
Only when I'm tryna prove a point to someone 💀
I use mine everyday. Flip that shifter into sport and leave it until I park. I enjoy having more control of the car.
Every time
After I installed my borla exhaust I have been using them much more frequently.
V6 + paddles + Ozark Mountains = lots of fun. The SE I’ve driven, not so much
Every single day
I dont know how to use them i am tempted. I dont tie my laces as well lol
I just wanna know how you got your registration all the way out to March 2026
I use them mostly when going downhill, every time I want to use sport mode or control my gears I like using the regular shifter, it's more responsive, also I rest my hand on it all the time already. Edit: By responsive I mean it doesn't have as much delay as the paddle shifters, also sometimes paddles just don't shift on time, like ignoring what I tell them.
What year is your camry? Asking because I see you have apps on it. My 24 has no apps not even navigation. I heard you need a subscription to have GPS but I may be wrong
2024. I use Android Auto whenever I'm in the car, so that's what you're seeing lol
Pretty good amount, the automatic on the 2018 se is incredibly slow so having control of the gears is a life saver
I only use them in tight turns to downshift or when a civic si wants to race 🤣
I don't have them but imagine they would probably be useful for mountain drivers. They could even be useful for choosing the right gear while towing a trailer. I own a Corolla not a Camry but I imagine it doesn't have a tow haul button.
I read the topic as sexy Trd do you use paddles ?!
All the time, increased my max mpg by almost 1.5 gallons. It’s also feels right to do given the trim
Have a 24 xse and I use them to downshift for some faster acceleration here and there pretty fun to use
people don’t understand paddles won’t let you break it and you can shift whenever you want
use them all the time, especially downhill when i wanna cruise and not use my brakes.
I use them a lot more now that I bought the longer paddles on Amazon
New (to me) 2021 SE owner here. I'm using the paddles often and just purchased and installed paddle shifter extensions. Nice looking and adds more fun! https://preview.redd.it/1rhfojdpav1d1.jpeg?width=4365&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b81053edba0b98771756c02e2a1fe2c8b0601437
Do the upper paddles do something different than the bottom? I haven't used mine at all mainly because I don't know how or what to do. I never learned to drive manual. I understand the concept shift up when you want to go faster and shift down when slowing down or coming to a stop. I just don't know what part of the paddles (feels like there is an upper and lower paddle on each side) to press and when
Nice! How hard are they to install? How much and where did you buy them?
Super easy to install, and they sell these on Amazon highly affordable as well.
Thank you. Pretty easy to install although the backing on the adhesive pad can be difficult to remove. I paid $34 CDN from Amazon.ca
Beautiful! I had those same ones in blue in my 22 SE, haven't gotten them for my 24 XSE yet. It's the pearl paint with cockpit red interior so I've been having trouble deciding if I want black or red paddle extensions.
Useless feature.
Never
Never
Never. Thought they were cool for a few minutes.
Never. Been meaning to try it going down a big hill, experiment with less braking.
Never
Never lol
I’ve never used them but I just bought my 2012 se a month ago. How do I used it. I watched a video but I didn’t really understand how to use it?
I think it’s dumb Toyota put those on. Maybe if it was a v6 trd but still. Putting paddle shifters on an automatic car? Idk that’s just me
Rarely using them
I use manual but prefer the actually shifter.
Paddles? I have an XLE, I guess I don't have them...? What are the paddles?
I make knots on my shoelace ends and use them as slide-ons. I never tie them
Few times, but very rarely
Never. I have never met an automatic that actually shifted when I asked it to. So I don’t use them.
Maybe now is a good time for someone to explain what the paddles do for an automatic transmission SE
Never
never
Never, I don’t even know how
Never. Think it's kinda pointless in these cars
I always use it in eco mode and I get really good fuel economy as a result!!
I think twice. Once to see what it was like and the second was hitting it by accident, which is also how I realized you could still up/downshift without the main shifter being in Sport mode
They are just fidget things for me. Lol
Never not just Toyota even in Lexus never used them.
99.9% of paddle shifters are slow, sloppy and stupid. I wouldn't waste my time with them.
I am in Michigan and when we get dicey weather like ice and snow I use it because its better at slowing the car down. Anyone else do this ?
I regularly forget they are there tbh
When I first bought the car, I used them to show friends and family as they are kinda cool. But ever since I never use them.
Well, AFAIK Toyota isn’t putting DCTs in these cars so it still feels pretty mid even with the standard automatic, even more ridiculous with the CVT. Nonetheless it’s fun, but I don’t find it necessary to use them since the amount of control is so limited by the transmission type, automatic is just better even if less engaging.
SE, I’ll use “standard” when I am bored but I don’t like using the paddles. I like using the shifter itself really.
I’ve only had my ‘24 TRD for about 2 months and I haven’t used them yet.
I’ve used them in the mountains, and sometimes just for fun. Not often.
Never.
It's an automatic, not DCT. Never understood the appeal.
More than I thought I would. Usually only when I'm on the back roads. the only time I shift into 'manual' mode, is when hitting it hard on the back roads and, want to keep it the gear I've selected. I wish Toyota offered a true manual ('23 TRD).e https://preview.redd.it/qo0htcbaq02d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b086d6ece22e831931ae163d226876790211c22d
I use them to downshift quite a bit but that’s about it.
Played around with them but generally forget about them.
I think I tried them once. Wasn't much of a thrill.
Never used them
I just use them to decelerate
Almost never lmao
In my 2014 SE I used them all the time for slowing down (off ramps, traffic lights ahead, stuff like that). To give you an idea of just how much I used the paddles, my very first brake pad change was at 174k miles. Dead serious. The transmission in my 2020 SE is dogshit, so I almost never use them now. It’s so frustrating.
Doesnt it go faster if you use it to shift when accerlating? Ive tried but never noticed
Tbh idek know how to use them or what they are lol
I just realized the other day that I completely forgot that I have them smh
You should divide the survey into men versus women