Why have manual transmissions become replaced by paddle shifters and such? What are the benefits in terms of performance?
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Are you asking why cars frequently have paddle shifters now, rather than a gear box stick in the console between the front seats? It’s worth clarifying, because most cars now which have paddle shifters, are in fact automatic transmission cars. The paddle shifters are just an option to manually override what the auto transmission in the car is programmed to do, so you can drive a car in either way if you want.
As for the reason that someone would want to manually shift gears in an automatic car. This is primarily to better control acceleration. You can get faster acceleration by delaying your shifts and letting the car run a lower gear up to higher RPMs in that gear. This is really good to get going faster, but it’s also bad for fuel efficiency. It allows you to drive more aggressively in lower gears, or just quickly merge into traffic.
On the other hand, if you’ve got paddle shifters in a car that only has a manual transmission, it’s mostly because it’s more convenient than reaching your hand down to a stick.
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