8 replies to this topic

[1994alex]

Are you able to fit Paddle shifters to a normal mini engine and gearbox?
If yes, how do you do it?

Alex

[Black.Ghost]

To be honest, if you can do it, you would be better off mounting them to the steering column than the engine :wink:

[richw911]

Anything is possible if you have endless amounts of money - but it wouldnt be easy you would need loads of electronics etc

[sledgehammer]

I think you would need a sequencial gear box for flappy paddles

the motorbike conversions would be better suited

although I bet someone somewhere has done it

It may be possible to fit the old column change - but would take some head scratching

[Dan]

Jack Knight make a sequential shift system for their 5 and 6 speed boxes but it's purely mechanical. You could use that and an electronic sequential shift controller to shift with paddle switches. I don't know how the Jack Knight system deals with the clutch.

I think I've seen a drum sequential shifter made by someone else too, possibly Swiftune.

[Tamworthbay]

I have designed and built a servo controlled system for a 9 speed sequential box for the electric car we race at work. It was a total and utter ball ache from start to finish. It would take me a week of typing to list all the issues and unreliabilities we have encountered. Bearing in mind that I have access to a professional machinist, a sponsor who mostly works on maching Ti for F1 teams and an electronics engineer who designed systems for the an electric car for one of the top manufacturers, you will begin to get an idea of how complicated it is. And guess what we ended up doing? Going back to a cable operated system. To be fair we were trying to fully automate the system to allow the motor to always be at the most efficient revs (1750rpm in our case). So we wanted it to prevent the driver making inappropriate changes. It was a nightmare. We are having a second go but are now looking at building a bespoke gearbox with features designed in to get around some of the problems.

[mini93]

even if your able to adapt a mini box into a sequential unit, the box's iv seen at work have all had gear posision sensors built into the box, altho you can buy a kit to work a rod type box from geartronix or the like, your not going to find it suitable for retro fitting into a mini box. If your wanting flappys, best go for a foregn engine

[eden7842]

1 word. Why

[tiger99]

Why indeed? Pose factor, I suspect. But that is a good enough reason! Just about everyone here does totally unnecessary things like painting their engine blocks or polishing the rocker cover. People do things, just because they can. Climbing mountains usually serves no purpose either, but many people do it.

It seems to me that a workable installation would involve completely replacing the selector mechanism in the gearbox. Big plus point, the nasty, leaky gearchange rod seal would be gone for ever! The hard way would be converting paddle operations to driving the usual H pattern gearshift, easier to manipulate each selector fork separately, remembering that there needs to be a positive interlock to prevent two gears engaging at once.